Weekly Roundup: ProAmpac launches Pro-Evo recyclable pet food packs – Stora Enso divests paper production site for €18M

07 Apr 2023 --- This week in industry news, ProAmpac added to its ProActive Recyclable line targeted at pet food applications. Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s removed plastic trays from its whole chicken range, and Stora Enso divested its paper production site to Swedish Timber for an enterprise value of €18 million (US$19.6 million).

In brief: Launches and releases 
The Pro-Evo release by Stora Enso.ProAmpac launched a new addition to its ProActive Recyclable line of products, branded Pro-Evo Recyclable – a multi-wall paper-based self-opening-sack bag certified for curbside recycling and is ideally suited for dry pet food. “Petfood brands want recyclable paper-based packaging solutions. The Pro-Evo Recyclable platform fulfills ProAmpac’s promise to deliver more recyclable packaging solutions without sacrificing end-use performance and filling line efficiency,” said Ben Davis, product manager for ProAmpac.

Sainsbury’s announced it's by Sainsbury’s whole chicken range is now trayless after the retailer removed single-use plastic trays from its packaging. Using a minimum of 50% less plastic, the change is estimated to save 140 tons of plastic annually. The trayless products are available in all stores across the UK and online, helping to reduce the amount of single-use plastic customers have to dispose of at home. The change affects five products, including all by Sainsbury’s whole chickens ranging from extra small to extra-large sizes. The film packaging can still be recycled at one of Sainsbury’s front-of-store flexible plastics recycling points (available in all Sainsbury’s UK supermarkets).

Vegan sun care brand Think announced the launch of its new sun care packaging design. The font is in think’s signature white and orange colors, while the colors of the packaging vary by line: thinkbaby will be white, thinkkids green, thinksport light blue, and thinkdaily orange. The company says its new design will encourage consumers to avoid skin damage by using appropriate amounts of sunblock without absorbing it into the skin or harming the environment. The lines are now wrapped in sleek, simple packaging to reflect its clean sunscreen formula. The font is in Think’s signature white and orange colors, while the packaging colors vary by line: thinkbaby will be white, thinkkids green, thinksport light blue and thinkdaily orange.

Sainsbury’s trayless chicken range.Spanish supermarket Caprabo introduced the sale of tomatoes with 100% recyclable and compostable packaging made of paper and paper and bamboo mesh. The initiative, which provides for the sale of about 250,000 kilos of tomatoes a year without the use of plastic in their packaging, will save 3 tons of plastic in one year, claims the company “Caprabo hopes to advance initiatives that contribute to minimizing the impact of plastics on the environment. And we, as a supermarket, can do it with micro-actions that allow us to take extreme care of the environment”, explains Fernando Tercero, head of local products at Caprabo.

In brief: Business news 
Stora Enso completed the divestment of its paper production site in Hylte, Sweden announced on 27 January 2023, and all related assets to Sweden Timber, a Sweden-based sawmill and planing mill company. The enterprise value of the transaction is approximately €18 million (US$19.6 million) and will result in the reduction of Stora Enso’s annual newsprint paper capacity by 245,000 tons. Using 2022 figures as a benchmark, the divestment is expected to reduce Stora Enso's annual sales by approximately €160 million (US$174 million).

Indorama Ventures, entered a collaboration with Evertis, a specialist in sustainable PET barrier films. The partnership will use flakes from recycled PET trays to produce PET film suitable for food packaging trays. The partnership is also an important step in diverting PET trays from landfill or incineration to support the EU’s recycling targets and create a circular economy for PET trays, it claims. 

nVent Electric, a leader in electrical connection and protection solutions, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ECM Investors, LLC, the parent of ECM Industries, for a purchase price of US$1.1 billion, subject to customary adjustments. ECM Industries is a provider of high-value electrical connectors, tools and test instruments, and cable management applicable to the packaging industry. 

Constantia Flexibles announced the acquisition of Lászlópack Kft., a Hungarian flexible packaging producer specializing in flexo printing. The move allows Constantia to further extend its European flexo printing platform. “We are growing with Lászlópack,” said Pim Vervaat, CEO of Constantia Flexibles. “We share a common vision to serve our customers with more eco-friendly, innovative packaging solutions. This acquisition further seizes new growth opportunities for Lászlópack to grow outside of Hungary as well as for us to support their customers with our more sustainable product offerings.”

By Louis Gore-Langton