Aptar Food + Beverage has announced a partnership with REBO on a reusable water bottle that uses smart technology to help customers stay hydrated, all while funding the collection of tossed-away plastic bottles in developing countries.
The REBO water bottle uses Bluetooth technology embedded in its cap to track the amount of water consumed. A personalized hydration app (iOS and Android) syncs with the REBO bottle’s smart cap to track health goals. The bottle lights up and sends consumers reminders to stay hydrated.
Meanwhile, every time the user refills the REBO bottle, a credit is produced which funds the collection of a tossed-away plastic bottle. This is part of the business model that REBO has created to enable the funding of ocean-bound plastic waste collections in developing regions
On a macro level, Aptar has committed to increasing the amount of recycled material in its products and improving the recyclability, reusability, or composability of their products by 2025, as aligned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Commitment.
“Aptar is committed to contributing to a more circular economy that will help our customers and partners achieve their sustainability targets, while creating a positive impact on our people and the planet,” says Jerome Magniet, president of global market development at Aptar.
“The partnership with REBO allows us to advance our market knowledge for emerging trends and leverage our manufacturing, regulatory, and innovation expertise.”
“Progressing on the battle against plastic waste in our oceans is in our hands,” adds PierAndrea Quarta, founder and CEO of REBO. “REBO puts technology in your hands to make an immediate impact on the environment while you drink.”
Earlier this year, REBO joined Adidas and Parley in the fight against plastic waste with the creation of a limited-edition bottle for Run for the Oceans 2021, a movement that sought to unite over 50 million people against plastic waste.
The ban on supplying plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds has come into force in England with effect from 1 October 2020.
It’s estimated that people in England use 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers, and 1.8 billion plastic cotton buds every year, many of which find their way into the ocean.
By banning the supply of these items, the government believes it can further protect marine wildlife and move one step closer to its ambition of eliminating all avoidable plastic waste.
UK environment secretary George Eustice said: “Single-use plastics cause real devastation to the environment and this government is firmly committed to tackling this issue head-on. We are already a world-leader in this global effort.
“Our 5p charge on single-use plastic bags has successfully cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets, we have banned microbeads, and we are building plans for a deposit return scheme to drive up the recycling of single-use drinks containers.
“The ban on straws, stirrers and cotton buds is just the next step in our battle against plastic pollution and our pledge to protect our ocean and the environment for future generations.”
Ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton bud sticks ‘fantastic news’, says charity boss
The government has said that disabled people and those with medical conditions will be able to request a plastic straw when visiting a pub or restaurant, as well as purchase them from pharmacies.
This includes the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance and the Commonwealth Litter Programme, which aims to prevent plastic waste from reaching the ocean in the first place.
The government is also committed to launching a £500m ($643m) Blue Planet Fund to protect the ocean from plastic pollution, warming sea temperatures and overfishing.Charity the Marine Conservation Society’s head of clean seas Dr Laura Foster said: “It’s fantastic news that the ban on plastic cotton bud sticks, stirrers and straws is now in place.
“The results of our annual Great British Beach Clean have shown a decrease in cotton bud sticks littering British beaches.
“In 2017 we found an average of 31 cotton bud sticks per 100 metres of beach, and in 2019 we found just eight on beaches in England.
“This reflects that many companies have already made the switch away from plastic, in cotton buds and other items, something we need to see more companies doing.
“Only with ambitious policy and forward-thinking brands and companies, can we truly stop the plastic tide.”
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 Kellogg’s brand in the UK is trialling a canister made of recycled paper – which is widely recyclable – that will likely shape the Pringles’ tube of the future.
The move is part of the breakfast cereal and snacks giant’s company-wide commitment to transform to 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.
Launched in partnership with Tesco, the pilot is taking place in three of the grocer’s outlets across East Anglia from September 9, 2020 for six weeks for the Pringles 200g Original variant.
The recycled paper pilot follows a similar trial of a recyclable steel can in Italy at the end of last year.
A Kellogg’s UK spokesperson told BakeryandSnacks, “We’re still in the testing phase in our journey of designing the Pringles can of the future.
“As a global brand, we will be assessing the results of our packaging trials in [both] Italy and the UK soon to understand which formats could work best.”
Finding the can of the future
The iconic tube – invented by organic chemist and food storage technician Fredric John Baur – has been a defining feature of Pringles since it was launched in 1967 in the US.
However, it was branded one of the ‘villains’ of the recycling world by the UK’s Recycling Association, thanks to its use of multiple materials including a metal base, plastic cap, metal tear-off lid and foil-lined cardboard sleeve, which are difficult to recycle through an existing household recycling system.
To overcome this, Pringles partnered with TerraCycle two years ago to create a free recycling programme for all Pringles cans in the UK.
Now, after 12 months of intensive R&D, an in-house team has created a recyclable paper tube that also protects the hyperbolic paraboloid shaped contents and maintains their crunch over a long shelf life.
The paper cans will be trialled with two different lids: a paper lid and a plastic lid, both of which can also be recycled.
Consumers input
“We are eager to play our part and reduce our impact on the planet. And, Pringles fans expect that of us too. So, we’ve worked hard to come up with this new can, which is widely recyclable and keeps our chips fresh and tasty and protects them from breaking up – which helps to reduce food waste,” said Miranda Prins, Pringles VP.
“The important thing for us now is getting the trial up and running with Tesco and collecting all the data and consumer feedback.
One-on-one surveys and high tech surveillance will be conducted to help the brand understand the reaction of shoppers – including eye tracking analysis to see how consumers visually react to the new packaging on shelf.
“At this stage it is too early to say whether we’ll roll out this new paper tube, however, the information we collect will help us understand if people like it and if it works on the supermarket shelf and at home. This trial will help us create the Pringles can of the future,” added Prins…..
Unilever ice cream brand, Solero, has been launched in a wrapper-less multipack which uses 35% less plastic compared to the original pack.
The new box – which can be “widely recycled” in the UK – has built-in compartments, enabling the individual ice creams to be packaged without a plastic wrapper. The specially designed PE (polyethylene) coated cardboard design ensures the taste and quality of the ice creams are not compromised by the plastic deduction.
The wrapper-less ice-cream multipack for Solero’s Organic Peach range is being trialed exclusively with online grocery retailer, Ocado. A limited number of products are available to test the new packaging and gather consumer feedback.
“The Solero ‘no wrapper’ multipack is made from PE coated cardboard. The packaging has been approved by the OPRL (The On-Pack Recycling Label) to carry the widely recycled logo.
It is 95% carton box with a 5% thin layer of plastic PE coating on the inside. PE-lined products with this low percentage can be widely recycled in the UK,” Noel Clarke, VP of Refreshment at Unilever, told PackagingInsights.
The Solero’s Organic Peach box has built-in compartments, enabling the individual ice creams to be packaged without a plastic wrapper.
“We have also made sure that the pack is leak resistant to account for when ice creams are at risk from melting in the hot weather. Your ice creams won’t melt any faster without their jackets, but make sure to get them back to the freezer before they melt, as you would do with most ice cream,” he added.
If the trial proves successful, it could influence plastic reduction schemes across Unilever’s ice cream range in the long-term.
This trial is the latest innovation in brand owner Unilever’s #GetPlasticWise initiative which aims to rethink plastic in the UK. The plan sees Unilever working collaboratively with partners to seek out solutions plus support and educate consumers on how they can reduce plastic consumption.
Earlier this year, Unilever launched its #GetPlasticWise campaign, which is a holistic approach to rethinking plastic. This launch reflects the FMCG’s commitment to ensure that, globally, all of its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and to use more recycled plastic content in its packaging.
Unilever is a founding member of 2018 The UK Plastics Pact, an initiative led by WRAP to transform the plastic packaging system in the UK. Unilever supported WRAP and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in the development of ambitious 2025 targets including:
Eliminating problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic packaging
100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable
70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted
30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
Also as a part of its sustainability commitment, Unilever has joined the On-Pack Recycling Lapel (ORPL) scheme, which is a movement to provide simple and consistent recycling guidance across products sold in the UK….
W-Cycle, an Israeli foodTech startup, has developed SupraPulp, made from upcycled sugarcane bagasse. Unlike other compostable food packaging. it’s non-coated, omniphobic, can be frozen/heated and remains completely unaffected by liquids and oils.
SupraPulp is patented, field-tested, and an ideal replacement for plastic, aluminium, or foam containers. It is made from 100% renewable sugarcane bagasse, the dry, pulpy fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice.
SupraPulp is compostable, non-coated, toxin and metal free. The containers have unique characteristics compared to standard bagasse containers. While standard pulp products cannot sustain liquids and oils, SupraPulp containers are oil and water-resistant and avoid any absorption or leakage.
CPET plastic trays are typically used in for ready-meal packaging. SupraPulp, just like CPET, is ideal for ready meals since it is suitable for freezer-to-oven/microwave convenience.
Following years of R&D efforts, this new material is able to be frozen to -40°C and reheated to 270°C (-40°F and reheated to 518°F), inviting a comprehensive range of food applications. After use, the package can be disposed of as organic waste.
Fresh meat, poultry and sea food are also commonly packed in plastic (PE, PET, styrofoam) due to their juice runoff. SupraPulp is a great replacement as it will not absorb them, leak or soften.
“You can dispose SupraPulp packages the same way as you would your salad,” says Lior Itai, CEO and co-founder of W-Cycle. “This food-grade, compostable packaging is a one-to-one replacement for its plastic counterpart.
“There are other compostable solutions on the market, but SupraPulp has game-changing functionality consumers need when they want to heat, freeze, or microwave convenience food products. Plus, SupraPulp trays have a luxury look and feel compared to plastic, aluminum, or bioplastic containers.
“Other green solutions such as bioplastic made from the whole plant need to be specially grown, harvested, and processed. SupraPulp is made from the waste upcycled from sugarcane, or similar crops such as wheat, bananas, etc. It is the ultimate green, sustainable, eco-friendly solution to plastic waste.”
“Covid19 is drawing consumers’ attention to how we treat our planet and the future of the environment,” stresses Joseph Siani, CTO and co-founder of W-Cycle. “There is greater demand — and pressure — on brands to offer environmentally responsible products. Providing a compostable solution for ready meals, and meat products allows us to help food manufactures as well as consumers ditch plastic containers and create a cleaner environment. Together, we can put end to plastic pollution.
“We are currently marketing SupraPulp trays and connecting with strategic distributors, the demand is outstanding.”
As part of its commitment to replace plastic wrap on all can multipacks in its EU markets, Coca-Cola HBC has commenced the rollout of a paperboard alternative – KeelClip.
The company predicts that this move, which was originally announced last year, will save more than 3,000 metric tonnes of CO2 and 2,000 metric tonnes of plastic each year.
The new solution came about as a result of a €15 million investment by the Coca-Cola HBC in a strategic partnership with Graphic Packaging International, and forms part of a wider commitment by Coca-Cola HBC and its partner The Coca-Cola Company to build a more sustainable approach to packaging.
The roll out across all the company’s EU markets plus Switzerland will be complete by early 2022, slightly behind its initial target of late 2021.
As part of its initial agreement with Graphic Packaging, Coca-Cola HBC will install 11 KeelClip machines in seven countries, which will supply the solution across all its EU markets.
Marcel Martin, group supply chain director at Coca-Cola HBC, said: “By investing in this innovative new technology we are directly supporting our customers and their consumers by providing a more sustainable packaging format. At the same time, we are delivering on our commitment to make a more positive environmental impact.”
Steve Gould, new product development and marketing director of Graphic Packaging’s beverage division, added: “We are committed to working with Coca-Cola HBC to deliver this exciting innovation. We will continue to support the ongoing rollout and commercialization across Coca-Cola HBC’s EU markets and are delighted to be partners in this endeavor.”
Giving the perspective of a major retailer, Alan Crawford, trading director at SPAR/EUROSPAR Ireland, said: “Coca-Cola HBC has taken a leadership position in the soft drink category, introducing a really new and exciting type of packaging.
“The move to the new KeelClip and paperboard packaging will eliminate a significant amount of packaging from our supply chain which is very important for us as an organisation and the environment we operate within. The appearance of the multipack cans in KeelClip packaging is also more attractive to our customers, so we expect the change to support increased sales as well as taking an important sustainability position.”
Major brand owners like Absolut, Diageo, Carlsberg, and PepsiCo are developing paper bottles, but what does a market analyst say about this paper chase?
Until the last couple years the concept of a paper bottle would seem at best an oxymoron, but innovations continue to break barriers in the pursuit of packaging that offers sustainability benefits, ideally aligned with recycling.
Thus, there’s renewed interest by major brands in paper bottles, which though not new, are experiencing increased activity, undoubtedly sparked by the anti-plastic sentiment sweeping the globe.
Until the last couple years the concept of a paper bottle would seem at best an oxymoron, but innovations continue to break barriers in the pursuit of packaging that offers sustainability benefits, ideally aligned with recycling.
Thus, there’s renewed interest by major brands in paper bottles, which though not new, are experiencing increased activity, undoubtedly sparked by the anti-plastic sentiment sweeping the globe.https://e9684372136265cda297c5523bc40606.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
A historical sampling of Packaging Digest features uncovered a mix of the new and old among these paper bottle citations across various markets from spirits to beer to detergent starting in 2015 and extending through last month; the links appear at the end of this report.
In light of the news that Diageo, the parent company of the Johnnie Walker brand, will package the spirits brand in 100% plastic-free bottles starting in 2021 (see Paper Bottle Coming Soon to a Liquor Store Near You, published August 2020), Lux Research released this commentary: “Diageo has formed a [joint venture] called Pulpex with Pilot Lite to develop the paper bottle technology and will manufacture the paper bottles in-house. The company has always used third-party suppliers for its glass bottles, so it is unclear why the company decided to produce the paper bottles internally; it is very unusual for a brand owner company to vertically integrate itself to produce packaging along with its core products. Clients should note that it is better to partner with startups or converters to obtain sustainable packaging solutions rather than trying to do it all themselves.”
The writer is market analyst and Lux Research Associate Drishti Masand, who responds to our questions about paper bottles in this exclusive interview.
Until the last couple years the concept of a paper bottle would seem at best an oxymoron, but innovations continue to break barriers in the pursuit of packaging that offers sustainability benefits, ideally aligned with recycling.
Thus, there’s renewed interest by major brands in paper bottles, which though not new, are experiencing increased activity, undoubtedly sparked by the anti-plastic sentiment sweeping the globe.https://e9684372136265cda297c5523bc40606.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
A historical sampling of Packaging Digest features uncovered a mix of the new and old among these paper bottle citations across various markets from spirits to beer to detergent starting in 2015 and extending through last month; the links appear at the end of this report.
In light of the news that Diageo, the parent company of the Johnnie Walker brand, will package the spirits brand in 100% plastic-free bottles starting in 2021 (see Paper Bottle Coming Soon to a Liquor Store Near You, published August 2020), Lux Research released this commentary: “Diageo has formed a [joint venture] called Pulpex with Pilot Lite to develop the paper bottle technology and will manufacture the paper bottles in-house. The company has always used third-party suppliers for its glass bottles, so it is unclear why the company decided to produce the paper bottles internally; it is very unusual for a brand owner company to vertically integrate itself to produce packaging along with its core products. Clients should note that it is better to partner with startups or converters to obtain sustainable packaging solutions rather than trying to do it all themselves.”
The writer is market analyst and Lux Research Associate Drishti Masand, who responds to our questions about paper bottles in this exclusive interview.
Carlsberg Brewing
A year ago, Carlsberg unveiled two new research prototypes of the Green Fibre Bottle, both made from sustainably sourced wood fibres, fully recyclable, and with an inner barrier to allow the bottles to contain beer. One prototype uses a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier, and the other a 100% bio-based PEF polymer film barrier.
What’s behind the recent announcements about paper bottles in beverage markets?
Masand: The paper bottle for beverage markets is not a new innovation; it has been under development for a few years with other brands like The Coca-Cola Company, Carlsberg and a start-up company called Paboco. Carlsberg was the first company and launched calls for a pulp-based bottle in 2016 to replace its glass bottles. It has sought different partners to realize this goal. While the concept of a paper bottle is not new, it can be considered as an emerging trend as the popularity and awareness of it is on the rise at the moment with more brand and industries, for example personal care brands like L’Oreal, also adopting paper bottles.
What are the differences in the paper bottles from Diageo, PepsiCo, and Frugalpac?
Masand: Diageo founded Pulpex, in partnership with Pilot Lite (a venture management company). The announcements for Diageo’s paper bottles for Johnnie Walker, and PepsiCo’s are the same technology and application: to replace glass/plastic bottles with paper bottles for drinks. Frugal Bottle is also a very similar technology and is targeting the same application as Pulpex.
Loss of transparency is a major downside in a move away from plastic packaging. What are other shortcomings?
Masand: Paper is frequently suggested as a substitute for plastic packaging, even more so than bioplastics. Several companies are shifting to paper-based packaging to reduce the use of plastics.
However, current available data suggests that paper packaging generally requires several times more mass to fulfil the same function as its plastic counterpart. As a result, the overall environmental impact tends to be higher for paper, except in its carbon footprint. Additionally, replacing plastic with paper could lead to a serious supply problem. Paper is a short-term solution and will simply shift the burden for packaging problems.
Are paper bottles at a cost premium to plastic?
Masand: All paper products for packaging typically have a 10-20 cents per piece premium. This is a big challenge that hinders paper packaging adoption. To overcome the issue, the industry has been moving to adopt a wider feedstock by using agricultural waste fibres along with hardwood and softwood fibres. The hope is that by using waste fibres, companies can achieve more sustainability and reduce costs to then lower the price premium for products.
What other beverage markets may be vulnerable to a plastic-to-paper bottle change?
Masand: The bottled water is another beverage market facing potential penetration from alternate materials like paper bottles. However, aluminium bottles and cans seem to be dominating as an alternative to plastic rather than paper.Some start-ups include Open Water, Reign Water Company, Wallaby Water, and CanO Water
Should plastic bottle suppliers be nervous?
Masand: No, it is highly unlikely for paper bottles to disruptive plastic bottles on a significant scale, at least in the near-term. In the long run, I think recycling technologies will improve considerably, allowing for a higher recycling rate for plastic bottles and other plastic packaging to enable a circular economy for plastics. With that, it is unlikely for any alternate materials to disrupt the plastic industry.
What are the technical challenges to the paper bottle?
Masand: Paper bottles need a coating or plastic liner on the inside to provide moisture barrier, and resistance to other environmental factors. While companies claim the layers can be easily separated for recyclability, we are sceptical of those claims given the challenges in recycling plastic-lined paper today and the likelihood that the companies aren’t using any technology to allow for that separation.
Also, the cap and closure for these paper bottles is aluminium- or plastic-based, so it would need to be separated and sent into different recycling streams — that is highly dependent on efficient collection and sorting, and so again makes us sceptical of the end-of-life processing success rate
Until the last couple years the concept of a paper bottle would seem at best an oxymoron, but innovations continue to break barriers in the pursuit of packaging that offers sustainability benefits, ideally aligned with recycling.
Thus, there’s renewed interest by major brands in paper bottles, which though not new, are experiencing increased activity, undoubtedly sparked by the anti-plastic sentiment sweeping the globe.https://e9684372136265cda297c5523bc40606.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
A historical sampling of Packaging Digest features uncovered a mix of the new and old among these paper bottle citations across various markets from spirits to beer to detergent starting in 2015 and extending through last month; the links appear at the end of this report.
In light of the news that Diageo, the parent company of the Johnnie Walker brand, will package the spirits brand in 100% plastic-free bottles starting in 2021 (see Paper Bottle Coming Soon to a Liquor Store Near You, published August 2020), Lux Research released this commentary: “Diageo has formed a [joint venture] called Pulpex with Pilot Lite to develop the paper bottle technology and will manufacture the paper bottles in-house. The company has always used third-party suppliers for its glass bottles, so it is unclear why the company decided to produce the paper bottles internally; it is very unusual for a brand owner company to vertically integrate itself to produce packaging along with its core products. Clients should note that it is better to partner with startups or converters to obtain sustainable packaging solutions rather than trying to do it all themselves.”
The writer is market analyst and Lux Research Associate Drishti Masand, who responds to our questions about paper bottles in this exclusive interview.
Carlsberg Brewing
A year ago, Carlsberg unveiled two new research prototypes of the Green Fibre Bottle, both made from sustainably sourced wood fibres, fully recyclable, and with an inner barrier to allow the bottles to contain beer. One prototype uses a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier, and the other a 100% bio-based PEF polymer film barrier.
What’s behind the recent announcements about paper bottles in beverage markets?
Masand: The paper bottle for beverage markets is not a new innovation; it has been under development for a few years with other brands like The Coca-Cola Company, Carlsberg and a start-up company called Paboco. Carlsberg was the first company and launched calls for a pulp-based bottle in 2016 to replace its glass bottles. It has sought different partners to realize this goal. While the concept of a paper bottle is not new, it can be considered as an emerging trend as the popularity and awareness of it is on the rise at the moment with more brand and industries, for example personal care brands like L’Oreal, also adopting paper bottles.
Packaging Digest
A line-up of paper bottles not to scale from left-to-right: Diageo Johnnie Walker, Frugal Bottles for wines, and Absolut vodka.
What are the differences in the paper bottles from Diageo, PepsiCo, and Frugalpac?
Masand: Diageo founded Pulpex, in partnership with Pilot Lite (a venture management company). The announcements for Diageo’s paper bottles for Johnnie Walker, and PepsiCo’s are the same technology and application: to replace glass/plastic bottles with paper bottles for drinks. Frugal Bottle is also a very similar technology and is targeting the same application as Pulpex.
Loss of transparency is a major downside in a move away from plastic packaging. What are other shortcomings?
Masand: Paper is frequently suggested as a substitute for plastic packaging, even more so than bioplastics. Several companies are shifting to paper-based packaging to reduce the use of plastics.
However, current available data suggests that paper packaging generally requires several times more mass to fulfil the same function as its plastic counterpart. As a result, the overall environmental impact tends to be higher for paper, except in its carbon footprint. Additionally, replacing plastic with paper could lead to a serious supply problem. Paper is a short-term solution and will simply shift the burden for packaging problems.
The 750mL Frugal Bottle made by Frugalpac is made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food-grade liner and, at just 83 grams, is up to five times lighter than a glass bottle. An independent Life Cycle Analysis by Intertek found it has a carbon footprint up to six times (84%) lower than a glass bottle and more than a third less than a bottle made from 100% rPET.
Are paper bottles at a cost premium to plastic?
Masand: All paper products for packaging typically have a 10-20 cents per piece premium. This is a big challenge that hinders paper packaging adoption. To overcome the issue, the industry has been moving to adopt a wider feedstock by using agricultural waste fibres along with hardwood and softwood fibres. The hope is that by using waste fibres, companies can achieve more sustainability and reduce costs to then lower the price premium for products.
What other beverage markets may be vulnerable to a plastic-to-paper bottle change?
Masand: The bottled water is another beverage market facing potential penetration from alternate materials like paper bottles. However, aluminium bottles and cans seem to be dominating as an alternative to plastic rather than paper.Some start-ups include Open Water, Reign Water Company, Wallaby Water, and CanO Water.
Should plastic bottle suppliers be nervous?
Masand: No, it is highly unlikely for paper bottles to disruptive plastic bottles on a significant scale, at least in the near-term. In the long run, I think recycling technologies will improve considerably, allowing for a higher recycling rate for plastic bottles and other plastic packaging to enable a circular economy for plastics. With that, it is unlikely for any alternate materials to disrupt the plastic industry.
What are the technical challenges to the paper bottle?
Masand: Paper bottles need a coating or plastic liner on the inside to provide moisture barrier, and resistance to other environmental factors. While companies claim the layers can be easily separated for recyclability, we are sceptical of those claims given the challenges in recycling plastic-lined paper today and the likelihood that the companies aren’t using any technology to allow for that separation.
Also, the cap and closure for these paper bottles is aluminium- or plastic-based, so it would need to be separated and sent into different recycling streams — that is highly dependent on efficient collection and sorting, and so again makes us sceptical of the end-of-life processing success rate.
Final thoughts?
Masand: Many companies are adopting solutions that solve the issue of plastics waste; however, they create a new set of sustainability challenges. All the alternative materials solutions have a separate set of problems associated with them; thus, they simply shift the packaging problem. With that, paper packaging will continue to grow for adoption, but will never be a substantial threat to plastics.
Henkel has relaunched three of its major retail brands in new, sustainably-minded packaging with a focus on the use of Social Plastic, recyclable black plastic, and PCR materials
Alongside the launch of Nature Box’s new 98% natural-origin recipe, Henkel is also taking further steps in its collaboration with the social enterprise Plastic Bank.
Nature Box is being described as the first beauty brand to introduce Social Plastic as a packaging material for its complete bottle portfolio: All bottle bodies of Nature Box are made of 98% Social Plastic – plastic that, in Henkel’s words, has been collected by people living in poverty before it can enter oceans and waterways.
Henkel is currently working to replace the remaining 2% virgin plastic, which is based on the bottle’s color, with the recycled material as well. For that, the company is already testing a color carrier consisting of Social Plastic.
Last year, Henkel introduced its first recyclable black plastic packaging. Since the relaunch of Henkel’s haircare brand Syoss in September, the brand’s black packaging is fully recyclable due to the use of a carbon-free colorant. Additionally, all of the shampoo bottles are made of 98% percent recycled material (excluding the cap).
With a major brand relaunch of the Schwarzkopf brand Gliss Kur, Henkel has increased the proportion of recycled material across the entire product range. Whereas the new shampoo and conditioner PE bottles are made of 30% recycled content, the shampoo and Express Repair Conditioner PET bottles consist of 97% recycled material.
All of the bottle bodies are recyclable and, by reducing the use of metallic foil, Henkel says that the overall recycling process is simplified. Additionally, the new black caps are made of carbon-free material which reportedly means that they are fully recyclable as well.
As part of Henkel’s sustainability efforts, the company has set itself packaging targets for 2025 to promote a circular economy. By that point, the company hopes that 100% of its packaging will be recyclable or reusable and that it will have reduced fossil-based virgin plastics by half in its consumer goods packaging. Additionally, Henkel wants to contribute to avoiding plastic waste being disposed of in the environment.
“We are fully committed to contributing to a circular economy and are working towards our ambitious packaging targets for 2025. The relaunch of three of our biggest brands marks a true milestone and demonstrates our holistic approach to transform our entire portfolio with regards to sustainability,” said Philippe Blank, head of circular economy at Henkel Beauty Care.
Cosmetics producer L’Oréal has partnered with LanzaTech and Total to create the world’s first bottle made from captured and recycled carbon emissions.
The conversion process takes place in three steps. First, LanzaTech captures industrial carbon emissions and converts them into ethanol using a unique biological process.
Next, thanks to an innovative dehydration process jointly developed with IFP Axens, Total converts the ethanol into ethylene before polymerizing it into polyethylene that, according to the company, has the same technical characteristics as its fossil counterpart.
L’Oréal then uses this polyethylene to produce packaging that reportedly has the same quality and properties as conventional polyethylene.
LanzaTech’s CEO, Jennifer Holmgren, said: “This partnership is based on a shared goal of creating a cleaner planet for everyone. We are grateful to both L’Oréal and Total for their commitment to reducing the carbon intensity of their activities.
“Together, we can reduce the carbon footprint of packaging by converting carbon emissions into useful products, making single-use carbon a thing of the past.”
Senior vice president of polymers at Total, Valérie Goff, added: “This partnership is an excellent example of collaboration between industrial firms in developing the plastics of the future produced from recycled carbon and meets a strong demand from our customers.
“The development of this new pathway of valuing industrial carbon emissions also contributes to the Group’s commitment to get to net zero in Europe by 2050.”
Jacques Playe, packaging and development director at L’Oréal, said: “L’Oréal is constantly improving the environmental footprint of its packaging. With this innovation converting carbon emissions into polyethylene, we aim to develop new sustainable packaging solutions.
“We have the ambition to use this sustainable material in our bottle of shampoo and conditioner by 2024 and we hope other companies will join us in using this breakthrough innovation.”
Looking ahead, the partners intend to continue working together on scaling the production of these sustainable plastics.
