When award-winning ethical jewellery brand Yala was looking for packaging materials compatible with its values and Certified B Corporation status, it selected Invercote Duo from Antalis. Founded by Kenyan-born Audrey Migot-Adholla, Yala takes the inspiration for its jewellery from modern Africa, combining traditional craft with 21st-century values. It is the first jewellery brand in the UK to be a Certified B Corporation, committed to treating people, communities and the environment respectfully, sustainably and ethically. It is important to Yala that every aspect of the packaging is as low impact and sustainable as possible, which is why they selected FSC®-certified Invercote Duo. Due to its strength, toughness and thickness, Invercote Duo is especially suitable for wine and spirits packaging and point of sale displays and is ideal for the packaging of luxury products such as Yala jewellery. Invercote Duo is manufactured by Iggesund at its mill in Sweden, which has been awarded Platinum for sustainability by Ecovadis, putting it in the top 1% off all 65,000 companies rated by Ecovadis.

Novolex® announced that it has launched a new Chattanooga, Tenn. production line to manufacture compostable cold beverage cups made from a plant-based plastic. The clear cups are made using polylactic acid (PLA), a plastics polymer created from starch-based plants such as corn, sugarcane and wheat straw. The cups will be available from Novolex brand Eco-Products®, a leading provider of foodservice packaging made from renewable and recycled resources. “PLA looks, acts and performs like a traditional clear plastic, yet it is 100% compostable in commercial compost facilities,” said Adrianne Tipton, Chief Technology Officer of Novolex. “It is one more sustainable choice that we are proud to offer our customers.

Total packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in May increased five percent compared to May 2020. They were up two percent when compared to the same five months of 2020. The operating rate was 87.6 percent, up 7.3 points from May 2020 and up 5.6 points year-to-date. Mill inventories at the end of May decreased 2,000 short tons from the previous month and were up 3,000 short tons compared to May 2020.

Sonoco announced it is expanding recovery and recycling of scrap materials from the production of its iconic EnviroCan™ paper containers in the U.S. to be used as raw material at three of its uncoated recycled paperboard mills to produce new paperboard. According to Elizabeth Rhue, Sonoco’s staff vice president of Sustainability, Sonoco expects to divert from landfills approximately 3,300 tons of scrap materials annually from four of its U.S. paper container operations in West Chicago, Ill., Greenville, Wisc., Jackson, Tenn., and Norwalk, Calif. This material, which is projected to equal approximately 165 truckloads, will be sent to Sonoco paper mills in Menasha, Wisc., Newport, Tenn., and City of Industry, Calif., where it will be used as raw material to produce 100 percent recycled paperboard, with up to 85 percent post-consumer fiber.

Mondi collaborated with the Italian machine producer ACMI to create a new wrapping system for pallets that uses paper instead of plastic. By transforming the way pallets are wrapped, Advantage StretchWrap reduces the supply chain’s reliance on plastic, moving to a renewable and fully recyclable material. Advantage StretchWrap (patent-pending) is a brand new lightweight paper grade from Mondi made specially for wrapping pallets. It is able to stretch and resist punctures, providing robust protection for goods during transit. The current industry standard for pallet wrapping is a multi-layer plastic material with low recycling rates. The Advantage StretchWrap paper, along with ACMI’s Rocket E-500 wrapping system, makes it possible to switch to a fully recyclable pallet wrapping solution. The paper’s impressive stretchability and high-tensile strength makes it a reliable alternative for transport. Acceleration tests to simulate transportation with ESTL equipment (performed according to EUMOS 40509(1)) and real life transportation trials confirmed that pallets wrapped with Advantage StretchWrap are safe.

WestRock Company has announced an expansion of its produce packaging offerings with the launch of its EverGrow™ Collection. WestRock has achieved a proprietary approach for a produce packaging collection made using sustainably sourced wood fiber. WestRock EverGrow packaging is curbside recyclable when emptied and flattened, supporting the company’s ambition to reduce waste and build a 100 percent reusable, recyclable and compostable product portfolio. “WestRock’s new EverGrow Collection is an excellent example of how we are innovating to improve the sustainability of our products while helping our customers meet their sustainability goals,” said Patrick Kivits, president of Consumer Packaging at WestRock. “We’ve leveraged our material science, structural design and packaging automation expertise to develop a collection of truly differentiated packaging solutions for our produce customers that are functional, recyclable and eye-catching.”

In May of 2016, ePac was founded in Madison, Wisconsin to utilize new digital printing technologies to primarily focus on the growth of small to medium brands, thereby helping to rebuild local communities. In these past 5 years ePac has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 80%, operates 20 facilities globally with a capacity of about $500,000,000 and serves over 5,000 customers. The underlying strategy was to deconstruct and then reconstruct a simple replicable business model that could provide RotoGravure quality, short lead times, and no sku limitations at a competitive price. The last point basically dispels the notion that digital printing is only for short runs. During the last five years, the average order size across all ePacs has stayed constant at less than 10,000 linear feet, however, ePac today regularly handles runs exceeding 100,000 linear feet per SKU across its global virtual network.

Amcor announced its support for the launch of the U.S. Plastics Pact’s Roadmap to 2025, an aggressive national strategy for how the U.S. Pact, Amcor and other signatory organizations – known as Activators – will achieve four 2025 targets. Launched today, the plan delineates specific actions, responsibilities and timeframes necessary to realize a circular economy for plastics in the United States. As a U.S. Pact Activator, Amcor joins others in the plastics value chain to drive progress through systemic change toward the 2025 targets: *Define a list of packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and take measures to eliminate them by 2025. *100% of plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. *By 2025, undertake ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging. *By 2025, the average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging will be 30%.

As we mark the end of one chapter of sustainability and embark on another, we are eager to share the positive impact we have made to date in our industry through our 2020 Interim Sustainability Report. Titled, “Enduring Values, Continuous Progress,” our latest report demonstrates the responsibilities and commitments we maintain with our environments, communities and stakeholders as we dig into a new decade of action. Click into our report to understand more about this pivotal period for our business—a year in which we both concluded our first set of formal sustainability goals (surpassing our targets for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions levels and decreasing our energy consumption) and also elevated our efforts with the launch of our comprehensive Twentyby30 sustainability program.

Kotkamills' family of ISLA® Consumer Boards are complemented by the freshest members of the family. ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream broaden the use of non-plastic solutions in the food industry with the expansion to ice cream packaging. Easily recyclable ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream barrier boards are especially suited for take-away and retail ice cream cups, bowls, and containers. ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream are a combination of innovative products that have been developed in parallel to work tightly together as raw materials for ice cream packaging. Ice cream packaging has commonly relied Heavily on solutions based on plastics and plastic coatings. As an innovative Forerunner Kotkamills is among the first to provide a plastic-free and recyclable alternative for ice cream manufacturers, packaging converters, retailers, and consumers.

The four coaters for the white cardboard and folding boxboard production line have a design speed of 1,000 m/min and a maximum web-width of 5,660 mm. They feature a jet nozzle to apply the coating color to the paper web. Dispensing methods can be either bent blade, stiff blade or doctor blade. The advanced nozzle geometry ensures uniform application of the coating color to the paper web, even at high speeds and high viscosities or solid contents. The four PrimeCoat Jet coaters are of very compact design, taking up very little space and providing perfect access for operation and maintenance. They enable a large operating window regarding coating weight and viscosity and can be used for pre-coating, middle- or final top-coating. The nozzle beam can be opened easily, thus reducing cleaning time and extending cleaning intervals. The redesign of the color feed system with optimized flow guidance also makes a significant contribution to this. Dead zones and the resulting color deposits are significantly reduced.

Huhtamaki has completed the acquisition of Jiangsu Hihio-Art Packaging Co. Ltd.’s assets. Jiangsu Hihio-Art Packaging is a privately owned manufacturer of paper bags, wraps and folding carton packaging in China. The acquisition strengthens Huhtamaki’s position as the leading foodservice packaging provider in Asia and expands its product portfolio allowing it to better serve both existing and new customers in China. Huhtamaki now has approximately 850 employees across four manufacturing units in China, with Hihio-Art Packaging Co. Ltd.’s approximately 200 employees joining as Huhtamaki employees at the newly established Huhtamaki Foodservice (Xuzhou) Limited. The net sales of the acquired business were approximately EUR 20 million in 2020. The debt free purchase price was EUR 27 million. The acquired business is incorporated into and reports as part of the Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania reporting segment as of June 11, 2021.

Waddington Europe, a division of Novolex®, has joined forces with its longstanding packaging distribution partner Produce Packaging to introduce containers made with 100% recycled material that are also 100% recyclable after use. Produce Packaging’s new containers will be made with Waddington Europe’s Eco Blend™ 100 material that consists entirely of a combination of post-consumer (PCR) and post-industrial (PIR) recycled PET (rPET). The new containers will be available to all Produce Packaging customers, including growers, packers and importers that supply major retail outlets. The switch to Eco Blend 100 reflects the decision by Produce Packaging to focus increasingly on packaging that is environmentally sustainable.

Mondi has once again won the prestigious EUROSAC Grand Prix Sack of the Year award, this year for its revolutionary EcoWicketBag. EUROSAC, the European Federation of Multiwall Paper Sack Manufacturers, chose Mondi’s EcoWicketBag for its potential to reduce plastic packaging waste in the global hygiene industry. Mondi’s EcoWicketBag design is a paper-based packaging solution that provides an alternative to traditional plastic packaging, replacing it with renewable, recyclable paper. Created from strong virgin kraft paper sourced from sustainably managed forests, it is the first paper wicket bag that runs on existing equipment. It is available in a variety of sizes, is strong enough to handle the filling process and protect the product throughout the supply chain. EcoWicketBag’s design and printability ensure great on-shelf appeal, it is also easy to open and end-consumers know how to dispose of paper correctly.

The papermaking industry has a reputation for being energy hungry. But another investment in innovation at our Kemsley mill has cut the power consumption of our paper machines. These two papermaking machines at Kemsley mill account for over half of the mill’s average annual production capacity of over 840,000-tonnes. At the ‘wet end’ of the papermaking machine, water is removed by a series of foils and suction boxes. We’ve partnered with Runtech Systems to make this production stage more power-efficient and have now replaced the old liquid ring pumps with a new RunEco paper machine vacuum system. At the heart of the system are three EP600 Turbo Blower units with titanium blades that run at 10,000 rpm – the equivalent speed of a jet engine. They have the potential to cut PM3’s power consumption by two-thirds, providing annual power savings of 1,500 kw. Combined with previously installed turbos on PM6 this investment has the power saving potential of 2,626kw a year.

Second Quarter Financial Highlights: *Net income of $149.8 million compared to net income of $11.4 million. *Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $52.5 million to a source of $152.3 million. *Total debt decreased by $368.9 million to $2,313.4 million. Strategic Actions and Announcements: *Completed the sale of approximately 69,200 acres of timberlands in southwest Alabama to Weyerhaeuser Company for approximately $149.0 million in cash. *Achieved record Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) volume, reflecting strong market demand. *Published Greif's 12th consecutive sustainability report highlighting the Company's commitments to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and key metrics.

Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box division has announced the completion of a significant €12 million investment in a new flexible material production facility at its plant in Ibi, Spain. The new state-of-the-art production facility commenced operations, on a phased basis, earlier this year and will be one of the most advanced Bag-in-Box manufacturing plants in Europe. The investment has resulted in the addition of an extra 4,300 m2 production area which will be equipped with high-tech and advanced machinery which allows for more specialisation in the manufacture of film. The new machinery will allow the plant to complete the full production cycle of Bag-in-Box packaging solutions, from start to finish. This integrated production model means not only quicker and more efficient service to customers, but also a considerable reduction of the environmental impact – up to 21% less estimated CO2 emissions for the current flexible materials portfolio.

The Twin Rivers Paper Company has received FSSC 22000 Certification for Food Packaging, for its New York-based, Lyonsdale, Mohawk Valley, and Mill Street mills. FSSC 22000 is a GSI recognized, food safety certification developed to improve consistency and integrity throughout all aspects of the food safety supply chain. Twin Rivers’ compliance to the requirements of this internationally recognized standard is another assurance that its food packaging products meet the food safety requirements its customers require. “With the passing of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, many of our customers are already certified or are in the process of becoming certified and statistics show that approximately one out of four companies are asking their suppliers to achieve certification. Achieving this industry-wide, recognizable, and auditable standard tells our customers that we have the proper systems in place to ensure food-safe packaging. It’s something that is quickly becoming a necessary part of doing business,” said Jeff Hederick, Chief Commercial Officer.

With physical stores closed during the pandemic, the boom in online shopping resulted in record numbers of packages arriving on consumers’ doorsteps. Along with all that merchandise came a growing awareness of the materials used to package and ship products, and the impact those materials have on the environment. A new survey commissioned by Two Sides North America and conducted by international research firm Toluna found that U.S. consumers believe paper-based packaging is better for the environment than other packaging materials. Survey respondents were asked to rank their preferred packaging material (paper/cardboard, plastic, glass and metal) based on 15 environmental, aesthetic and practical attributes. Overall, paper/cardboard packaging was preferred for 10 of the 15 attributes, with half of respondents saying paper/cardboard is better for the environment. Consumers also preferred paper/cardboard packaging on other environmental attributes, including being home compostable (65%) and easier to recycle (44%).

The need for easily understandable information regarding sustainability issues is constantly increasing. By creating the ‘Sustainability Unfolded’ platform, Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, aims to provide a consumer-oriented and fresh way to open up and address sustainability topics, especially in the context of packaging sustainability. The targets are clear: increase understanding, challenge myths, and help make the right everyday choices. When talking about sustainability, themes like deforestation, climate change, recycling and greenwashing are crucial topics that deserve attention. In the era of information overload, corporations have to find ways to democratise sustainability information and make it more accessible and understandable. Metsä Board decided to tackle this in a new way. “The way ‘Sustainability Unfolded’ talks about these complex issues is somewhat unconventional for the industrial B2B-sector. The goal is to stimulate and engage the reader, and encourage everyone to look at the topics from a wider viewpoint. We built an editorial platform to make the subject matter more engaging to consume, with intriguing headlines and content that people will want to explore further,” states Marjo Halonen, VP Communications at Metsä Board.

Today we announce a series of ambitious climate targets. This includes a science-based target which requires at least a 40% reduction of CO2 emissions per tonne of product by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and a commitment to reach Net Zero* emissions by 2050. These targets will be validated by the Science Based Targets initiative** as being in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. To further underline our ambition and commitment, we are also announcing our membership of the UN’s Race to Zero. "I’m delighted DS Smith has joined the UN’s Race to Zero. It is great to see a company with an ambitious 2030 target and commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050. DS Smith is making great progress against its previous carbon reduction targets, tackling the challenges associated with decarbonising the paper and packaging sector. Business plays a key role in driving the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy, with over 40 of the FTSE100 now signed up to the UN’s Race to Zero, I hope this announcement inspires other companies in the sector to take action." — Andrew Griffith MP, former business advisor to the PM and current UK Net Zero Business Champion

VPK France is a subsidiary of VPK Group – a family-owned business that is now turning into an international privately-owned packaging supplier, with over 65 plants across 20 countries. With a huge focus on sustainability and a strong existing relationship with Sun Chemical, the company recently made a strategic decision to switch ten of its French sites’ printing operations to Sun Chemical’s SunVisto AquaGreen renewable inks. While the first of VPK France’s site (based in Lille) has already made the switch to Sun Chemical’s SunVisto AquaGreen range, the remaining sites are planned to be converted sequentially by mid-2021. The inks are being used across many industries, including food, dairy, automotive, e-commerce, cosmetics and wine packaging. “Sun Chemical have been our trusted supplier for many years.” explains Philippe Tran, Managing Director of VPK France. “After a short break, VPK renewed this partnership in 2019, with the focus on SunVisto AquaGreen ink technology, which we intend to deploy across all of our corrugated packaging applications throughout our French sites. Our previous supplier did an adequate job, but the relationship was not as strong and we did not get the same sense of having such a solid shared vision – particularly around issues of productivity, sustainability and environmental responsibility. With Sun Chemical, we are able to communicate openly and with a high level of trust and transparency to get the best deals, both technically and economically. Working with a market leading company such as Sun Chemical also enables us to collaborate to form innovations that truly meet the specific needs of the market today.”

Aptar Food + Beverage, a global leader in elastomeric flow solutions for more than 25 years, has received Critical Guidance Recognition from The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) for its SimpliCycle™ recyclable valve technology. APR Critical Guidance Recognition acknowledges technologies or packaging components that solve long-standing problems in sustainable package design. The recognition applies to both specific package design components and packages incorporating the component. SimpliCycle™ passed the required APR Critical Guidance test protocol performed by an independent, third-party testing laboratory.

The lives of consumers around the world were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Norms around work, school, travel and socialization changed virtually overnight. Eating habits also became fundamentally different, with a greater number of consumers cooking from home and eating healthier. The ability to physically visit retail stores also changed beyond recognition, and as a result e-commerce and direct-to-consumer models – which were already gaining huge traction pre-pandemic – accelerated rapidly in terms of sales. According to Euromonitor, online grocery is one of the most significant trends to emerge in the packaged food industry due to stay-at-home rules. Many major brands are prioritizing this channel within their corporate strategies having recognized the fact that its forward momentum is unlikely to ease. E-commerce is set to be the fastest growing channel as we continue to battle with COVID-19, and metal packaging is perfectly suited to the needs of both the consumer and the supply chain. *Retail value sales of the packaged food industry grew by 4.6% in 2020, compared to 1.7% in 2019 *The imposed stay-at-home rules, resulted in food sales from foodservice and institutional channels shifting to the home with a benefit to the retail channel *This, together with the essential nature of the food industry, has meant strong performance in 2020. [1]

Balcan Plastics, a Quebec-based manufacturer of flexible packaging and technical films, has bought a roughly 215,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Prairie’s LakeView Corporate Park. A village official said the company is planning an operation there with 60 employees. An affiliate of the company paid $13 million to acquire the 50-acre property at 7201 108th St. from Mondi Akrosil LLC. The property was assessed at $9.14 million for 2020, according to Kenosha County records. “We are pleased to see Balcan Plastics invest here in Pleasant Prairie,” said Nathan Thiel, village administrator of Pleasant Prairie. “The company had several options around the nation, but ultimately selected on our community, which will result in manufacturing jobs and enhance the use of an existing building.” Mondi Akrosil, a division of London and Vienna-based international packaging and paper company Mondi plc, informed state officials last year the company planned to close the facility by July 1 of this year, a move that eliminated 108 jobs.

Pregis’ new Phantom Mask protective film solution offers unparalleled protection for plastic sheeting while eliminating adhesive transference and decreasing waste. Plastic is a part of our future. Everything, from kitchen utensils to complex scientific instruments, is made of the stuff. It’s found in equipment exploring the bottom of our oceans, and in technology probing the outer bounds of our solar system. Plastics technology is driving innovation in automobiles and airplanes, and home goods and healthcare. But while the things we make out of plastic grow, evolve, and improve, many parts of the plastics manufacturing chain are mired in “yesterday’s approaches.”

Sappi Europe announces a price increase for all its containerboard grades by 8 - 10% for deliveries from 1 July 2021. The ongoing sharp rise in raw material costs, particularly pulp, chemicals and energy in combination with high freight rates make price adjustments unavoidable.

Amcor introduced ACT2100™ heat seal coating for medical grade DuPont™ Tyvek®2 and paper packaging applications. This next generation coating technology delivers enhanced performance features for healthcare applications and will be produced in multiple locations worldwide to offer customers increased flexibility to be supplied from the most suitable location for the manufacturing and packaging of their devices. Customers choosing ACT2100 will benefit from the solution’s broader seal range in combination with numerous materials, allowing for a wider operating window in their manufacturing operations, as well as enhanced seal strength for more robust package integrity through distribution. Consumers will enjoy speedier ethylene oxide sterilization cycles thanks to the material’s improved porosity, a fiber-free peel, and a bright, white adhesive that does not yellow. In addition, documentation and data will be available to support healthcare packaging regulatory requirements in all regulated markets.

Smurfit Kappa Group is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Cartones del Pacifico, a leading paper-based packaging company in Peru. The acquisition represents an important milestone for the Company as it expands its footprint in the Americas from 12 to 13 countries, and builds on the Group’s leadership position as the largest pan-regional supplier in Latin America. As part of the transaction Emusa Group has acquired Smurfit Kappa’s flexible packaging business in El Salvador.

The movement to save the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests from ending up as take-out containers, shoe boxes, or other paper packaging just got kicked up a notch. Crown Van Gelder is thrilled to join a cadre of companies in the Pack4Good [and Canopy Planet] in committing to eliminate controversial forest fibre from our packaging, while exploring Next Generation Solutions for packaging made from alternative sources. Crown Van Gelder’s papers are 99% bio based; pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests, sugar beet pulp, starch, natural pigments and surface water. Only a few auxiliary materials, colouring agents and glues are not bio based; natural gas is used as an energy source in the manufacturing process. After two years of research in 2020 Crown Van Gelder developed Crown Native with the Dutch agricultural cooperative Cosun Beet Company as a strategic partner. The agricultural process residue from Cosun’s production process, beet pulp, forms a valuable resource for the paper and Crown Van Gelder succeeded in creating paper with 20% beet pulp, thus achieving environmental gains in several areas.

Ensuring that vaccine vials and their potentially life-changing contents remain safe, sterile and identifiable throughout their tightly controlled supply chain is no easy task, and taking risks is not an option. With the new extended 360 Service offering, Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is testing the paperboards and simulating packaging designs used by pharma manufacturers to package and protect vaccine doses, providing absolute confidence that the materials are up to the task. COVID-19 and other vaccines are typically stored and transported in extremely cold conditions, which can be as low as -70 degrees Celsius, before being thawed out ready for administration. The secondary paperboard packaging must be able to withstand these temperature extremes and protect the vials throughout the entire process. When a converter is producing packages for cold-chain transportation they have to be 100% certain that the materials they are using are appropriate. This is where Metsä Board’s in-depth testing and simulation capabilities are extremely valuable for the pharma industry.

SWAPP® to paper packaging for a sustainable future! SWAPP® with an extra P for paper is a range of fibre-based packaging materials from BillerudKorsnäs to enable transition from plastic to paper and meet new consumer demands through better sustainability performance for people and the planet. BillerudKorsnäs’ SWAPP® is an opportunity for companies to grow business by meeting new consumer and regulatory demands through renewable and innovative paper applications. SWAPP® is a collaborative and seamless process where the BillerudKorsnäs guides brand owners and retailers through the transformation towards sustainable paper packaging solutions. “The FMCG packaging market is in a transformation phase – immense change will have to take place if brand owners and retailers are to meet directives and fulfil corporate commitments by 2025. With the SWAPP® offering BillerudKorsnäs provides sustainable paper alternatives to resolve some of the most imminent challenges: driving plastic reduction, CO2 reduction, and increasing recycling rates”, says Patrik Bosander, Director Packaging Solutions at BillerudKorsnäs.

Food production is responsible for a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, but today it is estimated that approximately one third of all food produced globally is wasted. This significant number represents 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.1 Packaging helps protect food from damage and spoilage from transport to storage and from stores to our homes. Packaging therefore ensures that the resources used to produce food, and the carbon footprint created, are not wasted. Food packaging is integral to the product it contains. With the demand of food on the rise, the need for sustainable packaging solutions also increases for consumers around Europe and the world. Food packaging is essential for food protection and availability. Crucially, it is part of the solution to enable sustainable food systems, which the EU Green Deal seeks to achieve.

Tetra Pak showcases its new UHT 2.0 heating portfolio and Tetra Pak® E3/Speed Hyper packaging equipment on World Milk Day in support of this year’s theme of sustainability and Dairy’s commitment to innovation to reduce environmental footprint. Tetra Pak’s new UHT 2.0 portfolio with OneStep technology and Tetra Pak® E3/Speed Hyper reduce water and steam consumption, creating less wastewater and therefore also lowering the cost of its removal for Dairy manufacturers. Adding a Tetra Pak® Water Filtering Station to Tetra Pak® E3/Speed Hyper helps recover 5500 litres of water per filling machine running hour (up to 95%), while contributing to lower water consumption1. With water scarcity on the rise, wastewater is increasingly becoming a pressing industry concern. Up to a fifth of Tetra Pak’s customers are based in high or extremely high-risk water areas and the company is prioritising action to address this. The combination of UHT 2.0 with OneStep technology and Tetra Pak® E3/Speed Hyper scores highly across industry benchmarks for sustainability, with a 0.8 GHG Index score, a 0.3 Water Index score and a Product Losses Index score of 0.72. When compared to a conventional line solution3 this optimal integrated solution reduces GHG emissions by 20%, water usage by 70% and product losses by 30%.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Nine Dragons Paper Industries to supply two complete OCC lines with a capacity of 2,000 bdmt/d each to their mills in China. The lines feature the following technological highlights: *FibreFlow Drum pulping systems, ensuring premium accept quality thanks to gentle slushing and efficient removal of coarse contaminants with minimum fiber loss *PrimeScreen F fine screens and fractionators with newly developed PrimeFoils for increased efficiency and lower power consumption *PrimeFilter D disc filters – the latest ANDRITZ innovation in thickening and fiber recovery – enabling the system to handle higher feed consistencies and higher-freeness pulp, even in the most demanding applications, and in parallel offering significant improvements in terms of energy consumption and maintenance *Ultra-high dispersing, allowing dispersion at a consistency of up to 40% to achieve substantial savings in steam consumption and superior fiber strength development.

Further to the announcement made on 5 January 2021, Mondi confirms that all conditions have been satisfied and it has completed the acquisition of 90.38% of the outstanding shares in Olmuksan International Paper Ambalaj Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş from International Paper for a total consideration of €66 million. The implied enterprise value on a 100% basis would amount to around €88 million. Olmuksan is a leading and well-established corrugated packaging player in Turkey, listed on the Istanbul stock exchange. Its network of five plants provides a diverse customer base with high-quality sustainable packaging for food, beverage, agriculture and industrial applications. "We are delighted to have completed this acquisition, which significantly strengthens our position in the fast-growing Turkish corrugated market and expands our offering to existing and new customers in the region. We look forward to welcoming the Olmuksan team to Mondi." Andrew King, Group Chief Executive Officer of Mondi.

AptarGroup, Inc. announces the launch of the company’s first fully recyclable mono-material pump for the beauty and personal care industries, called Future. In order to facilitate recycling, Future was designed using polyethylene (PE) mono-material only. Future is certified by Cyclos-HTP, the institute for Recyclability and Product Responsibility *. The innovation is also recognized “A” by RecyClass – a comprehensive cross-industry initiative that works to establish a harmonized recycling approach and traceability in Europe*. “Today we are pleased to launch our latest sustainable innovation, Future, a game changing dispensing solution. Following more than two years of design, engineering and testing, I am very proud of our team’s mono-material design and it truly reflects our commitment to a more circular economy,” said Marc Prieur, President, Aptar Beauty + Home.

Neenah, Inc. announces an ultra-lightweight addition to their single-use sterile packaging offering. This innovative, high-performance solution introduces the market to a durable, cost-saving alternative to kraft and synthetic-based medical packaging traditionally used for nasal swabs, syringes, and other single-use applications. “This ultra-lightweight addition brings new opportunities closer in reach with our global sterile supply chain partners,” says Valerie Henderson, Medical Packaging Product Manager for Neenah. Single-use medical devices are gaining popularity as they help lower costs, increase efficiency, and reduce the spread of infection. Most single-use devices have a shelf life of 3-5 years, making it imperative that the sterilization process remain intact from supplier to opening at the final destination. Kraft-based medical packaging, used for single-use devices, can tear or burst due to packing or transportation style. It is essential that medical packaging be durable, especially if it is lightweight.

Huhtamaki is setting up a new manufacturing unit in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa to serve its existing and new egg packaging customers in the KwaZulu-Natal area with a broad range of locally produced packaging solutions. The new facility will be located close to one of South Africa’s main export ports, enabling competitive exports of egg packaging for customers across East Africa. “The addition of a unit in KwaZulu-Natal is an important addition to our fiber packaging footprint in South Africa not only providing efficiencies in our service to customers in South Africa but an additional benefit in terms of proximity to a major port which will drive access to markets across East Africa. The new facility sets us up to better meet the growth of the fiber packaging sector and future demand for sustainable packaging. It also strengthens our position in the region significantly,” says Eric Le Lay, President, Fiber Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania.

World-class paper and board packaging manufacturer Detpak has partnered with U.S.-based Eco-Products® to provide industry-leading sustainable packaging solutions in Australia and New Zealand. The partnership brings together a wealth of experience, with Eco-Products bringing a more than 30-year history in compostable foodservice products to complement a leading range of sustainable packaging solutions from Detpak. “It is my pleasure to announce that Detpak will partner with Eco-Products,” Alf said. “Detpak has long been an innovator of paper and board products and is an industry leader in the development of recyclable product solutions.

Global packaging manufacturer CANPACK announced it will build its second U.S.-based, state-of-the-art aluminum beverage can body manufacturing plant in Muncie, creating over time approximately 345 high-paying, local jobs by 2023. The proposed project, which represents a $380 million investment in Delaware County and the State of Indiana with the potential to expand to 425 jobs and $490 million by 2025, will be located on 139 acres of land on the southwest corner of South Cowan and West Fuson Roads in Monroe Township in Muncie. Officials from CANPACK and its owner Giorgi Global Holdings, Inc. jointly announced the new facility with state and local elected officials and economic development leaders following the Delaware County Council’s approval of the project earlier today, with economic development incentives provided by both the state and local governments. Construction of the 862,000-square-foot facility is expected to begin in mid-2021. Plant operation is slated to commence in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Consumer concerns and tightening regulations have intensified the drive for more sustainable and safe packaging. At the same time, improving performance and efficiency are important. To answer the demand Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, has introduced a collaborative 360 Service approach to deliver measurable benefits throughout the packaging value chain, from easy recyclability to brand impact, production and supply chain efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and beyond, complementing its premium paperboard offering. The Metsä Board 360 Service approach is based on the extensive paperboard and packaging expertise gained from decades of collaboration with leading global technology providers, research institutes, brand owners, converters, printers, corrugators, and logistics and IT providers. The new Metsä Board 360 Services consist of five entities: • Sustainability Service to ensure the compliance and maximise the sustainability of paperboard packaging. • Packaging Design Service to provide better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. • Technical Service uses Metsä Board’s in-depth technical expertise to help improve converting efficiency and packaging performance. • R&D Service offers extensive testing capabilities and possibilities to explore new opportunities in joint R&D projects. • Supply Chain and Digital Service enables responsive, sustainable and reliable paperboard supply across the globe.

Amcor has taken another step towards its goal to provide more sustainable packaging solutions by producing the first designed to be recycled plastic packaging for powdered chocolate in Latin America. Compared to the previous packaging, this new solution reduces the package’s carbon footprint by 53% and water consumption by 84% when it is recycled. The new sachet has a high-barrier feature to protect against humidity and will be available to consumers in its 25g sachet format in Colombia this month. Working closely with the customer, Amcor has leveraged its global and local R&D resources to develop this packaging solution which meets sustainability criteria while maintaining product protection, shelf life and aesthetic appeal. Amcor was the first global packaging company to pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025.

New data shows that 44% of Brits admit to hoarding cardboard boxes – with a massive 135m believed to be sitting in our sheds, garages, and wardrobes. Over half of Brits (52%) say the amount of cardboard packaging in their homes has increased since the pandemic, with two thirds (66%) of those blaming more online shopping, and more than a quarter (28%) holding on to boxes without any clear motive - simply because “they might be useful in the future.” But the hoarding habit, while seemingly harmless, is actually keeping raw materials out of the hands of recycling companies and causing paper prices to rise. "Since the pandemic begun there’s been a major shift in consumer shopping habits and we’ve seen a huge rise in people ordering more items online, accumulating more boxes as a result. But while some put these boxes to good use – re-using them for storage, arts and crafts, or to ship other items - many boxes are sitting unused and not finding their way back into recycling streams. It means that materials are at best getting delayed in reaching recyclers, and at worse not getting to them at all." — Rogier Gerritsen, Head of Recycling at DS Smith

Nine Dragons Paper, the biggest manufacturer of packaging paper in China, has commissioned Voith to build and deliver three XcelLine paper machines for the production of high performance testliner and white top testliner. The three lines will further strengthen the paper manufacturer’s leading position in the packaging paper segment. The commissioning of the machines is planned for 2022 and 2023. “We are delighted to have received the orders from China’s largest packaging paper manufacturer Nine Dragons and we look forward to our renewed collaboration on a partnership basis,” says Hanson Zhao, Vice President Sales & Application Asia at Voith Paper. The planned daily production volume of the three identical paper machines is especially high: approximately 2,400 metric tons each, at production speeds of 1,400 m/min. In order to meet these requirements, the components must be extremely high-performing and robust. The elaborate former design of the machines, which are equipped with a DuoFormer DII E, allows for the required speed with high basis weights at the same time.

UPM Specialty Papers is strengthening its already comprehensive selection of sustainable and recyclable packaging papers. Known for its high expertise in technically demanding papers, UPM Specialty Papers now introduces an advanced fibre-based barrier paper – UPM AsendoTM Pro. The latest example of cutting-edge packaging solutions is UPM Asendo Pro – a barrier paper made from renewable materials. UPM Asendo Pro is a two-side coated paper that provides multiple advantages as an easily recyclable monomaterial. UPM Asendo Pro’s print side provides an excellent basis for high-quality visuals. Also, in addition to advanced grease resistance and good moisture resistance, its mineral oil barrier properties keep products safe. UPM Asendo Pro is suitable for dry, greasy and frozen foods as well as wrappings where excellent print properties are vital. End-use purposes vary from non-food wrapping to food end-uses and can be easily further converted for additional barrier properties and sealability to open up even more demanding end-uses.

Novolex®, an industry leader in packaging choice, innovation and sustainability, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the business of Flexo Converters USA, Inc. and certain of its affiliates. The transaction is expected to close within the next 60 days. Flexo is a manufacturer of stock, custom and recycled paper bags and sacks. It is headquartered and has a manufacturing facility in Meriden, Conn. and an additional plant in Monroe, Ga. Flexo’s eligible full-time employees are expected to join Novolex. Flexo products will be sold under the Novolex Duro® Bag brand. The addition of Flexo products to the Novolex portfolio will enable Duro to support customer demand through Flexo’s production capacity. Novolex has seen a significant increase in demand for paper bags as consumer purchasing patterns have shifted.

Leading European thermoforming packaging specialists Waddington Europe, a division of Novolex®, is augmenting its revolutionary TamperVisible® range of protective packaging products to include a pioneering Hot Fill option. The TamperVisible range of products is designed for consumer peace of mind, reassuring the end user that the food inside is as safe as the day it was prepared. A snap mechanism on the corner of the pack must physically be broken to access the lid opening making an attempt to open the package visible to a consumer. The packaging line is also ideal for storage optimisation and increased shelf life as they easily fit inside most refrigerator door shelves. And now, TamperVisible Hot Fill can withstand temperatures of up to 185 F° (85°C), making it a convenient packaging option for sauces, soups, noodles, pate, ready meals and desserts such as steamed puddings, while also being microwavable. Made from high clarity rPET (recycled PET), the TamperVisible Hot Fill line offers superior shelf appeal and a clearer view of the contents unlike thicker polypropylene and crystallized PET (cPET) hot fill containers, which are typically opaque. Additionally, TamperVisible Hot Fill is available in four recycled content blends, from a minimum of 30% to Waddington Europe’s full Eco Blend™ 100 packaging made from 100% recycled content and which is also 100% recyclable. Branding and recycling information are displayed via a patented ‘clip on’ decoration, making for easy and correct separation and recycling.

Smurfit Kappa is substantially expanding its converting capacity at four manufacturing plants across the Czech Republic and Slovakia with a significant €20 million investment. The investment further highlights Smurfit Kappa’s commitment to its customers and operations in Eastern Europe. The investment consists of four major projects, three undertaken in the Czech Republic, at Smurfit Kappa facilities in Žebrák, Žimrovice, and Olomouc, and one in Slovakia at Smurfit Kappa Štúrovo. All four projects are expected to be completed by the end of this year.