Peeling away the layers

摘要

For a number of reasons, beer producers are looking at plastic packaging. What is happening, and what will be the effect on recycling? Baby boomers grew up with soft drinks in cans. Gen X'ers grew up with soft drinks in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Upon reaching the age for legal consumption of beer, both groups looked for familiar packages. It was easy for the Boomers; aluminum cans met the packaging needs for beer. For Gen X'ers and their younger siblings, however, the PET bottles of their youth were not yet ready for packaging beer—not until the packaging could better protect the product.