Interpack 2020: Hoffmann Neopac to showcase 100 percent closed-loop recycled tinplate packaging

09 Mar 2020 --- Hoffmann Neopac is set to unveil a new line of steel tinplate cans that are not only made from 100 percent recycled steel but also “perpetually recyclable.” The company will introduce the RecyCan line under its EcoDesign packaging portfolio at interpack 2020. The launch comes as part of Hoffmann Neopac’s aim to leverage closed-loop sustainability practices, given that metal tins are frequently associated with eco-consciousness and do not sacrifice product protection or branding aesthetics.

“We are the first and only supplier of 100 percent closed-loop recycled tinplate packaging. We don’t just talk about cradle to cradle, we do cradle to cradle,” Cornelia Schmid, Head of Marketing at Hoffmann Neopac, tells PackagingInsights. According to her, RecyCan is currently available in Europe for local or global brands.

Moreover, 90 percent of German steel packaging is recycled in traditional streams, she outlines. “There is some recycled content in existing food packaging, but the majority of household steel is recycled for other industries, such as construction steel for secondary steel products.”

The company collects typical household steel like used cans, closures and crown corks for recycling for its RecyCan process. Once the steel elements are separated from aluminum and plastic packaging via a magnet, they are shredded and de-tinned before being pressed into cubes. Then, they are melted down to raw steel and cast into slabs, which are subsequently hot-rolled, cold-rolled and tin plated to produce packaging steel. This can be printed and formed into fresh new tinplate packaging cans.

Schmid explains that RecyCan arrives in welded or seamed dry food cans, as well as round and square deep-drawn cans. Although recycled steel is suitable for beverage packaging, Schmid details that Hoffmann Neopac currently only has one beverage format for coffee and milk drinks and just a limited available amount of annual RecyCan material up to now. The company aims to bring this innovation to brands oriented around natural, bio and organic labelings in all market segments.

Sustainability versus financial profitability
In the long-run, the company is aware that using 100 percent recycled steel does not outweigh the financial benefits of using virgin steel for tinplate cans. “The virgin steel way is established for tinplate cans. Recycling steel is a new method; therefore, there are limited quantities available. At the moment, it is still a quite expensive way of closing the loop of recycled consumer steel,” the spokesperson explains.

Regardless, the company highlights that recycled steel canned foods still deliver on performance, food safety, look and feel, as well as durability. Moreover, the product is backed by research commissioned by steel packaging specialists ThyssenKrupp, who affirmed that steel packaging generally outperforms alternative materials in the drive for more sustainable solutions. The research found that a 0.5 L beverage can made from tinplate is 91 percent recyclable, while European steel packaging recycling rates are relatively high and still increasing.

Previous developments
Recently, Hoffmann acquired Netherlands-based CM Packaging, a longstanding metal packaging partner. As of January 1, the company intends to operate as a single entity. The parties have agreed not to disclose the acquisition price.

Hoffmann Neopac is also known as a pharmaceutical packaging specialist, delivering childproof-certified packaging that meets the demand for more cost-effective and sustainable innovations across the pharmaceutical, dietary and food industries.

By Anni Schleicher

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