Weekly Roundup: Heineken switches to cardboard toppers, New energy drink launches in Ardagh cans

21 Aug 2020 --- In packaging news this week, Heineken UK replaced the plastic ring on its multipack cans with cardboard alternatives, while Ardagh’s 16 oz cans featured in Adrenaline Shoc’s latest “performance energy” beverage launch. Meanwhile, a Thai study found that compounding starch and herbal extracts may produce active packaging to preserve food quality.

In brief: Sustainability and ecology
Heineken UK is replacing the plastic rings on multipack cans with plastic-free cardboard toppers. In combination with eliminating the shrink wrapping on consumer packs, the move translates into 517 metric tons of plastic being saved. The cardboard toppers are called Green Grip and are made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified cardboard material supplied by Spanish packaging group Alzamora. Heineken UK is already using the toppers for packs of Heineken, Foster’s, and Kronenbourg 1664 cans. The company plans to roll the toppers out across its entire beer and cider portfolio. “For so long, the plastic pack rings on cans of beer and cider have been rightly scrutinized,” explains Heineken UK Marketing Director Michael Gillane. “We have been working on a solution for several years – one that is durable, totally recyclable and completely plastic-free.”

Compounding starch and herbal extracts containing antimicrobial functions may produce active packaging to preserve food quality. This is according to a new study from the Department of Packaging and Materials Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand. The active meat packaging was developed from thermoplastic starch (TPS) containing herbal extracts, namely sappan or cinnamon powders. These extracts are incorporated via LDPE blown-film extrusion. The researchers found that higher TPS and herbal contents caused dispersion of clumps within film matrices, giving decreased mechanical properties (60 to 80 percent for tensile strength and 30 to 90 percent for elongation at break) due to non-homogeneous microstructures. Moreover, TPS films containing sappan and cinnamon extracts effectively preserved redness and delayed microbial growth, producing active packaging.

In brief: Launches and releases
Ardagh’s 16 oz cans have been featured in a new performance drink launch. Beverage brand Adrenaline Shoc has launched A SHOC, a healthier and more functional alternative to traditional energy drinks with zero sugar, zero artificial flavors and zero chemical preservatives. A SHOC delivers “performance energy,” a proprietary natural energy blend of green coffee beans, yerba mate, coffee fruit extract and guarana. Also enhanced with electrolytes from ocean minerals and nine essential amino acids.

Ardagh’s 16 oz cans have been featured in a new performance drink launch. With material reduction in mind, Südpack has developed an environmentally sustainable film packaging. The aim is to optimize existing film solutions in regard to material consumption through systematic further development and downgauging. The films become thinner without compromising quality and safety, the company says. The latest example of this is the Safe Peel Clear NT. The translucent top web securely seals its contents, while the integrated EVOH high barrier ensures optimum shelf life of fresh products. Thanks to systematic further development, it is now also one of the particularly sustainable films in the company’s portfolio, with 30 percent less plastic granules being required for its manufacture compared to conventional self-service packaging.

Committed to reducing its carbon footprint, Mauser Packaging Solutions has expanded its offering of environmentally-friendly packaging with a UN-rated, tight-head container made from 100 percent post-consumer resin (PCR). The new 100 percent PCR tight-head container features recycled resin that’s produced in-house at Mauser Packaging Solutions. Empty industrial packaging that would otherwise be sent to a landfill is collected, sorted, washed and repelletized. This closed-loop material stream ensures a consistent, high-quality supply of PCR that gives plastic materials new life, reduces industrial waste, and has a smaller carbon footprint. It is currently available in 20 L and 5 G sizes and meets UN requirements for packaging groups II and III without the need for an outer pack carton.

Swiss Coffee Roaster Illycafé has introduced its ready-to-drink cold brew coffee. Swiss Coffee Roaster Illycafé has introduced its ready-to-drink cold brew coffee offering. Illycaffé used CCL Label Hohenems as a partner to produce a new product decoration for the launch’s packaging. A full-body shrink sleeve is employed for the launch, with the “perfect match” of matte varnish combined with a glossy silver effect to express the natural coffee taste. The Illy Cold Brew Coffee “Wake up” is prepared in Switzerland in cooperation with the company Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel.

Mantrose-Haeuser Co. is expanding its VerdeCoat line of products, developed to provide the packaging industry with a new green barrier coating technology. VerdeCoat products are specially formulated based on different chemistries for different packaging applications. In addition, various VerdeCoat products have been successfully tested for repulpability and recyclability by Western Michigan University, the company notes. VerdeCoat WB-1-2 is the newest product in the VerdeCoat line to receive BPI Certification for compostability. This product is proven to be a superior, sustainable choice for packaging applications, the company supports. The coating product is also available as an overprint varnish.

By Kristiana Lalou