Beyond The Headlines: SEE supplies on-demand recycled cushioning, Tipa’s home compostable pouches certified in Canada

07 Jun 2024 --- This week in industry news, SEE introduced an inflatable packaging system to provide on-demand cushioning and wrapping at the “press of a button.” Meanwhile, Tipa’s home compostable pouches earned a Canadian sustainable packaging certification and Trivium Packaging released its annual Sustainability Report.

In brief: Launches and releases
SEE, formerly Sealed Air, launched a compact and lightweight inflatable packaging system to provide medium-throughput businesses with on-demand cushioning and wrapping that contains a minimum of 30% recycled content. The Bubble Wrap Inflator has been specifically designed for smaller operations. At the press of a button, the system can produce Bubble Wrap brand bubble materials on-demand at speeds of up to 24 meters per minute, reducing the need to dedicate valuable space to storing protective packaging materials. 

IFCO, a reusable packaging container provider, launched Marina, a smart reusable IFCO Fish Crate. Designed in collaboration with the fishing industry, Marina claims to offer greater protection, efficiency and sustainability to the fresh fish and seafood supply chain. Featuring track-and-trace Bluetooth low energy tags and QR codes, the Marina fish crate enables real-time data collection, improving the cold chain management of fresh and chilled products along the entire fish and seafood supply chain, from shipping to all points of sale. The IFCO SmartCycle pooling system ensures the switch to Marina’s sustainable packaging is “simple, seamless and sustainable.”

In brief: Initiatives and certifications
Tipa’s home compostable pouches earned certification from the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), Canada’s central standardization and certification body, as sustainable packaging demand grows in Canada. The Canadian certification underscores Tipa’s commitment to eco-friendly product innovation and represents a symbol of credibility as the company expands its North American reach. Tipa’s 608 laminate breaks down into nutrient-rich soil when disposed of in-home or industrial composting bins, offering a zero-waste alternative to conventional flexible packaging. The 608 laminate is a printable and sealable two-ply laminate that runs on most standard plastic packaging machinery. It offers a high oxygen and moisture barrier for extended shelf life and is suitable for packaging dry and frozen foods and edibles, including nutraceuticals and gummies and produce. 

Tipa’s 608 laminate is suitable for packaging dry and frozen foods.For the past year, through the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Accelerator powered by Lonely Whale, a network of leading brands, innovators, investors and NGOs worked toward the market adoption of alternatives to harmful thin-film plastics — a material that reportedly makes up nearly half of all new plastic waste entering oceans. The initiative involves a growing coalition of 19 international early adopter brands with a mission to address the critical gap between corporate interest in plastic packaging alternatives and brands’ ability to adopt them. 

Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe, an operating business of Ardagh Group, announced that the glass bottles produced from its “world first” hybrid NextGen Furnace reached a consistent 64% CO2 emissions reduction, saving approximately 18,000 metric tons of CO2 since the beginning of 2024. Since starting commercial production in October 2023, the NextGen Furnace at AGP-Obernkirchen in Germany has been gradually ramping up direct electrical heating via electrodes toward a goal of 80% electrical heating and 20% gas. To date, AGP-Europe has achieved an average rate of 60% electrical heating in the NextGen Furnace.

In brief: Financials and acquisitions 
Trivium Packaging released its annual Sustainability Report, outlining the metal packaging specialist’s work in 2023 toward positioning sustainability and eco-consciousness across its business operations. Trivium says commitment to sustainability extends beyond internal operations, highlighting partnerships and stakeholder engagement in eco-friendly practices across industries and global regions. 

Imperial Dade, a North American distributor of foodservice packaging supplies, industrial products and janitorial supplies, acquired Regional Distributors. The transaction represents the 88th acquisition for Imperial Dade under the leadership of Robert and Jason Tillis, the chairman and CEO of Imperial Dade, respectively. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Regional Distributors was founded in 1994 and operates with “Service Beyond Expectations” and is focused on providing “the highest level of quality and service to our customers.” Regional Distributor will continue offering its customers the same customized service coupled with a more diversified range of products and solutions.

By Natalie Schwertheim