Weekly Roundup: SIG rolls out ASI-certified cartons Europe-wide, Aptar Sport Cap enhances children’s water bottle

26 Jun 2020 --- In packaging news this week, SIG began offering Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)-certified aluminum across all of its packs as standard throughout Europe. SIG is the first in the industry to obtain certification to both the ASI Performance and Chain of Custody standards and is the only aseptic carton producer to offer ASI-certified aluminum in its packs. Also this week, Watson’s UK water brand launched a children’s bottled water featuring an Aptar Sport Cap, and Eco-Products announced that its award-winning molded fiber plates and containers are now available across the US.

In brief: Environmental action
SIG reached another milestone in its ambition to go Way Beyond Good for society and the environment by offering ASI-certified aluminum as standard for all SIG packs in Europe. The first ASI-labelled cartons were launched by customers such as B-Better (from Unilever’s Better Future Platform), Riedel and DRINKS3 in 2019. As part of its commitment to offer customers 100 percent renewable packaging, SIG has already developed the industry’s first aluminum-free solutions and is working to eliminate aluminum from its packs. But an ultra-thin barrier layer of aluminum foil (ten times thinner than a human hair) is still needed for several shelf-stable products filled in SIG packs to protect them from light and oxygen, and keep products like fruit juices safe and nutritious.

Eco-Products announced that its award-winning new line of molded fiber plates and containers – once in limited release – is now available to all customers across the US. The new line – called Vanguard – is made from sugarcane and uses proprietary compounds to achieve grease resistance without the use of conventional chemistry, known as PFAS. The entire Vanguard line is microwave-friendly, cut-resistant and effective in both hot and cold applications. The initial line includes a variety of plates, bowls and clamshells, with more products to be added soon.Eco-products entire entire Vanguard line is microwave-friendly, cut-resistant and suitable for hot and cold applications.

Smurfit Kappa reported “truly impactful sustainability” at its kraftliner mill in Nettingsdorf, Austria, which is now using an industry-leading new recovery boiler. The unveiling of the state-of-the-art boiler marks an important milestone in Smurfit Kappa’s Future Energy Plant €134 million investment project. The innovative boiler will enable the plant to further boost energy optimization at the mill by recovering energy from the biomass contained in black liquor from pulp production. The boiler is set to cut CO2 emissions by 40,000 tons, which equates to about two-thirds of the current emissions at the site, and 2.4 percent of those from Smurfit Kappa Europe.

Kemira, a global chemicals company, joined the 4evergreen alliance, an initiative of CEPI, the European association representing the paper industry. The alliance aims to boost the contribution of fiber-based packaging in a circular and sustainable economy, minimizing climate and environmental impact.

Ardagh installed a new batch preheater, or heat recovery system, at its glass production facility in Wahlstedt, Germany. As a result of this new technology, energy consumption at Wahlstedt has been reduced by up to 20 percent.

In brief: New packaging
Watson’s, a UK domestic pure water brand, launched a children’s water bottled water featuring an Aptar Sport Cap. In contrast to Watson’s traditional drop-shaped bottle, the new bottle is arc-shaped and smaller – at only 200 ml in size – making it easier for children to hold. The bottle design abandons the traditional twist-off closure and uses Aptar’s unique classic sports closure, which has a flip-top design, allowing it to be opened with one hand and on-the-go. The colorful built-in suction nozzle controls water flow and mirrors children’s drinking habits, making it both safer and more hygienic.

Aptar Food + Beverage launched Maestro, a breakthrough closure for the edible oil market, “designed to make any consumer feel like a chef.” The closure is easy-to-open and offers portion control and drip-free benefits. Maestro also boasts a fully recyclable composition. With its tethered cap, non-detachable parts and 100 percent recyclable material, Maestro helps brands meet their environmental sustainability goals and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.

BillerudKorsnäs launched Pure Performance, a White Top Kraftliner that combines high strength, excellent printability and purity in one material. Pure Performance is a unique paper product that offers packaging material reduction and extraordinary strength through its 3-ply construction with optimized fiber properties.Watson's bottle design abandons the traditional twist-off closure and uses Aptar’s unique classic sports closure.

Berry Global collaborated with Mondelēz International to supply packaging containing chemically recycled plastic for the Philadelphia cream cheese brand. The advanced recycling technology is facilitated in partnership with SABIC. Berry is committed to producing packaging that is 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

In brief: Machinery and processing
CMC, an Italian-based packaging solutions provider, combined its wrapping technology with the latest high-speed packaging and e-commerce requirements to create Paper-PRO, an automatic auto-bagger that securely wraps a variety of products in dynamically cut, ready-to-ship paper bags. Orders are fed in continuous motion on a dedicated induct conveyor with the barcode presented on top. Integration to the customer WMS provides instant order association, full data management and 100 percent process integrity.

Nitta, a German-based machine innovator, unveiled the SE-XA-PGG-F winding belt for paper straw production. SE-XA-PGG-F has a greatly extended lifetime and is FDA compliant, fulfilling the needs of the food and beverage industries. In May 2019, the EU adopted a directive with new restrictions banning single-use plastic products and the industry has until 2021 to implement it in full.

Sidel reported that its breakthrough accumulation solution Gebo AQFlex has significantly improved Orangina Suntory France’s performance and agility. Installed for the first time in its largest size at Orangina Suntory France’s plant in Meyzieu, Sidel’s conveying and accumulation solution increases the uptime of the brand’s PET packaging line for soft drinks by offering a high level of flexibility to address a much-diversified production range of nine bottle formats with different shapes. Moreover, by covering a wide range of outputs, Gebo AQFlex has “immensely contributed” in preserving Orangina Suntory France’s product quality with smooth and contactless product handling.

In brief: Business developments
Alexir Partnership announced that the company is now employee-owned. The transition creates a partnership amongst the 162 Alexir employees who all benefit collectively by becoming partners in the business. The same Board and management team will remain in their existing roles.Sealed Air hosted an online event called Packforum to demonstrate the benefits of vacuum packaging.

Braskem, a Brazilian petrochemical company headquartered in São Paulo, completed construction and started the commissioning of its polypropylene production unit in La Porte, Texas, US. The new production line is the first to be built by the company in the US and reinforces the Brazilian petrochemical company's global capacity both to serve the US market and to export to countries worldwide. Braskem also announced to the Brazilian market the expansion of its export center network with a new unit in the Port of Charleston, South Carolina, on the US East Coast, which will significantly expand its global footprint.

Klöckner Pentaplast (kp), a market leader in pharmaceutical barrier packaging films, broke ground on a large expansion at its Klöckner Barrier Film (KBF) facility in central Virginia, US. The multi-million dollar investment will increase the facility’s capacity by 6,000 metric tons and add innovative coating capabilities, enhancing kp’s ability to serve the growing North American market with high-quality pharmaceutical films.

Sealed Air hosted an online event called Packforum to demonstrate the benefits of vacuum packaging in addressing some of the most critical challenges facing the food industry, including improving environmental sustainability, enhancing food safety and optimizing efficiencies. Although the risks of spoilage and contamination are varied, the impact is the same – they devalue food and can leave it unfit for sale and consumption. A high-quality vacuum packaging solution, such as Sealed Air’s CRYOVAC brand shrink bags, Darfresh thermoforming vacuum skin packaging and CRYOVAC brand OptiDureTM shrink bags, help avoid this through a range of performance features.

Scholle IPN, a global leader in flexible packaging solutions, announced a major rebranding to reflect the company's focused efforts on environmentally sustainable packaging. As part of the rebranding initiative, Scholle IPN launched a new website that highlights the supplier’s capabilities. In addition to the new-look brand, Scholle IPN adopted the “Simply Flexible” tagline to further reinforce its strategy and direction.

By Joshua Poole