Confectionery brand Smarties will be packaged in paper-based materials and moving away from plastic.
The Nestlé-owned brand will switch 90% of its products, as 10% is already packed in paper packaging. Nestlé added that the move will remove around 250 million plastic packs sold worldwide every year.
Sharing bags, multipacks and large hexatube formats will be made from coated paper, paper labels or cartonboard.
Alexander von Maillot, global head of confectionery at Nestlé, said: “Moving Smarties packaging to recyclable paper is one of our key sustainable packaging initiatives in the confectionery category. It is a further step in realising Nestlé’s ambition to make all of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and to reduce our use of virgin plastics by one third in the same period.”
Louise Barrett, head of the Nestlé confectionery product technology centre in York, added: “Developing safe and convenient paper-based solutions for Smarties has required the pioneering of new materials and testing by Nestlé packaging experts at our R&D centre for confectionery in York and at the Swiss-based Institute of Packaging Sciences. We adapted our existing manufacturing lines to allow for the careful handling that is required for paper, while also ensuring recyclability across all new formats.”
Mars Food is to start using recyclable mono-polypropylene plastic (PP) for its microwavable rice pouches in 2021.
Working with Amcor, the project will bring to market the industry’s first food-safe, mono-material microwavable rice pouch.
Launching with an initial pilot in the first half of 2021, the business has ambitions to further scale the technology across its portfolio beginning at the back half of the year.
The breakthrough packaging technology will make the pouches for Mars Food’s household brands such as Ben’s Original and Seeds of Change recyclable, where infrastructure exists.
The companies are in the final stages of development of the new pouch and the first packs will launch in limited European markets by mid-year 2021.
The breakthrough is a result of a three-year partnership between Mars Food and Amcor.
Mars Food saod it accelerated the development of the new material through rigorous testing and conducted significant scale up tests in its production facilities in the UK. Working in collaboration with Amcor, it then ensured the material development met all its functional requirements while protecting product quality and safety.
Amcor have led the packaging development through their material science and packaging sustainability expertise. This upcoming launch builds on Amcor’s recent AmLite HeatFlex Recyclable breakthrough.
This will be its first application for microwaveable food and the first in a stand-up pouch format.
Fiona Dawson, global president, Mars Food, multisales and global customers: “This is a huge step for us towards our 2025 commitment of 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging. We believe in tackling the world’s sustainability challenges together, and through this partnership with Amcor, we will pilot, learn and then scale the volume of recyclable mono-polypropylene pouches across our portfolio.”
Michael Zacka, president Amcor Flexibles EMEA, added: “Launching our recyclable retort material in a stand-up pouch format that meets stringent food safety standards is a challenge, and Mars Food took this journey together with us. It will be a win when their brands deliver this innovation to consumers.”
The progress is part of Mars’ Sustainable Packaging Plan, which outlines the business’ commitment and plans to achieve 100% recyclable, compostable or reusable packaging by 2025.
The project will also move Amcor closer to achieving its pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025.
Unilever has developed ‘a groundbreaking new technology’ that will enable the food industry to recycle used multi-layer sachets.
Billions of plastic sachets are thrown away globally every year yet only 14% of all plastic packaging is currently recycled, Unilever said. Its new technology, called the CreaSolv Process, will aim to address this by converting used sachets into plastic and channelling them back into the supply chain.
The pioneering technology has been developed in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Germany. It forms part of the Anglo-Dutch company’s Sustainable Living Plan, after it teamed up with two food waste organisations to reduce the amount of food sent to landfill each year.
Unilever chief R&D officer, David Blanchard, said: “Billions of sachets are used once and just thrown away, all over the world, ending up in landfill or in our waterways and oceans. At the start of this year we made a commitment to help solve this problem, developing new recycling technologies.
“We intend to make this technology open source and would hope to scale the technology with industry partners, so others – including our competitors – can use it.
“There is a clear economic case for delivering this. We know that globally $80-120-billion is lost to the economy through failing to properly recycle plastics each year. Finding a solution represents a huge opportunity.
“We believe that our commitment to making 100% of our packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable will support the long-term growth of our business.”
Sachets suit developing markets
Sachets are popular in developing and emerging markets, where they are an efficient to allow low-income consumers to buy small amounts of product that would otherwise be unaffordable. But until now, faced with no viable recycling solution, the sachets have been discarded for landfill or ended up as litter.
The CreaSolv Process has been adapted from a method used in the recycling of televisions to separate brominated flame retardants from waste electrical and electronic equipment polymers.
During the process, the plastic is recovered from the sachet, and the plastic then used to create new sachets for Unilever products in what the company described as ‘a full circular economy approach’.
Dr. Andreas Mäurer, Department Head of Plastic Recycling at the Fraunhofer IVV said, “With this innovative pilot plant we can, for the first time ever, recycle high-value polymers from dirty, post-consumer, multi-layer sachets.
“Our aim is to prove the economic profitability and environmental benefits of the CreaSolv Process. Our calculations indicate that we are able to recover six kilos of pure polymers with the same energy effort as the production of one kilo of virgin polymer.”
Unilever will open a pilot plant in Indonesia later this year to test the long-term commercial viability of the technology.
Indonesia is ‘a critical country’ for the technology, Unilever said, with 64-million tonnes of waste a year and 1.3-million tonnes ending up in the ocean.
To tackle the industry-wide sachet problem, Unilever is looking to create a sustainable system change by setting up waste collection schemes to channel the sachets to be recycled.
It is testing this by working with local waste banks, governments and retailers and will look to empower waste pickers, integrate them into the mainstream economy and provide a potential long term income.
The goal and the motivation behind the whole PETnology concept “connecting comPETence” is to bring together issues raised by end users, key market challenges and industry solutions to current and future business challenges.
PETnology events and services gives you the opportunity to become involved in creating solutions to market challenges that could have a direct influence on packaging, machinery and your business. Our events, our magazine connecting comPETence in print and App version, as well as our online tools – comPETence online and comPETence center – are helping the packaging and filling industry to talk about these market challenges and develop industrial solutions.
A Fully Virtual Event To Discuss Material Innovations, Technologies & Circular Economy Solutions To Create A World FREE From Waste Plastic
Due to the ongoing complexity of the global health emergency, and after consulting with our exhibitors, speakers, and advisory board members, it has been decided that Plastic Free World Conference & Expo Europe and Plastic Free World Conference & Expo North America will join forces to create the world’s first fully virtual event to connect businesses, manufacturers, materials experts, governments, NGO’s, recyclers, and the plastic industry to discuss solutions to help create a world free from plastic waste.
Plastic Free World Virtual Summit 2020 will take place live on November 9-10, and on-demand for 30 days, with over 200 expert speakers and individual presentations, more than 25 panel discussions, a fully interactive exhibition, 5 individual conference tracks, and dedicated networking sessions allowing more people than ever from all corners of the world to share the latest in-depth industry knowledge to help the world tackle the rising issue of waste plastic in the environment.
With ever-evolving regulations on single-use plastics and increasing global urgency to find new solutions that will address the global plastic waste challenge, we are delighted to still be able to offer the opportunity to connect and exchange the latest innovations on our virtual platform in 2020 and we look forward to welcoming you all to our live events in the future when conditions allow.
Schoeller Allibert has launched a new and upgraded version of its Maxinest container for the food processing and grocery retail markets.
Jon Walkington, retail and system integrator sales director at Schoeller Allibert UK, commented: “Maxinest Evo represents the evolution of the original Maxinest range of products which, after facilitating hundreds of millions of journeys since their mass-adoption in the 1990s, remains the standard on which food and grocery retail supply chains operate today.
“During the past 30 years, numerous companies have tried to replicate the original Maxinest container, resulting in a range of ‘copy-cat’ products boasting a lower price point but with typically short-lived performance. With a combination of input from the world’s leading injection moulding technology companies and Schoeller Allibert’s unique plastic engineering know-how, the Maxinest Evo range of products has been born.”
Produced for retailers operating in a new era of e-commerce and supply chain complexity brought about by COVID-19, the company says that Maxinest Evo is the ideal solution for in-store display, home delivery, click & collect and intra-logistics.
The enhanced range includes extra ventilation, without compromising structural integrity, for better food preservation during transit.
With in-house European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved recycling sites, Maxinest Evo is manufactured from EFSA food-approved PP material, reportedly guaranteeing safety in the food supply chain. The company says that its manufacturing process also upholds its commitment to creating a circular economy.
Walkington added: “We developed Maxinest Evo in response to increasing calls from customers to optimise efficiency, whilst also ensuring the product is more environmentally friendly to drive down waste and cost through the supply chain. No similar product can provide the strength, durability, length of service, and sustainability, at the same price point, as that of Maxinest Evo.
“These totes are high value-add, returnable, reusable, and recyclable. Not only are the containers compatible with the existing Maxinest range, but we can process reclaimed material from old or damaged containers and recycle them to manufacture new products, minimising our waste and environmental impact.”
Consumer goods giant Unilever has stepped up its strategy to incorporate more recycled plastic, as well as reducing its use of the material.
The company said that one year on from its pledge to halve its use of virgin plastic by 2025, it has increased its use of post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) to around 75,000 tonnes. Unilever added that it expects its use of PCR to double in the next 12 months.
Unilever has also said that it plans to save 4,500 tonnes of plastic through the launch of innovations such as recyclable paper-based ice cream tubs.
Unilever chief executive Alan Jope said: “Throwaway culture and throwaway business models continue to dominate our lives and damage our planet. Despite challenging conditions, we must not turn our backs on plastic pollution. It is crucial that we – and the rest of the industry – stay the course, cut the amount of plastic we use, and rapidly transition to a circular economy.”
Richard Slater, Unilever’s chief R&D officer added: “To tackle the root causes of plastic waste we need to think differently about packaging. We need bold innovations that challenge existing designs, materials and business models. Our priority is to fundamentally rethink our approach to packaging, and pave the way for new solutions such as reusable and refillable formats.
“By adopting a ‘test, learn and refine’ mentality, we’ve developed innovative solutions that will help people cut their use of plastic for good. One product doing just that is our ultra-concentrated formula for OMO which is diluted at home and uses 72% less plastic. After a successful launch in Brazil, we’re now rolling this out in other countries across Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Similarly, our Cif Ecorefill started out as a pilot in the UK and has since been rolled out across Europe, Canada and Australia.
“It’s still early days. But by making refill and reuse formats more widely available, accessible, and affordable, we hope to use our scale and reach to drive lasting change.”
A Fully Virtual Event To Discuss Material Innovations, Technologies & Circular Economy Solutions To Create A World FREE From Waste Plastic
Due to the ongoing complexity of the global health emergency, and after consulting with our exhibitors, speakers, and advisory board members, it has been decided that Plastic Free World Conference & Expo Europe and Plastic Free World Conference & Expo North America will join forces to create the world’s first fully virtual event to connect businesses, manufacturers, materials experts, governments, NGO’s, recyclers, and the plastic industry to discuss solutions to help create a world free from plastic waste.
Plastic Free World Virtual Summit 2020 will take place live on November 9-10, and on-demand for 30 days, with over 200 expert speakers and individual presentations, more than 25 panel discussions, a fully interactive exhibition, 5 individual conference tracks, and dedicated networking sessions allowing more people than ever from all corners of the world to share the latest in-depth industry knowledge to help the world tackle the rising issue of waste plastic in the environment.
With ever-evolving regulations on single-use plastics and increasing global urgency to find new solutions that will address the global plastic waste challenge, we are delighted to still be able to offer the opportunity to connect and exchange the latest innovations on our virtual platform in 2020 and we look forward to welcoming you all to our live events in the future when conditions allow.
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. Last year, they saw the mountains full of plastic waste and decided to do their part for the planet by reducing the amount of waste. They founded Distinctive Action to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly products. The Invisible Bag is made of Polyvinyl Alcohol (known as PVA) together with plant-based starch, glycerin and water.
After soaking in water for a few minutes, the Invisible Bag will dissolve in hot water, which will turn milky white. However, it is environmentally safe, non-toxic, biodegradable, and leaves no microplastics behind, according to the Distinctive Action’s official website.
The bag material is commonly used in industries, such as medical and personal care applications. Distinctive Action aims to general use as an alternative solution to replace conventional plastics.
The use of Eco-bags are increasingly being used by small shops with the same goal, such as second-hand clothing stores, coffee shops, restaurants and more. The Invisible Bag can hold 3-4kg.
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 alginate, an extract from brown algae, rather than plastic, to make food wrappers.
“The food wrapper can achieve 100 percent degradation in 6 to 12 months, without any environmental pollution,” said Xu, adding that it is also safe for people. It can endure temperatures ranging from -80 to 120 C.
Xu and his team started their research in 2012 and conducted tens of thousands of experiments. “Alginate is renewable and nontoxic, and has excellent film-forming properties when crosslinked by calcium ions. But it tends to be fragile,” said Xu, who has focused on research of marine creatures for many years.
Finally, the team added another ion and tried to make the new food wrapper stronger. They called it “double-ions film-forming technology” and have applied for a patent. “The technology still needs improving, and we will conduct more experiments,” Xu said.
Most food wrappers in the market to date are made from plastic.
