Hybrid polypropylene cup in test would help move the restaurant chain beyond virgin petrochemical-based plastics to sustainably renewable sources.
McDonald’s is testing a new type of clear drinking cup that’s a move away from fossil fuel petrochemical sources to a circular economy model. The cups will comprise an equivalent of 50% post-consumer recycle (PCR) content and 50% biopolymer resins. The latter includes collecting and reusing the restaurant chain’s own cooking oil to create a closed-loop circular system. The chain refers to the dual blend as a “power couple” of sustainability.
McDonald’s is using a mass balance method to measure and track recycled and biobased inputs being used in a process that also mixes traditional fossil-fuel sources.
“Each partner provided a piece of the puzzle that made this test possible,” the company said in a statement.
Available in 28 of the chain’s restaurants in Savannah, GA, the sustainable cups are recyclable after use. According to the McDonald’s release, Savannah patrons “just rinse and recycle the cup after use at home or in any recycling bin.”
Barely discernible difference.
“McDonald’s regular cups are made from virgin polypropylene (PP),” Richard Longden, group communications manager, INEOS, informs us. “These new circular clear PP cups are intended to be nearly identical to the McDonald’s cups customers have been using.”
According to McDonald’s, consumers “probably won’t notice any difference between the two, but behind the scenes, there’s plenty to get excited about.”
“Advanced recycling converts waste plastic back into its raw materials for use again in next generation plastic production,” Longden explains. “The INEOS process is certified by ISCC Plus through its mass-balance attribution method. The mass-balance methodology allows certified entities to measure and track recycled inputs that are combined with traditional fossil-fuel sources.”
ISCC Plus is an independent multi-stakeholder organization providing a globally applicable certification system for the sustainability of raw materials and products.
“This certification of INEOS’s plants validates ISCC Plus objectives are met and enables the development and offering of a wide range of olefin and polymer products derived from recycled waste plastics,” Longden points out.
Mike Nagle, CEO INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, says “we believe the future of packaging materials needs to become more circular wherever possible. Working together with our customers, we can help them to meet their pledges and commitments in this area. To take plastic waste back to virgin plastic is the ultimate definition of recycling and will create a truly circular approach.”
A new subscription coffee service, Bored Breakfast Club, is shaking things up with packaging that leverages the latest digital trend — NFTs.
Bored Breakfast Club is bringing the metaverse and real-life packaging together with a digital-meets-analog approach that features nonfungible token (NFT) illustrations on its coffee pouches.
An NFT is a blockchain-based digital identifier that certifies the authenticity and ownership of a digital file containing unique content, such as artwork. Bored Breakfast Club’s clever strategy marries those virtual assets to physical packaging.https://3d82627a1f5934f3c7b93f163908b318.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Developed by Los Angeles-based digital design studio Kley, Bored Breakfast Club is a subscription service that periodically ships a new whole-bean coffee blend, in packaging designed specifically for that blend, directly to consumers. The first blend shipped in February 2022 to 70 countries.
Although some of the blends are available to consumers paying with non-crypto payment methods, the brand’s business model favors club members — that is, Bored Breakfast Club NFT holders.
For all the product releases, consumers who own one of Bored Breakfast Club’s 5,000 NFTs qualify for a free “rewards” shipment. The brand’s NFTs were minted in January 2022, and the number of owners is currently 2,600.
Bored Breakfast Club NFTs reside on the Ethereum blockchain, and each NFT is sized for use as a banner in the owner’s chosen social network. Each NFT depicts a unique breakfast scene.
The brand’s packaging has so far featured ape-themed NFT illustrations that Kley owns. But going forward, the company plans to license NFTs from the Bored Breakfast Club community for use in its limited-time package designs.
Despite the on-pack apes, Bored Breakfast Club is not affiliated with Yuga Labs, creator of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.
Bored Breakfast Club’s 12-oz coffee pouches are co-branded with the brand’s own logo and that of coffee roaster Yes Plz. Printed at the top of the pouch, next to the tear line, is the phrase, “Tear to Ape In.” In NFT-speak, “aping in” means rushing into an NFT or cryptocurrency.
The pouches ship in a small corrugated carton; the tape on the carton is decorated with both logos plus whimsical illustrations of coffee cups and breakfast foods. This unboxing video on Twitter displays the packaging for “Greasy Spoon,” Blend Two, which began shipping on April 2, 2022.Image courtesy of Bored Breakfast Club
The brand is currently working on a charitable project, the #StandWithUkraine coffee blend. Bored Breakfast Club will sell this special-edition blend for $25 per pouch, with 100% of proceeds going to refugee and humanitarian efforts in and around Ukraine. The projected ship date for #StandWithUkraine is May 21, 2022.Image courtesy of Bored Breakfast Club
In this exclusive Packaging Digest interview, Brad Klemmer, founder, Kley and Bored Breakfast Club, answers questions about the brand’s packaging, NFTs, and coffee and explains the nuances of this ground-breaking marketing strategy.
Did Kley design all the Bored Breakfast Club NFTs?
Klemmer: Yes, we worked with an illustrator to create the generative scenes. There are millions of possibilities, but only 5,000 were minted.
Who’s the target consumer for Bored Breakfast Club coffee?
Klemmer: We’ve built a community of coffee lovers, both novice and pro. The entire community has been helping to educate one another on how to make a great cup and NFTs alike.
How does the NFT packaging and distribution model appeal to these consumers?
Klemmer: We’ve built an exclusive club that receives tangible rewards in the form of ongoing reward shipments. NFTs give us a tangible connection between our brand and the consumer.
We have access to data and feedback in real time, which helps us make business decisions and give our consumers exactly what they’re looking for, which helps propel our business forward in every aspect, while the consumer is being rewarded with constant and exclusive perks and benefits on an ongoing basis.
In addition to the great coffee they receive, we host a ton of community events in our Discord [community] and are continuously building out our digital content library to help educate people on coffee and how to make a great cup at home — teaching them about what they’re missing out on. And challenging their perception of what quality is. We know that with the smallest amount of effort, they can be enjoying better coffee at home than any coffee shop they may frequent, and at a fraction of the price.
The packaging is something the NFT community loves and shares a [lot] on social. We also have a program we call Blends with Friends, where we feature NFT art from other projects as a way of engaging and collaborating with other projects and communities.
Did you work with Desperate ApeWives (an NFT collection and community) on the Bored Breakfast Club project? If so, what was DAW’s role?
Klemmer: Desperate ApeWives (DAW) was one of our Blends with Friends releases. We simply partnered with them to release a one-time drop featuring a DAW on the packaging.
How do Bored Breakfast Club NFT holders get their NFTs on your packaging?
Klemmer: Currently, the apes on the packaging are owned by Kley, but in the future we’ll be licensing them from our community for use on our ephemeral packaging. Holders will sign a simple contract and be compensated for the use of their ape/NFT.
What is “ephemeral packaging”?
Klemmer: Meaning that each release is unique and one-time. So we don’t have to worry about anyone’s intellectual property (IP) being leveraged after they may have sold the NFT to someone else. [Note: All Bored Breakfast Club blends are unique, limited-time offerings, so all the products are packaged in unique, aka ephemeral, packaging. Three products have shipped to date.]
How do you print your physical coffee packaging?
Klemmer: The bags are digitally printed.
What is your production volume for each blend that you release?
Klemmer: For each release, we roast enough to send one bag per NFT in our collection, which is 5,000.
How often do you ship a new blend?
Klemmer: Currently we’re about five to six weeks apart, but this will be dictated by the funding of the Community Coffee Wallet moving forward. [Note: Reward shipments are completely paid for by the Community Coffee Wallet.]
The Community Coffee Wallet is funded by royalties on secondary market sales — we have a royalty on Bored Breakfast Club NFTs that flows straight into the Community Coffee Wallet — but it’s also a piece of every decision we’ll make moving forward, from merch sales, coffee sales, and Blends with Friends, which are collaborations with other established NFT projects where we release exclusive blends while utilizing the IP of partner projects so they have a way of rewarding their communities with tangible goods. Who doesn’t love coffee?
Can consumers buy Bored Breakfast Club coffee online with a credit card? Or must they use their Bored Breakfast Club NFT to get a shipment of coffee?
Klemmer: Reward shipments are only available to NFT holders, but special-edition drops and Blends with Friends are available to the general public — though NFT holders do receive a discount.
Is there anything else about this packaging, the coffee, and NFTs that you’d like to add?
Klemmer: I’d encourage you to check out our Twitter feed to see holders from all over the world posting their coffee packages.
As consumer demand for takeout and on-the-go foodservice continues to explode, restaurants and other food delivery services need more from their packaging to meet or exceed elevated post-pandemic expectations.
Two decades ago, most food takeout-and-delivery was still centered around two main cuisines — pizza and Chinese food. Certainly, there were other outliers, but those two options had dominated most of the delivery scene for decades. But over the past five to 10 years, and especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant and on-the-go eating industries have witnessed a seismic shift in the way people consume food.
Today, food delivery is a market behemoth, with a global worth more than $150 billion, according to data from McKinsey. That market has more than tripled since 2017 and, in the United States alone, it has more than doubled since the pandemic began. This follows years of steady 8% annual growth.https://0c8f92d1a348dfb4fa44c5ce67051a80.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
And while dine-in continues to have a large share of a restaurant’s revenue, digital ordering and delivery have grown nearly 300% faster than dine-in traffic since 2014. Even restaurants that hadn’t traditionally offered food delivery — including high-end dining — were forced to adapt during the pandemic and have since maintained these delivery options as consumers look for more flexibility in the way they consume prepared foods.
Look and taste go hand-in-hand.
So, now what? Despite the pandemic’s eventual turn into its endemic phase, it seems clear that food delivery, takeout, and on-the-go dining will continue to increase in market share in the near- and long-term future. Added convenience and the ability for delivery to reach new consumers where they live have truly changed the game. Restaurants and other food establishments will have little choice but to adapt to ensure their takeout and delivery options can meet the dine-in experience they’ve worked so hard to perfect.
In this rapidly growing market, staying competitive requires much more than offering delicious (and consistently delicious) food flavor at a competitive value. What used to be a mere afterthought, food presentation and packaging are now becoming the biggest factors in providing customers with a dependable, high-quality delivery, takeout and on-the-go eating experience.
From Michelin Star-winning restaurants and global food chains to local eateries and food trucks, food packaging has quickly become one of the most talked about aspects of food delivery and takeout. Without a proper food packaging strategy, restaurants and food retailers risk sending their customers away with a product that doesn’t accurately reflect the quality, taste, and effort that goes into the food they prepare.
Today, restaurants and other food retailers will need to keep a number of factors top of mind when it comes to the meeting the exploding demand for takeout and on-the-go foodservice. Here are five keys to developing a sound food packaging strategy in 2022 and beyond.
1. Choose food packaging that enhances, not detracts from, your brand and your menu.
With more restaurants and food establishments getting into the takeout and delivery game than ever before, the stakes have no doubt gotten higher. Gone are the days when restaurants and takeout spots could drop their foods in a hinged Styrofoam container, hand it off to the delivery driver, and call it a day. There is simply too much competition when it comes to takeout and delivery to “pack it in” when it comes to packaging.
Unfortunately, restaurants and food retailers lose a significant amount of control between the time the food is prepared and when it eventually reaches the customer’s home. Whether it’s the material, the color, the structure, the size or the shape, food packaging plays a critical role in maintaining the food’s same beautiful look-and-feel from restaurant to the kitchen table. When working with your packaging vendor, choose options that fit your menu, portions, and overall aesthetic you’re working to achieve.
2. Use food packaging that’s designed for food type and temperature.
Packaging can and should improve the aesthetic of takeout and delivery. Those food retailers that understand this will have a selection of packaging options designed for hot foods vs. cold foods and liquids vs. solids.
With the increase in delivery and demand placed on delivery drivers and apps, having food packaging that maintains food’s temperature and integrity as long as possible after it leaves the restaurant is becoming even more important. Reputations are on the line now, and there’s nothing worse than ordering takeout or delivery and getting home to see the food packaging is soggy because it doesn’t have vents to help to manage moisture or the food’s temperature became too cold or too warm because packaging doesn’t fully close and/or wasn’t meant for that specific food type.
3. Go with sustainable packaging, but choose wisely.
Let’s face it — food packaging is a visible representation of a restaurant or food retailer’s sustainability efforts. For many consumers, the idea of getting sustainable packaging is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a necessity, with 55% of Americans saying they are “extremely or very concerned about the environmental impact of product packaging.” And while many consumers may not choose takeout or delivery for the first time based on your sustainable packaging, it can be a reason many become repeat customers. Even local and state regulations have forced restaurants and food retailers to ditch their old destined-for-the-dump packaging in favor of more environmentally friendly options.
Today, there are many options to choose — from paper products made with recycled content and fully compostable pulp products to plastic options that can be recycled as well. As recycling acceptance continues to grow, it still requires diligence from all parties in the value chain to understand what materials your local markets actually accept. Composting infrastructure is limited in many areas, but it does continue to grow and presents another option for customers.
When working with your packaging vendor to choose products, make sure to consider current and future end-of-life scenarios to make the most impact in the markets where you operate. It is always important to ensure that the fitness-for-use of the product is achieved while balancing sustainability goals. In some cases, compostable options may be what’s best; in others, simply going with easily recyclable plastic containers, like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), may be the way to go.
4. Consider the customers’ at-home plating experience.
These days, the assumption should be that customers will eat their food delivery or takeout directly out of the package and won’t spend time putting it on a plate of their own. With that, restaurants and food retailers should also assume that the way they put food in its packaging is the way people will see it as they eat it. Now, for something delivered family-style like a pizza that almost always goes on a plate, this might not matter as much. But for an individual serving multi-course meal or higher-end dining experience where customers are eating directly out of the packaging, this is crucial to think about.
Fortunately, the reality today is that high-end dining delivery doesn’t need to mean high sacrifice when it comes to presentation. As part of maintaining that dine-in experience after the food leaves the restaurant, the food packaging design and selection plays a critical role in a customer’s enjoyment of the food. Be sure to go with table-ready packaging that allows the kitchen to present the food to customers as if they were at the restaurant themselves.
5. Manage different food packaging options with space and cost constraints.
Understandably, after seeing the points above, it can be easy to think that to provide the best takeout and delivery experience requires a dozen or more different types of packaging to fit every restaurant’s individual menu item. Not so.
The best food packaging vendors will work with your specific menu and customer needs to develop a shortlist of options that can be used in a variety of different ways, without sacrificing the way food looks or how the packaging performs. Think options that work for both hot and cold foods or selecting a single base tray that fits multiple lid options — high domes for big sandwiches and salads and flat lids for less hefty items. Finding the right packaging mix is key to success and the right packaging partner can help.
With tight kitchen spaces and even tighter budgets, it should take only a handful of different packaging products to fit a restaurant’s full menu or a larger food retailer’s array of hot and cold options. Those suppliers that try to push too many custom designs aren’t looking out for the best interests of the restaurant and/or food retailer.
If there’s anything restaurants and food retailers have learned over the past few years, it’s to always be adaptable and responsive to whatever is thrown their way. Those food retailers that adjust the quickest will be more able to stay competitive in this changing landscape. The world of food delivery and takeout has changed dramatically in just a short period of time, and it’s never been more valuable than it is now to partner with trusted leaders in the food packaging space.
Sustainable, rolled-edge tray from Cascades is designed for optimal rigidity, and no packaging equipment changes are required.
The sustainable packaging offerings of Cascades, based in Québec, Canada, expand with the launch of the recyclable Cascades Fresh Performa rPET rolled-edge tray. The 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) food tray is compatible with existing high-speed packaging equipment.
A life-cycle assessment of the trays conducted by Groupe AGÉCO shows that greenhouse gas emissions are 69% lower when producing the new rPET trays vs. manufacturing virgin PET trays.
The sustainable packaging offerings of Cascades, based in Québec, Canada, expand with the launch of the recyclable Cascades Fresh Performa rPET rolled-edge tray. The 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) food tray is compatible with existing high-speed packaging equipment.
A life-cycle assessment of the trays conducted by Groupe AGÉCO shows that greenhouse gas emissions are 69% lower when producing the new rPET trays vs. manufacturing virgin PET trays.https://3b8c046b5f7d93d8bfc08b20a1a7310a.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
In addition, the tray design enables minimal use of materials while ensuring ideal rigidity. Corner ribbing provides stiffness and minimizes the risk of warping.
The design also features rolled edges, which prevent film overwrap from tearing. This, in turn, helps prevent food waste and the need for rewrapping.
Cascades
Cascades promotes the product as the first tray with rolled edge technology made of 100% rPET in North America.
How2Recycle has prequalified the 100% rPET tray as widely recyclable in Canada and recyclable in limited communities in the United States. How2Recycle is project of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
“This latest innovation is the fruit of our continuous efforts to find more sustainable solutions and develop a truly circular economy for food packaging. We would like to thank our early-adopter customers for their trust,” said Luc Langevin, president and COO of Cascades Specialty Products Group, in a prepared statement.
Available in several sizes and colors, tray complies with FDA and Health Canada requirements.The product is manufactured at the Cascades Inopak plant in Drummondville, Québec, which is a Safe Quality Food Institute-certified facility.
Cascades Inopak has benefitted from infusions of more than $30 million targeting development of packaging made from 100% recycled PET flakes. The investments are part of Cascades’ plan to grow as a North American leader in environmentally friendly packaging.
In development for three years, the 100% rPET tray aligns with Cascades’ Sustainability Action Plan commitment to make all its packaging products recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2030.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has announced that after some re-organisation, it has acquired Maluti Mountain Breweries’ interest in the soft drinks business, which is now the newly formed entity called Coca-Cola Beverages Lesotho.
The other key shareholders in this venture are the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) and the Ministry of Finance. The deal was signed on 6 October 2020, and all the necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained.
The non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink business in Lesotho will be referred to as Coca-Cola Beverages Lesotho (CCBL) and will operate as a subsidiary of CCBA, with management control. The entity will commence distributing Coca-Cola products from 10 May 2021 and details will be communicated to all customers.
Tsepo Maketela, country manager of CCBL, says that every effort will be made to minimise any disruptions to customers. “We are committed to growing the soft drinks industry and the business in Lesotho and will endeavour to launch new products into the Lesotho market to meet consumer needs. We are also excited to partner with LNDC.”
Enhancing efficiencies and distribution capabilities
Maketela adds, “Lesotho customers will benefit from being part of a consolidated, successful Coca-Cola system that spans 13 other markets on the continent, creating new opportunities for everyone across the value chain. Access to shared best practices will enhance efficiencies and a better distribution capability will provide pervasive av
ailability of cold beverages to end-customers. We will also be able to respond to consumer demand more quickly.”
CCBA is the eighth largest Coca-Cola bottling partner in the world by revenue, and the largest on the continent. It accounts for 40% of all Coca-Cola products sold in Africa by volume.
The company’s African footprint encompasses South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, Comoros, Mayotte, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini and now Lesotho, and the group employs more than 16,000 people directly, almost half of them in South Africa.
“Expanding our African footprint brings huge benefits to local consumers and businesses. By leveraging scale, we can do more for our customers and drive our sustainability goals. The creation of CCBL is another milestone in that strategy,” Maketela concludes.
Beauty brand L’Oréal Paris has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 50% per finished product, and will contribute €10m to environmental projects whose beneficiaries are communities of women around the world.
These announcements form part of the brand’s ‘L’Oréal For the Future, Because our Planet is Worth it’ sustainability programme revealed on Thursday, which lays out a new set of ambitions for 2030. These ambitions build upon its sustainability achievements to date and are aligned with the goals of the larger L’Oréal Group.
“Now is the time to reconcile innovation, sustainability and progress, to make the shift to a circular economy and to reduce the impact of our products,” said Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, global brand president, L’Oréal Paris.
“We are not starting from scratch. Between 2005 and 2020, our factories and distribution centres have already reduced CO2 emissions by 82%, water consumption by 44%, and waste generation by 35%. There is still much work to be done but we will remain strong in our resolve to make a difference and play our part in this race against climate change.”
Reducing the weight of products: To help conserve natural resources and reduce the carbon footprint of products, the brand is working to reduce the weight of packaging. For example, it lowered the weight of the aluminium used in the L’Oréal Paris Men Expert Carbon Protect Aerosol by -5.1 grams per bottle, representing 135 tonnes of aluminium saved annually.
Also, by reducing the weight of the Revitalift jar, L’Oréal Paris reduced the use of glass for this product by 11 grams per jar, saving 434 tonnes of glass annually. Furthermore, the weight of boxes and instructions for hair colour ranges have been reduced, representing an important saving of paper every year.
By 2030, the brand will reduce by 20% in intensity the quantity of packaging. This economy of materials represents a significate optimisation of weight and space in transport, contributing to reduce carbon emissions due to transportation.
Using 100% recycled plastic: L’Oréal Paris is working on accelerating the shift to a circular economy, where materials are kept in use for as long as possible, by optimising packaging recyclability, striving to conserve resources and prevent plastic pollution. This includes using more recycled content in packaging, with the objective of reaching 100% recycled or biobased plastic by 2030 (or 0 virgin plastic).
Embodying change: Since 2020, the L’Oréal Paris haircare range, Elvive, has undertaken a major transformation by targeting 100% recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) for shampoo and conditioner bottles in Europe.
Engaging consumers: To seek alternatives to single-use packaging and propose refill or reuse systems while engaging consumers, L’Oréal Paris will join Loop initiative and take part in a project to trial new types of durable packaging. The new shampoo and conditioner packaging will be made of aluminum, and sold with a deposit, on the retailer’s website. After using the products, consumers will be able to return the packaging to the retailer that will collect and return the packaging to L’Oréal Paris for cleaning and refining.
Improving formulas
To reduce its environmental impact, the brand is improving the biodegradability of its formulas and reducing its water footprint. Among the products launched in 2019, Elvive Full Resist Power Mask and Men Expert Shaving Barber Club Crème de Rasage have levels of biodegradability exceeding 94% (97% and 94% respectively).
Furthermore, to address a more conscious use of water during use phase (which represents 50% of the CO2 footprint of the brand, linked with heating the water for rinsing products) and help reduce the time needed in the shower, the brand also develops formulas that need less water to be rinsed (e.g. More than Shampoo), as well as new beauty routines that require fewer rinsing steps (two-in-one products or non-rinse haircare treatments such as Dream Lengths Management).
Producing sustainably
L’Oréal Paris factories continue their ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions, water consumption and waste generation. Between 2005 and 2020, L’Oréal Paris factories and distribution centres have reduced CO2 emissions by 82%, water consumption by 44%, and waste generation by 35%.
Today, L’Oréal Paris products are made in 26 factories around the world. Eleven of them are already carbon neutral (using 100% renewable energy, without offsetting) and the rest will reach this goal in 2025.
Investment in women empowerment
As women are the primary victims of climate change, L’Oréal Paris will invest €10m in a series of six carbon projects whose beneficiaries are communities of women around the world. Along with financial support, L’Oréal Paris will also develop specific programmes that encourage a greater inclusion of women in leadership of these projects.
In Honduras for example, where local indigenous communities protect and restore mangroves, the brand will support a project managed by a cooperative of women who will receive support and education.
2025 goals:
• 100% of the brand’s factories will be carbon neutral • 50% of plastic will be recycled plastic, among which 100% recycled PET • 100% of L’Oréal Paris’ plastic packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable • €10m invested in environmental projects • 88,515 tonnes of residual carbon emissions by 2025 • 54K hectares protected
2030 goals:
• 100% of all L’Oréal Paris products will be eco-designed • 100% of the plastic will come from recycled or biobased materials • L’Oréal Paris will reduce the quantity of packaging used for its products by 20% in intensity • 100% of L’Oréal Paris’ renewable and mineral raw materials will be sustainably sourced • 95% of the brand’s ingredients will be of renewable origin, derived from abundant minerals or circular processes • 50% less CO2 emissions per product, compared to 2016 • 100% of L’Oréal Paris’ factories will be “waterloop factories” • Carbon emissions intensity linked to transport of products will be reduced by 50% for each product
Ardagh Group has confirmed the completion of its acquisition of Consol, Africa’s largest glass packaging maker by manufacturing capacity
Luxembourg-based Ardagh Group is a global supplier of metal and glass packaging for brand owners around the world, and operates production facilities in multiple countries.
Growing business in Africa
The Consol acquisition, for $1bn including net debt assumed in Consol, represents a significant inward investment for Ardagh into South Africa and other markets in which Consol operates, with further investment planned for two new furnaces.
Consol, headquartered in Johannesburg, and founded in 1944, is the market leader in South Africa where it operates four glass production facilities. It also operates smaller production facilities in Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia. Consol serves a broad range of international, regional and domestic customers, principally in the beer, wine, spirits, food and non-alcoholic beverage sectors.
Following the acquisition of Consol, Ardagh will operate 65 production facilities in 16 countries, on four continents, employ approximately 20,000 people and have annual sales approaching $10bn.
Paul Coulson, chairman and CEO of Ardagh, said, “We are delighted to have completed this strategic acquisition. By combining Ardagh’s global reach with Consol’s know-how on the African continent, we are very well-positioned to partner with our customers to meet the growing consumer demand in Africa for premium, sustainable glass packaging.”
Ardagh Group said its acquisition of Consol will enable further opportunities for future investment in glass manufacturing in Africa. To this end, Ardagh is committed to a third furnace investment at its Nigel facility in Gauteng which will add to the existing N2 expansion project due for start-up in May 2022. These combined investments will total R3bn ($200m) and create more than 250 direct jobs, with significant ancillary supply-chain expenditure resulting from these projects.
Leadership shake-up
On completion of the acquisition, Mike Arnold stepped down as CEO of Consol following a 20-year tenure in that role. Arnold will become a director of Ardagh Glass Packaging Holdings Africa (Pty) Limited and will be part of the Ardagh executive team responsible for growing Ardagh’s presence in Africa. Paul Curnow, previously CEO ddesignate, has succeeded Mike Arnold as CEO. He will also become a director of Ardagh Glass Packaging Holdings Africa (Pty) Limited.
Bruce MacRobert, former chairman of Consol, has become chairman of Ardagh Glass Packaging Holdings Africa (Pty) Limited. He commented: “Ardagh’s investment in Consol and in the expansion of glass production in Africa is testament to Ardagh’s faith in the Consol team and in Africa’s potential.”
South Africa’s Competition Tribunal said it has approved the Consol transaction subject to conditions relating to, among others, “Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment/worker ownership; employment; investment in capacity; glass recycling; the production of dining glassware; and the manufacture of food jars”.
PepsiCo is committed to changing the way packaging is made, used, and disposed across its food system. This pledge sees PepsiCo Sub-Saharan Africa become the first market within PepsiCo’s Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (Amesa) sector to reduce its reliance on virgin plastics and incorporate 20% recycled PET (rPET) in its products.
Increasing the use of materials such as rPET, is part of the ‘Positive Value Chain’ pillar of PepsiCo’s recently announced PepsiCo Positive agenda, which the food and beverage giant says places sustainability at the core of how the company operates.
Driving a circular economy for packaging
PepsiCo has pledged to changing the way packaging is made, used and disposed of across its food system.
“The reduction in the use of virgin plastic packaging, demonstrates the company’s commitment to driving towards a circular economy for packaging and reducing plastic waste,” says Bronwyn Patten, senior franchise director: WECA, PepsiCo SSA. “This means we must recycle and reuse the packaging material that we put into the world. This not only limits waste, but also reduces the carbon footprint of the packaging that we use.”
Pieter Spies, CEO of The Beverage Company, comments, “We are honoured to be the Pepsi bottler of choice in South Africa and to be a part of their aggressive pursuit of creating sustainable packaging solutions. As The Beverage Company we are committed to delivering premium products that promote sustainability while protecting our natural resources. Our research and development strategies are focused on leveraging the most innovative technology available and designing packaging that is of the lightest possible weight.”
He adds, “We have been a contributing member of Petco – the PET Recycling Company – for many years and have participated in driving the Reduce, Re-use, Recycle behaviour among customers by implementing, measuring and expanding on the management of waste to landfill. We believe that it is important to drive the circular economy and are engaging with industry players to see how we can bring multi-disciplined parties together to collaborate to further increase the collection of post-consumer plastics before going to dump sites.”
Reinventing packaging
While recycling helps to reduce emissions and plastic waste overall, PepsiCo says wants to have a bigger impact on the environment. Therefore, the company’s priority has been to tackle one of the key contributors to greenhouse gases by reducing and reinventing its packaging.
As part of the newly introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, the requirement for the beverage packaging industry is inclusion of 10% recycled content in the first year (2022) and leading up to 20% inclusion by year five.
Patten adds, “At PepsiCo, we aspire to a world where packaging never becomes waste. The commitment goes beyond Pepsi brands and the switch to 20% rPET will take place in phases with the 2-litre soft-drinks portfolio already completed. The balance of the product portfolio will be completed during Q1 of 2022.”
The company’s brands, across its food and beverage portfolio, are accelerating their efforts to realise PepsiCo’s sustainable packaging vision and leveraging their influence to educate consumers on recycling and the planetary impacts of their choices. This feeds into the company’s ‘Net Zero Emissions commitment by 2040’ and its sustainable packaging goals, PepsiCo says.
AeroFlexx, a novel packaging for liquids that combines the best attributes of flexibles and rigids to create a new-to-the-world package form using an “air frame” design, has logged several milestones since 2020. That’s when it snagged a starring role on the world’s packaging scene by earning the Flexible Packaging Association’s Highest Achievement Award judged “as contributing most to the advancement of the industry.”
Andrew Meyer, CEO of AeroFlexx, tells us that the packaging is appropriate for “shampoo, conditioner, body wash, laundry care, dish and hand soaps, dressings, condiments such as mustard, ketchup, and mayo, sauces, dips, syrups, and stock concentrates.”
In December, the packaging was awarded the “Made for Recycling” seal from Interseroh. The AeroFlexx flexible bottle is one of the first packages to gain that designation receive the “Made for Recycling” for multiple countries across Europe that offer recycling for rigid polyethylene packaging, meaning consumers have the convenience of recycling AeroFlexx packages just like other widely recycled PE bottles.
Part of the Alba group, Interseroh is involved in all stages of the packaging cycle, from licensing and collection to sorting and processing plastics. The “Made for Recycling” designation was established by Interseroh in partnership with the German bifa environmental institute, which developed the criteria for recycling with a maximum of 20 possible points; Fraunhofer IVV affirmed the assessment method. Only products achieving 18 points or higher achieve the “Made for Recycling” title, with AeroFlexx receiving a 19 out of 20 rating from Interseroh.
“AeroFlexx is honored to be recognized,” says Meyer. “Our commitment to a circular economy is to proactively engage the industry to create an ecosystem whereby no AeroFlexx package ends up in the environment. This designation recognizes the collective commitment and effort across the entire AeroFlexx team as we believe we have an unwavering obligation to our customers, society and future generations to do our part to reduce environmental impacts without compromise on performance or the consumer experience.”
Interseroh notes that the term “recyclability” is understood to mean the extent to which the materials used to manufacture the product can be returned to the material loop at the end of the product’s useful life and therefore close the material loop. Interseroh utilizes a three-stage points system. In the first stage, it is determined whether the consumer can assign the packaging to the right collection system without any problems. In the second stage, how the packaging performs during the sorting process is assessed. In the third stage, an evaluation takes place as to how suitable the packaging is for recycling, and to determine if design features such as labels, colors or barriers make the recycling process more difficult.
Food safety certification.
In September 2021, AeroFlexx received BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Certification (AA grade) for the conversion of raw materials into packaging containers intended for liquid food, beverage, and consumer products. The Global Standard for Packaging Materials was designed to protect the consumer by providing a common basis for the certification of companies supplying packaging to food producers.
“The BRCGS standard is a globally recognized standard which qualifies AeroFlexx for the safety, legality and quality of the AeroFlexx pack,” Meyer points out. “It was important for AeroFlexx to achieve certification as we work with our customers to ensure that AeroFlexx meets the needs of the culinary and food service products market.
As part of the certification process, the BRCGS conducted an audit of AeroFlexx facilities in West Chester, OH, which included AeroFlexx’s operational systems and procedures being assessed against the requirements of the Standard by a third-party certification body.
Additional sustainable attributes.
Achieving recyclability recognition through Interseroh is just the first of many steps AeroFlexx is taking to ensure the packages are compatible with the recycling systems in both Europe and the Americas. Although recyclability is important to ensure customers and brands can achieve their circularity goals, that is not the only environmental attribute the AeroFlexx liquid package affords.AeroFlexx
Benefits for consumers include no-cap, one-step easy tear opening; one-handed precision dispensing to make product last longer; spill-free, self-sealing valve; no messy residue.
The liquid package is significantly lighter than competitors, reducing the amount of plastic used by at least 50% with the ability to incorporate recycled content for further reduction in virgin plastic use. These environmental benefits enable brands to close the loop and meet their circularity goals and progress toward greenhouse gas reduction and reducing waste to landfills.
“Samples are available for brands and customers looking to harness first-mover advantage with AeroFlexx,” explains Meyer. “Commercial scale volumes are expected to be available in the second half of 2022.”
The House of J.C. Le Roux, South Africa’s first dedicated sparkling wine cellar, is excited to reveal an elegantly beautiful new look for their premium Nectar range and equally thrilled to be celebrating Nectar’s new look with the fabulous Dineo Langa, J.C. Le Roux’s newly appointed ambassador, as the face of the campaign.
As consumers’ desire for sophistication and status grows, J.C. Le Roux has refreshed the Nectar variant packaging to reveal a luxurious look that bubbly drinkers will feel proud to clink flutes to with friends and family this festive season. The beautiful new packaging has an updated colour palate of soft coral and lavender and features delicate illustrations of South Africa’s most beloved flora and fauna – the king protea and the Cape sugarbird.
The Nectar Demi-Sec range forms part of J.C. Le Roux’s premium tier, and although the packaging has an elegant new look the range still offers the same sophisticated tastes: the off-dry Nectar Demi-Sec, alive with fruity hints of pears and litchi, and the delicate blush-coloured Demi-Sec Rosé with nuances of berries, plum and tropical fruit.
Nicola Jansen, marketing manager of J.C. Le Roux, says, “The Nectar Demi-Sec range was first launched in 2019 and has always been ideal for bubbly drinkers who are progressing on their sparkling wine journey as it offers a slightly drier, yet accessible taste. The new sophisticated look has now just further elevated the range and offers consumers a premium, aspirational bubbly with an attainable price tag – now that’s worth celebrating!”
Giving consumers another reason to Just Celebrate, J.C. Le Roux has also collaborated with Port of LNG, Dineo Langa’s stylish fashion brand, on a one-of-a-kind bubbly bag allowing consumers to conveniently and fashionably carry J.C. Le Roux Nectar bubbly to any occasion, from picnics to get-togethers with family and friends. These exclusive J.C. Le Roux X Port of LNG bubbly bags can be won through an exciting consumer giveaway on the J.C. Le Roux social media pages. The giveaway starts 1 December 2021 and closes on 15 January 2022.
