Weekly Roundup: Phononic’s portable cold chain solution, Nestlé’s Scottish recycling initiative, DS Smith’s Tony’s Chocolonely design

24 Sep 2021 --- In packaging news this week, Phononic presented a portable cooling and freezing solution for perishable goods, delivering “unmatched” cold chain integrity to meet “explosive demand for cold chain solutions at grocery retail.” Also, Nestlé UK and Ireland partnered with Yes Recycling in Scotland on a plastic recycling initiative. Meanwhile, DS Smith equipped Tony’s Chocolonely with a recyclable rainbow design six-pack for chocolate varieties.

In brief: Supply chain solutions
Phononic, a global leader in solid-state cooling and heating technology, launched its comprehensive solution for the active, portable cooling and freezing of perishable goods, branded the Intelligent Actively-Cooled Tote. The company has developed the product and platform for “unmatched” cold chain integrity and strong ROI and labor savings across the Cold Chain Fulfillment Ecosystem, supporting the “explosive demand for innovative and sustainable cold chain solutions at grocery retail.”

Nulogy, a leading provider of agile supply chain solutions, released the free trial of its standalone Production Scheduling Solution for all contract manufacturers and co-packers in the supply chain industry. The Nulogy Production Scheduling Solution is an intuitive, real-time visualization tool enabling contract manufacturers and co-packers to quickly assess and optimize their production schedules based on various constraining factors, such as order promise date, planned downtimes, changeovers, labor availability, material availability and run rates by product and equipment.HexcelPack’s an e-commerce packaging kit.

HexcelPack introduced an e-commerce packaging kit to assist retailers during peak ordering seasons. Store in the Box includes several of the company’s paper-based packaging solutions, enabling stores to bypass traditional fulfillment centers and ship orders from local stores. PackagingInsights recently sat down with HexcelPack co-founder Lorne Herszkowicz to discuss how the company’s plastic-alternative, paper-based protective packaging solutions are taking e-commerce and retail by storm.

In brief: Circularity initiatives
Nestlé UK and Ireland partnered with a new recycling firm, Yes Recycling, in Fife, Scotland, to process hard-to-recycle plastics. The multi-million-pound plastic recycling plant in Fife will turn flexible plastics, typically used in food packaging, into building materials. Nestlé, Yes Recycling’s first investor, has provided a pre-investment of £1.65 million (US$2.26 million) toward the site, which, when it opens, will have the capability to process 15,000 metric tons of plastic and produce an alternative to plywood for construction, retail spaces and the agriculture industry. Packaging, such as KitKat wrappers, Purina pet food pouches, Rowntree confectionery sharing bags and Nestlé Cereal bags will be taken from kerbside material collected by Dunfermline-based Cireco and some commercial streams. In the past, this material may not have been recycled, as a recycling facility was not available to process this type of waste at scale locally.Nestlé’s Scottish recycling initiative involves several leading brands.

Britvic revealed a number of its brands are moving to 100% recycled PET across single-serve 500 ml and 600 ml bottles by the end of September. The brands involved include Pepsi Max, 7UP Free, Tango, Lipton, Robinsons Ready to Drink and Drench, with Mountain Dew also following suit in December 2022. The change will be supported with clear on-pack messaging across selected brands, in-store and outlet activation via POS materials and a new TV advert from Pepsi Max.

Jokey reinforced its partnership with WWF Germany to jointly promote a functioning circular economy for plastic packaging. The partners aim to establish closed-loop plastic streams enabling the production of high-quality recyclate. Jokey is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of plastic packaging. With WWF as a partner, the family-owned company says it will continue to minimize its environmental footprint, integrate environmental sustainability into all areas of its business and develop effective approaches along the value chain.

In brief: Packaging design
DS Smith equipped Tony’s Chocolonely with a 100% recyclable six-pack for selected chocolate varieties in the brand’s brightly colored rainbow design. The design gives Tony’s Chocolonely rainbow assortment optimized shelf appeal through unique lateral viewing windows and hollow edges. For enhanced impact in retail trade, the packaging is printed all around with a strong visual identity and high-quality offset printing.

In brief: Flexible packaging
Emsur, Grupo Lantero’s Packaging Division, unveiled EM-Full RFlex, its new range of polyethylene and polypropylene-based flexible packaging, aiming to improve recyclability and food preservation through enhanced barrier properties. The different structures are designed for bags or Doypacks with monomaterial compositions and barrier properties for various product categories, including snacks, confectionery, coffee and tea, fresh and processed foods, and home and personal care. The solutions are available in transparent film and printed, with different varnishes, gloss, matte, or paper effects.DS Smith’s design for Tony’s Chocolonely.

Flex Films, the global Packaging Film Manufacturing arm of UFlex, India’s largest flexible packaging corporation, announced it will launch its new avant-garde patented BOPET high barrier film at PackExpo 2021 in Las Vegas, US, booth N-9115, September 27-29). The F-UHB-M film replaces aluminum foil in flexible packaging applications, helping the industry move to a simpler, easily recyclable 3-ply laminate structure. Flex Films indicates the solution offers multiple benefits for converters and brand owners, such as high barrier and metal bond performance, economic benefits and high sustainability quotient.

In brief: Rigid packaging
Berry M&H launched a polypropylene bottle for table sauces and condiments. The new Mira 475 ml can be recycled after use and incorporates an EVOH barrier layer that delivers enhanced protection for oxygen-sensitive products, providing a long ambient shelf life helping to minimize food waste.

In brief: Climate change action
Crown announced it will take further action against climate change in conjunction with Amazon, Global Optimism and more than 200 other signatories through The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon across business operations by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. Joining a cross-sector network of organizations collaborating to address the climate crisis and solve the challenges of decarbonizing the economy, Crown will lend its Twentyby30 sustainability commitments, responsible business strategies and best practices to the community to achieve actionable results.Emsur’s EM-Full RFlex solutions.

In brief: Emerging markets
Sidel opened a new office in Nairobi, Kenya, to support its customers’ growth with local engineering capability, tailored-made packaging solutions and local customer service. “Sidel has been serving the African market for many years together with our partner SBA and we have built a good relationship with key customers in the market,” commented Sidel’s sales director for Africa, Bassam Oussaifi. “Africa has always been an important market, one which the company will continue to significantly invest in, as the dynamic Food, Home and Personal Care (FHPC) and beverage markets continue to grow at an impressive rate. Moreover, the economic performance from countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia show some of the highest levels of GDP and disposable income growth on the continent.”

By Joshua Poole