Day: May 4, 2021

Woolworths has announced that an additional 50 stores plus two new stores will be single-use plastic shopping bag free by the end of April and has replaced plastic packaging with kraft packaging for popular ‘Ripe and Ready’ avocados.

These milestones help steer the retailer towards its vision of ZERO packaging waste to landfill, which includes the removal of single-use plastic from its stores and commitment for all its packaging to be either reusable or recyclable.

“These additional 52 stores based mainly in Gauteng and the Western Cape, takes us to over 200 single-use plastic bag free stores in Southern Africa.  A significant achievement at a time when we have had so many supply uncertainties,” says Latiefa Behardien, Woolworths Head of Foods Technology, Safety and Good Business Journey.

Avo packaging gets a makeover

The recent rollout of new avocado packaging to all varieties sees the polystyrene plastic punnet being replaced with a kraft box base made from 63% recycled paper which equates to an annual plastic saving of between 35 – 40 tonsand is covered with a fully recyclable shrink wrap.

It has also had its challenges as the transportation of ‘Ripe and Ready’ avocados from farm to distribution centre to store and then into customer’s homes requires gentle but robust packaging choice.  

“We have been working closely with our suppliers and packaging manufacturers for over two years on this new design, including extensive customer trials over the last eight months with the various avocado varieties. 

“We are confident that the new packaging will deliver the functionality that we need. Kraft board is an excellent packaging alternative to plastic in that it is 100% fully recyclable, biodegradable, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC N002141) certified and locally-sourced,” concludes Behardien.

Woolies is also trialling in the Western Cape a moisture-resistant kraft pot to replace the traditional plastic pot for its ‘Grow Your Own’ herb range.  If the trial is successful, this shift could result in a 13.9 ton plastic reduction per annum.

Source: Woolworths

Source

More plastic packaging transformation for Woolies

Biocomposite films made from biopolymers and antioxidants extracted from wheat straw and mango peels can replace petroleum-based packaging materials, such as low-density polyethylene plastic film, for food packaging, says Stellenbosch University Department of Process Engineering postdoctoral fellow and chemical engineer Dr Lindleen Mugwagwa.

Wheat straw and mango peels are normally disposed of in landfills or used as animal feed, but can provide feedstock polymers and antioxidants to produce renewable, biodegradable and nontoxic active food packaging.

Active food packaging has the ability to respond to temperature and time changes in food storage and could help keep products fresher for longer. This is one of the main findings of her recent doctoral study.

As part of her study, Mugwagwa developed and optimised processes for extracting polymers and antioxidants. She then combined the polymers and antioxidants to make a food packaging material and tested the stability of the biocomposite films when in contact with food, as well as their potential to release antioxidants into packaged food over time.

Low-density polyethylene film, a commonly used plastic, was used as a benchmark.

The properties of polymers and antioxidants in wheat straw and mango peels can be tailor-made during extraction to suit their application in food packaging, says Mugwagwa, adding that the polymers and antioxidants can be extracted simultaneously from the same feedstock without affecting their use in food packaging.

“The bio-based films that I developed were capable of releasing more antioxidants into food over a short period of time when compared to low-density polyethylene plastic. This suggests they can be a replacement for perishables food packaging.

“The release of antioxidants into food by packaging material is becoming an important aspect to consider when choosing packaging material. Packaging material capable of releasing antioxidants into food in response to storage conditions have the potential to increase the shelf life of products because the released antioxidants act upon free radicals and microorganisms, which may develop when food is improperly stored or stored for longer periods.”

The polymers are cheap, sustainable and biodegradable and can be used in the development of food packaging, as well as presenting methods for recovering natural antioxidants and their application as additives to food packaging material. These natural antioxidants have the potential to replace artificial antioxidants in packaging material. Biorefineries and the food packaging industry, as well as farmers and consumers, will benefit from the research, she says.

Mugwagwa’s study was conducted under the supervision of Stellenbosch University Department of Process Engineering professor Annie Chimphango, with the financial support from the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the Department of Science and Innovation and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Waste Road Map, and Stellenbosch University Department of Process Engineering.

Source

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/wheat-mango-peel-biopolymers-can-replace-petroleum-based-food-packaging-say-researchers

Developed centuries ago, paper has a fascinating history as it has been through the mill – literally and figuratively – in terms of what it is made from, says paper and pulp industry association the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA).

It also has many interesting side stories such as the not well known story of paper storing carbon – which makes it good for the planet.

Even when planted trees are harvested for their wood – for paper, timber construction, packaging and tissue – the carbon remains locked up in the wood fibres and stays there for the lifecycle of those products. It is just one of the reasons paper recycling is important as it keeps the carbon locked up longer.

“To understand why paper and wood products are vital to a lower carbon footprint, we can borrow from Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman’s assertion that trees don’t grow from the ground, they grow from the air,” says PAMSA executive director Jane Molony.

The photosynthesis process involves plants absorbing sunlight and carbon dioxide to make food. Trees take in carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the ground – which also came from the air at some point – and convert this into growth (trunks, roots and leaves). Oxygen is then returned to the atmosphere, meaning that this carbon cycle is why trees of all kinds are such a vital part of keeping our planet regulated, offsetting greenhouse-gas emissions and mitigating climate change, the association explains.

“In South Africa, trees can be divided into two groups – indigenous trees in natural forests and commercially and sustainably farmed trees in plantations. The latter were introduced some 100 years ago to protect natural forests, by providing farmed wood for productive purposes,” adds Molony.

Plantation trees are essentially crops that are planted and replanted in rotations, with only 9% of the total tree count being harvested in any given year. This means that there are always trees growing, at different stages of maturity, and these trees are contributing to the carbon cycle.

New Chapters for Wood

As the paper sector finds ways to diversify in the face of digitisation and reduced printing and writing paper demand, chemists and chemical engineers are increasingly discovering the “wonder of wood”.

Wood is made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, sugars and extracts. The properties of these elements make them suitable ingredients in countless, low-carbon products.

For example, dissolving wood pulp, a purified form of cellulose, is suitable for chemical conversion into a range of products – it is spun into viscose and lyocell textile fibres for use in fashion and decorating textiles, cast into a film or regenerated into a sponge.

It is extremely versatile as it can also bind active medicinal ingredients or vitamins into palatable tablets, stabilise emulsions or increase viscosity – which is why it is added to low-fat yoghurt and lipstick.

Nanocellulose – tiny cellulose nanofibres – can be used in food supplements and edible packaging, or even as a composite for screens on electronic devices.

Further, paper packaging manufacturers are exploring its use in weight reduction for paperboard without compromising strength and performance. The substance can also be applied as a recycling-friendly barrier coating instead of plastic.

By extracting more value from a tree, less goes to waste, Molony notes. “This opens the sector up to make even more meaningful contributions to sustainable product development and the circular economy.”

And by growing more trees and making innovative things from them, she concludes that the general quality of life can improve, which would make the world more sustainable. 

Source

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/versatile-pulp-and-paper-offer-carbon-friendly-alternative

Dental product manufacturer Colgate on April 22 launched its recyclable toothpaste tube in South Africa to coincide with Earth Day.

Made from number two high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the new tubes will contain one of three Colgate Naturals toothpaste, including its charcoal, hemp seed oil and aloe vera variants of toothpaste.

Colgate claims that, historically, toothpaste tubes have been made of materials that cannot be recycled, including certain plastics and aluminium foil.

However, its new tubes, which were launched in other regions in 2020, have been developed to contain nine layers, using two grades of HDPE plastic and which can be recycled by companies capable of handling HDPE materials.

Colgate South Africa GM Francois Falls says that, while the new recyclable tubes are a Colgate project, the outcomes from it should be for the broader toothpaste manufacturing community. In this regard, he says Colgate plans to openly share its innovation with other companies. “Our dream is to have all tubes, not only toothpaste, be recycled in practise and at scale.”

Colgate also has plans to move all its toothpaste products into recyclable tubes in the future.

It further states that it is working with third-party recyclers to establish recycling capacity for its new tubes.