Weekly Roundup: Amcor reports to SASB in industry first, PepsiCo pledges carbon neutrality by 2040

15 Jan 2021 --- In packaging news this week, Amcor became the first global packaging company to report to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) packaging standard and PepsiCo committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.

Meanwhile, Kingsmoor packaging created a plastic thermoformed container that maintains lightweight properties while being stronger than heavier alternatives. 

In brief: Sustainability action
Amcor became the first global packaging company to report to the SASB packaging standard. SASB standards ensure greater transparency and risk management for businesses, enabling them to communicate more effectively with investors. Amcor says its reporting to SASB will allow for more effective environmental, social and corporate governance practices to be implemented throughout its business. The move comes amid a host of other sustainability commitments made by the company, including becoming a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 

PepsiCo committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2040, one decade earlier than the UN Paris Climate Agreement goals. The beverage giant also promised to cut its greenhouse gas emissions through its direct operations by at least 40 percent before 2030 and through its indirect operations by 75 percent in the same time period. To achieve these goals, PepsiCo says it will continue to reduce use of virgin plastic in packaging materials throughout its portfolio and increase use of recycled content. Kingsmoor's container is engineered to maintain strength while remaining lightweight.

Sainsbury’s supermarket announced the mass roll out of its own-brand plant-based tea bags across all UK stores starting in June 2021. The move comes as part of Sainsbury’s ongoing commitment to halve plastic packaging by 2025 and pledge to become net-zero in its own operations by 2040. Currently, the company’s own-brand tea bags are made up of 75 percent natural fibers and 25 percent oil-based plastic sealing material, polypropylene (PE). Its new plant-based material is derived from polylactic acid (PLA), made from the sugars in cornstarch, cassava or sugarcane. Sainsbury’s will move over 815 million individual tea bags a year from using PE to PLA. 

In brief: Packaging innovation
Kingsmoor Packaging created a plastic thermoformed container that maintains lightweight properties while being reinforced as stronger than heavier alternatives. Dubbed Cirrus, the company’s new design is the product of thermoforming and engineering techniques. Central to the design is a unique pattern in the sidewall of the container, which forms a series of small pockets where material continually gets stuck as the container is formed. This, in turn, creates stronger sidewalls with less material, thus creating a much lighter yet stronger pack, the company claims.

Kite Packaging introduced a range of wax lined boxes to its e-commerce portfolio designed for business purposes. The boxes are fiber-based and suitable for food applications. Food can be frozen within the boxes with or without additional bags. Available in two sizes, the products are marketed as ideal for the transport of frozen meats, fish and cakes. PepsiCo has set itself the challenge of achieving carbon neutrality a decade earlier than the Paris Climate Accords. 

Denmark-based Grow Up Farm launched a home grown plant package product branded Eat-Grow-Repeat, which is designed to cultivate small pea plants that grow in hemp in a bag. The bag by Schur Star is composed entirely of polyethylene and can be recycled without the separation often required for multi-material packaging. 

Camvac and Celanese collaborated to create an environmentally sustainable decorative film for the board lamination market. The bio-based, biodegradable and home compostable metalized cellulose acetate film is branded as Cambrite Camvert. Camvac selected Celanese’s Clarifoil film as the base material due to its aesthetic appeal, combined with its high performance and important bio credentials, says the company. Formulated with renewable high purity grade wood pulp, bio-based Clarifoil film was an alternative to fossil-oil based films, it claims. The wood pulp is sourced from PEFC accredited forestry that ensures trees grow naturally without genetic modification. 

In brief: Business developments
Manufacturing and petrochemical giant Ineos acquired BP’s global Aromatics & Acetyls business for US$5 billion. The company will henceforth be known as Ineos Acetyls and Ineos Aromatics. The former will produce acetic acid and a range of derivatives from nine sites, supplying a range of downstream industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, paints, adhesives and packaging. The latter will produce PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid) and PX (Paraxylene) technology with six sites and supply the global polyester business which includes polyester fiber, film and PET packaging.

Ineos' acquisition of BP's Aromatics & Acetyls business cost US$5B. Italy-based Novamont, a specialist in the development and production of biochemicals and compostable bioplastics, acquired BioBag Group, a Norwegian supplier of low-impact solutions for waste collection and packaging. The collaboration plans to launch projects that enhance separate organic waste collection and composting systems, especially in North America, the Scandinavian countries, Eastern Europe and Australia. It intends to build relationships with producers, key stakeholders and communities throughout these regions. 

JPF Netherlands, the holding company of Jindal Films Europe, signed an agreement with Domo Chemicals to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Domo Films Solutions Spa (DFS). The agreement will allow horizontal expansion of Jindal Films’ business into Nylon films (including highly specialized films for pharma and medical sectors) and extend its platform across Europe. 

Oji Holdings announced its subsidiary company Oji Container will establish a new corrugated container plant in Japan. Demand for corrugated containers in Japan is expected to continue rising as e-commerce expands, says the company, particularly in the Kanto region of Japan. The new plant will carry out integrated conversion from base paper manufacturing to product processing for corrugated containers. 

By Louis Gore-Langton