Weekly Roundup: Amcor adopts How2Recycle labels, Viridor poll reveals UK consumer recycling attitudes

25 Sep 2020 --- In packaging news this week, Amcor secured pre-qualification to carry How2Recycle’s store drop-off label on its AmPrima PE Plus heat resistant portfolio. A Viridor-YouGov UK poll detailed how consumers are increasingly keen for manufacturers to shoulder the financial cost of recycling. UK supermarket Waitrose eradicated multi-buy shrink wrap on millions of own-label tinned grocery products. Transcend Packaging created a recyclable and biodegradable U-bend straw for drinks brand Ribena.

In brief: Environmental action
Amcor received pre-qualification to carry How2Recycle’s store drop-off label on consumer packaging for various barrier and non-barrier specs in the AmPrima PE Plus heat resistant portfolio, subject to conditions like product application and final package design. Recently launched by How2Recycle, pre-qualification letters simplify How2Recycle’s label request process by confirming brands or retailers have opted for a film structure that has already been assigned a particular How2Recycle label and recyclability designation. Currently available in a broad range of formats, AmPrima recycle ready solutions offer customers a more sustainable choice for their flexible packaging needs with no compromise on performance.A Viridor-YouGov UK poll detailed how consumers are increasingly keen for manufacturers to shoulder the financial cost of recycling.

A Viridor-YouGov UK poll found consumers want to see a significant shift in who pays for recycling – 64 percent say producers and manufacturers should pay, with 55 percent saying businesses selling the product should bear the cost. A growing number find it difficult to understand what is recyclable, such as plastic wrapping, which has risen from 27.5 percent in 2016 to 52.5 percent in 2020, while 56.1 percent think that none of the UK’s plastic waste should be exported.

Waitrose accelerated its efforts to stamp out single-use plastic by discontinuing multi-buy shrink wrap on millions of own-label tinned grocery products. The plastic wrap, which is used to keep three or four cans attached for convenience but can’t always be recycled, will be removed permanently on all Waitrose tinned food. Waitrose was the first UK retailer to trial the removal of shrinkwrap on tinned multi-buys last year.Waitrose eradicated multi-buy shrink wrap on millions of own-label tinned grocery products.

Transcend Packaging secured a new customer for its recyclable and biodegradable U-bend straw in popular drinks brand Ribena. Transcend developed the bendable, durable paper straw with consumer testing to ensure it reliably punctures the carton and avoids sogginess. The straw has reportedly been put to the test on SIG and Tetra Pak lines.

Ardagh committed to science-based targets through the Science-Based Targets initiative, which aims to encourage corporate climate action for a low-carbon economy. By committing to the initiative, Ardagh will set specific goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in alignment with the Paris Agreement 2015, where governments mutually pledged to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Eastman, a global specialty materials company, joined two organizations – the Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and the US Plastics Pact – that unite members behind a shared vision to deliver solutions that address the plastic waste crisis. The company launched molecular recycling technologies at commercial scale in October 2019. These technologies enable Eastman to recycle almost any kind of plastic waste, including hard-to-recycle plastics, an infinite number of times. Later this fall, Eastman will announce new sustainability goals with definitive commitments for mainstreaming materials circularity and mitigating climate change.PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical introduced Thin Wall Injection Molded PP food containers.

In brief: Investments and partnerships
Sirane made a million-pound plus investment by expanding into a new unit that will install an environmentally-friendly water-based printing press. The Telford, UK-based packaging development and manufacturing company specializes in absorbent materials, bags, pouches and films and board products. The company says it is the first in the UK to operate using solely water-based printing, meaning there are no solvents to be disposed of after printing or harmful emissions.Ardagh Graphics created a sharp look for Fiorito Limoncello Tonic.

Avantium, a leading technology company in renewable chemistry, announced its subsidiary Avantium Renewable Polymers has granted leading wood modification company Kebony the right to use its patented technologies related to humins, and the right to file additional patents in the application area. Humins are a valuable side stream from Avantium’s process to produce FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the key building block for the novel polyester PEF (polyethylene furanoate).

Vail Resorts and PepsiCo joined forces for a new environmentally-friendly partnership across North America. PepsiCo committed to significant annual investments in projects that support Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts’ sustainability pledge to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030 and zero waste to landfill, including reducing beverage and food packaging waste and replacing wax-lined paper cups with compostable or durable PepsiCo products.

In brief: New products
PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical, Indonesia's largest integrated petrochemical company, unveiled Trilene HI50TN, Thin Wall Injection Molded (TWIM) polypropylene (PP) food containers. The containers are designed to “revolutionize” the use of TWIM container as the preferred choice for food packaging. The initiative is considered a breakthrough in the implementation of reusable packaging due to more hygienic and environmentally-friendly materials. Trilene HI50TN is approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and compliant with halal standards.

Ardagh Graphics created a sharp look for Fiorito Limoncello Tonic, the latest addition to a range of drinks made from Fiorito’s award-winning limoncello, based on an old recipe from the founders’ family in Sicily. Fiorito’s distinctive vision for the packaging for its first canned drink was a bright and shining yellow aesthetic, suggesting a hot summer day, with a background of sophisticated geometric lines to enhance the feel of quality – like a watermark. The design challenge was to achieve the sweet spot between pin-sharp color contrast and the subtle simplicity Fiorito desired.

By Joshua Poole