American Forest & Paper Association Releases June 2020 Boxboard Monthly Report

Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring and Valmet begin construction of the 3D fibre product pilot plant in Äänekoski, Finland. The pilot plant enables testing and further development of the novel process for producing of a new type of packaging solution.The greenfield building will host the pilot line, which converts wood fibre into ready-to-use 3D fibre products, which, in turn, can replace similar packaging solutions made from plastic and aluminium. The goal of the pilot plant project is to develop a new competitive product and the supporting production process and equipment. “Our project is a good example of our role as a pioneering company. We have an ambitious goal to build a significant business based on the top-class know-how of Metsä Group, Valmet and several other companies. We use familiar, sustainably-produced wood fibre as our main raw material and strive to process it into first-class packages while minimising the environmental impact. The pilot plant is developing and testing many new innovations that support, for example, our goal to replace plastic in various packaging solutions,” says Jarkko Tuominen, Project Lead at Metsä Spring.

pladis, the global snack company behind some of the UK’s most loved and iconic brands, has been on a mission to substantially reduce its environmental impact by updating the packaging of various products to more ecological alternatives. This is part of the company’s sustainability agenda, which reflects its commitment to making all its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Most recently, pladis has made steps forward to move toward more paper-based solutions – its Mini Cheddars and Cheeselets ranges now use Sonoco’s EnviroCanTM with paperboard end. Cracker Crisps and Mini Twiglets are also set to use EnviroCanTM later this year. “Sonoco’s EnviroCan™ with paperboard end meets the recycling requirements of the UK, which is great for our brand and the consumer, who can have peace of mind when disposing of the packaging in household waste recycling bins,” says Christopher Owen, Marketing Controller at pladis UK&I.

Amcor’s Flexibles North America business today announced the installation of a seven-layer blown film line. Amcor’s new machine will produce the company’s recently launched proprietary AmPrima™ PE Plus ultra-clear and heat resistance films. The AmPrima line uses machine-direction orientation technology to produce films that can run at speeds that competitors are unable to match in a recycle-ready solution. These films enable customers to shift to recycle-ready solutions without compromise on performance, product appearance or manufacturing throughput. AmPrima is part of Amcor’s growing portfolio of responsible packaging solutions. In the U.S., when clean and dry, AmPrima can be collected for recycling curbside where available or through existing in-store drop-off locations. These solutions also are prequalified for the How2Recycle® label, which saves customers time, cost and reduces risk in development. The AmPrima line represents another meaningful step forward against Amcor’s effort to make all its products recyclable or reusable by 2025.