Day: November 24, 2021

ABB Robotics announces its agreement with Zume to scale and automate the production of plant-based packaging that the companies claim is a fully compostable and cost-effective alternative to single-use plastics.

Over the next five years, ABB says it will integrate and install over 1,000 moulded fibre manufacturing cells (MFC), including up to 2,000 robots, at Zume’s global customer sites. Zime expects that ABB will equip its factories with up to 100 robotic cells each.

ABB will use its Global Solution Centers – a network of automation experts and programme managers – to provide the scale, modularity, and speed required to launch Zume’s packaging solutions.

Zume claims that its packaging material is made from sustainably harvested plant material left over from agricultural production, including bamboo, wheat, and straw. It adds that the plant material has a lower carbon footprint and uses less water and energy than plastic packaging, as well as being biodegradable after use.

According to Zume, the company has patented an innovative manufacturing process to develop the compostable packaging for applications including food, cosmetics, and consumer goods.

Containers can be moulded from the plant material by Zume’s moulded fibre cells integrated with two ABB IR 6700 robots, says the companies. Each cell can reportedly process up to two tonnes of agricultural material every day and create 80,000 pieces of sustainable packaging.

The companies add that with the automation, speed, and scalability provided by the MFC, each site could potentially process 71,000 tonnes of agricultural material annually, with the potential to produce up to two billion pieces of packaging each year.

A pilot project has been installed by Zume and ABB at Santia Industries Limited, a large wood and agro-based paper manufacturer based in India. This has created a facility of 50 manufacturing cells that will allegedly process 100 tonnes of what straw each day to produce compostable packaging for a range of industries.

Other planned pilot installations include Parason, a global pulp and paper industry supplier also based in India, and Jefferson Enterprise Energy, a compostable packaging factory apparently powered by renewable energy and located in Texas, USA.   

Sami Atiya, president of ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation, comments: “Automating production of Zume’s sustainable packaging with ABB robots makes this a viable and economic alternative to single-use plastics.”

Alex Garden, chairman and CEO of Zume, adds: “Using ABB’s global automation experts to develop and integrate automation solutions for our customers will revolutionize packaging and demonstrate what sustainable manufacturing can look like.

“The flexibility and scalability of ABB’s robots enables an efficient automated manufacturing process. This means we can offer a viable, cost effective, compostable alternative to plastic, and help manufacturers to become more environmentally-friendly.”

ABB says that its partnership with Zume will be part of its response to consumer and legislative demand for alternatives to single-use plastic, while using automated solutions to respond to the growing demand for packaging of all kinds. In September, ABB expanded its e-commerce solutions with the FlexBuffer application cell, which allows the storage and retrieval of mixed items based on the sequence in which they need to be dispatched.  

https://packagingeurope.com/zume-partners-with-abb-to-scale-100-compostable-packaging/

Frugal Bottle and other paper bottles see brand buy-in and strong growth, yet some experts question the sustainable value of this popular format.

There’s a lot of optimism in the high-interest paper bottle market that centers on continued traction with brand owners. Yet there remain lingering doubts from consultants and others about the sustainability value of the format.

On the positive side, the format is unquestionably in growth mode: the paper bottle market is projected to grow at a ~7% CAGR over the forecast period 2022-2030, according to a market study published in October by Research Nester.

The report notes that the PET beverage bottle is falling out of favor due to widespread environmental awareness. According to a UN Environment report, an astonishing one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, most of which end up in landfills and oceans because only 9% of plastic waste is recycled.

“Paper bottles offer a green alternative to plastic bottles, as they are biodegradable, and do not harm the environment,” claims the report, pointing to that as a major market driver. There’s a rising tide of replacements to plastics particularly through paper alternatives including for cups, straws, bags, and a range of packaging.

The largest growth market for paper bottles is anticipated to be for water.

While growth is spread globally, “the Asia Pacific region is [expected] to witness noteworthy growth over the forecast period on the back of rising government initiatives to reduce pollution and promote the adoption of eco-friendly products.” For more about the report, see Paper Bottles Market.

Another supportive aspect is brand buy-in.Frugalpac

Brands embrace Frugal Bottle.

Since launching in June 2020 with a red wine, 3Q (shown above) from Cantina Goccia, Frugalpac has experienced strong sales and interest from drinks producers around the world. A range of wines, spirits, and olive oils are using the format, which purports to cut the carbon footprint versus glass bottles by 84% and is five times lighter. The Frugal Bottle is made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food-grade plastic pouch to contain the liquid.

The feedback from industry and consumers continued to be so overwhelmingly positive it prompted Cantina Goccia to plan the release of two more wines in the Frugal Bottle in early 2022, a white wine and a rose. About 80% of the brand’s wine has already switched from glass to the paper bottle.

Frugal Bottles are now also used by a number of brands including The English Vine, the US’s Signal 7, and Spain’s Planet B for wines; NB Distillery and Silent Pool for gin; and Evviva and AONES for olive oil.

Launches are forthcoming for new markets including Russian vodka and honey soap.

Frugalpac reports inquiries from 55 other international brand, contract packing, and packaging companies to buy Frugal Bottle Assembly Machines in the coming months.

“Increased interest in our paper Frugal Bottle over the last few weeks has been incredible,” says Malcolm Waugh, Frugalpac chief executive. “It seems the rising cost of gas and the global supply issues for glass bottles has further focused drinks producers’ to consider more sustainable alternatives.”

Strong demand compelled Frugalpac to plan the opening a new Frugal Bottle factory in Ipswich in the UK.

In the accompanying slideshow gallery you’ll find a diversity of comments from two Frugalpac brand-owner customers and a diverse group of six industry professionals about the sustainable value of paper bottles. Their assessments are decidedly mixed.

Source:

https://www.packagingdigest.com/beverage-packaging/paper-bottles-grow-despite-uncertainty