Weekly Roundup: DuPont unveils new pharma bottle closures, BillerudKorsnäs upgrades coated white-top kraftliner

22 Oct 2021 --- In packaging news this week, DuPont unveiled its new DuPont Liveo Pharma Bottle Closures for sealing threaded glass and plastic bottles and containers. Also, BillerudKorsnäs released an upgraded version of its Pure Supreme coated white-top kraftliner for litho-laminated packaging. Meanwhile, Tri-Star Packaging launched a line of anti-leak compostable packaging for street food and takeaway.

In brief: Pharma and healthcare
DuPont introduced its new DuPont Liveo Pharma Bottle Closures – one-piece silicone stoppers and tubings made from biomedical-grade silicone elastomers – as an addition to its existing overmolded assembly portfolio for biopharma processing applications. Liveo Pharma Bottle Closures are designed specifically for sealing threaded glass and plastic bottles and containers used for critical fluid transfer, media and buffer pooling and storage, and sample collection in biopharmaceutical and biotechnology processes.

Amcor launched an enhanced-stock product program for the North American healthcare market. The program allows customers to order from a set of market-recognized DuPont Tyvek pouches and Breather Bag header bags, available with low minimum order quantities. These materials are suitable for cost-competitive applications, Class I, II and III devices and products requiring value cleanroom production and strong puncture- and abrasion-resistance.Amcor’s enhanced-stock product.

In Brief: Fiber-based solutions
BillerudKorsnäs released an upgraded version of its Pure Supreme coated white-top kraftliner for litho-laminated packaging. The new product offers “excellent print results” for color fidelity and lifelike image reproduction. Its strength and stiffness ensure high runnability, allowing for high-speed printing and converting processes. New Pure Supreme is the latest in a series of new products to come out of BillerudKorsnäs’ KM7, the “world’s most modern board machine.”

PulPac’s consortium involving Nordic Barrier Coating and OrganoClick announced a breakthrough in the Swedish Dry Molded Fiber barrier project. OrganoClick’s role is to develop and supply bio-basedBillerudKorsnäs’ upgraded Pure Supreme white-top kraftliner. and biodegradable barrier coating material. Nordic Barrier Coating uses the barrier material to produce nonwoven materials, then used in PulPac’s dry molded fiber production. “This is a lab-level breakthrough with a great potential to drive the uptake of Dry Molded Fiber in the most challenging packaging applications. Next is further industrial development and validation in the face of a promising commercial upscaling for sustainable barriers,” explained Sebastian Roos, PulPac’s CTO.

DS Smith renewed its long-standing cardboard recycling partnership with Tesco for another three years. Through the strategic partnership, around 300,000 metric tons of paper and cardboard per year from Tesco’s UK retail operations will be recycled by DS Smith, including Kemsley paper mill in Kent – reportedly the largest mill for recycled papers in the UK. DS Smith uses the recycled fiber to manufacture new products at its packaging sites within 14 days of collection through its bespoke closed-loop recycling process.

In brief: Compostable developments
Berry bpi embarked on a three-month trial with Dobbies Garden Centres and Evergreen Garden Care in the UK, inviting consumers to return any film compost packaging, no matter the brand, for composting. The collected material will be turned into recycled plastic furniture made from Plaswood, a Berry Global product. “Plastic film has many practical benefits for the packaging of garden products such as compost, but far from being single-use, the material can be recycled and utilized in the manufacture of many useful products,” pointed out Katherine Lorek-Wallace, Plaswood general manager.WWP Beauty’s Refill Revolution collection.

Tri-Star Packaging announced a new line of anti-leak compostable packaging designed for street food and takeaway applications. The sturdy, anti-leak products are microwave and freezer safe, scratch- and puncture-resistant, and interlock and stack for easy storage and travel.

In brief: Reuse models
WWP Beauty, a full-service supplier to the global beauty industry, launched its Refill Revolution collection, featuring a series of refillable packaging solutions that reduce carbon emissions and promote a more circular design system. “This collection of intuitive refillable packaging was designed with components that could be used across all categories of beauty to show brands the possibilities of applying a refillable program to their existing line,” noted Michael Tognetti, global sustainability senior director at WWP Beauty. “Using our Eco-Analyzer tool, we have generated validated sustainability claims and carbon emissions reduction percentages to show our customers the sustainable impact refillable packaging has.”

In brief: Circular plastics economy
Plastic Energy announced the final investment decision and start of construction for its advanced recycling plant in northern France. The large-scale recycling plant will have a capacity of 25,000 tons of plastic waste annually, with plans to scale up to 33,000 tons shortly. The plant will be adjacent to ExxonMobil’s Notre Dame de Gravenchon petrochemical complex. Earlier this year, Plastic Energy signed an offtake collaboration agreement with ExxonMobil. As per the agreement, Tacoil (or recycled oils) from the Plastic Energy plant will be used by ExxonMobil to create virgin-quality certified circular polymers and other high-value products. The advanced recycling plant’s start-up is anticipated in 2023.

In brief: Local energy
Smurfit Kappa announced a new project at its Nettingsdorf Paper Mill in Austria, utilizing waste heat generated at the mill to help power a district heating solution for the local community of Ansfelden. Construction is underway on the new heat extraction plant through a joint venture with Bioenergie.

Berry bpi embarked on a three-month trial with Dobbies Garden Centres and Evergreen Garden Care in the UK, inviting consumers to return film compost packaging.

By Joshua Poole