Beyond The Headlines: Mondi’s latest extrusion line, 7-Eleven’s new beverage packaging

This week in industry news, Mondi invested in a new extrusion line at its Czech mill. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven redesigned its 7-Select Replenish packaging and TransPak opened its new facility in the Netherlands.

In brief: Expansions

Mondi announced the startup of its new extrusion line at Mondi Coating Štĕti in the Czech Republic. The extrusion line is part of a wider investment that includes a new production building with machinery that includes coating and slitting capabilities. The investment expands the production of FunctionalBarrier Papers and other coated papers, offering paper-based solutions with customized barrier properties. Applications range from food and non-food contact packaging to industrial solutions, such as case linings for solid boards and barrier liners for corrugated case materials. The range of FunctionalBarrier Papers offers solutions that can be recycled in existing paper waste streams across Europe. 

TransPak opened its new facility in the Netherlands. Now fully operational, the 5100 square meter space enhances TransPak’s ability to deliver cleanroom solutions, soft packaging, crating, design services, logistics and warehousing solutions to its growing European client base, with a particular focus on the burgeoning semiconductor sector in the region. The new TransPak Netherlands facility offers a full suite of services, including design services.

In brief: Launches and releases

The 7-Select Replenish beverage line.7-Eleven redesigned the packaging for its 7-Select Replenish line of hydration beverages with a focus on plastic waste reduction and transportation efficiency. With the roll-out of the new bottle design at 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores in the US, 7-Eleven prioritizes sustainability while maintaining quality and taste. Utilizing the redesigned bottle, 7-Eleven is releasing a new, limited-time flavor for 7-Select Replenish: Caramel Apple. The redesigned bottles for 7-Select Replenish offer a host of benefits, including using less plastic both in the bottle itself and in the wrapping. Additionally, by optimizing the packaging, 7-Eleven can fit more cases per pallet.

Dutch beet sugar manufacturer Cosun Beet Company and paper producer Crown Van Gelder developed a type of sugar beet paper that is food contact applicable. Beet fiber from beet pulp, a co-product of the sugar making process, is used to replace 20% of wood fiber required for making paper. Paper made with beet fiber has a 16% lower aggregate environmental impact than paper made solely from wood pulp. It produces 6% less CO2 emissions and enables an 18% decrease in land usage. Sugar beet paper also requires 10% less fresh water for production and, with sugar beets sourced from local farms within a 150 km radius of the paper manufacturers’ plant, cuts down on transport emissions.

In brief: Partnerships and awards 

Huhtamaki partnered with Slush to showcase the circularity of recyclable fiber cups for all drinks. Huhtamaki organized a co-creation workshop and panel discussion in collaboration with Emerald Technology Ventures. Slush, an event for start-ups, will take place in Helsinki, Finland, on November 20–21. The most visible aspect of the partnership will be the cups and lids that Huhtamaki provides for all hot and cold drinks served at Slush. Made from recyclable fiber, these cups and lids will be collected and processed after use, ensuring valuable resources are reused in other fiber-based products. 

The award highlights the contribution of DS Smith teams working within SMI, packaging and display.DS Smith won the Simplex Innovators Award at the Nestlé UK Supplier Awards for 2024. The company was nominated in several categories and awarded as the winner in recognition of its solutions in support of Nestle’s objectives, including innovative approaches to cost reduction and optimization of supply chain efficiency.

CloudSort Corporation, a logistics technology company, won the Anthem Award for its Reusable Smart Containers. Specifically winning the category in Innovation. Anthem Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. CloudSort’s modular containers are designed to improve how users transport goods, reducing consumables spend while improving visibility, security and transportation utilization. 

In brief: Acquisitions

Safecor Health acquired Viatris’ US unit-dose packaging business. The business was formerly known as Unit Dose Laboratories (UDL). UDL offers over 400 products to hospitals, health systems, institutions, long-term care facilities, GPOs, pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers. The UDL leadership team is expected to play key roles in growing the Safecor Health offering of generic unit-dose medications and packaging services. UDL operates out of new facilities in Rockford, US. Existing offerings include custom packaging design, in-house label design and label printing to provide a complete solution for pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2025. Customers or partners are not required to take immediate action.

Imperial Dade acquired San-A-Care (SAC), a distributor of janitorial supplies, chemicals and cleaning equipment by industry leaders. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. By leveraging Imperial Dade’s platform, SAC’s customers can anticipate the same personalized service, enhanced by a more diverse range of products and solutions.