What's happening in the world of milk bottles? << Back to Main News Page Added: Thursday, 1 May 2008 Developments in milk packaging have been at the forefront of the news since the start of the year. Plastic bottle manufacturer Nampak has teamed up with WRAP and milk producer Dairy Crest on a project aiming to reduce the weight of packaging used in the dairy industry by producing one and two pint milk bottles without a handle. This change could cut HDPE plastic use by 5,000 tonnes per year, if the new bottles were adopted by the dairy industry as a whole. Getting rid of the handles will cut each bottle’s weight by 10% - but the issue for designers is maintaining the strength of the bottles as current designs receive significant structural support from the handle. Handles will remain on four pint bottles as they are necessary for the consumer to be able to pick the bottle up. The project will explore consumer acceptance of the new style bottles, ergonomic grips, ease of opening, production, filling and transport. Results are expected in summer 2008. For more information, please visit www.wrap.org.uk, http://eu.plastics.nampak.com