Berry brand launches 50% recycled can carrier, eyes 100% by 2021

27 Aug 2020 --- Smart multi-packer WaveGrip has unveiled a new carrier design for cans, which contains over 50 percent recycled plastic and delivers the latest on-pack marketing messages. WaveGrip is recyclable with polyethylene (PE) film collection schemes and weighs less than 4 g on a standard six-pack. The new carrier incorporates over 50 percent Sustane NXG post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymer, minimizing material use and supporting a circular economy. The Berry Global brand is targeting 100 percent PCR in its carrier by 2021.

In addition to the improved sustainability benefits, the design incorporates a handle within the carrier to enhance functionality, making it easier for consumers to grab a pack off the shelf and carry it home.

Also, by creating an additional surface on the pack, brand messages and promotions can be added via a custom printed label, delivering greater shelf impact and direct communication possibilities with customers. As the labels are made from PE, they do not affect the carriers’ recyclability.

The WaveGrip carrier includes the OPRL “Recycle with bags at larger stores” label (Image credit: WaveGrip).“We have taken care to include the OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label): ‘Recycle with bags at larger stores.’ The benefit in doing so is to reduce confusion amongst consumers and increase awareness of the circular economy. Knowing how and where you can recycle your packaging is the first step to ensuring valuable material like plastic is recycled and continues to be reused,” Jagan Mohanraj, Innovations Director at RPC bpi recycled products, tells PackagingInsights.

Stocked in both North American and Europe, the carriers are available for quick delivery to customers for use as four, six and eight packs across a range of can sizes, including 12 oz, 16 oz and 19.2 oz. The solution can be applied across the range of WaveGrip applicators, all of which can be easily integrated into production lines.

Identifying high-quality PCR
Mohanraj explains that the biggest challenge was identifying a suitable and consistent grade of genuine PCR for WaveGrip. In the branded Sustane NXG solution, WaveGrip found PCR with comparable performance to a prime polymer. The PCR requires no additional machinery investment and offers the same manufacturing productivity.

WaveGrip is recyclable with PE film collection schemes and weighs less than 4 g on a six-pack (Image credit: WaveGrip).By extension, Mohanraj also regards the availability of high-quality recycled grades, which offer the same performance as the prime equivalent, as the biggest barrier to the 100 percent PCR goal. “Unlike prime polymer, recycled material and especially PCR can have a broad spectrum of properties that can influence the end product’s performance. The challenge is finding a consistent quality recycled content to meet market demands. We are working with our supply chain to overcome these barriers to develop a WaveGrip that has 100 percent recycled content and recyclability.”

“We know how important sustainability is to our customers and it is integral to the development of WaveGrip products. We are delighted that our latest carriers further increase our contribution to the circular economy, while also providing an added benefit to customers through their enhanced branding and marketing opportunities all in one product,” concludes Darryl Roadnight, Business Director at WaveGrip.

Brands choose green carriers
Eco-centric multipack carrier innovation is on the rise as brands pursue alternatives to hard-to-recycle plastic shrink wrap. Notably, Coca-Cola European Partners adopted CanCollar paperboard-based ring technology for its multipack cans in the Balearic Islands, Spain. The PEFC-certified, recyclable and sustainably-sourced CanCollar replaces the current Hi-Cone plastic ring solution, saving more than 18 tons of plastic annually.

Sticking with Hi-Cone, Molson Coors adopted Hi-Cone’s partially recycled plastic rings for its Coors Light six-packs, available at grocery outlets across Ontario, Canada. The RingCycles solution contains more than 50 percent recycled content and requires 90 percent less non-renewable energy and 83 percent less water to make. Molson Coors is the first beverage company in North America to adopt RingCycles.

Meanwhile, Dutch beer brewer Grolsch brought Smurfit Kappa’s paper-based TopClip multipack can solution to market for the first time in March.

By Joshua Poole