Sales Of Galon Air Made From PET Are Predicted To Rise

Gallon water illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Sales of gallons of drinking water made from the Polyethylene Tereftlate (PET) are predicted to increase following plans for a transition of gallons of drinking water made from polycarbonates at risk of Bisphenol A (BPA).

Secretary General of the Association of National Packaging Drinking Water Producers (Asparminas) Eko Susilo in a statement in Jakarta, Friday, revealed the introduction and replacement of gallons to repeat the PET, which is said to be safer and free of chemical compounds, has been successfully carried out in Manado (North Sulawesi) and Bali, and is expected to spread to other regions throughout Indonesia.

"We heard that the industrial market leader (market leader) has asked a number of suppliers (assemblers) to prepare a gallon production machine installation that could support the shifting plan of gallons of polycarbonates at risk of BPA to a safer, healthier, and free PET gallon of this hazardous chemical compound," he said.

Eko assessed that the plan to transition by market leaders will certainly change the landscape of the domestic bottled drinking water business (AMDK), which is mostly circulating gallons for the return of polycarbonates in Jakarta and its surroundings.

Bisphenol A or BPA is a chemical compound that can trigger cancer, hormonal disorders and fertility in men and women, as well as disorders of fetal and child growth and development.

Although plural is used as raw material for gallon production to repeat, the compound is known to be easy to mix from gallon packaging and prone to consumption by consumers to a level that exceeds a safe threshold.

Furthermore, Eko said that the industry market leader AMDK initially introduced gallons to repeat PET-made in Manado about four or a year ago.

The presence of the product in Manado, is easily recognized from the physical gallon which looks brighter and fresher, along with the withdrawal (recall) of gallons made from polycarbonates that dominate the local market. The packaging of gallons of polycarbonates is easily recognized from its physical appearance that looks cloudy and blurry.

"Currently, about 80 percent of the gallon circulating in the Manado area is a gallon in PET packaging," he said.

Meanwhile, the replacement of gallons of polycarbonates by market leaders in the Bali region began to take place around 2018.

"Currently, the circulation of gallons to repeat the PET-based by market leaders in the Bali region has reached more than 80 percent," said Eko.

Interestingly, continued Eko, the withdrawal of gallons of polycarbonates in Manado and Bali went smoothly, without any announcement from the producers so that shops, distributor and consumer networks in the two regions were not aware of any replacements for these products.

The success of replacing polycarbonate products is also supported by the fact that the alternation product of gallons of PET has a similar appearance to the old gallon, as well as its distribution which is still with a refill model with the same selling price.

"From the business side, replacing such a silent product is certainly a positive achievement for the market leader who controls the majority of the gallon market share to repeat it," he said.

BPOM data states that around 50 million Indonesians regularly consume gallons to re-package polycarbonates. Data from the consumer research institute, AC Nielsen, shows the sales volume of a gallon of brands reaching 10.7 billion liters in 2022, or an increase of 3.4 percent from a year earlier, with total sales of Rp9.7 trillion.

The sale of gallons of polycarbonates covers 92 percent of the branded gallon market share. The rest is the gallon market PET which is currently only divided by two companies, namely Cleo (5 percent) and Le Minerale (3 percent).

Eko also said that the gallon market of PET is expected to grow along with the efforts of a number of producers to introduce gallon or gallon mini-sized baby products with attractive designs and packages that are free of BPA.

In a number of cities, especially Jakarta, a number of local brands, including Aminis, Chrystalline and Cleo, flooded markets with 5 liter and 6 liter mini gallons.

The mini-Galon is here to answer the public's request for gallon water that is suitable for certain events or activities outside the home. From an environmental perspective, he continued, the gallon of PET in various sizes is more environmentally friendly because plastic PET is easier to recycle and has high economic value," added Eko.