Weekly Roundup: CEFLEX encourages mono-material transition, Wipak joins HolyGrail 2.0 digital watermark recycling project

18 Sep 2020 --- In packaging news this week, CEFLEX, the collaborative initiative of a European consortium of companies representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging, strongly recommended transitioning flexible packaging to recyclable mono-materials. Wipak joined the European Brands Association (AIM) to pioneer highly promising digital watermark recycling technology. Aptar Food + Beverage launched Rocket – a tamper evidence sports cap that features a non-detachable lid. Braskem commenced production at its newest polypropylene (PP) production line in La Porte, Texas, US.

In brief: Environmental actions
CEFLEX published a position paper, entitled “Accelerating the circular economy for flexible packaging – a recommendation for recyclable mono-materials.” Considering the current best-practice technologies established in Europe, CEFLEX strongly recommends the use of flexible packaging made from recyclable mono-materials. The paper clearly states the need to evaluate the functional requirements of packaging and, when possible, redesign existing flexible packaging to a recyclable mono-material.

Wipak joined forces with AIM on the Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 project. The initiative aims to assess whether a pioneering digital technology – digital watermarks – can enable better sorting and higher-quality recycling rates for EU packaging. Digital watermarks are almost imperceptible codes, the size of a postage stamp, covering the surface of a consumer goods packaging. The technology is touted as having the potential to revolutionize the way packaging is sorted in the post-consumer waste management system by accurately identifying and separating packaging into sorting streams.Aptar Food + Beverage launched Rocket – a tamper evidence sports cap with a non-detachable lid (Image credit: Aptar).

Guala Closures revealed eco-design guidelines for its five R&D centers (Italy, Mexico, UK, Ukraine and Luxembourg) as parts of its CSR strategy. Four models to achieve these goals are detailed: Design to Reduce – a principle based on eco-design and eliminating anything that is not necessary; Design to Change – abandoning finite resources and adopting recycled materials or materials produced from renewable sources; Design to Fade – this approach entails making the waste disappear by changing to biodegradable polymers and by using few, easily removable components; and Design to Revive – achieved by recovering and recycling the materials used in the Closures.

Aldi Süd replaced windowed paper bags with reusable bread bags in the baked goods section. The reusable bag is made of sustainably-sourced cotton and meets “Grüner Knopf” (“Green Button”) requirements. Grüner Knopf is an ecological trust mark used in the textiles industry.

Heura, a plant-based meat company, launched packaging that reduces plastic use by 80 percent and honors its Mediterranean roots. The company replaced its frozen product plastics in January 2019 and now presents a new tray made of 100 percent recycled cardboard. The new microwaveable solution saves 12.85 tons of plastic annually while the plastic and cardboard are easy to separate, enhancing recyclability.Braskem commended production at its newest PP production line in La Porte, Texas, US (Image credit: Braskem).

In brief: Product launches
Aptar Food + Beverage launched Rocket – a sports cap that features a non-detachable lid and visible tamper evidence, promoting enhanced product safety. The solution also provides an intuitive opening, drinking comfort, and SimpliSqueeze valve technology for flow control. Rocket was born from consumer insights and it is the next generation of sport cap, redefining the standard for non-detachable tamper evidence visibility.

Bobst launched the Expert RS 6003 new generation gravure printing press, which will enable gravure converters to tackle today’s market challenges with increased flexibility and productivity. The printer can reach a maximum speed of 500 m/min and be configured with either shaftless or shafted printing cylinders.

In brief: Business developments
Braskem, the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and a world-leading producer of biopolymers, announced the successful startup of its newest PP production line, which adopts the highest standards of operational excellence, located in La Porte, Texas. With an annual production capacity of over 450 kta, the new production line can manufacture the entire polypropylene portfolio, including homopolymers, impact copolymers and random copolymers.Alpla acquired a plant in Mexico with annual capacity of 15,000 tons of recycled HDPE (Image credit: Alpla).

Stora Enso invested in dispersion barrier technology at its Forshaga site in Sweden. The investment of approximately €10 million enables the development and production of paperboard with barrier properties that are easier to handle in the recycling process, have a lower carbon footprint and can be composted in industrial facilities. The new equipment is expected to come into use during the second quarter of 2021.

Trinseo, the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, announced that Trinseo and Coexpan, a global leader in sheet extrusion for FFS dairy markets in Europe, CIS and America, will collaborate to validate various polystyrene recycling technologies to develop polystyrene containing recycled content that is fit for use in the global dairy industry’s form fill seal (“FFS“) market. With materials and input supplied by Trinseo, Coexpan will be testing recycled polystyrene across various technologies at its Innotech (Coexpan & Emsur Innovation Technology Center for Rigid and Flexible Packaging).

Alpla acquired a property in Toluca, the capital city of the State of Mexico. Construction of a state-of-the-art recycling plant will commence on it in autumn 2020, with its launch planned for the second half of 2021. The amount invested is roughly €15 million and 65 jobs will be created. The company will be run as a 100-per-cent subsidiary of Alpla, while the facility will have an annual capacity of 15,000 tons of HDPE recycled material for non-food applications. The target markets are primarily Mexico, neighboring Central American countries and the US.

By Joshua Poole