Weekly Roundup: Braskem unveils resin and biopolymer initiatives to boost sustainable production
09 Nov 2018 --- This week in packaging, Braskem defined a series of global initiatives to boost the notion of a circular economy in its production chain of manufactured plastic goods. Marks and Spencer has launched a reusable shopping bag made from 75 percent recycled social plastic, and SC Johnson awarded Crown Holdings with the “Quality Excellence” title at its Top Supplier Awards. In further awards news, Coveris received the Flexible Plastics Pack of the Year title at this year's UK Packaging Awards, for its Freshlife MAP avocado packs for UK supermarkets Tesco and Waitrose.
In brief: Product certifications and launches
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has partnered with Plastic Bank to deliver a new eco-shopping bag to help prevent waste and reduce poverty among people living in Haiti and the Philippines. The bag launched in stores on Wednesday and is made from 75 percent social plastic – which is plastic waste that has been collected and recycled by Plastic Bank, a social enterprise seeking to stop ocean plastic pollution. The move follows a series of policy changes by M&S in an attempt to demonstrate its commitment to reducing the amount of plastic in the oceans, such as the removal of plastic straws and cutlery from its range this year.
UPM Raflatac is the first self-adhesive label material supplier to have all of its factories in Europe certified according to the ISO 22000:2005 food safety standard. This certificate ensures that the products are designed and manufactured according to the European Good Manufacturing Practice Regulation (GMP), EU 2023/2006. The company notes that by working with UPM Raflatac, brand owners and converters can be certain that the food packaging material is safe.
In brief: Miscellaneous
Braskem, a resin and biopolymer producer, has defined a series of global initiatives to boost the notion of a circular economy in the production chain of manufactured plastic goods. Outlined in a document, the efforts include forging partnerships with clients to produce recyclable single-use packaging, higher investments in new resins derived from sugar cane, as well as encouraging consumers to become more involved with recycling programs. Braskem also has undertaken a voluntary commitment to adopt best practices for further reducing the loss of pellets (the raw material used to make plastic packaging) in its industrial processes by 2020.
SC Johnson has recognized Crown Holdings, a supplier of metal packaging, with the “Quality Excellence” title at its Top Supplier Awards. The certification was given due to Crown’s consistent delivery of quality products, including Crown’s own supplies directly to SC Johnson of aerosol packaging in a range of sizes for products in the brand’s household cleaning, air care and pest control portfolio. From a pool of over 3,000 of SC Johnson’s direct material and third-party suppliers from around the world, Crown was one of only five companies recognized with an award.
Coveris has been awarded the “Flexible Plastics Pack of the Year” at this year’s UK Packaging Awards, for its Freshlife MAP avocado packs sold at UK supermarkets Tesco and Waitrose, created in partnership with Greencell. “Given the unprecedented media attention on plastics and the changes we have experienced as a business in the past year, this product is a fantastic demonstration of plastics doing a sustainable job to reduce food waste and environmental impact significantly,” says Simon Buswell, Coveris Sales Director for Film.
Smurfit Kappa has been named “European Supplier of the Year” by 3M, the global science and innovation company behind brands including Scotch, Command and Post-it. The award was conferred in recognition of Smurfit Kappa’s innovative design and order process for 3M’s Point-of-Sale (POS) displays. The modular design provided by Smurfit Kappa also optimized the displays for pallet transportation, which 3M noted as delivering impressive logistics savings. This maximization of truckload, coupled with a 100 percent paper-based design, also reduced 3M’s carbon footprint, positively impacting its sustainability performance.
By Laxmi Haigh
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