Weekly Roundup: Vetropack boosts glass production, SABIC develops sustainable pouch for frozen food

26 May 2023 --- This week in industry news, Vetropack started to heat two glass furnaces to increase production by 70% while SABIC partnered with Estiko Packaging Solutions and Coldwater Prawns to make an ecological pouch for frozen shrimp. Meanwhile, PepsiCo reused Lay’s chip bags to build a soccer field with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in Egypt.

In brief: Business news
Glass manufacturer Vetropack began heating up two melting furnaces at its Boffalora sopra Ticino plant in Italy. The furnaces will be gradually brought up to temperature and filled over several days in preparation for the start of production. Upon its official inauguration in October 2023, Vetropack’s new high-tech plant will produce up to 70% more glass than the previous plant while maintaining flexibility and environmental sustainability.

EAM-Mosca, a strapping systems company, added Movitec rotary ring stretch wrapping machines to its product portfolio. As a Mosca company, Movitec is recognized for its rotary ring stretch wrappers, providing protection and stability for palletized and non-palletized loads. The companies stated that Movitec working with EAM-Mosca offers “great potential” for both companies to provide comprehensive end-of-line packaging solutions to new customers in new markets in the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. 

PepsiCo reuses Lay’s chips bags to create a soccer field in egypt.In brief: Partnerships
SABIC partnered with Estiko Packaging Solutions and Norway’s Coldwater Prawns to develop and implement an environmentally sustainable new packaging pouch for frozen shrimp. The pouch is made from a multilayer film produced by Estiko Packaging Solutions, using a circular certified random polymer grade of SABIC PP Qrystal with an ocean-bound plastic (OBP) content of around 60%. Contributing to the recovery and reuse of OBP, the innovative packaging solution complies with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #14 for “Life Below Water.”

TNA Solutions partnered with snack manufacturer Burts Snacks to increase production capacity at its Plymouth, UK, manufacturing site. With the installation of T’s latest high-speed seasoning and packaging system, Burts has kept pace with the growing demand for locally sourced potato crisps. The new system features a TNA intelli-flav OMS 5 on-head seasoning system and a ninth tna bag vertical, form, fill and seal packaging solution integrated with the company’s twin-lane TNA roflo HM distribution lines. The new solution has allowed Burts to maximize throughput and flexibility in the packaging process.

The UEFA Foundation for Children, PepsiCo Egypt, Common Goal, Aspire and the Association for the Protection of the Environment from Pollution partnered to create a “first-of-its-kind” environmentally sustainable football pitch in Cairo, Egypt, by reusing crisp packets. Egypt became the latest country to benefit from the Lay’s RePlay initiative, following the opening of six similar sustainable football pitches in South Africa, England, Brazil, Italy, Mexico and the US over the past years.

CSafe, a provider of active and passive temperature-controlled shipping solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, announced an innovative program for Krystal Biotech that provides the cold chain solution for Krystal’s Vyjuvek gene therapy. CSafe’s custom thermal shipper for Krystal maintains -20-degrees celsius throughout the product journey to help ensure that doses of Vyjuvek reach clinicians and patients safely. In addition to best-in-class Vacuum Insulated Panel technology, the customized CSafe CGT Ultra solution features simplified product handling. CSafe’s Retest & Reuse program also optimizes the Vyjukek supply chain. Movitec’s rotary ring stretch wrapping machines joined EAM-Mosca’s product portfolio.

In brief: Acquisitions
Averna acquired the German company ProNes Automation. ProNes developed customized automated quality solutions and a flexible test platform branded Batterieinspektor. Adding a new office in Landau, Germany, allowed Averna to be positioned to provide its range of innovative automated test, vision inspection and precision assembly solutions to its German clients. The new location also serves Germany’s medical technology community.

Duraco Specialty Materials, a manufacturer of specialty materials, acquired Strata-Tac, a manufacturer of custom-engineered pressure-sensitive self-adhesive products and top-coated films, from private sellers. Adding Strata-Tac’s experience in water-based chemistries complements Duraco’s growing portfolio of environmentally sustainable solutions, giving customers access to a broader range of pressure-sensitive adhesives for labels and tapes, facestocks and specialty coated materials. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In brief: Certifications
Grow Green Industries eatCleaner Fruit and Veggie Wash products were certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice program and earned the Safer Choice label. Grow Green Industries says finding fruit and vegetable wash products with safer chemical ingredients that work efficiently and are lab-proven should be easy, which is why it partnered with EPA Safer Choice.

Bona announced the launch of its USDA-Certified Biobased Bona All-Purpose Cleaner. The packaging for Bona All-Purpose Cleaner is made from 30% post-consumer recycled materials. As one of a select few 99% bio-based surface cleaners on the market, Bona supplies products for installing, renovating, maintaining and restoring premium floors and now provides a Bona suite of cleaning products. To accompany the all-purpose cleaner, Bona introduced a new microfiber cloth pack made from 80% post-consumer recycled material that can be washed and reused up to 300 times.

By Sabine Waldeck