Carolina Container Acquires Dixie Reel & Box Company

Tambrite Aqua+ is a new circular packaging material for frozen and chilled food packaging that reduces the need for fossil-based plastics and improves recyclability after use. Tambrite folding box board has been providing industry-leading stiffness and bulk for over fifty years with its excellent printability, runnability, and robustness. Aqua+ is a new water-based dispersion coating that provides the necessary protection and food safety. Tambrite Aqua+ utilises a dispersion coating that helps to reduce the use of plastic that is increasingly subject to costs incurred by packagers, such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees. Tambrite Aqua+ is fluorochemical-free, resistant to grease and moisture, comes with the PAP21 logo that shows it is easily recyclable with normal paper and board waste streams.

At the beginning of January, the PM 7 of Grupo Gondi, one of Mexico's largest paper manufactures, was successfully commissioned at the new Papel y Empaques mill in Monterrey. The paper machine is set to produce 400,000 tons of high-performance light weight recycled containerboard annually with Voith's leading technology. Eduardo Posada, CEO of Grupo Gondi, says: “The plant is one of the most modern recycling board mills in Latin America. The start-up of PM 7 is an important step for us. Together with Voith, we will continue our efforts to increase our market position for high-performance lightweight recycled containerboard in Mexico and Latin America with innovative production solutions.”

Smurfit Kappa has announced the opening of a new International Safe Transfer Association (ISTA) certified lab at its new eCommerce packaging facility in Northampton, UK. This brings with it an expansion of Smurfit Kappa’s network of packaging testing labs and centres that support retailers and producers to develop, test and launch disruptive packaging solutions for eCommerce at minimal risk and with reliable implementation. ISTA certification is often required by online selling platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba or eBay. From its ISTA lab in the Netherlands, Smurfit Kappa has over 14 years of experience and data from testing new and innovative packaging solutions to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet the challenges of the eCommerce supply chain. Most recently, Smurfit Kappa was the first to secure Amazon’s ‘Frustration-Free Packaging’ pre-certification for a three litre Bag-in-Box solution. All this expertise is now also extended into the UK market.