Weekly Roundup: Bacardi bins single-use plastic on gifts, Henkel unveils non-conductive die attach film

02 Dec 2022 --- This week in industry news, Bacardi removed all single-use plastic from its gifting range ahead of the holiday season. Also, Henkel commercialized its high-performance non-conductive die attach film, and Nextek’s COtooCLEAN project won the Alliance Prize in Circular Solutions for Flexibles.

In brief: Festive news
Bacardi reached its goal to remove 100% of single-use plastic from its gifting range by the end of 2023. Starting this month, all new gift packs in the Bacardi portfolio are plastic-free. This step will see Bacardi remove almost 275 metric tons of single-use plastic used annually, and has been achieved through innovative new designs that remove plastic or replace it with a sustainably sourced alternative. Besides using FSC-certified cardboard, the company is also pioneering the use of alternative materials. Bacardi says it is “the first” spirits company to use a new bio-based, 100% compostable packaging material in its Aberfeldy 12-year-old “Gold Bar” gift pack made from potato starch and cellulose fibers that replaces plastic vacuum packaging. 

In brief: Film and cap news
Henkel announced the commercialization of a high-performance ncDAF engineered to address the demands of contemporary packaging device designs. Loctite Ablestik ATB 125GR is a high-reliability ncDAF suitable for wire bond laminate and lead frame packages, compatible with small to medium-sized die, and formulated to provide “excellent” workability and processability. As 3D packaging miniaturization accelerates across the microelectronics market, smaller, thinner, high-density package structures are the norm. For these reasons, many packaging specialists opt for die attach film materials instead of pastes to allow for more challenging dimensions. Compared to pastes, die attach films offer controlled thickness and flow, no resin bleed, consistent fillet formation and bond line stability before and after cure. Hoffmann Neopac’s new PCR caps.

Hoffmann Neopac introduced a first-of-its-kind range of post-consumer recycled (PCR) caps suitable for a wide variety of the company’s tube solutions in the personal care and beauty markets. At its inception, the new series will include recycled high-density PE (rHDPE) screw caps, each fully recyclable in existing HDPE streams. The new product launch represents the first wide-scale rHDPE cap series with a PCR percentage of approximately 70%. 

In brief: Certifications and awards
SGS launched the SGS Food Contact Product Certification Mark to help manufacturers and suppliers demonstrate the safety and performance of their products in regulated, global markets. The SGS Food Contact Product Certification Mark covers both mandatory safety requirements and voluntary performance parameters. It improves traceability and builds consumer confidence while simplifying market access and delivering a competitive advantage. SGS’s comprehensive testing and certification solution covers the full range of food-contact-materials product categories, including preparation wear, utensils, serving utensils, implements and food containers.

COtooCLEAN, a multi-participant project by Nextek, won the Alliance Prize in Circular Solutions for Flexibles. Following a final pitch by five finalist teams at the New York Stock Exchange on November 29, Edward Kosior, founder of Nextek, was awarded the prize of US$3 million to fast-track COtooCLEAN’s process to decontaminate post-consumer plastic films back to food-grade quality. COtooCLEAN’s winning process is based on supercritical CO2 to decontaminate plastic films back to food-grade quality. It aims to fill the gap in the recycling stream where food-safe post-consumer polyolefin films are currently missing. The unique commercial process can be integrated into mechanical recycling operations and treat printed and multi-layer films to make them much easier to recycle.

Nextek wins Alliance Prize with COtooCLEAN. In brief: Paper pack and tech news 
Ahlstrom identified specific technology enabling highly developed base papers to help solve the barrier requirements in flexible packaging while still utilizing the inherent end-of-life benefits that paper has to offer. The company has a “unique” set of capabilities and a wide breadth of technical applications to allow it to develop some of the strongest performing base papers available. Through its research, Ahlstrom continued to advance its base paper development to achieve barrier properties which are fundamental to unlocking the sustainability benefits paper can bring to flexible packaging applications. 

Stora Enso received regulatory approval from the EU Commission to proceed with the acquisition of De Jong Packaging Group, announced in September 2022. Closure of the transaction is still ongoing and expected to be finalized at the beginning of 2023.

In brief: Company appointments
Greiner Packaging International (GPI) announced Beatrix Praeceptor is to assume the management of GPI starting on May 1, 2023. She will succeed Manfred Stanek, who will join Greiner AG’s Executive Board on January 1, 2023, and will hold a dual role until Praeceptor takes over her position. Praeceptor most recently worked as chief procurement officer for the Mondi Group and has both international industry expertise and management experience with a strong focus on sustainability. 

Avantium confirmed the appointment of Boudewijn van Schaïk for the position of Chief Financial Officer and member of the Management Board, effective January 1, 2023. At an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders on November 30, 2022, Avantium’s shareholders unanimously endorsed the appointment of Boudewijn van Schaïk as CFO until the end of the Annual General Meeting in 2027.

By Natalie Schwertheim