The company introduced two MDO (machine-direction orientation) film products made with 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.
The new rMDO white and rMDO clear filmic facestocks use less resources, help to keep plastic out of the waste stream, and give packaging a more authentic look. Their recycled content creates a slightly less uniform appearance that consumers identify with eco-friendly packaging.
Their use permits brands to improve packaging sustainability and stay ahead of changing regulations for a broad range of household, personal care, cosmetic and food products.
Plus, they are paired with AD CleanFlake technology to enable recycling of rigid plastic packaging.
Anh Marella, the company’s marketing director – films, informs us that the films are a polyethylene (PE)/polypropylene blend combined with Avery Dennison’s purpose-built machine direction-oriented manufacturing. “This creates a semi conformable and fully conformable products that offer a balance of the properties found in PP and PE films,” she adds.
According to Marella, brands using rMDO can tout the percentage of recycled content in the film and that it enables recycling for rigid plastic packaging.
“The film is launching this fall so no brands are using it yet, but many converters have trialed it as part of our R&D process,” she says.
Eliminating the release liner and matrix account for more than half of the label waste created during label application, according to Avery Dennison.
The secret? A silicone coating on the facestock so that self-wound labels won’t stick to those underneath. Without liners, there is no liner waste, no liner disposal costs, and no safety risks to workers due to liner waste on the shop floor.
Another sustainability gain is that there’s now 50% more labels per roll, which also results in fewer roll changes, speeding operations and improving warehouse utilization. We learned from Minter that the show represents the North America introduction of the technology that has been proven and successful in Europe.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by the Nova Institute has reportedly concluded that the use of Avantium’s plant-based PEF (polyethylene furanoate) in 250ml and 500ml bottles would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nova’s study, supposedly peer-reviewed by experts of LCA methodology and incumbent packaging solutions, evaluated sixteen impact categories covering the cradle-to-grave life cycle of a PEF bottle. The results suggest that its production would lower the resource consumption of fossil fuels by 45%, and that the light-weighting made possibleby PEF’s mechanical properties would reduce the pressure on abiotic resources (such as minerals and metals) by 47%.
PEF is also suited to multilayer packaging, the LCA claims. Its ‘passive barrier for O2 and CO2’ is said to increase products’ shelf life and reduce the amount of protective packaging required, lowering wastage in both product and packaging.
Another segment of the LCA apparently proved that replacing the PA layer of multilayer bottles with PEF could result in a 37% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, largely because the former would result in recyclable packaging. Making the replacement would also reduce the resource demand of fossil fuels by 37% and minerals and metals by 52%, Nova claims.about:blank
Reportedly, the commercialisation and growth of the PEF market would result in ‘substantial economic, technological, and environmental optimisations covering the full value chain’. It also suggests that replacing plant-based feedstock with second-generation biomass and other lignocellulosic feedstocks would be beneficial in this event. On the other hand, it is argued that PET bottles are more efficient with regard to feedstock supply.
Earlier this year, Avantium was granted approval to build a flagship plant to produce furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), providing them with the ‘main building block’ behind the creation of PEF.
Following a successful pilot phase in Nigeria, Dow has announced that its flexible packaging recycling initiative, Project REFLEX, will be expanded to Egypt and Guinea.
Launched in 2020, the project specifically targets flexible packaging such as plastic water sachets, which are used to clarify and disinfect water sources, and encourages local communities to collect and recycle them.
By 2025, Dow is aiming to divert 10,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of flexible packaging waste that would otherwise end up in landfill or the environment as part of Project REFLEX. So far, the project has reportedly diverted a total of 520 MTs of flexible packaging waste into mechanical recycling streams and new applications.
According to Dow, the post-consumer recyclate (PCR) that was created in the pilot phase is currently being trialled by a large brand owner for use in some non-food packaging applications. Dow adds that, if successful, this trial will provide an example of a closed-loop system for plastics in Africa and promote the commercial viability of PCR materials from flexible packaging waste.
Dow adds that the project is also looking to create direct employment opportunities for over 50,000 waste collectors in Nigeria, Egypt, and Guinea through the waste management company, Wecyclers.
In March this year, Dow and Wecyclers ran an event in partnership with social impact organisations in Lagos, where members of the community were invited to learn more about plastic recycling and take part in a clean-up exercise on Lagos Island. This event apparently marked the beginning of a grassroots campaign to ensure more people collect and recycle flexible plastic sachets.
Olawale Adebiyi, CEO of Wecyclers, explains: “Through working alongside large supporters like Dow to scale sustainable solutions in tackling flexible packaging waste in Africa, we can help ensure this material retains its value.
“It has been both rewarding and inspiring to see the positive impact of these combined efforts on Nigeria’s local business communities through the pilot phase of Project REFLEX.
“We look forward to extending our role in Egypt and Guinea, helping to raise awareness of the socio-economic benefits of sustainable waste management.”
The expansion of Project REFLEX into Egypt began in December 2021 with Dow entering an 18-month partnership with the international non-government organisation, WasteAid, which shares waste management and recycling skills with lower- and middle-income countries. WasteAid will work with Dow to advance waste recovery and recycling in Aswan, a city located in southern Egypt.
Dow explains that the expansion strategy for Project REFLEX will involve similar partnerships with public, private, and community-level actors in Egypt and Guinea to increase the collection of flexible plastic.
Sami Mainich, regional director at Dow North & West Africa, comments: “At Dow, we know that a critical part of solving the plastics waste crisis is enabling a closed-loop system for waste.
“Using our expertise in materials science and technological capabilities, we believe that we are best placed to help accelerate the pace of change in developing nations by supporting innovative local enterprises to scale solutions that benefit the environment and local communities.
“The Project REFLEX initiative is a prime example of how this can take shape and grow sustainably especially where flexible packaging applications are concerned.”
Adwoa Coleman, Africa sustainability and advocacy manager for packaging and speciality plastics at Dow, adds: “The reason we are so proud of Project REFLEX in Africa is that it addresses the full lifecycle of flexible plastic packaging – from production right through to use.
“Our hope is that the education, materials and support to the local communities and businesses in Nigeria, Egypt and Guinea, and potentially other African markets, received through the programme will result in long-term sustainable collection for flexible packaging.
“At Dow, we see a circular economy thriving in the region if it is inclusive of the people who are already doing this hard work on the ground to enable it and that is exactly what we are trying to do through Project REFLEX in Africa.”
Last year, Dow announced that it was expanding its partnership with recycling company, Mr. Green Africa, in Kenya. The collaboration, which was launched in November 2019, intends to advance a circular economy for plastics, including flexibles, in Africa and drive positive change for local communities in Kenya.
Shoprite’s unit Checkers introduces recyclable packaging for its rotisserie chicken
SOUTH AFRICA – In line with Shoprite groups’ ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, its subsidiary Checkers is the first South African retailer to replace its rotisserie chicken packaging with fully recyclable, responsibly sourced cardboard boxes.
To promote the circular economy, the Group has committed to ensuring that 100% of its own-brand packaging is reusable, recyclable and compostable, and that it contains on average 30% recycled material content by 2025.
The recent move is set to prevent 68 tons of non-recycled multi-layer laminated material from being landfilled every year.
As the retailer continues to make changes that are better for the planet, good progress has already been made, transitioning key packaging categories, including having an all paper and carton board packaging at in-store deli’s, bakeries and fresh fish sections are now 100% responsibly sourced.
In addition, private label Crystal Valley Fresh Milk’s bottle cap colour has been changed from blue and red to white, which enables recyclers to eliminate downcycling into darker cap colours like black.
In the next two months, Shoprite seeks to replace PET Thermoform plastic sandwich punnets with a Kraft carton sandwich wedge which has a small window, for easy removal before recycling.
Currently the group through its reverse logistics operations recycles 4 653 tons per year of plastics and 40 327 tons per year of cardboard.
Shoprite chief executive Pieter Engelbrecht said in the retailer’s Sustainability Report 2021 that many of the challenges that communities faced were linked to climate change.
The group, according to Fin24, had realised how sudden and intense the impact of a global crisis can be, as experienced through the Covid-19 pandemic, hence they remained resolute in playing their role to address climate change.
Last year, the group said it advanced its sustainability-related commitments by setting science-based targets in response to climate change and by articulating a position on biodiversity.
The Sustainability team also improved its disclosure of sustainability-related information through better Global Reporting Initiative alignment and reporting disclosures.
According to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries’ National Waste Management Strategy 2020 (NWMS), referring to the 2018 State of Waste Report, in 2017 South Africa generated 55 million tonnes of general waste, with only 11 percent being diverted from landfill.
These trends, coupled with limited growth in the gross domestic product, were associated with increases in waste generation.
The department said in the absence of aggressive strategies to avoid generating waste, the total volumes of waste generated would increase in future, which would in turn require greater effort in waste diversion simply to maintain the current rate at which landfill airspace was depleted which was already recognised as being unsustainable.
KENYA – GreenX Telemechanics has developed edible cups and plates dubbed snackuit, offering a sustainable alternative solution to single-use plastics.
The firm has partnered with Sheryl Mboya (a Mt Kenya law student) who is the patent holder of snackuit, to develop innovations that aim to contribute to climate action.
Challenged by the deteriorating climatic conditions, this innovation seeks to eradicate single-use plastic by providing an environmentally safe and biodegradable alternative to plastic materials.
The alternative material is a derivative from a common food product and is safe for consumption by marine and land animals, birds, as well as human beings.
The material can be used to make plastic products such as disposable utensils which can be eaten upon completion of your meal.
Snackuit is prepared with ingredients that are high in fiber, magnesium, iron, manganese, amino acids, calcium, folic acid, essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, and antioxidants, and contains zero sweets, fats, or cholesterol.
“Snackuit is made using edible products. As such the end product is edible and can be consumed by all living organisms (human beings, plants, land and marine animals. It is free from allergies, cholesterol and is also sugar-free,” says Sheryl Mboya in an interview with the Daily Nation.
According to Mboya, the invention came amidst calls for climate action aimed at reducing plastic pollution in Kenya and across the world.
“Snackuit addresses the latter solution by offering a more sustainable and innovative alternative to plastic consumption and consequently plastic pollution,” she added.
On the targeted market, Mboya targets everyone and every industry that consumes plastics, “This is not limited to individual consumption of plastics.
“As such, we are honored to work with Kenya Airways through the Fahari Innovation Hub to oversee their change from plastic consumption within their business’ operations to a more sustainable alternative.”
The development of innovative alternatives to single-plastic has been on the rise following a directive by the Kenyan government to ban all single-use plastic bags in 2017.
This was preceded by the country’s decision to sign the Clean Seas initiative, making it one of the first African nations to commit to limiting plastic in its waterways.
Just like Mboya, Leila Siljeur, a Chemical Engineering student at Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa innovated edible straws in 2019.
She designed edible and environmentally friendly straws coming in three ranges; gelatine for regular straws, plants for vegan straws and fruit for the health variety
Demand for biodegradable packaging has been rising across the world, with Markets and Markets forecasting the global edible packaging market size is expected to grow from US$ 527 million in 2019 to US$679 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.3%.
Selling pharmaceuticals? Luxury goods? Foods or beverages? Match the appropriate anti-counterfeiting and brand authentication packaging technology to your product.
Accountability, authentication, and traceability have become essential buzzwords when it comes to operating a watertight supply chain in the modern business environment.
Businesses spanning multiple sectors are increasingly investing in systems that allow their products to be tracked at every single stage of the production process and provide end consumers with the reassurance that they are purchasing the actual product instead of a cheap — and potentially deadly — imitation.
While this has long been true for the highly regulated pharmaceutical sector — which sees serialization, or sophisticated track-and-trace technology as an essential weapon in the ongoing fight against counterfeit medicine — authentication is becoming an increasingly important tool for other sectors too. This is especially true of the luxury goods and food sectors which increasingly need to prove the provenance of their goods to increasingly savvy and demanding consumers.
However, for the uninitiated, authentication can seem daunting.
Images of next-generation technology — of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven robots and vast warehouses churning out barcode-driven systems — might seem like something from the distant future. Nonetheless, authentication methods are something that the entire business community must increasingly be aware of, especially as we move into the technology-driven fourth industrial revolution era, or Industry 4.0.
Different markets are best served by different types of brand protection technologies, as shown in these three examples.Image courtesy of Lisa Pierce
1. Serialization powered by regulation.
Pharmaceuticals are particularly vulnerable to counterfeiting — with alarming results. It is estimated that some 10% of pharma products worldwide are counterfeit, resulting in up to one million deaths each year. Furthermore, the global counterfeit drug market is estimated to exceed $75 billion, which is syphoned off legitimate businesses.
This, coupled with the fact that the pharmaceutical sector is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the world, means that serialization and the pharmaceutical sector fit naturally together. Drug manufacturers are not able to function without watertight serialization systems that provide an essential safety net.
Governments across the world quite rightly understand that absolutely nothing can be left to chance when it comes to the production of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment which are designed to enhance and even save the lives of the population.
The pharmaceutical market has, therefore, put serious effort into doing all it can to protect those of us who rely on medicines for a better quality of life. For example, in the United States, all pharmaceutical companies selling prescription drugs are required to serialize each drug unit to aid tracking from manufacturer to pharmacy or doctor’s office, according to the 2013 Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).
However, it is an uphill battle. In its latest reporton counterfeit goods, Europol revealed that the trade in falsified pharmaceuticals is continuing to grow; in 2020 counterfeit medications were the seventh most seized counterfeit product, where in 2019 they were tenth.
Escalating pharmaceutical fraud has been exacerbated in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Europol report highlighting that the distribution of counterfeit goods, including pharmaceuticals, has been one of the key criminal activities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for personal protective equipment, supply-chain disruptions and vaccine inequality have prompted overall demand.
According to that same Europol report, falsified COVID-19 vaccines are often illicitly refilled vials of used and discarded approved COVID-19 vaccine products. However, drawing upon its deep history of delivering authentication systems for the pharmaceutical sector, serialization providers sprang into action, and were able to research, design, and deliver cutting-edge systems in record time. This included deploying new packaging track-and-trace labeling systems able to operate in temperatures of up to minus 80 degrees Celsius that were demanded by some of the vaccine types, and which previously simply did not exist.
Against such a backdrop, it is important to again emphasize the regulatory aspect of this pharmaceutical serialization technology. It needed to be watertight — governments and regulators made it clear there was no room whatsoever for error.
However, when you compare the serialization systems needed to authenticate these expensive and highly regulated pharmaceutical products with alternative authentication systems being adopted by other sectors, it is important to understand that these alternative systems are not always required to deliver such certain results.Image courtesy of Aleksei Egorov / Alamy Stock Vector
2. Holograms enhance luxury goods beautifully.
If a particular sector can operate without complicated regulatory scrutiny, but would still like to authenticate its products, does it need full-blown serialization track-and-trace systems, or will less sophisticated methods suffice?
As an example, luxury goods producers are increasingly turning to authentication methods. In response to fraudsters increasing turning out counterfeit goods that are becoming harder to spot, luxury brands are looking at how they can prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, that their goods are the genuine article.
While serialization is, of course, one option for this, luxury brands might want to consider holograms — which could be designed exclusively for each brand, and even add a new dimension to their overall image. Certainly, the technology exists to produce holograms in any shape, color, or size. They can also be applied to clothes, metal, or plastic.
The crucial role of such a hologram is to reassure consumers that the overall product is the real thing. It doesn’t need to be so exact as the methods used by the pharmaceutical sector. The level of intricacy needed by medicine manufacturers, which need to trace every single ingredient at all stages of the supply chain, is not needed by luxury goods producers who merely need to satisfy the end consumer immediately that the product is genuine.
Furthermore, holograms will work out cheaper in the long run, simply because there are currently no regulatory pressures faced by luxury brands. Barcode-driven pharmaceutical track-and-trace systems, however, need ever-evolving equipment, systems, and specialist staff to operate them on an international level.
Instead, they see authentication technology as a nice-to-have, rather than a must-have for the continued legal operation of their handbag, clothing, jewelery, or watches. An attractive hologram that is hard to copy will do this job nicely and reassure consumers. Task completed!Image courtesy of Carolyn Jenkins / Alamy Stock Photo
3. Codes safeguard food, for now.
Food and beverage producers do not currently come under such extreme government-driven regulatory pressure as the pharmaceutical sector. However, this may well change in coming years — especially for specific products, such as baby food and formula, dairy products, and fresh meat or fish.
Methods other than track-and-trace technology are suited to the food sector of the present time. A popular package format today is a paperboard or film band, which can be designed especially for individually shaped food items, featuring a large printing surface, so manufacturers can provide extra product information. Barcodes and quick-response (QR) codes provide a suitable, current, option for the food sector.
However, if it does come under increasing regulation in the future, expect to see sophisticated serialization technology becoming increasingly adopted by food manufacturers. After all, the necessary tools are already in place, such as the ability for serialization systems to operate in temperatures of up to minus 80 degrees Celsius for COVID-19 vaccines, meaning these will easily be able to be deployed to the frozen food market. Indeed, the food sector may well have a lot to be thankful to the pharmaceutical sector for in coming years, as it has put into place many such operational systems that should — theoretically — be able to be applied to food and beverage products.
Conclusion.
Serialization and the pharmaceutical sector go together, largely because of the highly regulated nature of the industry. Together they have led the way when it comes to authentication methods and have provided a solid case study for other industries that are considering the use of alternative authentication options for themselves.
Industries that aren’t as highly regulated, such as the luxury goods market, may not need such sophisticated authentication methods, and they can turn to alternatives other than track-and-trace technologies. However, the food sector provides a useful one to monitor. We are likely to see it facing increasing scrutiny and regulation in coming years — so watch this space for the future of food and track-and-trace serialization.
Ineos Styrolution America’s sustainability commercial manager, Cassie Bradley, shares the benefits of PS and its future in the circular economy.
Worth $31.6 billion in 2021, the Global Polystyrene Market is projected to reach $44.8 billion by the year 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% over the analysis period of 2022-2028, according to a market study from BlueWeave Consulting.
That’s a whole lot of PS including high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and expanded PS (EPS).https://6a0425e62a627939386e05be09a476af.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Although PS containers and packaging are recyclable, recycling rates are not where they should be. According to the EPA’s Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Tables and Figures (Table 8, pages 10 and 11), 3.6% of PS containers and packaging are recycled. That figure drops to 0.9% when all municipal solid waste is considered.
What can be done to push that percentage up?
That’s where Ineos Styrolution comes into the picture. Cassie Bradley, INEOS Styrolution America’s sustainability commercial manager, explains the company’s strive toward an optimistic future for PS in the circular economy.
The Germany-based company is one of the world’s top two suppliers of styrenics, a precursor to PS. The global company operates 20 production sites in ten countries. Markets include automotive, electronics, household, construction, healthcare, and packaging.
The parent company, Ineos, committed to achieving five ambitious sustainability targets for 2025 that include using an average 30% of recycled content in products destined for PS packaging in Europe and ensuring that 100% of its polymer products can be recycled.
To make that happen Ineos is investing in PS depolymerization plants, collaborating on other advanced recycling schemes, and integrating renewable feedstock in its products.
With that in mind, Cassie Bradley, sustainability commercial manager, Ineos Styrolution, explains why PS is a viable food packaging option in today’s environment in this exclusive Q&A interview.
PS has drawn unwanted attention as a target in the anti-plastics movement including outright bans in some locations. Why is that?
Bradley: Single-use food packaging is an increasingly heated topic, with much of the info reaching the public centered on the undeserved vilification of PS materials. Without accurate facts, solutions are being proposed to implement PS bans which favor unrealistic, one-size-fits-all approaches and promote the use of ineffective alternatives that often have a larger environmental footprint than polystyrene.
The realistic solution? Use innovation to create progress within our country’s outdated recycling infrastructure and utilize recycling technologies to keep polystyrene in a circular economy, so that our modern society can continue benefiting from this valuable material while engaging the public on proper plastic waste disposal.
Why does PS remain a good choice for food packaging in 2022?
Bradley: Polystyrene’s lightweight properties enable the material to provide the best insulation and preservation for food and beverage uses, helping to combat another critical issue: food waste.
Its strength and barrier properties allow PS to be used in a single layer for food packaging, requiring less material overall while eliminating the need for multiple mixed material layers — which prevents certain products from being adequately separated during the recycling process.
PS is a sustainable, safe, and hygienic material that’s designed for recycling. In fact, its very nature allows it to be broken back down into the original monomer again during the advanced recycling process. This process enables the material to be reused numerous times in pristine, food-grade applications — a key differentiator.
You might ask, “but what about alternative materials?” These often have a limited lifecycle and, in most cases, leave an even worse environmental footprint. Not to mention they can come with a hefty price tag that drives up costs for businesses and, as a result, consumers.
Why are you optimistic about recycling of PS?
Bradley: Scientists and engineers have been using PS for more than 90 years to aid modern advancements across industries, including creating sustainable materials for food packaging. It’s one of the most easily recyclable plastics — it can be recycled using both mechanical and advanced recycling technologies and it remains key to outlining an achievable path to the circular economy for plastics thanks to its many inherently sustainable properties.
The food industry relies on safe, sterile materials to ensure food is safe for customers and consumers, which is why advanced recycling solutions hold such high potential for this industry. For example, by utilizing advanced recycling technology, post-consumer PS waste can be repurposed again and again with the same high purity, and performance of virgin material.
It’s a truly circular solution!
What’s needed to increase PS circularity?
Bradley: Food packaging must fulfill functional requirements and leave a minimal impact on the environment. Modern material advancements have allowed for more sustainable food-grade packaging using PS without any change to the high-performing properties unique to styrenics.
Continued collaboration between industry, businesses, waste sorters, recyclers, and technology providers, is imperative for ensuring business leaders and consumers have a better understanding of the benefits of PS within a circular economy and the importance of investment in modern recycling infrastructure and recycled material.
There is no simple answer as to which packaging medium is the best for the environment. Truly sustainable packaging decisions are more complex than simply replacing one material with another. As an example, some materials may enjoy a smaller carbon footprint but require more water or heat to convert, thereby affecting the cradle-to-cradle environmental impact. Being lightweight, durable and flexible, the unique nature of plastics means that it naturally reduces a variety of environmental impacts across resources such as energy, water and greenhouse emissions, compared to its alternatives.
Greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers regarding environmental practices or benefits pertaining to a packaging item or a company’s, product or service.
Let’s eliminate greenwashing by understanding and using the same terminology.
