Weekly Roundup: Nespresso invites rivals to its recycling party, Avantium advances fossil-free plastic production

29 Mar 2019 --- In packaging news this week, Nespresso issued an invitation to other portioned coffee manufacturers to join its recycling program, paving the way for a global recycling scheme for aluminum coffee capsules. In other sustainability action, Avantium located its demonstration plant for the production of plant-based MEG, a fossil-free raw material for plastics and textiles, in the Netherlands. In research news, a US study discovered that tiny fragments of plastic in the ocean are consumed by sea anemones, helping scientists to better understand how coral reef ecosystems are affected by millions of tons of plastic contaminating the world's oceans.

In brief: Sustainability action
Nespresso hopes to improve the accessibility and convenience of aluminum capsule recycling by inviting other portioned coffee manufacturers to join its recycling program. In most countries, the public recycling infrastructure is unable to process small light items such as coffee capsules, leading Nespresso to set up dedicated schemes 28 years ago. Today it covers 53 countries with more than 100,000 drop off points, but until now, it was offered exclusively to Nespresso customers. “Aluminium is a valuable material and is infinitely recyclable,” notes Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO. “By inviting other companies to join our system, we hope to offer a solution for the whole category. This decision is aligned with our global initiatives to shape a waste-free future and drive behavior change towards a circular economy.” The aluminum from recycled Nespresso capsules has many and varied uses, including car engines, computers, cans and new coffee capsules. The coffee grounds are used to produce biogas and natural fertilizer.

Avantium decided to locate the new demonstration plant for its Mekong technology in Chemie Park Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The construction of the demonstration plant – with a capacity of around 10 tons of plant-based mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) – is reportedly on track, with the opening scheduled for the second half of 2019. This is an important step in commercializing the production of plant-based MEG, a fossil-free raw material for products such as plastic materials and textiles, the company says. Avantium’s Renewable Chemistries unit develops novel technologies that use renewable carbon sources instead of fossil resources. One such technology is Mekong, which delivers an environmentally sustainable plant-based alternative for MEG, producing it in a single-step process from industrial sugars. Today, more than 99 percent of MEG is produced from fossil-based raw materials, with a reported market value of around US$25 billion. The Mekong technology aims to produce plant-based MEG that is chemically identical to fossil-based MEG and competitive in terms of cost and quality.KHS' FreshSafe PET technology.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in the US has officially recognized the “recyclability achievement” of KHS’ FreshSafe PET technology. PET bottles often contain composite materials which considerably hinder simple, pure-grade recycling, but KHS’ inclusion of a wafer-thin protective layer of chemically pure glass on the inside wall of the PET container combines product protection with full bottle-to-bottle recycling solution. The wafer-thin glass coating is washed off during the recycling process, producing pure PET. Furthermore, compared to standard composite materials, the coating process reportedly provides a much better barrier quality and ensures much longer product shelf lives.

In brief: New innovation
Novembal, an independently managed business unit of the Sidel Group, unveiled the Novaqua 38A mm cap. Its benefits include tightness, design and ease of opening. “We also have data that favors the three-lead version of Novaqua for aseptic bottling in comparison to the two-lead version,” says Lorenzo van Haelst, Managing Director of Novembal. “This is because the three threads are able to better protect the product and prevent leaking. This bottle cap meets producer demands for a tight seal while still being easy to open for consumers through its low opening torque,” explains van Haelst.

MULTIVAC announced that it will be exhibiting MultiFresh skin packing technology on its R 105 MF thermoforming packaging machine as well as on the T 300 H and T 800 traysealers during the IFFA meat industry fair in Frankfurt in May. The R 105 MF thermoforming packaging machine is a compact and economic model for producing vacuum skin packs in small and medium-sized batches. The fully automatic T 300 H traysealer is also a space-saving entry-level model. The machine can be designed as multi-track and combined with various discharge systems. Paper fiber-based packaging materials will also be used on the machines in Frankfurt.Fluorescent plastic microfibers that have been ingested by a bleached sea anemone. Credit: Manoela Romanó de Orte 

In brief: Landmark research
Tiny fragments of plastic in the ocean are consumed by sea anemones and bleached anemones retain these microfibers longer than healthy ones, according to a new study by Carnegie Mellon University, US, researchers Manoela Romanó de Orte, Sophie Clowez and Ken Caldeira. The work, published by Environmental Pollution, is the first-ever investigation of the interactions between plastic microfibers and sea anemones. Anemones are closely related to corals and can help scientists understand how coral reef ecosystems are affected by millions of tons of plastic contaminating the world's oceans.“Our work suggests that plastic pollution and climate change are packing a one-two punch for coral reefs,” Caldeira explains. "When the reefs are bleached by hot ocean temperatures, the organisms are more likely to eat and retain plastic microfibers. It looks like the effects of global warming and of ocean pollution don't just add together, they multiply.”

By Joshua Poole