Controversial PET for French wine is increasing

Demand for PET bottles from French wine producers is said to be increasing fast according to plastic packaging firms. APPE, the biggest producer of PET bottles in Europe, has increased its production of PET wine bottles by 45 per cent this year compared to 2009.

Driving this growth is demand from the travel sector from companies such as Air France and Eurostar where PET wine bottles are better and more practical than glass but the real opportunities lie in export markets. The UK is the biggest driver of growth within Europe while the biggest international buyer is Japan. French firm PDG Plastiques, also confirmed that Japan is one of the biggest sources of growth for PET packed wines due to the economic and ecological advantage of PET which is around eight times lighter than glass bottles.

But the use of PET in the wine market remains controversial after a study earlier this year by The Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) that claimed the character of white wine packed in PET changed noticeably after six months.

Both APPE and PDG Plastiques dispute the research and say that wine can be kept in their PET bottles for two years without any change in product quality.