Weekly Roundup: Amcor injects US$250,000 in start-up, TekniPlex offers heat induction seals for glass

03 Feb 2023 --- This week in industry news, Amcor invested US$250,000 into a reusable food packaging start-up and TekniPlex released leak-protected heat induction seals for glass containers. Meanwhile, Recoup launched ‘Reusability by Design’ to aid stakeholders in designing reusable plastic for a circular economy.

In brief: Investments and approvals
Amcor announced a US$250,000 investment into smart reusable food packaging start-up Circolution, the third winner of Amcor’s Lift-Off initiative. Launched in April 2022, Amcor Lift-Off targets technologies that will further advance Amcor’s goal to make the future of packaging more environmentally sustainable. Circolution developed an innovative model that provides a complete circular service involving smart reusable packaging, reverse logistics, data analytics and impact measurement. Available in various shapes, sizes and materials, the “packaging as a service” solution requires no upfront investment and has been designed to be compatible with existing supply chain and scaled operations standards.

Michigan State legislatures approved legislation to grant Billerud investment support of up to US$200 million in funding to support Billerud’s investment plans. The transformation of the Escanaba Mill, US, is planned to be the cornerstone of Billerud’s expansion into North America, one of the largest and growing markets in primary fiber premium cartonboard, according to Billerud. The final amount of the funding will be relative to the company’s actual investment and is subject to the execution of the necessary agreements between the Michigan Strategic Fund and Billerud US Production Holdings. 

TekniPlex’s new glass solution with clean peel-away liners in foam-backed or paperboard-backed options. In brief: Launches and releases
TekniPlex Consumer Products launched a line of one-piece heat induction seals for glass containers. The company’s Glass Seal solutions offer brand owners leak protection for products housed in glass jars and bottles, which are increasingly recognized as among the most sustainable, renewable packaging options, according to the company. TekniPlex’s Glass Seal liners can help differentiate a wide variety of products in glass containers. Available in foam-backed and paperboard-backed options, the liners peel away cleanly. Tamper-evident and e-commerce compliant, the liners feature a diverse range of tab design options and can be custom-printed or embossed for additional brand appeal and awareness.  

Plastics resource efficiency and recycling charity, Recoup, started the inaugural edition of “Reusability by Design” guidance to assist stakeholders with the design of reusable plastic packaging that meets the needs of the value chain from packaging manufacturers, packers/fillers, brands, retailers, consumers and service providers through to waste management companies. The guidance has been produced as a workstream of the UK Research and Innovation-funded Technology-enabled Reusable Assets for a Circular Economy (TRACE) project, led by Pragmatic, with Recoup.

In brief: Business news
Irish-owned global packaging supply chain solutions company Zeus announced the acquisition of Polpack, a “leader” in packaging materials distribution and packaging machinery solutions in Poland. This is the first step in Zeus’ 2023 acquisition strategy, further consolidating its operations across Europe. The purchase represented the start of a program of growth plans this year aimed at navigating business to revenues of more than €500 million (US$545 million). Customers of Zeus range include Kaufland, Lidl, Aldi, ABP, Harrods, Ryanair and McDonalds.

Brightmark, a global waste solutions company, appointed Justin Goldstein as its new senior vice president and CFO. Mr. Goldstein is set to oversee Brightmark’s financial growth, market expansion and critical investment strategy as the company continues to scale its renewable natural gas and advanced recycling operations and partnerships. Goldstein created an energy transition team that oversaw the firm’s first financing projects for renewable natural gas and advanced recycling clients. Source Wurx employee working on optimizing label aesthetics for a client. 

In brief: Labeling innovations 
Source Wurx, a food and beverage sector printed packaging facilitator, was selected by a major private-label food manufacturer to enhance packaging graphics and oversee color management. The company was tasked with reducing graphics costs and improving lead times despite the current challenging materials and supply chain landscape. In addition to tightening production protocols, the move is expected to save the private-label food manufacturer up to 50% in design and prepress costs compared to internal execution. Source Wurx’s turnkey approach will help streamline several mission-critical processes for the private label manufacturer, including file control, flexibility and version control. 

ProAmpac joined with SBM Life Science, a leader in lawn and garden care products, to celebrate the 2022 American Graphics Design Award Winner with recognition for BioAdvanced Season Long Lawn Weed Killer + Preventer for Southern Lawns design. The companies were awarded the Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) Graphic Design Award. The label showcases detailed blades of grass with a call-out bubble highlighting, in detail, some common weeds the product kills. The graphics, printed by ProAmpac, use a customized gold wash-over to create a high-impact print utilizing UV inks suitable for outdoor display applications.

Vietnam’s leading dairy brand, Vinamilk, announced that its Optimum Gold – manufactured in Vietnam, is the first dairy formula milk product in Asia that was awarded the Clean Label Project Purity Award 2022. The Clean Label Project is a non-profit organization founded in the US with a mission to bring honesty and transparency to the labeling of food and consumer products. Two other fresh milk products, Vinamilk Green Farm and 100% Organic are also the first fresh milk products in the world to achieve the Clean Label Project certification for brands that not only have increased transparency but are also forthright in product labeling.

By Sabine Waldeck