Material and design innovations in PET bottles for improved product evacuation | Packaging

Material and design innovations in PET bottles for improved product evacuation

Background
What we're looking for
What we can offer you
Who we are
Q&A

Have questions about this request?

Get them answered by the team at Kraft Heinz.

Background

Consumers often struggle to fully dispense liquid condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise from their bottles, leading to wasted product, reduced value perception, and frustration during use. This issue is particularly common with high-viscosity food products, which tend to cling to container walls and resist flow. Advances in packaging and material design could help facilitate full product evacuation, offering the chance to improve the consumer experience, reduce food waste, and deliver more value from every bottle.

What we're looking for

We are looking for technologies that enable near-complete evacuation of condiments (e.g., ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles at a 95%+ evacuation rate.

Solutions of interest include:

Coatings
Additives
Geometric design
Surface morphology
Bio-inspired material treatments or flow solutions
Smart materials with release properties

Our must-have requirements are:

Approved (or show a clear path to approval) for food contact in EU, US, and other major markets
Compliant with recyclability regulations (APR guidance and/or RecyClass) or provide evidence of a pathway to compliance
Scalable for high-throughput PET bottle manufacturing

Our nice-to-have's are:

Limited disruption to manufacturing, ideally integrated in preform or blowing process rather than downstream

What's out of scope:

Product formulation changes
Solutions not compatible with PET bottles

Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):

Levels 3-9

What we can offer you

Eligible partnership models:

Sponsored researchCo-developmentSupply/purchaseLicensingFee-for-service

Benefits:

Sponsored Research

Funding is proposal-dependent starting with proof-of-concept, typically ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 for a 6-month length project with the potential for expansion based on results and opportunities.

Expertise

We offer the expertise of our team of scientists for collaboration and guidance during the development of the project.

Who we are

We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company, inspired by our Purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious. Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2021 net sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of six consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we're dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting www.kraftheinzcompany.com or following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Learn more

Reviewers

Daniel Margulis

Sr. R&D Manager

Mirjam Spreeuwenberg

R&D Technology Lead

Maxine Roman

Lead, Innovation Collaboration & Partnerships

Q&A with Kraft Heinz

The Q&A is now closed.

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I use Aspen Batch Process Developer (ABPD) for proof of concept simulation, scale-up, and TEA. Does this project need my expertise?

Kazeem Salam, Principal Investigator, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology

October 21, 2025

Does the $25,000 to $100,000 range for a 6-month length project include both direct+indirect costs?

Sofia D'ambrosio, Research Development, University of Massachusetts Lowell

October 30, 2025

We are a team of researchers from Danish Technological Institute, a 119 year old non-for-profit self-owned Research and Technology Organization (RTO) from Denmark. Are we eligible for submitting a proposal?

Alexander leo Bardenstein, Principal Investigator, Danish Technological Institute

September 25, 2025

Yes, you are eligible.

Daniel Margulis, Sr. R&D Manager, Kraft Heinz

September 29, 2025

Is this response helpful?

What is the current technology Kraft Heinz uses to ensure enhanced evacuation from PET bottles? Why is there a request to find another technology?

Alexander leo Bardenstein, Principal Investigator, Danish Technological Institute

September 25, 2025

While I'm unable to provide specifics of our current technology due to confidentiality, I would say that we believe we can leverage improved product evacuation to delight consumers and make our products easier to recycle than they are currently. We're looking for options that go beyond just the standard geometries of the bottle itself. Thanks for your question!

Daniel Margulis, Sr. R&D Manager, Kraft Heinz

September 29, 2025

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