Weekly Roundup: PepsiCo funds major virgin plastic reduction, DS Smith takes UK recycling program overseas

11 Oct 2019 --- This week in industry news, PepsiCo announced that the net proceeds from its US$1 billion Green Bond offering will fund a series of key sustainability initiatives, including the fulfillment of a new target to reduce 35 percent of virgin plastic content across its beverage portfolio by 2025. Also, DS Smith revealed that it will be expanding its UK-based coffee cup recycling program to Europe through its De Hoop Mill in the Netherlands, while Ampacet introduced HALOFREE 709, a halogen-free masterbatch that offers “outstanding” flame retardancy in polyethylene film.

In brief: Sustainability initiatives
PepsiCo announced that it has priced the company's first-ever Green Bond. The net proceeds from the US$1 billion Green Bond offering will fund a series of key initiatives to advance PepsiCo's sustainability agenda. The use of the Green Bond net proceeds is, in part, aligned with the company’s new target to reduce 35 percent of virgin plastic content across its beverage portfolio by 2025. Green Bond proceeds will help reach this target by funding projects that purchase compostable, biodegradable and/or recyclable material for use in product packaging, and by investing in the development of packaging that includes bio-based PET bottles and compostable and biodegradable snacks flex films.

DS Smith announced that it is expanding its coffee cup recycling program to Europe through its De Hoop Mill in the Netherlands. The launch, which follows a successful trial at the mill, aims to tackle the 4.5 billion disposable coffee cups currently used by coffee lovers in Benelux annually and stop them from ending up in landfill or incineration. The recycler first introduced a bespoke recycling approach for cups at its Kemsley Paper Mill in the UK. As a result of efforts by DS Smith and others in the industry, coffee cup recycling has increased from 1 in 400 to 1 in 25 cups over the past two years in the UK, the supplier reports.DS Smith is expanding its coffee cup recycling program to Europe through its De Hoop Mill in the Netherlands.

In brief: Launches
Ampacet introduced HALOFREE 709, a halogen-free masterbatch that offers “outstanding” flame retardancy in polyethylene film at low addition rates and complies with health and environmental safety protection regulations. Flame retardancy for plastics is designed to provide self-extinguishing characteristics, prevent plastic from dripping when coming into contact with flames and decrease the possibility of smoke formation.

DS Smith Worldwide Dispensers brought a new dispensing solution to the innovative aerobic composting bin, HOTBIN. The HOTBIN, designed and manufactured by its sister company DS Smith Plastics' Foam Products, makes home composting quicker, simpler and more efficient. This option comes on both HOTBIN models, the MK.2 and the Mini. The tamper-evident screw cap has been re-designed by Worldwide Dispensers to fit rigid plastic and Bag-in-Box packaging and can be used with different types of dispensing glands. The external tamper-evident ring is now visible from all angles, providing direct permanent evidence of initial opening.

Atkins and Potts, a UK-based premium food manufacturer, launched a 100 percent recycled pouch packaging material which can withstand heat treatments such as pasteurization, hot-fill and microwaving processes on the UK and European market. Atkins and Potts worked with SP Group, a specialist in flexible, semi-rigid and rigid packaging over the last 12 months to test the material before the launch at the Anuga International Food Trade Show this month.

Brenntag, a market leader in chemical and ingredients distribution and a developer of compounds, has joined forces with Centroplast to launch an innovative semi-finished product. Thanks to its engineering, POM CentroGlide offers excellent sliding and non-stick properties and is fully conformant with food safety regulations. Moreover, it combines good wear and abrasion properties with very low adhesive and adhesion properties – features that are fundamentally disparate and that, offered together in this way, boast significant benefits both in terms of cost and product quality.DS Smith Worldwide Dispensers brought a new dispensing solution to the innovative aerobic composting bin, HOTBIN.

In brief: Business news
Avery Dennison officially opened its expanded production facility at the Rodange plant in Luxembourg, completing a US$65 million project to strengthen its European manufacturing footprint. The previously announced investment is one of Avery Dennison’s largest operational initiatives globally in recent years. “This investment gives us a more flexible and agile production network, increases our topcoating capabilities and helps us to better address fluctuations in customer demand,” explains Tim Presto, Vice President of Supply Chain & Operations Europe for Avery Dennison. “With its modern set-up and central location, the new expansion supports our sustainability ambitions. It leverages our footprint to minimize our CO2 impact by reducing the need for transport within the production process while putting us closer to more of our customers. Finally, and most importantly, it gives us state-of-the-art machines and equipment that strengthen our product quality while maximizing uptime.

Bormioli Pharma S.p.A. announced the completion of its acquisition of Remy & Geiser, a German company active in the business of plastic and glass primary packaging mainly used in the pharmaceutical industry. R&G develops, manufactures and sales closure, dosing systems, pipette droppers and tubular glass vials. R&G employs approximately 270 people and operates through two plants located in Germany (Schleusingen and Altenfeld). “This acquisition is part of a wider development plan aimed to make of Bormioli Pharma a truly global and innovative player,” comments Andrea Lodetti, Bormioli Pharma CEO. “Through this operation, Bormioli Pharma reinforces its presence in the German and Northern European markets, expands its current offering with complementary products and strengthens its manufacturing footprint, adding more technological capabilities.”

By Joshua Poole