Sutter Home Advances Sustainability With Ball's 187mL Plastic Wine Bottles

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sutter Home Winery, the number one producer of single-serving 187mL wines, is now using PET bottles from Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) for all 187mL wine bottles sold throughout the U.S. The bottles feature Plasmax(R), a transparent, internal silicon oxide (SiOx) barrier coating technology that protects the wine inside the bottle and, unlike some competing barriers, provides exceptional clarity and does not contaminate the PET recycling stream because it is easily removed during the recycling process.

"Sutter Home made the decision to switch to plastic wine bottles because of our ongoing efforts to become more environmentally friendly," says Wendy Nyberg, senior director of marketing for Sutter Home. "The plastic bottles weigh only one sixth what the glass bottles weigh and they're much smaller, so consumers get the same amount of wine in a smaller, unbreakable, less wasteful and recyclable bottle."

Sutter Home began using Ball's custom-designed PET wine bottles in select markets in 2005 and has gradually increased distribution since then. The bottles preserve the look of the original glass container and run on the winery's existing filling lines. Sutter Home has been pleased with consumer acceptance of the plastic wine bottles as well as the entree they provide into venues that do not allow glass because of the potential for breakage.

"At Sutter Home, we are committed to environmentally responsible practices in every aspect of our winemaking operations, including packaging," says Nyberg. "Switching to PET has increased convenience for consumers and allowed us to offer a package with some great environmental benefits. We know that the Plasmax barrier coating Ball provides will keep our wine fresh and that the bottles can still be easily and effectively recycled. Producing the PET bottles generates 60% fewer greenhouse gasses than producing the glass bottles, plus the smaller PET bottles allow us to use less fuel and gain supply chain efficiencies because we get more bottles on a pallet and on a truck."

To support the national roll out of Sutter Home's PET wine bottles and additional applications of the Plasmax barrier technology in North America, Ball now operates two InnoPET Plasmax 12D machines from KHS Plasmax GmbH; one in its Chino, Calif., manufacturing facility, and another in Ames, Iowa. Ball is the only PET bottle manufacturer to offer Plasmax barrier coating technology in North America, has worked with the technology in its commercial manufacturing operations for more than four years, and is successfully using it with bottles for beer, flavored alcoholic beverages, juices and teas, with shelf life results that meet or surpass those provided by alternative barrier solutions.

Plasmax provides an FDA-compliant, enhanced passive barrier for oxygen sensitive products. This ultra thin (less than 100 nm) material is transparent and resists cracking, abrasion and delamination. Because Plasmax does not degrade over time, the length of time bottle inventory can be stored is not limited by the barrier material.

A recycling study conducted according to the European PETCORE protocols demonstrated that Plasmax is removable during the recycling process and does not negatively affect any of the test requirements. These results were shared with the Association of Post-Consumer Plastics Recyclers (APR), the trade industry representing over 90 percent of the post-consumer plastic processing capacity in North America, which raised no objections to the results.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,000 people worldwide and reported 2008 sales of approximately $7.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit www.ball.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global credit squeeze and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation

Released July 15, 2009