容器分野における材料・技術動向

抄録

The Japanese packaging market is reviewed and analyzed in terms of the materials, the products and the technologies. The shipment of packaging materials by value has been decreasing since 1991 and was counted about 6000 billion yen in 2001, whereas the amount has been almost constant with slight increases of plastics and paper. This means that the material and cost reductions are extremely demanded. The largest market for hermetically sealed packages is drinks. The share of PET bottles in the total non-alcoholic drinks was 51% followed by steel cans (25%), cartons (10%), aluminium cans (9%) and glass bottles (4%). In the alcoholic drinks sector aluminium cans are dominant. In the food and the general-use sectors flexible pouches have been increasing by replacing glass jars, cans and plastic bottles from the standpoints of convenience and waste reduction. It seems that there are two main trends in the development of packaging. One is differentiation and the other is rationalization. Differentiation by decoration, shaping, adding functions has commonly applied to the packages for soft drinks and other commodities. As for cost effective or mass consumption products such as "beer", low alcoholic drinks etc., rationalized packages are preferred. PET-coated 2pc cans, Hi-barrier PET bottles and improved filling systems etc. are introduced. Recycling of packages is also reviewed. As the role of packaging becomes increasingly important under increasing world population and the world warming, developing packages and packaging systems with less environmental and economical impact is essentially important.