Pratt Industries Officially Opens New Corrugated Box Plant in Park City, Kansas (papertoexport.com)

Smurfit Kappa has seen volumes of its Vitop® tap pass the five billion mark. The Vitop® tap forms an integral part of the Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box range, a collection of sustainable packaging solutions for liquid and semi-liquid products. The Bag-in-Box products have a low carbon footprint throughout the lifecycle of the packaging due to the efficient use of materials and resources. There has been a series of sustainable innovations made to the product range to date including a reduction in film thickness for the bags and the introduction of a more compact Vitop® tap. A dedicated Bag-in-Box Circular Economy Team is also exploring further product innovations including the introduction of bio-based raw materials.

UPM Raflatac has announced the launch of its innovative New Wave paper label material compatible with recycling. It is the first RecyClass certified paper label material to obtain a Letter of Compatibility for use on rigid high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) containers. The test results confirm the compatibility even for natural and white material streams, which require the highest purity of recyclate from the recycling processes. This groundbreaking new label material represents a major step forward in the recycling of rigid plastic packaging, helping brand owners continue to make the shift towards enhanced circularity. At the moment, New Wave is the only RecyClass-recognized label solution for rigid natural and white HDPE and PP material streams. The New Wave label material is designed to provide functionality for the full life cycle of products, primarily home and personal care products such as soap bottles or washing detergent containers. It supports the purity of recycled materials by washing off cleanly at just 40°C using plain water with no chemicals required.

Mester Grønn has together with Stora Enso developed a plastic-free transportation tray for plants. The new PureFiber™ Horti tray is made from formed fiber and reduces CO2 emissions compared to the plastic alternatives. Mester Grønn is hoping the new tray will have a positive effect on the entire industry’s environmental impact. With an ambition to replace plastic where they can, Mester Grønn set sight on the single use plastic trays used for transporting plants from growers to flower shops. They discussed with Stora Enso about finding a new sustainable option. It should be plastic-free but still had to meet three criteria: 1. Stiffness and Resilience: The tray needed to retain its rigidity in both dry and humid conditions. 2. Efficiency in Logistics: It needed to follow industry standards to fit the existing logistical chain. 3. Water Resistance: The new material had to be able to withstand exposure to water.