Weekly Roundup: PepsiCo trials paper packs on Walkers chips, Morrisons opens soft plastics recycling plant

10 Mar 2023 --- This week in industry news, PepsiCo started trialing new paper-based outer packaging for its Walkers Baked multipacks, and Morrisons and Yes Recycling opened a recycling site for hard-to-recycle soft plastics in Scotland. Also, Sirane’s paper-recyclable absorbent pad for fruits was approved for recycling by OPRL in the UK.

In brief: Launches
PepsiCo started trialing new paper-based outer packaging for its Walkers Baked multipacks, a “first” for savory snacks flexible packaging in the UK. The trial pack is widely recyclable and will replace the plastic outer wrapping on more than 300,000 six-pack multipacks of two popular Walkers Baked flavors – Sea Salt and Cheese & Onion. People have been able to buy the new trial packs at 800 Tesco stores across the UK since March 1. The trial is PepsiCo’s second recent major sustainable packaging trial with Tesco. 

Nescafé introduced the first instant coffee refill pouch for Nescafé Gold Blend and Nescafé Original that can be recycled in stores and saves money while reducing packaging. The new 150 g refill pouch is 97% lighter than the 200 g glass coffee jar and has 60% less plastic than the jar’s lid. The pack is resealable to help preserve freshness and once the refill is empty, consumers can recycle the pack in more than 5,000 stores across the UK and through curbside collection in Ireland.

Nescafé’s instant coffee refill pouch.In brief: Recycling progress
Morrisons and Yes Recycling opened a new recycling site for hard-to-recycle soft plastics in Fife, Scotland. The new recycling facility will reprocess “‘hard-to-recycle”’ soft plastics and aims to develop a greater plastics recycling infrastructure in the UK to keep the material in a “closed loop” and save it from being exported overseas. The plant uses patented technology developed over the last seven years. It will turn hard-to-recycle flexible food packaging into plastic flakes, pellets and new Ecosheet, which can be used widely, for example in the construction and agriculture industries. At full capacity, the site will recycle 15,000 metric tons of post-consumer plastic packaging a year.

Danimer Scientific applauded the City of Jacksonville’s, US, recent launch of a six-month pilot program to provide organic recycling services to restaurants in the Riverside and Avondale areas. The city is partnering with local compost operator Sunshine Organics and Compost, doing business in Jacksonville as Compost Jax. In celebration of National Biobased Products Day on March 8, Danimer encouraged governments of every level to consider the positive impact that composting programs can have on reducing waste and preserving land and water environments. Restaurants participating in the program, which launched March 1, will receive initial training on proper diversion procedures, then have their food waste collected weekly by the city for six months and delivered to the Sunshine Organics and Compost composting facility. The food residues will be converted to a nutrient-rich compost that can be used to naturally replenish soils and grow more food.

Sirane’s paper-recyclable absorbent pad for fruits was approved for recycling by On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) – making it the “world’s first” approved recyclable absorbent pad. OPRL has approved the Earthpad suitable for fruit as paper-recyclable. EarthPad is comprised of cellulose absorbent material with an outer paper layer applied using barrier coatings, and they are also compostable. Pads can be bought in black, white, red and brown kraft paper. They are available as regular absorbent fruit pads and as cushioned paper-based absorbent pads for protecting soft and delicate fruits. Berry replaced Tine’s PS pots with PP alternatives containing 50% recycled material.

In brief: Industry partnerships
SIG announced it is equipping Casalasco with its aseptic carton packs made from Signature Full Barrier carton packaging material. Casalasco recently renewed the visual identity of tomato brand Pomì and, as a part of this restyling, chose SIG’s combiblocCompact 300 mL aseptic cartons to pack Pomì Finely Chopped Tomatoes. The small number of polymers used in the packaging material is linked to certified forest-based renewable sources via a mass balance system, reducing the carbon footprint of the carton pack. 

Berry Superfos and Norwegian dairy company Tine partnered to replace the polystyrene pots of its Rømme products and one of its sour creams with PP alternatives containing 50% recycled material in pursuit of its sustainability strategy. Tine introduced pots using rPP for its 300 g Lettrømme 17%, 300 g Seterrømme 35% and 300 g Creme Fraiche 35%. Gradually, rPP will also be phased in on six other products in pots. In the long run, Tine plans to use rPP for its entire portfolio of products for cooking.

As part of Bounty Paper Towel’s Inclusive Artists Project, the Quicker Picker Upper joined forces with three artists – surface print and accessories designer Shadé Akanbi, illustrator Reina Castellanos and graphic designer and illustrator Kingsley Nebechi – to create original artwork that will be featured on a new limited-edition collection of paper towels. To date, Bounty has donated US$650,000 to the inclusive artist initiative with the mission to celebrate and amplify diverse artists.

By Natalie Schwertheim