Category: News & Updates

Aldi is trialling a paper band for its bananas in a move estimated to remove 234 tonnes of plastic packaging from its operations every year.

The company’s midi bananas, Nature’s Pick five-pack, Organic six-pack, and other selected banana lines will replace their conventional plastic bags with a paper band.

If the trial is successful, it is anticipated to cut around 234 tonnes of plastic packaging every year.

“At Aldi, we know how important reducing plastic is to our customers, colleagues and the future of the planet,” said Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging director at Aldi. “We are constantly reviewing ways we can do this, and our latest trial on bananas is another great step on that journey.”

Other plastic reduction efforts from Aldi include a transition into 100% rPET for all its own-brand soft drink and water bottles – expected to save 10,000 tonnes of virgin plastic yearly – and home-recyclable, paper-based wrap packaging for its own-brand butter lines, which is expected to remove over 10 tonnes of non-recyclable paper packaging every year.

Meanwhile, Tesco is trialling a recyclable cardboard container and etching product information directly onto its avocado products in an effort to save up to 25 million plastic trays and almost a million stickers.

Sainsbury’s is also implementing kerbside recyclable cardboard trays for its own-brand chicken and fish lines. Aiming to save 694 tonnes of plastic annually, the new packaging features an on-pack logo designed to help consumers identify products sold in reduced plastic packaging.

Source:

https://packagingeurope.com/news/plastic-banana-packaging-switched-out-in-favour-of-paper-bands-at-aldi

With help from DS Smith, Pladis claims to have reduced 78% of plastic – and, with it, over 373,248kg of CO2 so far – from its Jacob’s Cream Crackers box while retaining its tamperproof seal.

Motivated by increasing retailer and consumer demand for sustainability-minded solutions, Pladis reached out to DS Smith in hopes of developing new packaging for its Jacob’s Crackers Selection pack that would minimize the amount of plastic in the shell of the packaging without sacrificing its tamperproof elements.

Designers at DS Smith have reportedly tested the resultant pack. It is now said to contain 78% less plastic and saved over 373,248kg of CO2 to date, while simultaneously achieving recyclability and meeting the same standards of print quality as the previous box.

To redesign the pack, DS Smith utilized its Circular Design Metrics, which rate and compare a packaging design’s circularity across eight different indicators. Apparently, they have enabled the company to present around 3,000 ‘circular-ready’ projects to its customers every month.

“The challenge with attempting to cut plastic out of packaging often means it can compromise the design,” said Paul Bridge, Cluster D&I manager at DS Smith. “By applying our unique Circular Design Metrics, we came up with a solution that ensured that we ended up with a finished product that had 78% less plastic.”

David Guy, packaging director at Pladis UK&I, added: “We were delighted to work with DS Smith, and they really hit our brief, finding a solution which worked with our current manufacturing set-up without compromising on branding.”

The new Jacob’s Cream Crackers box is now available on-shelf.

It is expected to feed into DS Smith’s Now and Next strategy, which includes designing waste and pollution out of packaging, keeping materials in use, and decarbonizing its operations and value chain.

In a specific example, it intended to reduce or remove one billion pieces of primary or secondary plastic packaging from its consumer goods by 2025 – a target that the company has just surpassed across its European and North American markets, replacing a reported 1.2 billion pieces of plastic sixteen months in advance.

Sainsbury’s has made a similar development by selling its own-brand chicken and fish line in kerbside recyclable cardboard trays. In total, the trays are expected to save 694 tonnes of plastic annually, with the new own-brand salmon fillet trays specifically set to cut plastic by 70%.

WestRock and Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages also plan to replace around 200,000 pounds of plastic rings used in multipack bottled drinks with recyclable paperboard carriers, having successfully installed new equipment at the bottler’s production facility in Philadelphia.

Source:

https://packagingeurope.com/news/78-of-plastic-cut-from-cream-cracker-box-in-ds-smith-and-pladis-partnership

Aiming to remove 78 tonnes of virgin plastic annually, Aldi is incorporating a minimum of 35% recycled content into its Specially Selected Hand Cooked crisp range, with its own-label popcorn and lentil chip ranges set to follow later this year.

The new crisp packets have already rolled out across the UK. They are expected to help the retailer implement 50% recycled content into its plastic packaging by 2025.

Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging director at Aldi, commented:“At Aldi, we are continuously making changes when it comes to reducing plastic waste, and we know how important this is to our customers too.

“Increasing the recycled content in our crisp packaging is just one way we are helping our customers to reduce their environmental impact, with all these little changes adding up to make an even bigger difference.”

The move is another step in Aldi’s efforts to cut down on plastic packaging in its operations. A recent development comes in the form of a trial, in which Aldi is replacing plastic bags with paper bands to package its banana products – a transition expected to remove 234 tonnes of plastic packaging every year, if successful.

Its own-brand soft drinks and bottled water ranges were also said to be the first in England and Wales to transition into 100% recycled PET (excluding caps and labels) last month.

In other crisp-related news, PepsiCo Europe is supporting investment to scale GreenDot’s recycling solutions and incorporate the resultant plastic recyclate into its snacks packaging – aligining with its plans to remove all virgin fossil-based plastic in all its crisp and chip bags by 2030.

Also, KP Snacks’ Tyrrells crisp range – specifically 150g bags of its Lightly Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar, Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper, and Mature Cheddar & Chive flavours – will now contain 25% recycled soft plastics in hopes of lowering the brand’s reliance on virgin plastics.

Source:

https://packagingeurope.com/news/at-least-35-recyclate-to-enter-aldis-crisp-popcorn-and-lentil-chip-bags

John West has worked with Schubert Packaging Systems, CCL Label, and Touch Design to implement an aluminium strip into its ambient tuna packaging – designed to be recycled with the can and avoid 65 tons of plastic shrink wrap every year.

The new Ecotwist solution replaces conventional shrink wrap with an aluminium strip, or Smartstrip, which consumers can twist and pull to open the pack. Apparently, it has been independently verified as fully recyclable – meaning consumers can recycle their tuna cans, with the strip still attached, via kerbside recycling in the UK.

As well as removing 65 tons of plastic shrink wrap from John West’s supply chain, it is said to avoid the approximate equivalent of 300 tons of cardboard annually.

The solution falls in line with John West’s target to apply sustainable packaging to 100% of its products by 2025.

“We tested around 20 sustainable packaging concepts,” explained James Pryor, managing partner at Touch Design. “The John West brief was to create a ‘Multipack 2.0’ with minimal packaging to remove the plastic shrink and meet John West’s sustainable packaging targets whilst keeping the integrity of a multi-pack.

“Other packaging ideas would have required more material or added weight to each can, which John West wanted to avoid. We refined Ecotwist to be the simplest and most elegant solution.”

CCL Label’s role in the collaboration included striking a balance between ensuring that the aluminium Smartstrips were easy to open for consumers of all ages, yet maintaining their durability to survive stacking and transportation.

“Twisting and pulling a can off had to be a sensory experience,” said Wayne Firth, UK Sales and Marketing director at CCL Label. “The Smartstrip needed to feel right, sound right, and look right.

“The labels we developed had to incorporate a lot of characteristics and the right amount of adhesiveness, which we ensured by subjecting the can towers to rigorous tests to ensure durability and ease of use.”

Meanwhile, Schubert Packaging Systems sought to combine Touch Design’s concept, CCL Label’s aluminium strip, and John West’s requirements into a bespoke, industrial-scale packaging line.

Cyrille Zimmermann, project manager at Schubert, commented: “We designed, built and commissioned a groundbreaking new packaging technology that no one else has in this category anywhere in the world, giving John West a significant competitive edge to further differentiate itself in sustainable packaging.”

“We redesigned our cans to look more contemporary with added height, full lithography and an easy-open lid,” concluded Vikki Babb, international marketing director at John West. “We made the cans lighter and now pack the same amount of tuna into a lighter-weight can, saving over 400 tons of steel annually.

“We also reduced the other contents like sunflower oil, spring water, or brine that consumers typically discard, to save an additional 1,500 tonnes of waste a year. These changes lower our greenhouse gas emissions and move large volumes of our products into fully recyclable packaging to deliver against our sustainability commitments.”

Ecotwist is currently available in Asda stores, with other major retailers set to supply the packaging in future.

It has also been nominated as a finalist in the Pre-Commercialized Recyclable Packaging category at this year’s Sustainability Awards, with the awards ceremony taking place at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Amsterdam this November.

Last year, Tata Steel and Grupo Calvo produced a canned tuna pack from Tata Steel’s Protact, a steel substrate with a three-layer polymer coating on each side. It sought to lightweight steel packaging, reduce food waste, and stand out on the shelf, with its reported organoleptic properties set to preserve the product’s taste.

In another approach, Sainsbury’s has transitioned its own-brand fish and chicken lines into kerbside recyclable cardboard trays. The move is expected to save a total of 649 tonnes of plastic every year and contribute to the retailer’s own plastic reduction targets.

Source:

https://packagingeurope.com/news/john-west-tuna-sealed-with-recyclable-aluminium-strip-in-industry-collaboration

In its 2023 ESG Summary Overview, PepsiCo estimates that it will fall 2% short of its target to design 100% of its packaging for recyclability, compostability, biodegradability, or reusability by 2025 – attributing its doubts to “a unique set of challenges”.

Compared to a 2020 baseline, PepsiCo claims to have cut virgin plastic from non-renewable sources by 1% per serving across its global beverages and convenient foods portfolio. Its absolute tonnage of virgin plastic derived from non-renewable resources was said to have increased from -11% in 2022 to -6% in 2023.

In line with its goal to implement 50% recycled content into its plastic packaging by 2030, the company is thought to have utilized 10% across its portfolio last year. More than 30 markets sold at least one PepsiCo product packaged in 100% rPET (excluding caps and labels), the report states.

PepsiCo claims to have sold 10% of its beverage servings in reusable models, including its SodaStream platform, fountain beverages delivered in reusable containers, returnable glass and plastic bottles, and concentrates and powders sold to consumers. This keeps the company on track to reach its 20% target for reuse servings by 2030.

It is also thought to have become the first beverage company to announce a North American roll-out of a paper-based replacement for plastic rings on all beverage multipacks in 2023.

In another sustainability target, PepsiCo aspires to design 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, or reusable (RCBR) by 2025. As of 2023, the percentage had reached 89% – and, at the current rate, PepsiCo believes that its target will not be reached in two years’ time.

“While achieving our packaging goals comes with a unique set of challenges to overcome, we continued to work toward our ambitions in 2023,” the report says. “Given those challenges, we currently project that, by 2025, we will have designed 98% of our packaging to be RCBR and that 92% of our packaging will be overall RCBR—that is, both designed to be RCBR and RCBR based on availability of end of life solutions.

“This current projection has us short of our 100% goal, but, we continue with our ambition to innovate, invest and partner to progress further.”

The news comes after Unilever scaled back its original target of halving virgin plastic consumption by 2025; instead, it now plans to reduce consumption by a third by 2026. Critics accused the corporation of prioritizing financial performance over sustainable progress, with fears arising that 100,000 tons of fresh plastic could now be produced annually. However, others felt that the decision was a realistic one.

In response, we caught up with Pablo Costa, Unilever’s Global head of Packaging. He told us that the company is “doubling down rather than watering down” its efforts to cut down on plastic pollution, and is “more determined than ever” to find alternative solutions.

Similarly, Colgate-Palmolive believes that “industry-wide challenges” regarding flexible packaging will mean it will miss its targets to achieve recyclability, reusability, and compostability across its packaging range by 2025. Chairman, president and CEO Noel Wallace stated that, “while we have set clear targets in areas such as using less plastic and more recycled plastic and making all of our packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable, we also need to work with others towards systemic changes that no company can achieve alone.”

Source:

https://packagingeurope.com/news/pepsico-could-fail-to-meet-sustainability-goals-esg-report-reveals

Rectangular bottle is fully recyclable and allows for customized branding on all four sides.

Global sustainable packaging leader Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) has launched a customizable, rectangular Domino bottle available with up to 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic for the beauty, home, and personal care markets.

The 250ml Domino bottle includes a 75-millimetre-wide front face and customizable side panels. This allows all four sides of the container to be printed, maximizing opportunities for brands to create unique packaging experience with high impact shelf presence. The side panels can be further customized with distinctive, textured embossing or debossing to create a tactile experience for consumers.

Manufactured in high density polyethylene (HDPE), the Domino bottle is fully recyclable where appropriate collection schemes exist. And the neck is suitable for a variety of caps and closures, including the recently launched Wave2cc all plastic dispenser. The rectangular bottle shape also allows for more efficient stacking, minimizing wasted space on shelf and during transportation and storage.

The Domino bottle is available through Berry Agile Solutions, which specialises in rapid sample delivery, low-cost customisation options, and low minimum order quantities – to help brands stay on top of the latest consumer trends.

“In a retail environment where consumers are influenced by how brands are presented on-shelf, impactful packaging and graphic design is critical,” said Joe Horton, Sales and Marketing Director at Berry Agile Solutions. “We want companies to be able to easily create eye-catching designs in line with their own brand objectives. Domino helps brands quickly respond to current consumer trends and create the ‘Wow’ factor at lower cost.”

For more information on the Domino bottle, visit berryglobal.com.

Source:

https://spnews.com/domino-bottle/

Energy giant ExxonMobil has collaborated with the value chain (including Henkel) to develop a high-barrier, recyclable MDO-PE//PE laminate to address demands for recyclable packaging.

The new solution is said to meet functional requirements for a wide range of food packaging applications, from dry goods to liquids, and offer ‘stiffness and clarity’.

The materials include:

• MDO-PE film: Exceed S, Enable, ExxonMobil HD7165Ml polyethylene
• PE Sealant film: Enable, Exceed S, ExxonMobil HDPE
• Lamination and barrier coatings layer: Printing ink, LOCTITE LIOFOL, vacuum-metallized layer

Source:

ww.packagingnews.co.uk/news/markets/food/exxonmobil-co-develops-high-barrier-duplex-mdo-pe-pe-laminate-packaging

US – BlueTriton Brands, an American beverage company, has unveiled its latest initiative to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship: introducing new aluminum bottle packaging.  

The company’s iconic brands, including Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Arrowhead, and Pure Life, will spearhead this transition to more eco-friendly packaging options. 

In collaboration with 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses dedicated to environmental conservation, BlueTriton has pledged to donate 1% of aluminum bottle sales to support environmental organizations within the network.  

This commitment underscores the company’s dedication to positively impacting the environment and supporting initiatives that align with its sustainability goals. 

Kheri Holland Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer at BlueTriton, expressed excitement about the launch of the aluminum bottle packaging, emphasizing the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and responsible water stewardship.  

Tillman stated, “This packaging exemplifies BlueTriton’s long-term commitment to sustainability and being responsible water stewards.”

Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, commended BlueTriton for joining their network of change-makers and praised the company’s efforts to protect the planet and serve communities.  

Williams stated, “We applaud BlueTriton’s efforts and commitment to ensuring all communities can access safe, sustainably sourced drinking water while giving back to the natural resources providing it.”

The introduction of aluminum packaging aligns with BlueTriton’s 2030 Sustainability Goals, which include a commitment to 100 percent recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging.  

The company’s dedication to sustainability extends beyond packaging initiatives, encompassing efforts to maintain resilient water sourcing, diversify water collection sources, and protect critical watersheds and wetlands. 

BlueTriton aims to replenish 100 percent of water used or displaced by its sites in priority regions facing shared water challenges by 2030.  

Additionally, the company strives to maintain independent water stewardship verification for its entire enterprise and aims to achieve this for 100 percent of its sites in priority regions. 

To support these goals, BlueTriton has assembled a dedicated team of National Resource Managers, comprising geologists, hydrogeologists, and engineers, who work tirelessly to understand and sustainably manage the company’s water resources.  

These efforts ensure long-term sustainability and access to healthy hydration for future generations. 

Through its partnership with 1% for the Planet and the introduction of aluminum bottle packaging, BlueTriton reaffirms its commitment to environmental responsibility and sets a precedent for sustainable practices within the beverage industry. 

Source:

https://www.foodbusinessafrica.com/blue-triton-brands-introduces-aluminum-bottle-packaging

Tesco plans to save nearly a million stickers and up to 25 million plastic trays in its avocado product lines by laser etching product information directly onto the fruit and trialling a recyclable cardboard container.

Barcode stickers will be removed from Tesco’s loose, extra-large avocados. Instead, Westfalia Fruit’s technology will remove a small section of the top layer of avocado skin, with a computer programme directing high-powered lasers to etch information (e.g. fruit size or variety) directly onto the fruit in a third of a second.

“We’re always looking for innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products, and cut down on plastic waste in the home through changes to our packaging,” said Lisa Gilbey, avocado buyer at Tesco. “We’re really excited to hear customer feedback on our new laser-etched avocados, avoiding the need for a barcode sticker that can easily be forgotten and left on when recycling through household food waste.”

Apparently, Westfalia Fruit has conducted ‘extensive’ trials to ensure that laser etching does not impact the quality, shelf life, or taste of the avocados.

General manager Graham Isaac commented: “Westfalia Fruit continually seeks ways to improve our environmental performance and operate in a responsible manner, by focusing on priorities such as reducing and wherever possible, removing plastic from our packaging to contribute to solving the plastic waste challenge.

“We are confident that, with a clear focus and united effort as an industry, we will be able to significantly reduce our waste, use natural resources responsibly and protect the environment and biodiversity for all our futures.”

Tesco will simultaneously implement a cardboard container into two of its most popular avocado lines, aiming to simplify recycling for consumers. If the move is rolled out across all Tesco stores, it is expected to save over 20 million plastic trays from the twin-pack avocado range alone, and up to 25 million across the pre-packed range.

Around 270 Tesco stores in south-east England will conduct the trials. If consumer feedback is positive, the changes are set to be rolled out across its stores.

Almost 70 million avocados are sold at Tesco stores every year, the retailer reports, with demand for the fruit said to have increased by 15% in the last year.

Late last year, Tesco told The Grocer that the UK government should ban fruit and vegetable packaging to level the playing field between marketing competitors in the fight against waste. However, other retailers were cautious about selling fresh produce loose, fearing a negative impact on product quality and consumer uptake.

In other news, Gamma Supplies Ltd has unveiled a certified paper-based, home-compostable, and biodegradable label for direct contact with fresh produce like avocados. Reportedly, it breaks down at the same rate as food skins without leaving harmful toxins in the compost.

Source:

https://packagingeurope.com/news/tesco-etches-product-information-onto-avocado-skin-and-trials-cardboard-trays