It's Miller Time In Plastic

Strong consumer and retailer interest drives the nationwide introduction of beer in plastic bottles.

By Chris Bauer

You shimmy up to the bar at your favorite local establishment, and order yourself a beer. "Bottle or draft," the barkeep asks. "Bottle," you reply. "Plastic or glass," he inquires. You look back at him, puzzled, thinking he must have spent too much time behind that bar. Beer doesn't come in plastic bottles—or does it? Well, it does now, thanks to Miller Brewing Company and Continental PET Technologies.

After extensive test marketing efforts, Miller plastic bottles—the first and only plastic beer bottles available for widespread retail distribution in the United States—can now be found at watering-holes, sporting events, and concerts across the country. While Miller's plastic bottles surfaced in October 1998 in six major metropolitan areas, growing consumer and retailer demand prompted Miller to rapidly expand distribution to additional markets.

"Plastic bottles represent one of the biggest breakthroughs in the beer world in years and have been met with an overwhelmingly positive response," lauds Bob Mikulay, Miller's senior vice president of marketing. "Once legal drinking age consumers have had a chance to see the Miller plastic bottle, to touch it, to experience that the beer tastes just as good in plastic as in glass, they have been very excited about this new package."

Miller plastic bottles appeal to adult consumers for multiple reasons, Mikulay explains. The primary benefits include: the new plastic bottles keep the beer cold longer than aluminum cans and as long as glass bottles; it is one-seventh the weight of comparably sized glass bottles; it is resealable; it is unbreakable; and it can be recycled with other PET containers.

"The plastic beer bottles have been especially successful where glass bottles aren't as convenient or allowed, such as beaches, pools, patios, and stadiums," Mikulay says. "Plastic bottles offer adult beer drinkers packaging flexibility and convenience that they've enjoyed from other beverages for many years."

To date, Miller plastic bottles have been sold in more than 20 NFL stadiums, 12 Major League Baseball parks and eight NBA/NHL arenas, as well as other high visibility events like Woodstock '99 and the last two Super Bowls.

"Miller plastic bottles are an unmatched success at venues and special events," adds Jack Collins, general manager of a Miller distributorship, Halo Distributing Company in San Antonio, TX. "Consumers like the package's convenience and that the beer stays cold longer than in a can."

Recycling a big issue

The proprietary multi-layer design of the Miller plastic bottle, which was developed and produced by Continental PET Technologies, is designed to ensure product freshness and drinkability, and allows the bottle to be recycled with other PET packages. The bottle consists of three layers of PET—sandwiching two thin nylon barriers—keeping carbonation in and taste-destroying oxygen out.

Beginning this summer, the Miller plastic bottle will reportedly become the first nationally distributed plastic carbonated beverage container to use PCR material. Also this summer, Miller plastic bottles will include new plastic caps and labels, both designed to further enhance the package's acceptance with current PET recycling streams. The metallized paper labels originally used turned to sludge that sank to the bottom of the recycling tank, clogging the system. These concerns have been addressed and new recyclable labels are planned (see sidebar, right).

"From the beginning," Mikulay recalls, "Miller and Continental PET Technologies have worked closely with major plastics and plastic recycling industry groups to ensure the full recyclability of our plastic bottle."