Weekly Roundup: Huhtamaki unveils vending machine cup range, Stora Enso launches grease-resistant dispersion barrier materials

21 Feb 2020 --- This week in packaging, Huhtamaki unveiled a special range of paper cups designed and optimized for vending machines. The Compacto cups are made with paper from 100 percent PEFC-certified sustainably managed forests. Also, Stora Enso introduced fluorochemical-free dispersion barrier materials for paper cups and food packaging, while Mondi partnered with Cartro in Mexico to enter the fresh produce segment with a sustainable-by-design avocado box.

In brief: Launches
Huhtamaki launched paper cups specifically designed with vending machine operators in mind. The Compacto cups are recyclable and made with fiber from sustainably managed forests. Compacto cups also enable optimized manufacturing by ensuring more cups fit on a pallet and in a single sleeve than before. This helps reduce the number of times cups need to be restocked; reducing the time spent on restocking; which with fewer trips also reduces travel time and associated carbon emissions. The cups are recyclable in facilities where the fiber from the paperboard can be separated easily and reused up to seven times for a wide variety of purposes.Stora Enso's new grease-resistant dispersion barrier materials for paper cups and food packaging.

Stora Enso expanded its range of renewable packaging materials by introducing dispersion barrier materials for paper cups and food packaging. The new dispersion barriers Aqua and Aqua+ by Stora Enso are fluorochemical-free and used to produce paperboard for cups and foodservice packaging without the traditional plastic layer. Aqua is grease resistant while Aqua+ is both liquid and grease resistant, enabling optimal packaging performance and protection for food in diverse applications.

Mondi developed a new Carded Airlaid Carded (CAC) line to create a more sustainable three-layer nonwoven for wipes. These can be used for personal hygiene and cleaning purposes. This new line will use 10 percent cellulose content, including viscose and pulp from certified sources, resulting in a nonwoven material that is fully biodegradable.Mondi partnered with Cartro in Mexico to produce sustainable avocado boxes.

In brief: Business and partnerships
Mondi also joined forces with Cartro Mexican corrugated packaging company to deliver sustainable packaging solutions for fresh produce. The new packaging is a strong and humidity-resistant box design that will allow for long-distance transport of food, notably avocados, and reduce food waste. The box weighs 18 percent less than the existing solution and is completely paraffin-free and recyclable.

Smurfit Kappa announced its ambition to expand its paper sack business in the Americas [with a US$36 million investment. As part of the investment, a new cutting-edge Windmöller production line that will increase the company’s sack production by 100 million additional units per year will begin operating in 2021 in Palmira, Colombia. A similar project at Smurfit Kappa’s paper sack plant in the Dominican Republic was also recently undertaken.

Keg Hounds, a keg tracking and asset management solutions provider, announced an agreement with Omni-ID, a leading global Industrial RFID Tag Provider. Omni-ID will manufacture the tag that is central to the Keg Hounds keg tracking and data management solution. The partnership will help Keg Hounds meet the growing demand for its game-changing solution for a simple-to-apply, accurate and reliable method for tracking kegs across a global fleet.Omni-ID will manufacture the tag that is central to the Keg Hounds keg tracking and data management solution.

Amcor joined HPRC, a coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling and waste management, seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. Amcor will support the coalition with extensive expertise in packaging design for medical devices and applications in hospitals and other treatment settings. The industry group aims to address all dimensions of the packaging value chain, from packaging design to collection systems and end markets.

Syntegon Technology, formerly Bosch Packaging Technology, contributed its packaging and processing expertise to the European initiative CEFLEX to foster a circular economy for flexible packaging. As a leading consortium of companies and associations representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging, CEFLEX aims to establish a collecting, sorting and reprocessing infrastructure throughout Europe by 2025. With the help of industry partners from all parts of the value chain, CEFLEX has developed dedicated “Designing for a Circular Economy Guidelines” for flexible packaging. After several rounds of input from the consortium, the open consultation on the guideline drafts is finished. They will be launched in spring 2020.KHS supplied Danone mineral water brand Badoit spring with its new Innopack Kisters SP A-H shrink packer.

KHS supplied Danone mineral water brand Badoit spring with its new Innopack Kisters SP A-H shrink packer. The packaging machine produces shrink film processing quality with practically crease-free and consistently stable results. The KHS Kisters shrink packer also boasts efficiency and resource-saving benefits. One plus is that it can now process films of much lower thickness. The machine also uses an optimum width of film per pack thanks to film web control.

Sidel installed an Aseptic Combi Predis for Aurora Organic Dairy in its second milk plant, a greenfield project in Columbia, Missouri, US. FDA-approved and part of a complete line, which also features Tetra Pak Processing Systems technology, this bottling solution helped the key player in the US organic dairy market expand its organic milk offerings from ultra-pasteurized cartons and HDPE gallon jugs to PET. This choice marks the start of a new journey for Aurora: bottling its UHT milk in PET.

By Joshua Poole