Weekly Roundup: DS Smith expands web-shop to Spain and Italy, Ardagh reports Q2 metal and glass growth

06 Aug 2021 --- In packaging news this week, the e-commerce sector was bustling with activity as DS Smith expanded its e-commerce web-shop to Europe and SP Scientific Products highlighted a new eco-friendly way of packaging boxes for shipping. Meanwhile, Antalis introduced new airbags with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content ahead of the UK Plastic Tax. Also in PCR developments, Berry Global began building a second recycling facility in the UK.

In brief: E-commerce news
DS Smith expanded its e-commerce platform ePack to Spain and Italy. The web-shop will offer plastic-free alternatives such as paper mailing bags or fully recyclable insulated fiber-based boxes for delivery. The move follows “unprecedented growth” of DS Smith’s online sales in the UK, where its web-shop recorded a 700 percent increase in demand over the past 12 months.

DS Smith’s Spanish ePack website.SP Scientific Products introduced a new approach to product packaging assembly, bringing in recyclable boxes that are customized to fit the accessories they carry. SP products and accessories are now securely shipped with a protective foam layer inside recyclable boxes, eliminating the need for individual wrapping, plastic and tape. Moreover, task-specific packaging reduces packing time from 30 minutes for one set of accessories to just 30 seconds. The new approach is also designed to enhance productivity, alleviate labor costs and reduce environmental impact, says the company.

Antalis Packaging added Airspeed Renew airbags to its shipping packaging portfolio. The new bags are made from film containing 50 percent PCR content, introduced in preparation for the UK Plastic Packaging Tax scheduled to come into force in April 2022. In other eco-friendly moves, the bags are also fully recyclable and are printed in environmentally-friendly water-based white ink. Antalis is also looking to introduce stretch films and bubble wrap containing more than 30 percent post-consumer recycled content later this year. 

SP implemented a task-specific, eco-friendly packaging initiative for online shipping.In brief: Business news
Beverage can producer Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) completed its business combination with Gores Holdings V, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of The Gores Group. The combined company was named Ardagh Metal Packaging SA. AMP maintains strong demand in traditional and new beverage categories, coupled with environmentally-conscious end consumers, is driving an inflection point in beverage can demand and creating multi-faceted growth opportunities.

Meanwhile, Ardagh reported good performance during Q2 2021. CEO and chairman Paul Coulson highlighted the company showed “strong adjusted EBITDA growth” led by advances of 18 percent in AMP and 36 percent in Glass Packaging Europe. “Our growth investments across our business are on track and we expect to deliver further progress in the second half of the year,” says Coulson. 

Multivac signed a collaboration agreement with packaging machine manufacturer Italianpack to complete its product portfolio in the tray sealer sector. As part of the collaboration, the smaller model series of Multivac-branded tray sealers manufactured by Italianpack will begin being sold through Multivac’s global sales and service network. The German company also has a purchase option for 25.1 percent of the shares in Italianpack with a term of three years. 

The new Airspeed Renew airbags for void-fill and block-and-brace packaging are made from film containing 50% PCR content.In brief: Anti-plastic pollution efforts
Berry Global invested in a second recycling facility for FDA-grade PCR polypropylene (rPP) for packaging use. Located in Leamington Spa, UK, the new recycling facility will also wash, sort, and sift them to produce food-grade materials with a remarkable target purity standard of 99.9 percent. Berry Global highlights packaging produced from the rPP material will be 35 percent lower in CO2 emissions, require half the amount of water, and use 90 percent fewer fossil fuel resources.

In efforts to eliminate plastic waste, Lidl GB pledged to remove 1.5 billion pieces of supermarket plastic by the end of 2021 and 2 billion pieces by the end of 2022. So far, the retailer has reached the one billion milestone. This includes more than 24 million plastic trays and punnets from its fruit and vegetable ranges and up to 25 million plastic lids from dairy and yogurt ranges. Overall, Lidl has committed to make all its own brand packaging widely recyclable, reusable or refillable by 2025.

In brief: Appointments 
Graham Packaging appointed Robert Pyle as its new president and CEO, who will assume day-to-day leadership of the company. Pyle is succeeding interim CEO Doug Owenby, who will return to his role as Graham’s COO. Pyle has 30 years of experience working in the global automotive industry, which has “many parallels with the packaging industry.”

By Anni Schleicher