Manjushree Technopack Ltd, South Asia’s leading PET bottle and preform manufacturing company, is providing a novel option of PET packaging for the Ayurveda industry.

Ayurvedic medicines have historically been packed in glass bottles. The change in packaging from glass to PET, that began in a small way a few years ago, has now gained momentum.

The ayurvedic formulations like oils & lehams are now widely available in attractive, aesthetic PET jars and bottles. As per industry estimates, as much as 80 per cent of ayurvedic products are being packaged in PET containers. In fact, the business of PET packaging for Ayurveda is estimated at around Rs 500 crore.

The company has now managed to garner its orders from leading ayurvedic majors like Kottakkal Arya Vaida Sala, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Ltd among others. It has also conducted an independent study to assess the impact of PET packaging on the shelf life of ayurvedic products.

 The results from the shelf study showed that PET packaging is suitable for packing ayurvedic formulations. It was also seen that since ayurvedic preparations naturally feature acidic activity, normal PET bottles tend to buckle after a few months on the shelves. “With this insight, we went ahead to develop PET bottles with ‘ribs’; overcoming the buckling effect and making it perfectly suitable for packing Ayurveda,” Vimal Kedia, Managing Director, Manjushree Technopack Ltd. told Pharmabiz.

 There are several key benefits of shifting from glass to PET for both the marketers and consumers. Marketers can keep more stocks in PET bottles as they occupy lesser space compared to glass bottles. Hence, more PET bottles can be accommodated inside a truck as against glass bottles. This helps the dealers get more SKUs than they would have otherwise in case of glass packaging. Thanks to the convenience offered by PET bottles while transporting, Ayurveda products are reaching more locations. End consumers can now be assured of child friendly and shatter proof bottles that are convenient to use and store at home. There is also lesser weight to handle, which is an important consideration when it comes to large size bottles. Due to the user friendly nature of the products, more consumers are using Ayurvedic products now, said Kedia.