Weekly Roundup: Toshiba releases industrial printer, Berry announces its first drainable wrap

17 Mar 2023 --- This week in industry news, Toshiba launched an industrial printer to simplify everyday packaging applications and Berry Global Group announced it is launching Typar DrainableWrap to protect multi-story structures. Meanwhile, Hydro Flask made some of its products recyclable to contribute to a circular economy. 

In brief: Launches and releases 
Toshiba America Business Solutions released an industrial printer for shipping and logistics operations. Toshiba’s Duplex Linerless Thermal Printer (DL1024) reduces costs by up to 40%, the company claims. It is also said to boost productivity by reducing labor time for applying packaging labels while helping organizations meet the demand for more sustainable printing solutions. Toshiba’s Duplex Linerless Thermal Printer simultaneously prints on both sides of a label without using a liner or backing material, eliminating the plastic pouch and additional packing slip without producing any label liner waste enabling organizations to function more sustainably.

McCormick launches caps made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic across the US. Optomec, a manufacturer of 3D Electronics Printers, announced a production control software product designed for the high-volume manufacturing of printed electronics. The proprietary software, called KEWB, drew on the field experience of Optomec’s 400 installed Aerosol Jet industrial printers and was designed for Optomec’s high-volume production customers with applications such as multi-chip packaging, mm-wave interconnects, heterogeneous chip integration and 3D printed antennas for 5G devices. KEWB incorporates enhanced operator guidance, powerful vision and alignment tools, extended runtime process control and industry 4.0 connectivity.

Berry announced it would expand its line of building wraps through the launch of Typar DrainableWrap, the company’s first drainable building wrap engineered to protect multi-story structures from the elements and manage excess moisture. Typar DrainableWrap Commercial has joined Typar MetroWrap in the brand’s growing portfolio of building wraps designed specifically for commercial structures. Berry said that the DrainableWrap Commercial, available in 5 foot by 150 foot rolls, deals with excess moisture faster than most conventional house wraps. 

VEMAG Maschinenbau revealed it would present new facets and solutions from portioning to loading into a wide variety of packaging will be presented at Interpack 2023 from May 4-10 in Düsseldorf, Germany, in hall 4, stand C55. The company said the packaging solutions increase product safety on the one hand and production efficiency on the other. The packaging products can be applied to minced meat, burgers, sausages, convenience products, baked goods, confectionery, marzipan, plant-based foods, dairy products, pet food, kneading mass, cosmetics or pharmaceutical products. 

McCormick launched a brand-new design for its core red cap branded products. The company said the SnapTight lids would assure home cooks that their bottles are closed tight, locking in flavor and freshness between use. The bottles began rollout on retail shelves across the US, and the transition will continue over the year for all McCormick red cap products. The bottles are made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic. McCormick also implemented an improved bottling process that draws out excess air during filling. This reduces the amount of oxygen inside, which can impact freshness over time, and new proprietary SnapTight lids seal in flavor, so herbs and spices remain fresher longer.

In brief: Business newsHydroflask will send shipping labels to customers to return their bottles after use to promote recycling practices. 
Berglandmilch became “the first” company in Austria to use K3 cups from Greiner Packaging, where the cardboard wrap separates itself from the plastic cup during the waste collection process without the need for human intervention. The company said this step is a call to policymakers, dual systems and the recycling industry. Berglandmilch is now using self-separating cardboard-plastic combinations for its 500 g yogurt cups. The cups are used for all flavors of the Schärdinger, Tirol Milch and Stainzer brands. The packaging guarantees optimal recyclability and is considered a particularly sustainable packaging solution for the future. The declared aim of the changeover is to take on a pioneering role and express the need for a realignment of sorting streams. 

In brief: Product updates and certifications 
Hydro Flask made it possible for consumers to recycle certain used Hydro Flask products, to help to eliminate waste. The Trade-In program offered by Hydro Flask is the “first of its kind” in the insulated water bottle category, where customers in the US can return old, unwanted and non-functioning Hydro Flask bottles, tumblers and stainless steel products in exchange for redeemable store credit to be used exclusively at Hydro Flask’s website. After customers register the product on the Hydro Flask site, a shipping label will be provided, which can be adhered directly onto the item without additional packaging. Once the product is received, it will be disassembled and sorted to recycle as many materials as possible so that the recyclable materials can be incorporated into circular economy material streams.

TotalEnergies and Colines announced their proof of concept for their Unlaminated Stand-Up Pouch. The pouch is said to be a fully recyclable PE solution intended for food-contact applications. The companies stated that the product is a recyclable alternative to multi-material films, decreasing packaging thickness with its asymmetrical structure. It features a low-density sealing layer on one side and a high-density stiff layer on the other. The Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) film has been produced on Colines’ Polycast cast line and the MDO line.

TotalEnergies’ fully recyclable PE stand-up pouch.In brief: Awards and alliances
The North American producer of advanced materials, Epsilyte, was awarded the Excellence in EPS Recycling award at this week’s expanded polystyrene (EPS) EXPO in Florida, US. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in foam recycling and enhancements in innovation and technology. Chad Zielinski, Epsilyte’s Research Supervisor, worked to adapt recycled EPS produced by Epsilyte for use in the safety helmet end market, such as bicycle and ski helmets. Epsilyte’s advanced EPS material, when used as the padding in safety helmets, has three primary advantages for use as an end market for recycled EPS being the product is black, it is not FDA-approved and it has higher density-allowing for a wider operating window. 

Sonoco became a European Paper Packaging Alliance (EPPA) member. EPPA is a not-for-profit food and food service packaging association that works with European policymakers to find solutions to increase food packaging recyclability without compromising on health and safety. Sonoco manufactures a wide variety of paper containers, some of which feature barrier properties. The EEPA said Sonoco’s packaging is the type that it advocates for, among others. The partnership planned to promote the value of recycling and the use of poly-coated fiber-based packaging.

By Sabine Wadeck