"Our first South Africa summit proved a resounding success attracting some of the worlds leading drinks brands"
Jonathan Stott, business manager for COSustain
A Leeds-based manufacturing business is continuing on its quest to revolutionise the worldwide carbonated soft drinks industry having delivered its first major industry conference in South Africa.
CO2Sustain, developers of a patented solution that helps makers of carbonated drinks keep the fizz in their products for longer, has been demonstrating its innovative bubble technology to an audience of soft drink manufacturers from across sub-Saharan Africa who gathered for the conference in Johannesburg.
From its manufacturing base in Leeds, CO2Sustain team of Technical Innovations chemists pioneered the preservative-free, liquid processing aid to retain the CO2 content and extend shelf life of carbonated drinks in PET bottles, using an exclusive patented formulation.
Drinks brands and manufacturers from Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa were shown evidence of the scale of the problems facing their sector and how carbon dioxide loss in soft drinks can be exacerbated by various factors ranging from temperature, material and density of packaging, agitation and time.
The revolutionary ingredient is attracting significant attention from drinks brands and manufacturers in warmer countries. CO2Sustain currently works with drinks brands and manufacturers across four continents and is active in 52 countries across Europe, the United States and Latin America, India, Pakistan, Africa and the Middle East. Exports are growing at 300 per cent annually and the business plans to move to new offices and create a new purpose-built research and development centre by the end of this year.
Jonathan Stott, business manager for CO2Sustain said: “Our first South Africa summit proved a resounding success attracting some of the world’s leading drinks brands that are keen to reduce the amount of CO2 lost from their products during the production process. We’re already developing some of the brand new relationships we’ve made and are looking forward to working in partnership with some exciting producers and brands."
With temperatures rising around the world and users of plastic packaging facing pressures to reduce consumption of non-biodegradable materials, the timing could not have been more perfect for CO2Sustain to step in and mitigate these factors’ positively impacting on the popular beverages of some of the world’s leading drinks brands.
Added Mr Stott: “The ongoing issue of rapid carbonation loss in drinks is a problem faced by manufacturers across the world but made significantly worse when producing and distributing in hot climates, where PET bottled drinks are in highest demand. Increased temperatures make the problem of carbon dioxide loss even harder to control.
“The manufacturers we are working with benefit from less waste, lower energy bills, increased product lifespan and improved profitability regardless of location and external influences.”
