日本麒麟２公升飲料瓶業界最軽、２８．９克

Earlier this month the Asahi News on-line reported the following:

２Ｌ用飲料ボトルが２８．９ｇ　キリン、業界最軽量

下山祐治

2014年12月6日09時02分

　飲料各社がペットボトルや、ビール瓶の軽さを競っている。つくる費用と運ぶ費用を減らせ、その過程で出る二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）の量も削減できるからだ。キリンは来春、業界で最も軽い新型ペットボトルを投入する。

　戦いの場は、水のペットボトルだ。薄いボトルの強さを保っているのは、胴回りにつけた溝。この溝が重さを受け止める。どういう溝を描くかが、ポイントになる。

　キリンが「アルカリイオンの水」に、来年３月から使う新型ペットボトル（２リットル）は、厚さを２割強薄くする一方で、溝の数を１２から１６に。一部は地面と平行ではなく、斜めにした。

　強さはそのままに、重さは２割軽い２８・９グラム。サントリーの同じサイズより０・９グラム軽く「最軽量」の座を２年ぶりに取り戻す。

　費用は年に１億円前後浮く。工場に投じる４億円は数年で回収できそうだ。消費者にとっても「持ち運びやすいし、ぞうきんのように小さくしぼることができ、捨てやすい」（同社技術部の西島孝紀主任）とアピールする。

　サントリーも「天然水」で軽くする研究は続けている。５００～６００ミリリットル向けは、国内で最も軽い１１・３グラムだ。

　水は、お茶や果汁飲料と違ってペットボトルの中身が酸化して品質が損なわれる恐れがなく、軽量化に取り組みやすい。各社とも、水用を中心に軽量化に取り組んでいる。

　ビールの容器では、業務用に使われることが多い瓶が軽量化の「主戦場」だ。

　キリンは１１月、国内で最も軽い中瓶を九州で導入した。胴回りを０・８ミリ薄くする一方、強度を保つためセラミックスを塗布。これで９０グラム軽い３８０グラムを実現した。２０１５年秋には全国に広げる計画だ。持ち運びの負担が減ることで「居酒屋などに営業攻勢をかけやすくなる」（広報）。

　アサヒ、サントリー、サッポロは以前から瓶を共同で使っている。１０月、これまでより１０グラム軽い４６０グラムの中瓶を導入した。（下山祐治）

(試譯文)

All drinking companies were competing for lightness in their plastic bottles and beer bottles. It was because the making cost and carrying cost could be reduced, and the amount of the carbon dioxide (CO2) which went out during their processing could also be reduced. Kirin would throw in the lightest new-style plastic bottle into the industry next spring.

  The battle ground was centering on plastic bottles that held water. What kept the strength of the light-weight bottle were the ditches added to the waist. The ditches absorbed the weight. The point was how to draw the ditches.

Kirin from March next year would use a new-style plastic bottle for its "alkali ion water" (2 liters). While the thickness was more than 20 percent thinner, the number of ditches would range from 12 to 16. Part of them was not parallel to the ground but slanting.

The strength was not changed; the weight was 20 percent lighter at 28.9 grams. It was 0.9 grams lighter then Suntory’s same size bottle and thus could reclaim the seat of "ultra-light" after more than two years.

  About 100 million yen a year expenses were saved. It seemed that they were able to, in several years, receive back the 400 million yen thrown into the factory. (Nishijima Takatoshi, chairman of the said company’s technical development department) appealed that “the bottle can be carried around easily and be squeezed to make smaller like a dust-cloth, and could be easily thrown away”.

  Suntory also continued with its research work to make lighter its "natural water". In the country they were the lightest: 11.3 grams for 500-600 ml.

  Water was different from green tea or fruit juice drinks. There was no fear that the contents in the plastic bottle would be oxidized and the quality damaged; it was easy to work on in weight-saving. All companies were working on weight-saving for water.

  The container for beer, as a frequently used business bottle, had become the "main battlefield" for weight-saving.

  Kirin introduced the lightest middle-sized bottle at Kyushu in November in the country. The waistline was made thin by 8 millimeters and ceramics were applied to keep the strength. In this way it was 90 grams lighter, reaching 380 grams.There was a plan to expand it into the whole country in autumn 2015. As the weight of carrying it would become less, “a business campaign that takes aim at a pub is easy” (public relations advertisement).

  Previously, Morning Sun, Suntory and Sapporo Breweries all used a common bottle jointly. In October the 460 grams middle-sized bottle which was 10 grams lighter then before was introduced.

It seems that the new bottles are more environmentally friendly and could increase the profit of the companies.