Weekly Roundup: Sappi scores PEFC forest certification-first in South Africa, Smurfit Kappa invests US$40M in Latin American paper sacks

05 Feb 2021 --- In packaging news this week, Sappi was awarded the first-ever Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) forest management certificate in South Africa. Smurfit Kappa strengthened its paper sacks business in Latin America with investments totaling US$40 million. In Europe, the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE UK) found TetraPak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc continuing to verify the traceability of their wood fiber sourcing as pledged.

In brief: Environmental certifications
Sappi’s South African division achieved the first-ever PEFC Forest Management certificate in the country. “This certificate is a landmark in South Africa,” comments Ben Gunneberg, CEO and secretary-general on behalf of PEFC International. “At a time when smart climate solutions are so needed, it’s imperative that we expand sustainable forest management practices in all regions of the world. We look forward to welcoming further growth of PEFC certification in the country.” The PEFC certificate arrives in addition to Sappi’s Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-N003159) certification for its 394,000 hectares in South Africa.

The tenth Proforest report on the industry’s Chain of Custody (CoC) progress revealed ACE UK members Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc are continuing to build on their commitment to wood fiber traceability. The report found all 46 of the manufacturing plants operated by the three companies are CoC-certified, as were all mills and traders supplying liquid packaging board to the ACE members. “ACE UK members have a clear interest in ensuring that forests are responsibly managed. Traceability is one of our industry’s key strategies in ensuring the responsible sourcing of primary raw materials, which is, in turn, critical to achieving sustainable economic growth,” maintains Richard Hands, ACE UK CEO.

Smurfit Kappa is investing US$40 million in response to the increasing need for environmentally sustainable paper sacks. In brief: Business news
Smurfit Kappa strengthened its paper sacks business in Latin America with a US$40 million investment. In Colombia, a new Windmoller & Holscher paper sacks machine at its plant in Palmira is now fully operational, increasing plant production capacity by an additional 100 million multi-ply paper sacks per year. The acquisition of a state-of-the-art flexographic printer from the Italian brand Expert Group will optimize the printing offering of its San Jose, Costa Rica plant to meet the growing demand for high-resolution graphics in the market. Smurfit Kappa also began a multi-million dollar investment project to expand one of the paper machines at its facility in Cali, Colombia to increase production capacity, and the quality and performance of the sacks paper. 

The UK’s Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) warned that a flat rate deposit return scheme (DRS) for plastic packaging would increase plastic waste in the country. The DRS is planned for implementation in 2023 and would see an additional cost added to beverage products in-store, before being refunded on return. Alupro says the design of the scheme is “unsophisticated” and would result in 10 percent lower return rates than a variable rate scheme. It would also lower demand for aluminum packaging, which is endlessly recyclable, by around 11 percent. If the DRS is enforced on a flat rate, plastic waste would continue to rise, says Alupro. 

New YouGov research found 91 percent of UK adults believe the importance of increasing recycling levels will grow over the next five years. Eighty-one percent said they were confident in their knowledge of what is “recyclable.” “As an industry, we need to enable that action,” Tim Duret, director of sustainable technology at Veolia UK and Ireland commented on the news. “We are ready to invest in domestic infrastructure, to process more materials, develop technology to recycle different types of plastics and to boost the circular economy, cutting the nation’s carbon emissions and doing our environmental duty.”Vegware’s new paper lids are made from sustainably-sourced paper lined with plant-based PLA.

In brief: F&B packaging launches
Vegware unveiled paper lids designed for soups, porridges and stews, as well as cold foods. The lids are made from sustainably-sourced paper lined with plant-based PLA. The crisp white design with Vegware’s Green Leaf band matches its existing compostable soup bowls. 

Favini’s ultra-glossy Bindakote paper is now available in a recycled version. An ecological line of Bindakote Ice White 50% Recycled is also available in three weights. The entire color palette was refashioned to ensure modern and rich shades. Bindakote targets the high-quality printed matter, labels and luxury packaging segment.

Mistelhain launched its botanical tonic mixers in 200 mL glass bottles decorated with self-adhesive labels by CCL Label. The labels combine a classic glossy black with metallic colors. Due to the reverse print, the material surface provides the labels with a polished look, while the inks are safely enclosed for ideal appearance all through their journey. Swiss building materials retailer Haga turned to recyclate buckets from Jokey.

In brief: Construction and paint
Swiss building materials retailer Haga turned to recyclate buckets from Jokey. The buckets used for selling clay plaster display the RAL recycled plastic quality mark and consist of at least 50 percent post-consumer recyclates (PCR).

Emballator created a new plastic material called rPP Soft Grey, targeting the paint segment. It is fully recyclable, made of at least 90 percent recycled plastic, with 75 percent deriving from post-consumer plastic waste. Compared to the previously used fossil-based material, the new recyclable material decreases the CO2 emissions from the raw material to the finished product by 56 percent.

By Anni Schleicher and Louis Gore-Langton