Category: News & Updates
Woolworths introduces sustainable paper meat tray
Woolworths has launched a recyclable paper meat tray across a selection of its Own Brand beef nationally. The new paper trays used for Woolworths’ Specially Selected and Grass Fed beef ranges are the first step in a plan to make all Woolworths’ Own Brand red meat trays recyclable over the coming months. The redesign features…
Hong Kong Startup Launches Plastic Bag that Dissolves in Hot Water
A Hong Kong start-up company has launched an eco-friendly plastic bag dubbed “Invisible Bag” which can easily dissolve in hot water (above 80 degrees Celsius). More importantly, its ingredients are non-toxic and will not cause harm to the environment. It started by Devana Ng and her French husband Flavien Chaussegros, who are passionate about trail running.…
New Technology for Food Wrappers Based on Extract from Algae
A Chinese research team based in Qingdao, Shandong province, is developing a new technology for food packaging that is expected to be ecologically friendly and pose no threat to people’s health. Xu Jiachao, a professor at the College of Food Science and Engineering at Ocean University of China, led the research team. The team used…
Think Globally, Act Locally
In the end, Unilever’s recycled material will be used to produce a detergent bottle from 100 percent recycled plastic: an initiative unites five partners in Hamburg and shows how a recycling cycle can function regionally. Stadtreinigung Hamburg, Veolia, Unilever, Budni and TU Hamburg have implemented a local recycling project. Hamburger Stadtreinigung collects the packaging waste in…
Flint Group unveils bio-renewable water-based inks for paperboard
Flint Group Packaging Inks has unveiled TerraCode, a water-based ink and coating range for paper and board packaging applications. TerraCode is available in three variations – Bio, Hybrid and Balance – which are derived from biorenewable resources. The new ink and coating family delivers competitive pH and viscosity stability for low press side ink maintenance.…
Magnum joins Unilever’s circularity charge with recycled tub rollouts
With the assistance of chemicals company SABIC, Unilever will introduce its Magnum ice cream pints range in new tubs and lids made with fully recyclable and recycled polypropylene plastic (rPP). This follows an initial pilot phase in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain last year. This year, more than 7 million rPP Magnum tubs and lids…
Are oxo-biodegradable plastics bad for the environment?
Packaging Gateway looks into what oxo-biodegradable plastics are, whether they’re bad for the environment, and the current debates surrounding the material. Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (OPA) chairman Michael Stephen has said that he was disinvited to the upcoming ‘Plastic Free World Conference & Expo’ in Berlin due to his views on oxo-biodegradable plastics. Stephen told news…
EU introduces plastic waste tax as part of Covid-19 recovery plan
EU leaders have introduced a levy on plastic waste starting January 2021 which will contribute towards the EU’s €750bn Covid-19 recovery package and its overall €1tn 2021 to 2027 budget. The levy will see non-recycled plastic packaging waste calculated at a call rate of €0.80 per kilogram. The document announcing the plastic waste tax does…
Blue Harvest oysters shift into sugarcane packs
Seafood specialist Blue Harvest has taken steps to ensure its oyster packaging is not adding to the ocean plastic problem, choosing compostable sugarcane pulp-based trays supplied by BioPak. The number of single-use plastic trays, wrapped in plastic, currently used in Australia to sell oysters runs into the millions, and although Blue Harvest is in the…
Global Plastics Alliance announces huge increase in marine litter focus
The Global Plastics Alliance (GPA) has announced a huge increase in the number of projects aimed at comabting marine litter in the decade since its inception. The GPA, a collaboration among plastic industry associations around the world, said there are 395 marine litter prevention projects have been planned, underway, or completed as of early 2020…
