PPG's PET Project

Australians are drinking beer in bottles that use the technology. For years, Middle East consumers have been buying soft drinks in containers that use it too. Now, PPG is looking to win over customers in the U.S. with Bairocade gas barrier coatings.

Bairocade coatings extend the shelf life and freshness of food products packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET, best known as the packaging used for two-liter soft drink bottles, is lightweight, transparent and shatter-resistant. According to some industry estimates, PET currently accounts for nearly one third of all plastic bottles produced in the U.S.

Bairocade coatings were born from R&D work began a decade ago, according to John Lewis, marketing specialist. PPG's R&D group in Pittsburgh, PA was working on a coating for a new concept-a PET can. The PET can idea flopped, but rather than can the project, PPG focused its efforts on developing a similar coating for soft drink bottles.

Today, the Bairocade technology includes a trio of products: coatings for carbonated soft drink containers, coatings for beer containers and coatings for non-carbonated beverage and food containers