Jim Hardisty, Managing Director of Goplasticpallets.com – The Responsible Plastic Pallet Company says that organisations and consumers need to fully embrace a plastic circular economy sooner rather than later to help tackle plastic pollution.
In a recent article published on Circular online, the Sustainability Director at The Consumer Goods Forum, Ignacio Gavilan, highlighted the need to make a plastic circular economy the norm.
Jim Hardisty said, “I wholeheartedly agree with the comments made by Ignacio Gavilan in this article. We desperately need more consumers, businesses, and policy makers to buy into a plastic circular economy. The current ‘take, make, dispose’ culture we have come to adopt when using plastic just isn’t sustainable and is damaging the planet, almost beyond repair. Plastic isn’t necessarily the problem, but plastic waste is.
“As the UK’s leading supplier of plastic pallets, pallet boxes, and containers, we are passionate about plastic. Since we started Goplasticpallets.com in 2001, we have seen the infinite value of plastic and know that it’s strength, light weight, and durability make it an extremely useful and sustainable solution for our customers.
“While there is lots of talk about reducing plastic pollution, much of the noise seems to focus largely on reducing plastic usage. Embedding a culture where we reuse and recycle plastic seems to be where we are falling short. Something needs to change, and the sooner we all adopt the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ principles of the circular economy, the sooner we’ll see a change in the levels of plastic waste.”
Another recent report released by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) predicted that global plastic waste will almost triple by 2060.
Jim continued, “It is shocking to read that plastic pollution could almost triple within the next 40 years. That is why it is imperative we find effective solutions to stop this from happening.
“When we launched our pioneering recycling scheme in 2019, we decided to take action. We assumed responsibility for all the plastic products we supplied and created a closed loop. We pledged to recycle unwanted or unused plastic pallets, boxes, and containers by returning them to our manufacturing partner in Belgium. Once at the factory, the old plastic products are ground down and turned into new recycled pallets. This not only prevents our products from entering waste streams, but this process is kinder to the environment.
“Every 1 tonne of recycled plastic saves around 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions, 5,774 kilowatt-hours of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, 98 million BTUs of energy and 22 cubic meters of landfill. The aim must be a world where we reuse and recycle existing plastic into useful new products.”
In addition to the environmental benefits of a circular economy, reports suggest it can generate considerable cost savings too.
Research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation shows that circular practices could save a section of the EU manufacturing sector up to $630 billion each year. While another report by McKinsey outlines how circular systems could boost Europe’s resource productivity by 3% by 2030 – generating cost savings of €600 billion a year and €1.8 trillion more in other economic benefits.
If you and your business would like to experience the environmental and financial benefits of plastic pallets, please get in touch with one of the experts at Goplasticpallets.com on 01323 744057 or by emailing sales@goplasticpallets.com.
Slim corrugated boxes offer rigid protection to small items while fitting into the Royal Mail’s PiP Large Letter specification. This minimises and regulates postal costs, enabling a business to maximise their overall profits.
Kite offer their brown large letter boxes in five different sizes to cater toward everything from gift cards and small jewellery items to A4 documents or certificates. The sturdy construction provides greater resistance to the normal knocks and bumps that occur during transit when compared to bubble mailers or envelopes.
Additionally, the cardboard boxes are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic mailers and can be kerbside recycled by a customer. The flaps fold inwards and can be secured with a small portion of paper tape to form a fully plastic-free, sustainable and recyclable packaging solution.
Green credentials are attractive to a modern-day eco-conscious customer. The ease and efficiency of the order also enhances the customer experience since the slim letterbox design allows the package to be safely posted even if the recipient is not in.
The compact and lightweight boxes with hinged lids are an aesthetic way of displaying products, making them highly appropriate for the ecommerce gift industry. The eco-friendly composition and economic benefits confirm their suitability for growing businesses seeking professional packaging.
Orange Smoke and Sur ma Peau are two new Eaux de Toilette by the Belgian designer Dries Van Noten
The 200ml fragrances are bottled in recyclable glass, a first for Dries Van Noten as the industry focus on sustainability grows.
With an ever-growing focus on sustainable packaging within the perfume and cosmetics industry, Dries Van Noten’s new fragrances are a perfect match for Stoelzle Masnières Parfumerie’s premium, yet recycled glass bottles. The fragrances feature fresh, luminous overtones and lasting radiance, designed to be worn on their own or layered over the Eaux de Parfum collection.
Creative director Dries Van Noten’s passion for flowers spilled into the inspiration for his latest fragrance launch. Given that Van Noten cultivates a magnificent flower garden in his Antwerp home, he became inspired to collaborate with perfumer Annick Menardo in creating Orange Smoke, Menardo combined the purity of an orange blossom with the mineral facet of incense. For Sur Ma Peau, Van Noten worked with Quentin Bisch, who contrasted two strong sensations, bergamot and vanilla.
A strong collaboration between the Dries Van Noten and Stoelzle Masnières Parfumerie’s development teams led to new opportunities to focus on sustainable packaging:
Adjusting the “clockwork”-type ring with notches previously used for the 100 ml EDP.
The engraved finish of the letters has been meticulously defined, to give the bottle an even more distinguished and exceptional character.
Numerous lacquering adjustments achieved the desired look. Shades slightly overlap, creating a subtle colour gradient. The fusion of two opposing shades, which influenced each other, needed to be completed without distortion.
Stoelzle provided an elegant, recyclable glass bottle in a 200ml format, ready for distribution in the EU, UK and USA, as well as online through the brand website, www.driesvannoten.com
In early March, the Belgian designer Dries Van Noten unveiled his beauty collection of perfumes and make-up at Paris Fashion Week, including his 100 ml Eaux de Parfum line carried out by Stoelzle Masnières Parfumerie: Jardin de l’Orangerie, Néon Garden, Rosa Carnivora, Raving Rose, Cannabis Patchouli, Santal Greenery, Voodoo Chile, Rock the Myrrh, Fleur du Mal, Soie Malaquais. As of 2018, Dries Van Noten is part of PUIG, a third-generation family-owned fashion and fragrance business based in Barcelona.
Caps and bottles are now inseparable – especially when it comes to recycling
Due to an impending directive set forth by the European Union (EU), tethered caps which remain permanently attached to the bottle after opening and during use will soon be widely available for consumers across Europe. The aim of the new directive is to prevent unintended environmental waste and facilitate the recycling of caps and closures alongside their containers. A multinational beverage manufacturer shares the EU’s commitment and has introduced tethered caps from Affaba & Ferrari™, an innovative TriMas Packaging brand, for its iced tea brand.
In July 2024, the EU directive on tethered caps will be coming into full force. It states that caps must be firmly attached to disposable beverage containers, including composite packaging such as beverage cartons with a volume of up to three litres. The goal is to encourage the collection and recycling of caps together with the bottle and prevent environmental pollution, at times caused by discarded caps. A leading global beverage manufacturer shares the EU’s views and is strongly committed to protecting the environment. The company has set the goal of reducing the impact of its bottles on the environment, while offering its customers an opportunity to enjoy their drinks sustainably. With Affaba & Ferrari’s™ new 1P23 tethered cap, the established beverage manufacturer has found the perfect solution to meet the upcoming directive as well as its own sustainability goals.
Progressive design fulfills both sustainability requirements and customer demand
Affaba & Ferrari™ specializes in the production of precision caps and closures used in food, beverage, agrochemical and industrial applications. Its latest product, the tethered cap, supports companies in meeting their sustainability goals. “Bottle caps can in fact be recycled but they are often lost, discarded or simply end up as waste. The design of our tethered caps goes a long way toward ensuring this will no longer occur,” explains Guglielmo Ferrari, Plant Manager at Affaba & Ferrari™. The new tethered cap closure is attached to a safety ring through a tab which enables an ideal opening position, allowing the consumer to easily drink out of the bottle, while guaranteeing that it cannot separate from the container and be discarded. Additionally, the innovative, lightweight cap with a horizontal hinge is suitable for aseptic filling and is fully customizable to enhance the customer’s brand identity.
Entire beverage portfolio to be equipped with tethered caps over time
The beverage manufacturer has already launched the tethered cap in the Italian market, beginning with its iced tea brand. With the introduction of the new caps, the company has also reduced the amount of plastic required for each iced tea bottle cap by 14%. This is only one of the first steps in the company’s strategy to drive forward a circular economy for its plastic products. Just recently, the well-known beverage manufacturer announced its plans to use at least 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030. It also plans to make its packaging 100% recyclable by 2025.
“Thanks to our innovative product, discarded caps are now becoming a thing of the past and will no longer contribute to environmental pollution. We are delighted and honoured that a world-renowned beverage manufacturer is impressed with our innovation,” says Ferrari. “We look forward to supporting the company in achieving its sustainability targets in the future.”
Household recycling is failing to address the plastic pollution problem, according to a hard-hitting The Big Plastic Count survey.
The report claimed the UK’s recycling systems cannot cope with the amount of plastic packaging waste leaving households – estimated to be a staggering 1.85 billion pieces per week – and insists only 12% of that is likely to be recycled in the UK.
In May nearly a quarter of a million people (248,957) from 97,948 UK households took part in the survey; on average, each household threw away 66 pieces of plastic packaging in one week, amounting to an estimated 3,432 pieces a year – which amounts to an estimate of 1.85 billion pieces of plastic packaging thrown in the bin per week, equating to 96.57 billion pieces a year in the UK.
Food and drink packaging made up an overwhelming majority (83%) of the waste generated during the count.
The report said supermarket giants are responsible for a significant amount of this packaging waste.
The most commonly counted items were fruit and vegetable packaging (1.02 million pieces), closely followed by snack bags, packets and wrappers (1.01 million pieces).
With estimates suggesting only 12% of this plastic waste will be likely to be recycled at reprocessing facilities in the UK, more (17%) will be shipped overseas – with no guarantee where it ends up, and almost half (46%) of the UK’s household plastic waste is being incinerated, with the remaining 25% buried in landfill.
The majority of the plastic packaging waste thrown away by UK households is not commonly collected for recycling at the kerbside; around 62% of recorded pieces of plastic are either not collected or poorly collected by UK local authorities.
Soft plastics and plastic film are hard to recycle and accounted for the majority of pieces thrown away by participants (57%). Only 13% of local authorities collect soft plastic and this is often limited to a small number of soft plastic items, such as carrier bags, bread bags, banana bags and toilet roll wrappers.
“Too much focus is placed on recycling and making plastic recyclable, rather than reducing plastic in the first place,” read the report. “Recycling plastics is not the silver bullet that many think it is. A circular economy needs to be built around materials that can be reused and recycled many times over, which most plastic cannot.”
It added: “The only solution to plastic pollution is stopping our reliance on plastic. This means rapidly transitioning to reusable packaging which caters to everyone’s needs.”
The report also heavily criticised the repeated delays in implementing a deposit return scheme, as well as the promised new Extended Producer Responsibility requirements, and chastised the reliance on incineration and landfill sites.
The straight and narrow road leads flexibles to an uncertain future and less sustainable packaging. The longer route expands the role of flexibles in preventing food waste.
The flexible packaging industry is once again at a critical crossroads. Insights gained from talking shop at ReFED and the Global Pouch Forum defined for me the critical nature of this crossroad.
One road — the straight and narrow road — leads to an uncertain future and less sustainable packaging. The other road — tough and complex — expands the role of flexible packaging in preventing food waste.https://3d8739aea79e63d6a7bb9b27fdbd45cd.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Taking these four “turns” can make this crucial road trip more manageable:
Turn 1: Stand for sustainability.
Measure how flexible packaging prevents food waste.
The immense environmental impact of food waste is best weighed alongside the impact that packaging has on the environment when it prevents food waste. This is true for all packaging.
Flexible packaging solutions that prevent food waste are numerous and within every food category — skin package chubs of ground meat, cereal bag liners, shrink-wrapped produce, MAP and barrier snack food bags, bag-in-box beverages, and lidding on tofu, and dairy products.
Flexible packaging often represents a reduction (the first R in the 3Rs) in packaging material used, and this is best determined with life cycle assessment (LCA) tools such as Piqet.
Turn 2: Guide brands.
Define “guardrails” for brands in achieving a more sustainable food system that links food waste prevention and more sustainable packaging
The food industry’s significant environmental impact can be lowered; and aligning with commitments to achieve a more sustainable food system is critical.
Brands are adopting packaging solutions to reduce food waste across categories vs. solely category-specific solutions. This allows consumers to gain familiarity with technology and packaging elements beyond similar graphics to serve as the connector for consumers. In addition, defining how these options are viable with flexible packaging eases the brand transition.
Demonstrating the impact of flexible packaging choices on preventing food waste will assist the flexible packaging industry
Turn 3: Invest in recycling systems and research.
Create and share a knowledge base of how to achieve success for speedy tech-transfer of solutions
An industry knowledge base depository is crucial for problem-solving in converting multilayer structures into alternate structures such as recycle-ready polyethylene (PE). A few closely held solutions are stagnating implementation. A problem-solving depository would reduce the conversion time and increase understanding of implications.
Store drop-off of recyclable flexible packaging is now possible at retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and other retailers. Also, industry knowledge on the impact of conversion to PE store-drop-off brings the value of packaging centerstage that’s ready for sharing in terms of…
Product reformulations — to compensate for a lower barrier package, the addition of preservatives is used to maintain shelf life
Logistics — to allow for shorter shelf life, production run frequency, shorter production runs, and distribution dynamics are reassessed
Finance — to address higher material costs associated with the use of more PE due to a required thicker film
LCA — to determine the environmental implications of using more PE versus other materials
Research investments aligned with flexible packaging to prevent even more food waste require concerted funding. For example, the ability to print batteries onto flexible packaging promises to lower the cost of intelligent packaging to assist in communicating how much time remains to consume the product to retailers and consumers.
Turn 4: Direct legislation.
Legislate flexible packaging into our existing and emerging post-consumer handling systems.
The flexible packaging industry must stretch into the existing collection, sorting, and recycling systems. Since flexible film is not currently part of the current system, shifts are being made away from source-reduced flexible packaging. While this switch can allow food shelf life to be maintained, it will require more packaging consumption, which will increase the environmental impact of the food chain due to the changes.
Regional recycling and using post-consumer recycled (PCR)-content packaging lowers the cost and environmental impact of flexibles. The MBold-Charter Next Generation-MyPlas collaboration represents a critical push and pull needed to secure films for recycling and use the recyclate from the film on a regional basis. This collaboration includes a $9.2 million joint equity investment by General Mills, Schwan’s, Target, Ecolab, and film manufacturer Charter Next Generation in film recycler Myplas USA. Slated to be completed in Spring 2023, the Myplas USA 170,000 square foot recycling facility will be able to recycle 90 million pounds of low- and high-density polyethylene packaging and film.
Wisconsin-based Charter Next has an off-take agreement to purchase the bulk of Myplas’ resin in the initial years of operation. Similarly, focused efforts for recycling flexible packaging in urban centers are warranted.
The flexible packaging industry must focus on eradicating chemicals of concern such as phthalates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and perchlorate so that recycling and reuse are viable.
Leaning into these four “turns” and others on the road trip is essential to avoid crippling flexible packaging and inhibiting its ability to prevent food waste.
I hope to see you on the road.
Claire Sand has 30+ years of experience in industry and academia. She’s owner of Packaging Technology and Research and Gazelle Mobile Packaging and an Adjunct Professor, CalPoly, Michigan State University, and the University of Minnesota. You can reach her at www.packagingtechnologyandresearch.com or via email claire@packagingtechnologyandresearch.com.
Amcor has developed an environmentally friendly paper packaging material that protects food from oxygen and moisture — and runs well on with existing packaging lines.
Amcor is expanding packagers’ options for sustainable flexible materials with the launch of LifeSpan Performance Paper in Europe. The recyclable, high-barrier material was developed for food packaging and is the first offering in Amcor’s recently announced AmFiber product family.
“We anticipate a brand launch using LifeSpan Performance Paper for confectionery in the first half of 2022,” says Clifton O’Neal, Director, Media Relations at Amcor. “It will first be available for cold-seal flow-wrap applications, with further applications following close behind.”https://56da7aacabc777678d0b79efcdd249a0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
LifeSpan Performance Paper was engineered to provide snack and confectionery packagers with a recyclable package that is grease-resistant and delivers high oxygen and moisture barrier, even in tropical climates. According to Amcor, the material offers a barrier level comparable to that of metallized oriented polypropylene (OPP).
The company is currently working on additional packaging applications for the material, including coffee, spices, and dried soups.
The material is compatible with food manufacturers’ packaging lines, as well. “Machine tests of LifeSpan Performance Paper for the snacks and confectionery market have shown that the material runs easily on producers’ existing lines and avoids common challenges with paper, such as tearing and slowing down the line speed,” O’Neal says.
As for sustainability, the new material has more than 80% paper-fiber content and contains no polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), making it recyclable in most European countries. The fiber used to make the paper is sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests.
These features will be attractive to brand owners responding to consumers who are interested in more sustainable products and who are willing to pay more for them.
Amcor reports, without naming names, that leading fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands have successfully tested the new material.
Geographically, the AmFiber products are expected to roll out in the Americas and Asia-Pacific after the European launch.The AmFiber initiative is part of Amcor’s pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025.
Sustainability executive at Kraft Heinz shares project details about creating a paper bottle for the company’s iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
Paper bottles have reached a new milepost on their journey to widespread acceptance. Kraft Heinz and Pulpex are collaborating on a recyclable, paper-based bottle for Heinz Tomato Ketchup — a first in the sauce category.
The companies are currently creating a prototype of the paper packaging, which will be made from 100% sustainably sourced wood pulp and recyclable in standard paper-waste streams. Before testing the package with consumers and ultimately commercializing it, the companies will conduct prototype testing to assess the performance of the packaging design.https://b04d78a1f202a08c5003ab6b46af138d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Sustainability is driving Kraft Heinz’s interest in this recyclable package, which is made with natural materials from renewable sources and, if not properly recycled, degrades readily in the natural environment.
According to Pulpex’s data, the paper bottle’s carbon footprint is notably less than glass and plastic on a bottle-by-bottle basis — 90% less than glass and 30% less than polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Patented technology from Pulpex, a collaboration between venture management company Pilot Lite Group and global beverage giant Diageo, enables production of customizable, single-mold paper bottles made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood pulp.
The pulp is pressurized in molds to form containers. Then the containers are cured in microwave ovens and sprayed internally with a proprietary food-grade coating that does not affect recyclability.
In this exclusive interview, Jonah Smith, global head of environmental, social, and governance at Kraft Heinz, answers questions from Packaging Digest about the project.
When do you expect to have the paper-bottle prototype finished and ready for testing?
Smith: Since we are in the early stages of development, we cannot announce a launch date for the bottle quite yet. Developing a whole new packaging format is a long and complicated process; we need to ensure that the new product packaging is as safe and convenient as our other formats, and that the product retains its famous great taste, too.
Where and how will you test the prototype?
Smith: Tests are happening at various stages of development and deployment to validate the bottle’s performances and compatibility with the product and end of life.
Why explore paper packaging for condiments?
Smith: At Kraft Heinz, we aim to make 100% of our global packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025, and to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Partners like Pulpex are critical to achieving these goals as we explore new forms of sustainable packaging across Kraft Heinz.
How will the paper package be made compatible with acidic tomato-based ketchup? What will the barrier product-contact layer be?
Smith: Pulpex uses proprietary, food-grade coatings that are compatible with the product inside the bottle. All coatings are [free of] PET, high-density PE [polyethylene], and bisphenol-A (BPA).
What is the anticipated shelf life for ketchup in the paper package? How does that compare with the other packages currently in use, such as glass and plastic bottles and foil pouches?
Smith: Since we are early in the development process, we still have rounds of testing to confirm the results.
If the paper package is added to Kraft Heinz’s product mix, what facilities would run it on their packaging lines? What machinery changes do you anticipate, to accommodate that?
Smith: Confirming the implications to the packaging lines is part of the testing process that we are incorporating along with the prototype.
Will the ketchup be hot filled into the Pulpex bottle?
Smith: The ketchup can be cold filled into the Pulpex bottle.
How will this paper-bottle innovation help Kraft Heinz achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050?
Smith: Limiting the carbon footprint of our packaging and exploring more sustainable packaging formats is a key component to how we will reach our goal of net zero by 2050 and halve our emissions by 2030.
Is this the first food application for the Pulpex bottle?
Smith: Heinz is the first sauce brand to explore the feasibility of the Pulpex bottle.
What other Kraft Heinz products are you considering for the Pulpex bottle, besides ketchup?
Smith: We’re constantly exploring new sustainable packaging formats and are hopeful that we can apply this technology to other products in the future.
Replacing the aluminum barrier layer in aseptic cartons with fiber or other materials is expected to generate environmental benefits while keeping food protected.
Tetra Pak, in an effort to develop and commercialize more sustainable food packaging, is replacing aluminum in its aseptic cartons with materials that reduce carbon footprint and improve recyclability — all without jeopardizing food safety.
The company currently is testing two alternatives as a replacement for aluminum: (1) a fiber-based barrier layer; and (2) a polymer-based barrier. Consumer testing of the fiber-based barrier follows Tetra Pak’s successful 15-month commercial technology validation of the polymer-based version.https://4eb0ac3b2337edd0d1adfae69abde6d0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Tetra Pak reports that it is investing €100 million (or about $107 million USD, at the current currency exchange rate) per year for the next five to 10 years in improving food-carton sustainability. The investment will help fund development of packages made with a simplified material structure and increased renewable content.
The aluminum layer in conventional aseptic cartons plays an essential food-protection role but is an impediment to sustainability. A typical 1-liter Tetra Pak carton package is 70% paperboard, 25% polyethylene, and 5% aluminum.
Tetra Pak’s “aim is to develop the world’s most sustainable food package, one that is fully made of responsibly sourced renewable materials, is fully recyclable, and is carbon-neutral. Replacing the aluminum layer is a development priority to realize this goal,” says Gilles Tisserand, VP, climate and biodiversity, at Tetra Pak.
“Aluminum is a fossil-based, non-renewable material requiring complex and energy-demanding processes. Despite being thinner than a human hair, the aluminum layer currently used in food [cartons] contributes to a third of the greenhouse gas emissions linked to our base materials,” Tisserand adds.
Recycling issues are another sustainability thorn for aluminum. Tisserand explains that recycling for Tetra Pak aseptic cartons’ aluminum layer “is lacking on a large scale, so both upstream and downstream action is needed to accelerate a progressive change.
“Upstream, replacing the aluminum foil with more compatible materials can significantly help. Downstream, cross-border collaboration and co-investment with recyclers and industry players are key for expansion at scale.”
Starting in late 2020, Tetra Pak began a commercial technology validation in Japan for a polymer-based barrier.
The findings from this completed validation have influenced Tetra Pak’s fiber-based barrier testing, on which the company is working closely with customers. Single-serve packages incorporating the fiber-based material are now on-shelf for the consumer testing, and a technology validation is planned for later in 2022.
In this Packaging Digest exclusive Q&A, Tisserand answers more questions about Tetra Pak’s work on replacing aluminum in aseptic containers, particularly development and testing of the new fiber-based barrier.
Why wasn’t there a fiber-based barrier before? What changed to make this possible?
Tisserand: Transformational and collaborative innovation is critical to accelerate the pace in this domain, because shifting from an aluminum layer to an alternative barrier has implications that impact the full system.
They span the packaging-material composition perspective of increased renewable content — paper — while delivering food safety and quality performance comparable to traditional aseptic cartons; the opening/closure perspective; and the sealing technology perspective. [Note: Packs with the fiber-based barrier are compatible with the plastic straws Tetra Pak currently uses; the company is also developing a paper straw that’s suitable for these packages.]
The aluminum layer in aseptic cartons has both a functionality reason — as it’s protecting food from oxygen and light, acting as a barrier — and a technical reason, because it is responsible for the sealing of the cartons in the filling machine. Therefore, it is critical to use the full product life cycle as the compass guiding our development, including, for instance, supplier collaborations and recycling assessment.
The pilot batch of single-serve packs featuring the fiber-based barrier that are currently on test represents a key marker in this exciting journey.
What more can you tell us about the structure of the fiber-based barrier?
Tisserand: The fiber-based barrier is composed of paper and barriers. Engineered combinations of paper and barriers secure the necessary barrier to light and oxygen, protecting the contents inside the package. This is one of the key roles of the aluminum barrier in our current ambient portfolio.
What more can you tell us about the 15-month commercial technology validation in Japan?
Tisserand: The commercial technology validation in Japan, involving several million packages, helped us to understand the value chain implications created by replacing the thin aluminum layer, which helps keep perishable food safe within aseptic cartons, with a polymer-based barrier.
Like every new development and packaging solution, the pack with the polymer-based barrier went through our rigorous commercial testing protocols. These include looking at different testing attributes when it comes to food safety, from packaging performance to technical testing, as well as overall user experience and recyclability.
What were the learnings from that project, and how did they affect development of the fiber-based barrier?
Tisserand: Beyond analyzing the performance of the polymer-based alternative barrier across the value chain — starting from the way the package is formed/filled/sealed — and to ensure no impacts from a food-safety perspective, the commercial technology validation in Japan allowed us to quantify the impact this shift generates in terms of carbon footprint reduction, while confirming adequate oxygen protection for vegetable juice and enabling increased recycling rates in a country where recyclers favor aluminum-free cartons.
The current consumer test of packs featuring the fiber-based barrier underscores our approach to design for recycling, where increasing the paper content is critical and also supports end-user expectations. Based on recent global research, approximately 40% of consumers confirmed they would be more motivated to sort for recycling if packages were made entirely from paperboard and had no plastic or aluminum. [Note: Tetra Pak conducted this research, a survey of 12,000 consumers worldwide, in summer 2021.]
The two alternative barriers we are piloting are part of our stepwise, collaborative approach in the gradual development and validation of completely new solutions. Our innovation road map includes a suite of alternative barriers, as this is essential to meet ever evolving industry and consumer needs across the globe.
What more can you tell us about the current fiber-based barrier commercial test? Specifically, what’s the product? Where, geographically, is it sold? Who’s the customer?
Tisserand: Our first pilot batch of single-serve packs will contain dairy-based products. With regard to geographical location and customer, this is confidential information that we cannot disclose at this stage.
How successful do you think the fiber-based barrier commercial test will be and why?
Tisserand: Early results suggest that the package with a fiber-based barrier will offer substantial CO2 reduction when compared with traditional aseptic cartons, together with comparable shelf life and food-protection properties.
In addition, cartons with higher paper content are more attractive for paper mills; thus, we believe this concept presents clear potential for realizing a low-carbon, circular economy for packaging.
However, the fiber-barrier remains in its testing phase, with further technology validation scheduled later this year to assess its technical maturity, collect learnings, and improve moving forward. All in a controlled fashion.
Work will continue into 2023 and beyond, the goal being to bring future generations of alternative barriers in the coming years.
What will the fiber-based barrier’s technology validation entail?
Tisserand: The commercial technology validation differs from the consumer test in terms of loops of production — there are more — to test various aspects of the new technology.
Please quantify the fiber-based barrier pack’s shelf life and food-protection properties.
Tisserand: For certain product categories, such as dairy products, the shelf life and food-protection properties offered by the fiber-based barrier are comparable to aseptic carton packages that make use of aluminum. However, this needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, based on the product itself, the distribution conditions, and customer assessment rating. [Note: The customer assessment rating is a system to judge the product performance in a specific package.]
As part of our innovation road map, we plan to extend the product-categories coverage offered by our fiber-based barrier; however, this aspect will become clearer when collecting learnings from the technology validation of the first generation of this solution.
How will the fiber-based barrier concept enable a low-carbon circular economy for packaging?
Tisserand: While awareness of the importance of circularity has vastly increased in recent years, many still fail to grasp how this is closely intertwined with climate emergency. The simple fact is that we need to tackle them together, and only by seeing circular economy models through a climate lens will we decarbonize materials fast enough to protect our planet.
It’s clear that circularity — a model in which manufacturers design out waste, reuse and recycle materials, and regenerate natural systems to reduce impact on the environment — is essential and will be even more so in the future.
However, we think this approach needs to go further: It must also account for the carbon impact of manufacturing and, particularly, raw materials. When considering the carbon footprint of packaging materials, with global demand for raw materials expected to double by 2060, the sourcing and processing of these materials will account for nearly one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [Note: According to the report, the raw materials expected to see huge demand spike include biomass, fossil fuels, metals, and non-metallic minerals (construction materials). Only some of these materials are used in packaging.]
Our goal is to use as much renewable and recycled material as possible in our packaging, as this is essential to our low-carbon, circular economy approach.
We believe future pack developments will be increasingly driven by renewability and recyclability, to ensure the decarbonization and circularity of materials and address the need for sustainable food packaging. At Tetra Pak, already today, we are accelerating the shift from high-carbon, fossil-based materials to low carbon, renewable ones.
We believe future pack developments will be increasingly driven by renewability and recyclability, to ensure the decarbonization and circularity of materials and address the need for sustainable food packaging.
We believe that future packs’ composition will favor higher recycling value, with less complexity, reduced plastic content, and increased paper share. Against this backdrop, we are accelerating action in two areas.
The first focuses on design for recycling, aiming for a simplified material structure and increased paper-based content. In short, a package that has circularity and recycling “built in” — along with anti-littering measures.
The second area focuses on the new life of materials used in our packages, after the content is consumed. Here, innovation is critical, especially to expand recycling capacity and value of the recovered polymer and aluminum mix, polyAI. We are working with a growing number of recyclers and other key actors to develop viable and sustainable business solutions.
When do you think Tetra Pak will be able to offer an aseptic package that is fully renewable, fully recyclable, and carbon-neutral?
Tisserand: We are making substantial headway in our development journey together with our partners, the goal being to launch a fully renewable aseptic package by 2023.
Tetra Pak has stated that it’s collaborating with customers, start-ups, universities, and tech companies. What more can you tell us about your partners on the fiber-based barrier project?
Tisserand: Further details cannot be shared for confidentiality reasons
With the goal of reducing the post-harvest cooling period and eliminating moisture and condensation that results in product spoilage, Mpact Versapak, a division of the Mpact Group, recently redesigned its 100% post-consumer rPET grape punnet to optimise the entire value chain.
The fruit industry is vitally important to South Africa as a foreign currency earner and a large provider of stable employment.
According to a report from the South African Journal of Plant and Soil, during the past 25 years there has been a tremendous amount of positive change in the post-harvest handling of fruits in the country. This is primarily due to the adoption of a number ofnew technologies developed in response to changes in the industry.
The grape industry uses rapid cooling and packaging to protect grapes from desiccation and decay. Numerous packaging methods and combinations are used in the industry with each having their own advantages and disadvantages.
“This innovation provides a solution to a number of value specific time and environmental challenges posed by value chain members, and highlights the importance of recycling,” says Wessel Oelofse, general manager of Versapak.
“Our in-house research, design and development team redesigned the heat seal grape punnet to include ten additional edge slots on the bottom rim and four base holes,” explains Oelofse. “This led to improved airflow and drainage of ‘free moisture’ that results in a shorter cooling time, and eliminates the risk of freezer damage, especially for punnets located furthest from the cooling fan.”
According to Oelofse the innovative solution resulted in a 43% reduction in cooling times when compared to the existing design, andby 49% when compared to the leading international punnet.
This means that the product offers substantial environmental benefits. These include lower product spoilage (that often has a higher carbon footprint compared to the packaging itself), time saving in the cooling process, energy and carbon footprint saving and a reduced need to increase future storage facilities for this rapidly growing market.
“Although the international market specifies a median product weight, our specialist team also managed to produce the punnet 7.5% lighter than the international specification,” explains Oelofse. “Its export rate means that not only is our post-consumer waste reduced, but that within international recycling streams, this light-weighted punnet can enjoy the full recycling status of being 100% recycled and recyclable.”
“We are pleased to report that 288,000 kilograms of PET has been removed from South African landfills between October 2021 to January 2022,” he continues. “Its predecessor, the conventional grape punnet, has contributed to removing 832,000 kilograms of PET from landfill during the period of January to December 2021.”
Organisations across the value chain benefitting from this innovation include farmers, cooling and storage facilities, transporting contractors, and ultimately, the consumer who receives good quality and fresher produce.
“Our redesigned grape punnet enjoyed a 100% export rate to Europe, United Kingdom, Middle East, Canada, South East Asia, Africa and Russia,” says Oelofse. “The grape harvesting season is in full swing between October 2021 to April 2022, so this newly launched product has not reached its full potential as yet.
“Expansion of this design into other fresh produce categories are underway, which will result in further environmental benefits,” concludes Oelofse.
About Mpact Versapak
Mpact Versapak is a division of the Mpact Group, the largest paper and plastics packaging manufacturer and recycling business in southern Africa. Mpact Versapak offers a wide range of branded packaging, including PET and polystyrene trays, expanded polystyrene packaging and cling film for both the local and international FMCG, fast food, fresh food, beverage and agricultural sectors.
It operates from the Western Cape and Gauteng and distributes its products through an extensive countrywide network. In-house design functions allows Versapak to rapidly respond to customer needs, market trends and new product developments, and the latest technology is used to improve the performance of its packaging.
All its packaging is manufactured to stringent health and safety standards. BRC accreditation ensures that Versapak is committed and regulated to only use accredited raw materials that are safe for direct food contact.
The circular economy
A circular economy is an industrial system that is restorative by intention and design. It is a model of production and consumption, which involves the sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling of existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
This is a departure from the traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a take-make-consume-throw-away pattern and relies on large quantities of cheap, easily accessible materials and energy. There is overwhelming evidence that such a model is not sustainable.
Mpact is leading the way in developing a circular economy within the manufacturing industry in South Africa. For Mpact’s products and manufacturing processes, this means that what cannot be reused should be collected, recycled and made into new products. It is good business that benefits the environment, communities, the economy and the world.
