Smurfit Kappa Food Contact Packaging provides some advice... Consumers are becoming more sustainable: a YouGov survey concluded that a huge 69% of respondents thought that companies should be required by law to create environmentally friendly packaging – even if it meant them paying more for the goods. Meanwhile, the same survey found that 46% of people actually feel guilty about the amount of plastic they currently buy. And while on the whole the nation has focused on plasti

To avoid being caught out by the Plastic Packaging Tax, due to come into force in April 2022, Antalis Packaging offers its insight on how to get ready. Over the last few months, Antalis Packaging has been making preparations to help its customers minimise the impact of the tax. Here, Antalis’ packaging technologist manager, Jason Poxon, explores what the new tax might mean for businesses and shares some of the steps to take to ensure you are not caught out. No one likes payin

A new lifecycle analysis report has highlighted the outstanding environmental credentials of cartonboard packaging when compared against fossil based alternatives. ‘Cartonboard Life Cycle – Comparing the carbon footprint of carton packaging against alternative solutions’, goes into the granular detail of the cradle to grave environmental performance of cartonboard in frozen food, ready meal, fast food and small electricals packaging, compared to other commonly used packaging

This summer, Robinsons, Lipton Ice Tea and drench 500 ml bottles are moving to 100% recycled plastic (rPET). The 500 ml on the go bottles are the first to use recycled plastic from a new rPET manufacturing facility in North Yorkshire. The facility, built by Esterform Packaging Limited following Britvic’s £5 million investment support in 2019, is powered by 100% renewable energy and provides Britvic with a secure supply of quality food grade rPET in the UK. Mark Tyne, Esterfor

Innovia Films is launching a new film in its Propafilm range of transparent speciality packaging films. CHS offers improved thermal resistance and shrinkage properties compared to conventional polypropylene films. It has been designed to substitute traditional outer web films in laminates for applications such as pouches and lidding in various food markets. Paul Watters, product development manager packaging, Innovia Films, said: ‘With CHS, we have developed a BOPP film with

Mars Food has announced the launch of the initial roll out of its mono polypropylene (PP) packaging for its microwavable rice pouch range which is designed for recyclability. Launching as a pilot, the roll out will begin on Uncle Ben’s Ready to Heat Wholegrain rice, soon to be re-branded as Ben’s Original, available in Tesco stores from the middle of April. Learnings about how the material run through Mars’ supply chain will inform a wider roll out in the year ahead. Develope

Bacardi, the world's largest privately held spirits company, is cutting cardboard waste this Christmas, by introducing a smart new design for its online gift packs which uses 25% less packaging. Available exclusively from Amazon, the new premium gifting from Grey Goose vodka and Martini Non-Alcoholic aperitivo, can be shipped to online shoppers without any need for additional packaging. The packs, ideal for those looking for Christmas treats that are kinder to the planet, are

London based global luxury brand Burberry is committed to building a more sustainable future so is adjusting its value chain to move towards a more circular business model. In partnership with James Cropper's CupCycling initiative they have recycled more than 58 million coffee cups into packaging for boxes and bags so far. The luxury brand has committed to ensuring all of its consumer packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. So far 40% of Burberry’s new paper

Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers, has revealed the latest episode in the Carton Campaigners animation series. With over one million online views of the Carton Campaigners’ videos this year, Pro Carton is launching the next in the series to educate young and old about their personal responsibilities when it comes to protecting the planet and its vital resources. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused this year’s expected overshoot date to

An interview with Hannu Kasurinen of Stora Enso, who leads the company's new Packaging Materials division. The division was formed after combining the former Consumer Board division and Containerboard business in January 2020. What does the market look like now and how has it been during the Covid-19 outbreak? Demand for our renewable packaging materials has remained on a solid level throughout the Covid-19 crisis, as many of our products have critical end uses such as packag

The calls for environmentally friendly packaging are growing louder each day and with its current project the KHS Group is addressing precisely this issue: together with Martens Brewery in Belgium, the turnkey supplier has made the portfolio for German food store chain Aldi more sustainable. Karlskrone beer is now to be sold as a film free KHS Nature MultiPack of six – in redesigned 0.5-litre PET bottles made entirely of recyclate. FreshSafe PET, the patented KHS Plasmax coat

The maker of the FrugalCup, the coffee cup made from 96% recycled paper, has secured the BRCGS global standard for packaging materials. British sustainable packaging firm Frugalpac, which recently launched the Frugal Bottle made from 94% recycled paper, has been awarded an A grade for its Frugal Cup production in the BRCGS audit, which helps packaging organisations deliver products that help support the delivery of safe, hygienic food and drink. The Frugal Cup has a carbon fo

The Optima Group, based in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, has made sustainability one of its central tenets. To this end, a sustainability department has been set up to concentrate on developing ideas and solutions. The issue of sustainability has become increasingly important. Discussions with major food and paper hygiene groups, and with partner companies, have confirmed the need for a comprehensive approach to the issue along the entire value chain. So, for Optima, sustainabil

New packaging recycling recommendations have been set in place to help climate efforts. In the UK new recommendations allow paperboard packaging to contain up to 15% plastic and still be considered recyclable. This may sound bad, but opens up many more options in food packaging in particular, and this mainly paperboard packaging can have 80% less climate impact than fully plastic packaging. Paperboard packaging with a thin plastic barrier is an ideal compromise - it combines

A British company, Polymateria, has developed a new masterbatch technology called biotransformation that ensures true biodegradation for plastic that escapes into the natural environment. Polymateria have announced that Planet First Partners has invested £15 million and the company also welcomes a number of new high profile board members. Marc Bolland, former Marks & Spencer CEO, joins the company as chairman. Marc who won the accolade of World Sustainable Retailer of the yea

Terracycle's Loop will be working with Tesco to launch the UK's first major online shopping service for groceries in reusable packaging. With over 150 major branded products, including Coca Cola, Heinz, Persil, Nivea and Danone, customers will be able to place orders online for goods that normally come in single-use plastic packaging. They will be delivered instead in durable, refillable containers that can be collected from the doorstep and cleaned for reuse up to 100 times.

Around 100 billion packages are sent each year and that number is increasing. Many of these are wrapped in plastic that goes to landfill or ends up in the ocean, so how to reduce the footprint of our online shopping? Woola, this year's winners of EIT InnoEnergy's annual PowerUp! challenge have been awarded €50,000 cash and a place on EIT's investment programme to develop its eco-friendly bubble wrap solution made from sheep’s wool. Woola is an Estonian start-up established at

Avery Dennison has successfully achieved OK Compost certification for a BPA free and FSC certified thermal label material combined with the new adhesive SX6030, offering brands new options to more sustainable packaging. Jennifer Bijkerk, development engineer, said that the new material addresses a significant shortfall in supply for compostable thermal materials: ‘Demand for sustainable thermal labels is huge, including compostable labels, and the European EN13432 standard im

A new packaging deal with an ethical skincare manufacturer signals the start of an exciting new partnership for Teysha Technologies. The company, which has pioneered a naturally derived ‘second generation bioplastic’, has signed up to work with the Kind Planet Company in a move that supports the global empowerment of women and minorities in marginalised African communities and its desire to purge the oceans of plastic waste. Teysha, currently in negotiations with several larg

Luna Yu, founder of Genecis Bioindustries, has been awarded $50,000 and 12 months mentoring by Mondi as part of Lead2030. Mondi partnered with One Young World for a second consecutive year as a sponsor of Lead2030, which was launched by One Young World, the global forum for young leaders, in November 2018 to support youth led innovation to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lead2030 aims to find, fund and accelerate solutions proposed by y