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Sidel develops NoBottle

Sidel started with a simple idea: design a water bottle that maximizes shelf appeal and minimizes
environmental impact. After a year in development, Sidel is unveiling NoBottle, which combines
beauty and unprecedented weight reduction (9.9 g for a 500 ml package) in a bottle that can be
manufactured and distributed on an industrial scale. A new technology, known as Flex, has made
this breakthrough bottle possible. Flex technology is based on flexibility and shape memory that
allows packages to spring back to their original shape.
Flexible bottle with shape memory

Typically, when bottle weight is reduced, ribs are added to brace bottle walls. These bottles are
brittle and noisy when compressed, which reduces shelf appeal and premium image. The ribs also
limit the possibilities for lightweighting. “We had to stop focusing on ways to brace bottles,”
explains Franck Hancard, Packaging Solutions manager, “so we explored new avenues. After
testing various plastic materials, we ultimately developed Flex.” Flex technology combines
plastic’s flexibility with shape memory eliminating the need for ribs so designers are free to create
all sorts of shapes, even for extremely lightweight bottles. These bottles are easy to grip, supple,
and substantially less brittle than conventional bottles. And, thanks to shape memory, bottles are
better able to withstand conveying, packing, transport and handling.
Expanding the possibilities for lightweighting has resulted in the aptly named NoBottle with a profile
so pure and elegant, it almost seems to disappear, allowing the product inside to take center stage.
Eco-friendly packaging

Compared to the average weight of a bottle of water of the same capacity (13 g to 16 g) the 9.9 g
NoBottle weighs 25 to 40 percent less, resulting in less plastic material to be recycled. “Water is
the largest beverage market by volume with 160 billion liters consumed in 2006. It also represents
the highest growth sector and is expected to expand by 5.7 percent annually between now and
2010. The additional tons of waste eliminated by this new, lighter design will be considerable,”
notes Hancard. This is especially true since the number of units sold on the water market is
expected to catch up with soft drinks by around 2010 due to the growth of small, single-serve containers (<750 ml). This was one of the key factors in Sidel’s decision to develop the NoBottle in
the 500 ml format.
Advanced technology gives bottlers the edge
Producing a 500 ml bottle weighing less than 10 g is an impressive technical achievement. Sidel
looked at the entire manufacturing process, from blow molding to palletizing, to propose a simple
solution to customers that could be tailored to their needs.