Weekly Roundup: Waitrose adopts Universal Bag, Crown announces new UK beverage can facility

18 Mar 2022 --- In packaging news this week, Waitrose adopted Anya Hindmarch’s reusable Universal Bag made from recycled plastic after research found the supermarket’s “bags for life” are increasingly used as single-use items. Also, Crown announced plans to build a new beverage can facility in the UK, and Innovia Films launched a white BOPP film for in-mold labeling for any shape container or lid.

In brief: The Universal Bag
Anya Hindmarch launched the Universal Bag in collaboration with Waitrose supermarket in the UK. The Universal Bag will be sold in Waitrose shops across the country, encouraging shoppers to continuously reuse the bag with a 10-year guarantee. The bag is made from 100% recycled plastic, and each step and material used in making the bag has been fully certified under the Global Recycling Scheme. “We recently took the decision to remove our ‘bags for life’ as our research showed that they were increasingly treated as a single-use item, and this is part of our commitment to only use plastic where it can be recycled, reused or, home composted by 2023,” explained James Bailey, executive director at Waitrose. “Plastic will continue to have its uses, but we must not create any more of it unnecessarily. Instead, we must repurpose, reuse and make existing plastic materials circular – this is why we’re excited to be an early adopter of Anya Hindmarch’s new Universal Bag.”

In brief: UK beverage can production
Crown revealed plans to build a new beverage can facility in Peterborough, UK. Beverage cans are the world’s most recycled beverage packaging option and are increasingly preferred by customers and consumers, said the supplier. Construction on the Peterborough plant will begin during the second quarter of 2022, with the first line expected to commence production during the second quarter of 2023. Additional lines are planned in a phased manner to reach over three billion units of annual capacity. The size of the facility, which will employ 280 people, will be 625,000 square feet.Innovia Films’ RayoForm EUP60.

In brief: New products
Innovia Films launched RayoForm EUP60, a white BOPP film for in-mold labeling (IML). Produced in Europe at one of our state-of-the-art production facilities, EUP60 is a very high opacity, high-yield product with a density as low as 0.55 g/cm3. Combined with its specially formulated and printable matte surface, EUP60 is engineered to give outstanding high-speed sheet feeding and adhesion for both UV and oxidative inks. EUP60 is designed with special features that make it suitable for any shape container or lid without risk of distortion to the container or lid. This film is ideal for use on small-to-medium size, thin or thick wall PP or PE containers, providing a tactile “soft-touch” finish after molding. It also means a finished, polyolefin mono-material container can be produced, making the final pack fully recyclable and meeting the Plastic Recyclers Europe packaging design recommendations.

Emballator Tectubes launched a range of tubes specifically developed for women. The range includes four different tubes, and three of them are entirely new in the assortment. All tubes in the Women Care range have integrated applicators, making them precise and efficient for applying the treating product, both externally and internally. The tubes are manufactured with green power and can be produced in various materials, from medical grades to green materials. All products are made of mono-material, which makes them recyclable.

In brief: Acquisitions
Trioworld Group agreed to acquire the British company Eurofilms Extrusion, a leading player in solutions for high-performance stretch film for load security. Eurofilms supports customers in distribution, beverage, food and other industrial packaging. “Eurofilms has shown very strong development over the past years contributing to safer transportation of goods on UK and European roads. The company is well-invested, and management is focused on broadening the product offering to customers,” commented Per Holtstrand, divisional president of the Stretch Film Division, Trioworld Group.Emballator Tectubes’ Women Care range.

Avery Dennison acquired Catchpoint’s IP for the dispensing of linerless labels. “With the acquisition of Catchpoint, Avery Dennison will have intellectual property that helps us fulfill two of our main 2030 sustainability goals: to deliver innovations that advance the circular economy and to reduce environmental impact in operations and technology,” said Noel Kasmi, VP Marketing at Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials EMENA. “As we are pushing to make linerless labels available widely to our customers, this technology will help us move more quickly, enabling sustainable and cost-saving solutions to reach our customers around the world more rapidly. This is world-class technology that will deliver real benefits to our customers and the environment.”

In brief: Recycling in the US
The Recycling Partnership introduced a new kit to improve drop-off recycling programs in the US. The comprehensive kit includes a six-step guide, tools and resources. Forty-five percent of Americans do not have access to curbside recycling, whether because of rural locations or multi-family housing structures. Many of these communities utilize drop-off sites in these situations to fill that gap in access. “The Partnership has worked with many communities to reduce contamination at drop-off sites,” commented Cassandra Ford, community program manager at The Recycling Partnership. “The Drop-Off Recycling Contamination Reduction Kit takes our proven anti-contamination process and details a step-by-step guide so communities can replicate our process.”

Koch Modular, a market-leading provider of engineered and fabricated modular reaction and mass transfer systems, announced it will supply the modular recycling systems for PureCycle Technologies’ second facility in Augusta, Georgia, US. “This agreement opens up more possibilities to address the global need for an environmentally responsible plastics lifecycle,” said Brian Loftus, vice president of Koch Modular Process Systems.

By Joshua Poole