Blow Moulding Equipment & PET Preform Suppliers Directory

Blow Moulding Equipment — Machinery Manufacturers

Original equipment manufacturers of extrusion blow moulding (EBM, the route for HDPE milk and juice bottles), injection blow moulding (IBM), and injection/two-stage stretch blow moulding (ISBM/SBM, the route for PET bottles and preforms), plus complete line builders.

PET Preforms & HDPE Bottles — Converters

Converters that supply finished PET preforms, blown PET bottles and HDPE containers — including the HDPE milk-bottle producers most relevant to fresh-dairy packaging.

PET and HDPE: How the Two Main Bottle Plastics Differ

Almost every liquid-dairy and beverage container is blow moulded from one of two plastics, and the choice drives both the machinery and the converter you need.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate, resin identification code 1) is clear, glossy and strong, with a good barrier to oxygen and carbon dioxide. Bottles are made by the two-stage route: a preform is injection moulded first, then reheated and stretch-blown (injection stretch blow moulding, ISBM, or two-stage SBM) into the finished bottle. PET suits water, carbonated soft drinks, juices and longer-shelf-life or aseptic dairy drinks, where clarity and a gas barrier matter.

HDPE (high-density polyethylene, resin identification code 2) is opaque or translucent, tougher at low temperature and more chemically resistant, but a weaker gas barrier. It is formed in a single step by extrusion blow moulding (EBM), directly from molten polymer. HDPE is the standard for fresh pasteurised milk bottles: the short cold-chain shelf life does not demand a high gas barrier, and the natural opacity helps shield the milk from light.

In practice a fresh-milk packer usually needs an EBM line and an HDPE bottle supplier, while a UHT, flavoured-milk or juice packer is more likely to need a stretch-blow line, or bought-in PET bottles or preforms, from the converters listed above.

Recycled Content and Food-Contact Rules You Need to Know

Recycled plastic in bottles is now shaped by law on both sides of the Channel. The figures below are current as of June 2026; the rules are changing quickly, so confirm the latest position before committing.

United Kingdom — Plastic Packaging Tax

The UK Plastic Packaging Tax applies to plastic packaging manufactured in or imported into the UK that contains less than 30% recycled plastic by weight. From 1 April 2026 the rate is £228.82 per tonne (up from £223.69). It is charged per component, so a bottle and its cap are assessed separately and each must reach 30% recycled content to be exempt. Any business handling more than 10 tonnes of finished plastic packaging in a 12-month period must register with HMRC, even when no tax is due. From April 2027, pre-consumer factory offcuts will no longer count toward the threshold (post-consumer recyclate only), and chemically recycled material allocated by a mass-balance approach is due to become eligible.

European Union — Single-Use Plastics Directive and PPWR

Under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/904), PET beverage bottles must contain at least 25% recycled plastic from 2025, rising to 30% across all plastic beverage bottles from 2030 (measured as a national average). Caps and lids have had to remain tethered to the bottle since 3 July 2024, and member states must separately collect 77% of plastic bottles by 2025 and 90% by 2029. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) extends recycled-content quotas to plastic packaging more broadly from 2030, with binding calculation methods due from the European Commission by the end of 2026.

Food-contact recycled PET

Recycled plastic destined for food contact is governed separately by Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1616. Only recycling processes assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) under an authorised technology may be used, and a declaration-of-compliance chain must follow the recyclate from recycler to converter to filler. “Recycled plastic” here means material that was post-consumer waste before recycling. The UK runs its own food-contact recycled-plastic guidance through the Food Standards Agency. The practical result is that food-grade rPET is scarcer and dearer than ordinary recyclate, which is why many dairy and beverage packers still pay the tax rather than reformulate.

This is general information, not legal advice. Verify the current rules and rates with HMRC, the European Commission, the FSA or EFSA, or your packaging supplier before making commercial decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between PET and HDPE bottles?

PET is clear, has a good gas barrier and is stretch-blown from an injection-moulded preform; it is used for water, soft drinks, juice and longer-life or aseptic dairy drinks. HDPE is opaque, tougher and extrusion blow moulded in one step; it is the standard for fresh pasteurised milk bottles.

Which plastic is used for fresh milk bottles?

Fresh pasteurised milk is almost always packed in HDPE bottles made by extrusion blow moulding (EBM). The short cold-chain shelf life does not require PET’s higher gas barrier, and HDPE’s opacity helps protect the milk from light.

How much recycled content must a plastic drinks bottle contain?

In the UK, packaging with less than 30% recycled plastic is liable for the Plastic Packaging Tax (£228.82 per tonne from April 2026). In the EU, PET beverage bottles must contain at least 25% recycled plastic from 2025 and 30% across all plastic beverage bottles from 2030.

Can recycled PET be used for dairy and food packaging?

Yes, provided the recyclate comes from a recycling process assessed by EFSA under Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, with a documented declaration-of-compliance chain. Food-grade rPET is more limited in supply than ordinary recyclate.

What is the difference between an equipment manufacturer and a preform converter?

Equipment manufacturers build the blow moulding machines and lines. Preform and bottle converters use those machines to supply finished PET preforms, blown PET bottles or HDPE containers. A packer either buys a line and blows in-house, or buys finished bottles and preforms from a converter.

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