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bottling plant was designed according to advanced automation and security criteria, fully satisfied by the ECOBLOC® ERGON integrated system supplied by SMI Innovation to the French company. The bottle has the fundamental role of maintaining the purity of the spring water and preserving the quality until the product is consumed; for this reason, the bottles blown, filled and capped by the and sustainability ® ECOBLOC ERGON system need to go through a long series of controls within the bottling line and every day undergo accurate tests carried out by Volvic Quality in the circular economy Laboratory. 100% rPET bottles Volvic natural, mineral water arrives at the consumers’ process undergoes careful controls to satisfy the high table as pure as when it flows from the source and levels of quality required by the French company is not treated in any way that can alter the taste; for SMI’s latest developments and its owner , a goal that is achieved by this reason the container plays a vital role towards protecting the water source and safeguarding the and the considerable and maintaining the purity of the water, from the source to natural environment all along the distribution chain, till when it is consumed. The most widely used material for the moment the bottled product is consumed. All of this continuous investments in bottling water is PET (polyethylene terephthalate), an is taken care of in minute detail, involving partners and unbreakable, plastic material that is lightweight and Research & Development suppliers, as with the recent investment for the purchase 100% recyclable. Volvic’s high regard of environmental of a new bottling line, for 8L containers in 100% recycled have led to the launch of issues led the French company to develop modern plastic (rPET), which involved SMI for the supply of an solutions for the recycling of PET, so that a new bottle integrated system ECOBLOC® ERGON. The project is the compact, ergonomic, and can be produced from an old one. Volvic was one of the result of a strong synergy between Volvic-Danone and first companies to use recycled plastic (rPET) to produce eco-friendly machines SMI; both companies shared goals and expertise from containers and caps, slowly increasing the percentage environmental respect, product quality and purity; the design phase to the installation works, with every of rPET, until it hit 100% with the new 8 litre bottle. The for this reason the whole bottling, packaging and choice rotating around the necessity to get higher than 8L container with a square base, in the same style as distribution process was designed around these values average bottle performance and quality, safeguarding the smaller Volvic bottles, was studied by a designer at and the machine supplied by SMI was integrated with y manufacturing machines with an the final product, eco-friendliness and operational Danone to create an extremely practical, home use, sophisticate inspection systems, which, starting with the innovative design equipped with IoT efficiency of the whole production process. container-dispenser. Its shape, part of which is slightly preforms, carry out a long series of checks to maintain technology, SMI provides customers from From the source to the table: the quality is always under tilted, ensures that the bottle can be easily positioned the quality and purity of the spring water. all over the world with smart solutions, control on a flat surface and, thanks to the special cap which Main advantages of the integrated system: B capable of satisfying their needs in terms Sustainable development, respect for the environment is used as a tap, the supply of the product is convenient • compact, flexible solution for stretch-blowing, filling of production efficiency, operational flexibility, energy and product quality and purity are the fundamental and easy. The new design of the maxi container was and capping bottles in PET, with the advantage, in terms saving and ease of use and monitoring of bottling and elements at Société des Eaux de Volvic SA, company, accurately reproduced by SMI, to create the moulds of reducing production costs, as the system does not packaging lines. which has been part of the French Danone food and that are installed on the ECOBLOC® ERGON HC EV need a rinser, nor conveyors between the blower and The latest developments and the considerable and beverage group (water dept.) since 1992. The natural integrated system and which allow it to manufacture the filler or accumulation continuous investments in Research & Development purity and unequalled quality of Volvic water begins a harmonious bottle with a clean design, that perfectly • isolating system between the “dry” area of the blower have led to the launch of compact, ergonomic, eco- by carefully protecting the source and accurately mirrors the purity of the water that it contains. and the “wet” one of the filler, through a jet of high friendly machines, such as the ECOBLOC® ERGON monitoring the natural environment from where this Eco-packaging and eco-formats are concepts that pressured, sterile air in excess of 5Pa, which guarantees integrated systems for the stretch-blow moulding, filling precious liquid flows. The water is conducted through have always been a part of Volvic. Between 2008 and a clean, hygienic filling system and capping of rPET containers recently installed at stainless steel pipes from the source to the bottling 2012 the French company reduced the quantity of • application of various accessories to guarantee that Danone Group’s Societé des Eaux de Volvic plant. plant, without any external contact; therefore, from the plastics used in its bottles around the world by 6,5% and the filling system is extremely clean and easy to sanitise When we talk about purity and quality, it is the accurate depth of the volcanic stratum it reaches the protected since 2008 it has reduced the carbon footprint (total with advanced cleaning systems work carried out by the bottling company Societé des environment of the inside of a sterile bottle. To protect emission of greenhouse gases) of the packaging by 40%. • innovative preform suction system, situated on the Eaux de Volvic that comes to mind. The whole bottling the liquid from any external contamination, Volvic Recognisable by the green cap, Volvic 0.5 L and 1.5 L oven infeed star, to remove any tiny impurities that bottles were the first in to be produced with a could be on the inside of the preform itself. The air that type of plastics that is 20% of vegetable origin, favouring is inserted into the suction system is filtered, and it is part the use of renewable materials. Furthermore, as large of the air recovery system that comes as standard on all capacity formats use less plastics, Volvic has always the range of SMI stretch-blow moulders. tried to promote them and produce ecological formats, • machine integrated with sophisticated inspection like the 8L bottle, bottled by the ECOBLOC® ERGON HC systems with cameras to guarantee the quality of the EV recently supplied by SMI. bottled water, monitor the production process and SMI solutions for Société des Eaux de Volvic SA avoid particles and/or impurities being deposited on the To satisfy market request for bottled water, in 100% inside of the unblown preforms recycled PET (rPET) containers, the French company • the preforms are blown with sterile air in a sterile invested in the purchase of machinery from the environment; this sterility is maintained for all the process ECOBLOC® ERGON HC EV range, supplied by SMI, the of filling and capping ideal solution to produce, fill and cap square based 8L • precise and fast operation, thanks to the electronic, containers in rPET, with a production capacity of up to operation control, to motorised stretch rods and the use 3,200 bottles/hour. The new investment was studied in of high efficiency valves with flow-meters detail, creating strong teamwork between the experts • reduced energy consumption: the stretch-blow at Volvic and Danone and the designers at SMI. module is equipped with a double stage air recovery The complete production process was designed so that system, which allows the reduction of energy costs tied every step of the bottling is kept under constant control; to the production of high pressure compressed air indeed, it is here that the water coming from the deep • high energy efficiency, thanks to IR lamps fitted onto underground comes into contact with the external the preform heating module environment and is at a greater risk of contamination • base of the filler area is made in stainless steel 316 and which would compromise the sensory, chemical, slightly sloped to ensure that any spilt liquids go down physical and microbiological properties. The Société the drains des Eaux de Volvic SA, also, pays particular attention • electronic capping unit equipped with cap-orienting to everything that concerns sustainable development, system during application, which controls correct

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positioning of caps, and a rejection Salvetat brands, and it is already system for overturned caps thinking about bottling them in • cap sterilisation through jets of rPET made from 100% recycled ionised air on the cap channel plastics. The bottle created by the • washable cap accumulation ECOBLOC® ERGON HC EV, supplied table, in stainless steel, equipped by SMI, will be the first 100% rPET with an optional system to suction water container on sale in France, the caps to remove any impurities seeing that 8L containers have that might have deposited on them already captured 10% of brand while moving along the hopper value sales, and with an important • reduced maintenance and growth of 13,1% in 2018, the success running costs of the machine of the new totally, recyclable format The second life of packaging in a is guaranteed. Creating an 8L PET circular economy container in 100% rPET is the result of Designed especially to give families joint work between the specialists at the possibility to enjoy the uniquely, Danone and at SMI. SMI provided precious, Volvic mineral water, in a the French technicians with one way that respects the environment, of their own stretch-blowers, so the new 8L eco-bottle was created that they could carry out a series in 100% recycled plastic (rPET) and is of blowing tests while accurately 100% recyclable! It is the first totally testing the preforms and bottles; recyclable container launched on these tests allowed them to regulate the market, thanks to the use of the “top load” resistance and the caps and labels that are also 100% material distribution, a step at a recycled. For Danone the future time, developing a specially made of plastic bottles in the beverage preform with a specific shape. The industry will move towards rPET biggest challenge, when using and therefore it is betting on this recycled preforms, is to guarantee material. In fact, the water division the constant resistance of the bottle of the French multinational is a great when it is being blown, this operation user of plastic bottles for its products is very difficult with preforms made under the , Volvic, and from recycled material.

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