BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) has received two Sustainable Packaging Leadership Awards for its 750mL PET wine bottles for Painted Turtle wines from Artisan Wine Company of British Columbia. Ball received the Canadian Packaging Magazine Best-of-Show Eco-Choice Award, as well as the bronze award in the international branded package category. The awards were presented by the Packaging Association of Canada in conjunction with Wal-Mart Canada and Canadian Packaging Magazine to recognize companies that have demonstrated sustainable packaging leadership.

"The objective of the Sustainable Packaging Leadership Awards is to accelerate the progress of the packaging industry to environmental, social and economic sustainability," said Jim Downham, president, Packaging Association of Canada. "These awards recognize and honor packaging industry leaders that compete with the best-in-class on a global scale daily."

According to the judges, Ball's PET wine bottle was selected for the Eco-Choice award because "it has the potential to launch a whole new trend and change the way that wine is packaged. The decrease in greenhouse gases related to the transportation of this lightweight container -- compared to glass -- is a huge plus for sustainability, while the colorful, well-designed label is certain to attract consumers to the product, ultimately drawing attention to the environmental merits of this highly functional package."

Ball's 100% recyclable, 750ml PET wine bottles offer consumer convenience and weigh only 54 grams, providing savings through the supply chain. Ball is the only PET bottle manufacturer in North America to offer SIG PLASMAX, an ultra-thin, commercially proven, transparent, internal silicon oxide barrier coating technology that protects the wine inside the bottle and is easily removed during the PET recycling process.

Ball will distribute the company's first sustainability report this summer. It will be available on the company's web site, http://www.ball.com.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2007 sales of $7.4 billion.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation