Packaging for the agrochemical sector is crucial because fertilisers and pesticides are generally toxic. Advanced packaging, with excellent sealing abilities, help reduce the risk of accidental handling, storing, and transport damage. But how can the product’s label also help mitigate risks?
Agrochemical labels are governed by stringent legal requirements for product labelling because of their hazardous chemical compositions. It’s this information that ensures the product’s safe handling, storage, and usage.
However, with standard label solutions, the available space is normally too small for mandatory text such as dosage and storage instructions, contraindications, and product descriptions to be legible. The result is often information-cluttered primary packaging and a separate insert inside the product’s secondary pack.
Pyrotec PackMedia’s solution to this challenge is a multipage label that’s cost-effective and provides an extended area for information within the space normally used by an adhesive label.
Multipage labels are permanently secured to the product’s packaging for its entire usable life. This means that the label can’t be lost or accidentally discarded, as can happen with a separate leaflet. Having clear, detailed, information – including text, charts, and diagrams – attached directly onto the container is ideal for protecting personnel and consumers.
These multipage labels can also include special characteristics such as moisture resistance, high durability, and the ability to withstand harsh chemicals, extreme temperatures, and a variety of storage conditions. These are important attributes given the tough environment the containers often withstand in the agrochemical sector.
Another added benefit is cost-cutting. Multipage labels can be designed to include extensive information in multiple languages while eliminating the need for separate labels for each language. They streamline production and simplify the management of inventories and distribution channels.
In a nutshell, the benefits of using multipage labels for agrochemical products include:
Clear, legible on-pack guidelines that encourage the correct use of products and meet regulatory requirements.
Reproduced information in multiple languages that significantly extends on-pack communication.
Doing away with separate packaging, leaflets, or labels, particularly for a wide product range, to reduce the cost of packaging waste and inventory costs.
Automatic application because multipage labels are supplied on-reel and can be applied using standard labelling machinery. This results in uninterrupted production lines.
For more information about the benefits of multipage labels for agrochemical products, visit www.pyrotec.co.za.
In pursuit of a World Without Waste, Coca-Cola introduces a new bottle made from100% rPET for Dasani water and moves from green to clear plastic for Sprite to improve recycling of the bottle.
The Coca-Cola Company has made significant changes to two of its biggest North American brands in support of its World Without Waste sustainable packaging goals. The first, Dasani water, involves the rollout of a new bottle made from 100% recycled PET, excluding the cap and label. Meanwhile, its carbonated lemon-lime soft drink Sprite has transitioned from green to clear plastic to increase the material’s likelihood of being remade into new beverage bottles.
The introduction of the Dasani bottles commenced this past summer, when Coca-Cola began offering a majority of its Dasani bottles in the U.S.—including 20-oz and 1.5-L singles and 10- and 12-oz multipacks—in 100% recycled plastic. In Canada, this innovation spanned all Dasani bottles. Says the company, the shift supports both Dasani’s pledge to remove the equivalent of 2 billion virgin plastic bottles from production by 2027 compared to 2021 levels and Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste goal to use at least 50% recycled material in its bottles and cans by 2030.
The brand’s transition to 100% recycled plastic is projected to save more than 20 million pounds of new plastic, the equivalent of 552 million bottles, compared to 2019, and cut more than 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. Explains Coca-Cola, because it takes less energy and resources to create a bottle from recycled plastic, for every pound of recycled rPET material used (in lieu of new PET), GHGs will be reduced by 65%. The end result will be the equivalent of taking 6,629 cars off the road for one year, it adds.
In the U.S., Coca-Cola is offering 100% rPET bottles for Dasani in 20-oz and 1.5-L sizes and in 10- and 12-oz multipacks. In Canada, this innovation spans all Dasani bottles.The Dasani announcement follows the successful launch of 100% recycled plastic bottles in New York, California, and Texas, which also included Coca-Cola Trademark 20-oz bottles. According to the company, the launch helped it to identify the best-quality sources of rPET and fine-tune the production processes needed to make 100% recycled plastic bottles.
“Demand for rPET currently exceeds supply, so the first step to scaling up use of 100% rPET across our portfolio is building a sustainable pipeline of high-quality material,” says Chris Vallette, Senior Vice President of Technical Innovation and Stewardship, Coca-Cola North America. “We do this by working with communities to boost PET recycling and collection, collaborating with recycling partners, and, finally, securing rPET to help ensure the material for our bottles is used again and again.”
The initial launch helped drive consumer awareness through the on-pack “100% Recycled Bottle” and “Recycle Me Again” calls-to-action, which were also used on retail signage and other communications. Dasani bottles will continue to feature this messaging. “We saw how much the 100% recycled PET message truly resonates with our customers and consumers, particularly Dasani fans whose sustainability expectations are especially high,” notes Vallette.
The move to 100% rPET is just the latest sustainable packaging innovation by the water brand, shares the company. Over the last decade, Dasani has unveiled a steady stream of what it describes as “footprint-reducing packaging breakthroughs,” including the PlantBottle; the HybridBottle, which fused rPET, PlantBottle plant-based plastic material, and virgin PET; aluminum cans and bottles; Dasani PureFill package-less water dispensers; and its bottle caps made from recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, an industry first, according to the Coca-Cola.
Sprite gets transparent
Also this past summer, Aug. 1, 2022, to be exact, Sprite shifted all its PET packaging from the brand’s signature green color to clear plastic. Explains Coca-Cola, although green PET is recyclable, the recycled material is more often converted into single-use items like clothing and carpeting that cannot be recycled into new PET bottles. During the sorting process, green and other colored PET is separated from clear material to avoid discoloring recycled food-grade packaging required to make new PET bottles.
“Taking colors out of bottles improves the quality of the recycled material,” says Julian Ochoa, CEO, R3CYCLE, which is working with Coca-Cola Consolidated to enable bottle-to-bottle recycling across the largest U.S. bottler’s 14 state-territory. “This transition will help increase availability of food-grade rPET. When recycled, clear PET Sprite bottles can be remade into bottles, helping drive a circular economy for plastic.”
In addition to Dasani’s new 100% rPET bottle, Coca-Cola will also be offering a number of its green-bottle beverage brands in new clear PET bottles.Adds Vallette, “Sprite’s move to clear will help us introduce more 100% rPET bottles like Dasani is launching and keep more bottles in the circular economy.”
In addition to transitioning to clear bottles, Sprite is introducing a new visual identity system featuring a revamped logo and packaging design to provide a consistent look and voice around the world. Sprite’s packaging graphics will retain the brand’s recognizable green hue and include prominent “Recycle Me” messaging.
Sprite is just the first of Coca-Cola’s green-bottle beverage brands to make the switch. In October, Fresca, Seagram’s, and Mello Yello will also convert from green to clear plastic.
Seafood producer Iceland collaborated with sustainable, flexible packaging specialist Parkside to deliver one of the world’s first paper recyclable packaging solutions for frozen food.
The pack format has been designed for the supermarket’s Northcoast range of frozen seafood.
Iceland says the packaging solution is a significant milestone, both for its own pursuit of plastic-free packaging, and for the frozen food sector in general since it represents one of the first successful applications of flexible paper packaging for frozen food.
“As everyone knows, we are loud and proud about our forward-thinking ideas and commitment to plastic-free packaging across our products,” says Mark Armstrong, Packaging Specialist at Iceland. “We previously worked with Parkside in a successful bid to reduce food waste via a lidding film solution in 2017. But we know we can do more. As consumer sentiment continues to grow for circular solutions, it is the perfect time to collaborate once again in a bid to reduce unnecessary plastic in our packaging.”
Iceland’s Northcoast products were previously packed in an low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bag. They are now packed in a specially developed recyclable paper pouch with excellent grease and oil resistance.
The heat-sealable paper solution was designed to withstand the rigors of frost and moisture in a freezer environment for prolonged periods of time. This was achieved by creating high-performing heat seal-ability, and by using a range of water-based coatings with high barrier performance, which are designed to break down when re-pulped in the paper recycling process.
Armstrong continued: “Bag sealing was a challenge, as was ensuring the material had the necessary barrier properties. We also wanted the print to match the existing LDPE bag and therefore a lot of time was spent in artwork and repro to give us the best possible result.”
“It has been a huge privilege for us to work on this project with Mark and his team. Until recently, achieving a high level of grease and oil resistance and heat seal ability for frozen food has been extremely challenging,” adds Mark Shaw, Sales Account Manager at Parkside. “Typically, a plastic layer such as polyethylene would need to be extruded or laminated to the paper, which would then need to be removed when recycling post-consumer use. Our leading technology removes the need for the plastic and gives a truly recyclable paper solution with the added benefit of high-barrier functionality.” PW
Asda is set to remove ‘best before’ dates from the packaging of almost 250 of its fresh fruit and vegetable products across UK stores, replacing them with a display code used by employees to gauge a product’s freshness.
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.
Unilever’s homecare brand Domestos has re-launched its core bleach range in new bottles made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR).
The brand has moved its UK 750ml bleach range to use recycled plastic, which it says will save 1,505 tonnes of virgin plastic per year. According to Unilever, the new Domestos bottles use high-quality recycled resin to ensure the bottle is strong and durable, while also enabling the incorporation of recycled plastic into the coloured bottles without compromising on the distinct colour and quality of the packaging.
With plastic waste a top environmental concern for shoppers, Domestos is communicating the move with new front-of-pack labelling. In addition, all the bottles include an On-Pack Recycling Label (ORPL) ‘Cap On Recycle’ logo to support more consumers to recycle them.
Claire Racklyeft, Home & Hygiene category lead at Unilever UK&I, comments: “Our Domestos bleach bottles are already recyclable, but incorporating recycled plastic into a bottle made for bleach has been challenging.
“It was important that we maintained the distinct look and feel of our bottles, so our packaging and factory teams have worked very closely with our suppliers and partners to ensure consistency of material and bottle quality.
“Fully recyclable and now incorporating post-consumer recycled plastic, our Domestos bleach bottles are helping to keep plastic in packaging – where it is valuable – and out of the environment. We believe this is a first for bleach bottles in the UK, so it’s a great innovation and one we’re very proud of. We’re already working towards bottles made with 100% recycled plastic.”
The move by Domestos is part of Unilever’s wider global packaging commitment, which includes the aims of halving the company’s use of virgin plastic by reducing its absolute use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes by 2025.
Could This Food Sensor Replace ‘Best By’ Date Codes?
Low-cost sensors from PragmatIC promise accurate, consumer-readable expiration information for packaged foods via a smartphone app.
To determine whether a food is safe to eat or not, consumers usually turn to printed or labeled “Best By” or “Use Before” date codes, which are unprecise if not unreliable.
There must be a smarter way. Thanks to advances in technology, there is: science-based, data-backed sensors engineered and customized to a specific packaged food.
Helping lead brands, retailers, and consumers into a bold new era of increased food safety and reduced food waste is PragmatIC Semiconductor, an innovator of ultra, low-cost flexible integrated electronics that enable connected intelligence in everyday items.
Based in the UK and with partners and customers around the world, including North America, the company believes the technology can make a real difference in helping brands and consumers reduce food waste, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a 2021 EPA study, in the US alone, yearly food loss and waste totals 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent equal to the annual carbon emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants.
Joshua Young, PragmatIC’s circular economy lead, provides details in this interview.
What’s the basic proposition?
Young: We use our technology to improve the world around us by enabling a new approach to electronics that makes it viable for any object to become smart and connected.
Food waste is a huge problem, with more than a third of the food produced for human consumption wasted, a large portion of which is at retail or at home.
By adding our technology to food packaging, it could be possible to measure conditions such as temperature or humidity to dynamically determine the product status — giving retailers and consumers the confidence to extend product use.
Comment on how the technology is used for packaged food. Young: By adding measurement intellectual property (IP) to our existing near-field communication (NFC) and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies, we can integrate various sensors and wirelessly transfer measurement data to a reader in real-time.
When placed inside of the food packaging you can measure the environmental conditions, which tells you a lot about the product itself. This data can then be compared to a wider data set/model for the specific product and analysed to determine a dynamic use by date.
Image courtesy of PragmaticIC Semiconductor
Please describe the sensor. Young: PragmatIC’s flexible integrated circuits (ICs or chips) are known as FlexICs and are thinner than a human hair. We work with partners to integrate this technology into a label with the antenna and sensor.
The FlexIC is incorporated into an inlay/tag that’s embedded into or behind a packaging label.
Our FlexICs are highly flexible and robust —they are not damaged during packaging or labelling.
What does it replace or improve upon? Young: Historically, use-by and best-before dates have been hugely conservative. They are usually based off the date a product was harvested or produced. Many retailers are completely removing best before or use by dates on certain products to help tackle food waste, however this isn’t feasible for all products. There must be a smarter way.
How does it benefit brand owners and retailers? Young: All retailers discount products that are reaching their use by date to maximise profitability and minimise operational overheads. By being better informed of the quality and life of products, retailers can maintain prices for longer, sell a percentage of product and therefore reduce waste.
How does it benefit consumers? Young: Consumers can confidently know if a food product is safe to eat, extending its potential use rather than being wasted. It is also possible for consumers to access recipe ideas or find out more about ingredients.
With increased automation coming to the retail experience, you can imagine how Electronic Shelf Labels could be used to automatically adjust pricing based on the products’ condition.
“Our focus has been on fresh meat products such as pork or chicken because there is significant opportunity to reduce waste.”
What foods does it work with? Young: Our focus has been on fresh meat products such as pork or chicken because there is significant opportunity to reduce waste. You can imagine it is unrealistic to remove use-by dates altogether. With the value and cost of products also being higher, there is a clearer case for adopting digital technologies. We expect the scope of products to expand as we integrate with other types of sensors and the data models are generated. How is the sensor customized to the specific product?
Young: We know that throughout product life certain changes in environmental properties can be corelated to the freshness and degradation of the product. These properties are measured on an item-level at the point the packaging is sealed, through the supply-chain and in the retail store. What’s required for a brand owner to use it? Young: Most retailers already used ruggedised handheld barcode readers that are NFC enabled. They would require access to the software platform and apply the labels to their products.
“What makes our technology different is a significantly lower price point, lower carbon footprint to manufacture, and flexible form factor.”
How much does it cost or what’s the business case justification? Young: Although similar capabilities have previously been possible, we tip the business case to make it viable to add to every package and are targeting just a few pennnies. What makes our technology different is a significantly lower price point, lower carbon footprint to manufacture, and flexible form factor.
What’s the commercial status? We are currently working in a UKRI funded project called SecQuAL (Secure Quality Assured Logistics for Digital Food Ecosystems), a two-year project where we are working closely with leading UK suppliers and retailers to test and demonstrate the technology across different products and use cases. The future is exciting, and we are accelerating our work towards initial deployments in 2023.
Comment on your work with BlakBear that we detailed in a 2020 feature. Young: Our partnership with Blakbear continues to grow and we are working with them in the SecQuAL project. We are integrating with their low-cost sensors and leveraging their expertise and data models.
Budweiser has launched a limited edition can to commemorate England’s win in Euro 2022.
The ‘Home’ 440ml has been rebranded to celebrate the Lionesses’ victory in the tournament. Budweiser’s red can has been reimagined to celebrate the England flag in red and white, with the three lions taking centre stage. The brand’s creed, running across the top of the can, has also been updated as an ode to the England squad.
Jack Morris, senior brand manager at Budweiser said: “We couldn’t be prouder to be a long-term partner of the England team, and it’s incredible to see the inspiration they have given to women and girls across the nation. We’re continuing the celebrations with our limited edition ‘Home’ can, inviting fans to savour the taste of victory.”
Paper maker James Cropper has supplied its FibreBlend Upcycled technology for Japanese beauty brand Shiseido.
Outer packaging for the skincare product Ulé has been created with James Cropper’s Rydal range, a white board made with 100% recycled fibres. The outer packaging includes black text printed on a nude matte background, while thin vertical lines have been created via debossing on the surface of the folding cartons, combined with embossing at the centre of the facing. Ulé also eliminated leaflets and inner carton components from its secondary packaging.
Tricia Hartmann, global packaging lead at James Cropper, said: “The strongest trends in the packaging industry, not just in the cosmetics and beauty industry, but across the board, is around the circular economy. This has been driven by growing awareness of the waste issue that continues to exist and consumer perception regarding packaging.
“When it comes to the beauty industry, brands are recognising that eco-friendly doesn’t compromise experience and as packaging experts, we can demonstrate that new, imaginative methods of packaging materials and concepts exist and can help them to deliver on their promise of greener approaches.
“As demand for recyclable materials in packaging grows, natural materials are increasingly replacing plastics, and that’s exactly what Shiseido has done; we’re helping them to strengthen their environmentally-friendly credentials.”
Convenience snack Epic Oats has recently launched a first-to-market range of three products.
Epic Oats launches granola topped porridge range packs
Convenience snack Epic Oats has recently launched a first-to-market range of three products.
Epic Oats has developed an innovative porridge pot range which has a separate granola topping in three flavours.
Epic Oats claims to use recyclable packaging and the only oat pot in the UK with all green traffic lights and one of the first to be 100% HFSS compliant. Epic Oats has a HFSS score of -1.
