Weekly Roundup: Avery Dennison launches label-liner recycling program, Berry M&H unveils e-commerce Spirit Bottle

19 Feb 2021 --- In packaging news this week, Avery Dennison launched a label-liner recycling program in Europe, aiming to recycle 75 percent of its label waste in the European market by 2025. AD Circular improves on existing liner-recycling services, processing liners regardless of who produced them. Meanwhile, Berry M&H introduced a postal 50 ml PET Spirit Bottle as the e-commerce market booms. Also, Alpla pledged to invest up to €50 million (US$61 million) a year on average between now and 2025 in further expanding its recycling activities.

In brief: Circular economy action
Avery Dennison launched a label-liner recycling program in Europe. AD Circular improves on existing liner-recycling services, processing liners regardless of who made them or where they were purchased. “The goal isn’t only to get our own materials out of the waste stream,” said Burak Sahbaz, senior director marketing and sustainability at Avery Dennison. “Our vision is to solve this problem for the labeling industry, period, by setting up a thriving, wide-reaching recycling system that one day will provide complete liner-to-liner recycling.” Providing the service at comparable costs to existing waste disposal schemes is key to AD Circular, as is ease-of-use, added Sahbaz. The program will launch in the first half of 2021 in France, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the UK. The program will then launch in other European countries in the latter half of the year. AD Circular’s goal is to recycle 75 percent of the label waste Avery Dennison brings to the European market by 2025. Recycling 1 kg of liner avoids 2.28 kgs of CO2 emissions, according to Sahbaz.

Alpla announced it will invest up to €50 million (US$61 million) a year on average between now and 2025 in further expanding its recycling activities. In particular, it plans to globalize its activities in high-quality recyclates to close the materials cycle in as many regions as possible. “We have been very active in the past two years. We succeeded in initiating bottle-to-bottle projects around the world, including in Asia, Europe and Central America. We nevertheless continue to see increasing demand on the part of our customers all over the world,” explained Georg Lässer, head of corporate recycling at Alpla. This sustained demand provides the company the opportunity to kick-start further investment projects, adds Lässer.Alpla pledged to invest up to €50 million annually on recycling.

The European Commission awarded Lessebo Recycled, an uncoated range of papers, with the EU Ecolabel, acknowledging the range’s high environmental standards. Lessebo Paper launched Lessebo Recycled in 2019, an FSC Recycled range of papers produced from sorted waste sourced in Europe. The product is made from recycled content.” Lessebo Paper is one of the most environmentally friendly paper mills in the world, and our low CO2 emissions of 22 kg per ton of paper are difficult to match. This has been recognized in the market and we can see that it is attracting big brand owners,” noted Eric Sigurdsson, CEO at Lessebo Paper.

Novolex added easy-to-understand recycling instructions to more of its plastic bags and packaging. The announcement comes weeks after Novolex revealed plans to increase its plastic bag recycling capacity. The company plans to add the How2Recycle Store Drop-off label to products across its business units, including the Load & Seal Tamper Evident Deliver Bags, made by Hilex and growing in demand as to-go orders increase at restaurants.

In brief: Acquisitions 
Berlin Packaging continued its expansion in Europe with the acquisition of Sodis-Uhart and Audoubert, two historic companies offering glass and metal packaging in France. The two companies offer a wide range of glass and metal containers and packaging components and have more than 9,000 SQM of strategically located warehouse space to support their customers. The acquisition of Sodis-Uhart and Audoubert is Berlin Packaging's eleventh acquisition in Europe since 2016, confirming its commitment to offering packaging solutions in all segments of the European market. “Expanding our presence in Europe remains a critical objective for us in 2021,” commented Bill Hayes, CEO and president of Berlin Packaging. “Targeted acquisitions, like the acquisition of Sodis-Uhart and its subsidiary, Audoubert, continue to be an important way for us to execute on our strategic growth plans for Europe.”Novolex added easy recycling instructions to more of its plastic bags.

Avery Dennison agreed to acquire JDC Solutions, a privately owned manufacturer of pressure-sensitive specialty tapes headquartered in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, US, for US$24 million. JDC employs approximately 75 employees located at its headquarters and manufacturing site in Tennessee, with approximately US$30 million in annual revenue. JDC manufactures specialty tapes for use in a variety of high-value industrial applications. The acquisition is expected to close in Q1, subject to customary conditions and approvals.

In brief: Carbon-reduced production
Mondi Steinfeld in Germany has been certified as CO2 neutral for its manufacturing processes by ClimatePartner, an organization supporting companies in reducing and offsetting CO2 emissions. This certification was awarded due to Mondi Steinfeld switching to renewable energy and supporting specific climate projects in 2020. Once the plant’s total emissions were calculated in 2019, ClimatePartner helped the plant find further ways to reduce and then offset its emissions with climate projects and measures such as switching to hydropower.

Stora Enso’s Oulu Mill in Finland is again producing after an investment shut-down. A former paper machine was converted for containerboard production to serve the growing packaging market. Also, the pulp mill was modified to produce unbleached kraft pulp. Several enhancements were made to the mill’s environmental performance. The conversion brought significant improvements to the treatment of malodorous gases and wastewater and chip storage. Overall, €40 million (US$48 million) was invested in the enhancements, and the mill now has the technical capability to produce all the energy it needs without fossil fuels.SIG gained a customer in Triballat Noyal for its plant-based products.

In brief: Product adoptions
SIG secured a new customer in French family business Triballat Noyal, who chose SIG filling technology and aseptic carton packs for its Sojasun and Sojade plant-based products. Choosing SIG filling technology for its plant-based dairy alternatives provides high flexibility and speed. The SIG CFA 812 filling machine, with an output of 12,000 trendy square base carton packs per hour, offers a high number of packaging options for future product launches while saving on utilities such as water and electricity.

The Belgian Ice-cream Group adopted Futamura’s NatureFlex renewable and home compostable films for its ice lolly packaging. NatureFlex films are made from renewable wood pulp sourced from responsibly managed plantations. The films have been independently certified for home compostability according to TŰV Austria and meet all European and international standards for industrial composting, including EN13432. Also, the solution offers “excellent” barrier properties and ensure the product is protected while in the store and home freezer.Berry M&H unveiled the postal 50 ml PET Spirit Bottle.

In brief: E-commerce packs
Berry M&H launched a postal 50 ml PET Spirit Bottle in response to the ever-growing popularity of gins and rising online drinks sales. The lightweight bottle is designed for the e-commerce market and comes in both round and square designs. The clarity of the PET bottle helps convey a premium image for the drinks. The bottle can be fully personalized to individual brand requirements through a variety of printing and labeling options. Recognizing customer sustainability commitments and with in-depth technical experience, the bottle can be specified with varying post-consumer recycled content levels, the company says.

In brief: Machinery launches
Cremer, a supplier of product counting machines in the US for a wide array of applications, introduced the HQ Series, a line of compact counting and packaging machines designed for unmixed, single type or single flavor products. The servo-driven three-model portfolio provides fast, reliable and cost-efficient counting solutions for primary or secondary packaging of candy, confectionery, and chocolate, and non-food products such as medical parts, hardware and detergent pouches. The counting machines can be placed directly atop a packaging machine for bag filling applications or over a conveyor belt for precise positioning and discharge of product counts into common packaging platforms such as cartons, boxes, tubs or tins.

By Joshua Poole