Packaging Europe Issue 13.6

Packaging Europe | i |

Head of Content Tim Sykes

Editors

Head of Commercial Operations Jesse Roberts

Elisabeth Skoda Libby White

Head of Sales

Head of Studio

Senior Sales Executive

Gareth Harrey

Dominic Kurkowski

Production Manager

IT Support

Paul Holden-Abbott

Syed Hassan

Kevin Gambrill

Advertising Coordinator Data Manager Kayleigh Harvey

VOLUME 13.6 – 2018

Andrew Wood

Executive Assistant

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Amber Dawson

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ISSN 2516-0133 (Print) ISSN 02516-0141 (Online)

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Editorial Tim Sykes Mondi Collect, sort, recycle, repeat Amazon Inside Frustration Free Packaging CEPI The long road to carbon-neutral paper Sustainability Awards 2018 Meet the best green innovations Tamper Evidence Does Hot Melt raise the bar for FMD? Beverage Trends Innovation driven by thirst for competitive edge Innovation Spotlight Elopak’s Pure-Pak® carton with Natural Brown Board EUBP Conference Bioplastics benchmarks Positive Plastics Pledge Exclusive interview with Klöckner Pentaplast’s CEO Market landscape The take-aways from Smithers Pira’s important new report FachPack 2018 Retrospective of this year’s key European fair 2018 Round-up Which were the two driving trends of the year?

Innovation Spotlight Nulogy’s Agile Customisation Platform Digital Nomad When is a trend not a trend?

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EDITORIAL

Tim Sykes Head of Content

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nother year in packaging is drawing toward its close. While most of us would have predicted 12 months ago that sustainability would continue to be the number one topic for packaging and CPG, few anticipated the degree to which it – and plastic waste in particular – came to dominate next year’s agenda not just of the industry, but of politicians, media and consumers. In 2018 my team has sometimes struggled to keep up with the breaking news: a veritable procession of significant breakthroughs in circular economy innovation, public commitments from brand owners (some of them attention-grabbing, some of them evidence of profound thinking) and major new regulation at national and European level. As we go to press, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has launched its Global Commitment; an in-depth interview with New Plastics Economy’s Sander Defruyt will be on our website by the time you receive this magazine.

It’s clear that significant, substantive progress has been made in 2018 on resolving the tension between resource efficiency and recyclability, both thanks to advances in the circularity of plastics and extensions in the functionality of materials that already have high recycling rates. There’s lots more work to be done but perhaps we can approach 2019 with cautious optimism that the industry is in better shape than ever to answer society’s questions.

Last month in Gothenburg the Sustainable Packaging Summit and the Sustainability Awards 2018 shone a light on both the underlying issues (around which there is still substantial disagreement) and the impressive scale of environmentally-orientated innovation the packaging value chain is creating. In the following pages we reveal the worthy winners chosen by our jury from over 100 submissions to this year’s competition. We also share sustainability perspectives from Mondi on a recent multi-stakeholder

collaboration, kp’s CEO Daniel Dayan on the position of polymers, Hasso von Pogrell on the advance of bioplastics, and the paper industry’s long journey towards a carbon-neutral product.

Also in this magazine, Amazon’s Dr Kim Houchens (director of Customer Packaging Experience) talks about the vision behind the world’s largest e-tailer’s Frustration Free Packaging program, as a new system of incentives and charges are introduced for European vendors. We also look back on some of the defining packaging innovations of recent times, including Libby White on the beverage market and Elisabeth Skoda on FachPack, while Spanish pharmaceutical giant talks about the reasons it opted for a hot melt tamper evidence solution in preparation for FMD compliance.

Packaging Europe magazine will be back in January, introducing some changes. The big news affecting our readers is that we’re increasing mag frequency to eight editions per year (it remains free of charge to European packaging professionals). To support this, our Content Team will be adding a fourth member, who we’ll be introducing soon. We’ll also be pouring our growing resources into a new regular series of podcasts, more live events – and a couple of very exciting, innovative collaborations about which I’m not permitted to tell you just yet.

Stay tuned and see you in 2019!

Tim Sykes Tim Sykes ts@packagingeurope.com @PackEuropeTim

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COLLECT, SORT, RECYCLE, REPEAT Werner & Mertz, Mondi, EPEA Switzerland, Der Grüne Punkt–DSD, cyclos-HTP and the quest to create cradle-to-cradle packaging.

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t’s not easy being green – or circular – but by turning the traditional model of product design on its head, Mondi Group and Werner & Mertz GmbH, a German maker of cleaning products, have pioneered a new approach, developing a fully recyclable flexible, mono-material package for Werner & Mertz’s Frosch-brand detergent products. However, the brand owner and packaging supplier recognised they couldn’t achieve this on their own, so they enlisted three additional partners to support their mission. EPEA Switzerland GmbH, accredited general assessors for the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ certification, joined the project team to assess the quality of different materials that are designed for circular cycles, recyclable at a chemistry level. Secondly, Institut cyclos-HTP, the Institute for Recyclability and Product Responsibility, ensured that those materials would work within existing recycling structures and throughout their extended lifecycle. Finally, Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland researched and confirmed the potential market value of the resulting recycled materials.

By working collaboratively for nearly four years, the team explored the theory and laid the groundwork for creating a 100 per cent recyclable, stand-up pouch.

As a result, this new pouch – with its easily detachable decorative panels – will be certified under the strict Cradle to Cradle Certified™ guidelines.

Beginning in 2019, after adopting the ‘recipe’, Werner & Mertz and Mondi will advance these concepts from the drawing board to the ‘kitchen’ and begin to produce the pouch on new manufacturing assets acquired by Mondi specifically for this project.

Albin Kälin, CEO of EPEA Switzerland, described the innovation process employed for W&M’s new Frosch pouch as “fairly radical.” It involved “learning by doing and has never been done in this way,” said Kälin, who has two decades of Cradle to Cradle experience and a seasoned perspective on such matters. In 2009, he founded EPEA Switzerland, one of 15 firms worldwide that are accredited general assessors for the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ certification.

“This project is a lighthouse for all industries for how new products can be created,” he stated. That said, the Cradle to Cradle, or C2C, design approach is hardly new. German chemist Dr Michael Braungart and American architect William McDonough, working with the scientists of EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung in Hamburg, first devised the concept back in the 1990s to help drive a more circular, sustainable economy.

The traditional ‘Cradle to Grave’ approach to product lifecycles is a linear concept and leads to needless waste at the end of the cycle. The Cradle to Cradle approach is circular in nature, and requires a whole new, open-minded approach to product design. Waste materials in an old product become the ‘food’ for a new product. The goal is to allow materials to be used over and over again instead of being downcycled into lesser products, and eventually becoming waste.

According to Albin Kälin, most companies nevertheless struggle with effective implementation of this nature-inspired concept. “Very few companies ‘get it’ the way Werner & Mertz and Mondi did,” he remarked.

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Family-run Werner & Mertz GmbH, founded in 1867 in Mainz, Germany, sought to integrate this approach into their products and packaging. In 2014 after other suppliers told them their ambition was not achievable, at least on the packaging end, they approached the multinational packaging and paper company Mondi.

Together they set out to reverse engineer the recycling process. They aimed for packaging fit for every stage of the process – in particular the often-problematic waste-sorting process. Contaminated recycling streams, including those that mix different, incompatible types of plastics, inevitably lead to materials with degraded properties that can only be downcycled into less-demanding end-use applications. Clean recycling streams offer the opportunity for more circular solutions with significantly extended longevity.

Achievement often falls short of the lofty talk we hear of collaboration around circularity. One key, noted Immo Sander, head of packaging development for Werner & Mertz, is to ensure that all partners fully aligned on strategy, goals, and roles and responsibilities.

Sustainable development is not a “plug-and-play” exercise, Sander continued, “Everyone must depart from the status quo and accept that risk is a necessary condition for serious technological advancement. If you want to develop something new, you have to be willing to put in hard work, to leap the hurdles of ‘restrictive thinking’.”

Jens Kösters, manager of technical services for Mondi Consumer Goods Packaging, elaborated: “We worked our way through an innovation funnel – testing different materials until we arrived at a designed-for-recycling concept that convinced everyone at each point of the value chain.”

The first step was determining, down to a molecular level, which materials would be environmentally acceptable and suitably recyclable for the desired end product. EPEA Switzerland defined every aspect of the potential package, including the resin, inks and constituent components of those materials for the future scientific assessment.

Next the Aachen-based cyclos-HTP offered its expertise on whether existing recycling structures were in place to accommodate the preferred materials, and whether they could handle these materials throughout their extended lifecycles.

The group helps define which materials are suitable for recycling by colourcoding them (those tagged as green are good to recycle, orange OK, and red not recyclable).

After all, it’s one thing to be recyclable (as in being physically possible to be recycled), and another altogether to be recycled (with the necessary collection and sorting infrastructure, as well as appropriate economic feasibility) to ensure that such recycling actually gets done.

Werner & Mertz wanted a real solution, not just a package that they could claim was “more sustainable” but then still ended up in a landfill or incineration.

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All packaging, explained Joachim Christiani, co-managing director of cyclosHTP, has to be able to make it through a complex sorting process – identifiable via infrared scanning. Flexible packaging, which often features multilayer constructions of differing, incompatible materials, tends to be the one of the more problematic types of packaging when it comes to recycling. His firm weighed in early with suggestions on package design, appropriate materials to use, and the availability of sorting and recycling facilities in Europe.

Those involved also needed to resolve the issue of recycling printed plastic materials. This consideration led to what is perhaps the product’s most groundbreaking innovation, the two-layer construction: the pouch itself and the detachable, printed panels that proclaim the brand details on the front and necessary consumer information on the back.

“We dress the main body up in an eye-catching outer garment to give it shelf appeal,” noted Werner & Mertz CEO Reinhard Schneider. “And when the pouch is empty, we ‘undress’ it automatically by shredding and sorting the two components into separate recycling streams.”

Roughly 85 per cent of the total packaging material (low-density polyethylene, or LDPE), including spout and cap, is unprinted. This means the transparent material can be recycled without degradation of quality. The remaining 15 per cent is still fully recyclable, since the material is free of glues or adhesives, and can enjoy new life in other applications.

Schneider noted there are additional sustainability benefits. The spouted pouch, complete with die-cut handle, uses approximately 70 per cent less material than rigid plastic bottles that hold the same volume.

Once the project’s partners had determined a suitable design and the product’s preferred materials, Der Grüne Punkt looked at the potential end uses and true market value of such recycled materials – again to ensure that a viable economic reality existed to support the planned product.

And even once a product is designed and developed, the effort still is not finished. It then needs to be vetted and C2C certified by an appropriate organisation such as EPEA Switzerland. (C2CC product certification is now overseen by an independent non-profit called the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, based in Oakland, California.)

Christiani noted that what made this project exceptional was how all relevant parties were involved from the beginning – the brand owner, the packaging producer, the waste material collector and sorter, the recycler and the C2CC accredited assessor – and were consulted at every step of the product development process.

“Mondi and W&M were trustworthy and highly competent during this project,” he said. “They are pioneers in developing sustainable flexible packaging.”

Dr Markus Helftewes, managing director of Germany-based Der Grüne Punkt, added that the cooperation between the five partners involved in this project offer “a good example of the progress that can be made.” Never has

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such commitment and progress been so important, as the world is publicly awash in plastic waste and seeking scalable solutions to address this pressing environmental issue.

One key approach is “to close the circle,” he explained, “so that packaging can be turned back into high-performance packaging again. The C2C approach, Helftewes stressed, is a vital step toward saving resources and reducing unnecessary waste.

For his part, EPEA Switzerland’s Albin Kälin pointed out that Mondi was extremely open-minded throughout the entire process and willing to adapt its production set-up to a new approach. This requires a significant level of commitment, and “is really unique,” he said. “Werner & Mertz and Mondi are role models not just for the packaging industry, but for all industries who want shift from cradle-to-grave to cradle-to-cradle lifecycles for their products. Of course, every industry that can do this, should.”

“One company cannot do this alone anymore,” he concluded. “You need an innovative design and a network of experts to create products for a circular economy. We have to remake everything that we make today – and Mondi and Werner & Mertz were up for the challenge.”

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A new Amazon Fulfilment Centre

AMAZON FLEXING ITS MUSCLES ON WASTEFUL PACKAGING On 31 October Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging vendor incentive program landed in Europe – initially rolling out in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the UK, shortly after the North American launch. In the lead-up to Black Friday (the most hectic period in the calendar of the world’s largest e-tailer) Tim Sykes spoke with Dr Kim Houchens, Amazon’s director, Customer Packaging Experience, to discuss the aims and implications of this initiative.

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cross the EU’s five largest economies vendors selling through Amazon will now be asked to package their products prior to shipping to fulfilment centres according to specifications that avoid the need for additional preparation before Amazon ships them. European partners that certify their packaging before October 2019 will receive an early adopter credit to help subsidise the investments in optimising their packaging.

According to Kim Houchens, who has been driving this initiative for the last three years, working on Frustration-Free Packaging is “one of those programs of a lifetime”. So what is the significance of the program, which was launched as a voluntary scheme for over a decade before the recent introduction of incentives?

Minimal viable product “Our customers have become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their shopping choices, and as they use Amazon more and more frequently, they demand more of us to reduce the amount of wasteful packaging that comes into their house,” observed Kim. “Sometimes a consumer defines wasteful packaging as anything apart from the product itself but of course the product has to

have a label on it and arrive intact after bumping against other things throughout the supply chain. Our response has been to create a series of test methods and design principles to help our vendors understand the packaging requirements for the product to safely navigate its way from the manufacturing site (which may for example be in China) all the way through their distribution centres, our fulfilment centre process and the local postal services to the customer’s home.

“You could say we’re stepping in and asking, on behalf of the customer, what is that minimal viable product that makes packaging less wasteful. Customers are particularly sensitive to a box within a box – when a vendor supplies Amazon a typical brick and mortar retail package, we then have to put it in a corrugated box for shipping. The Frustration-Free Packaging program began several years ago as a result of listening to our customers’ desire to stop that kind of over-packaging. We’re now taking the extra step of incentivising this change, partnering with our vendors to drive this sustainability improvement.”

Vendors that optimise their packaging before the deadline of 1 October 2019, will receive a one-time US $1.00 early adopter credit on every unit received by Amazon – a recognition of the costs associated with bifurcating their supply Packaging Europe | 13 |

chains to meet Amazon’s needs. However, in a year’s time Amazon will introduce a US $1.99 charge to those choosing not to participate.

“If the vendor decides it’s not feasible to add the appropriate packaging, then Amazon will do it, and that cost will be delivered to the vendor,” said Kim Houchens. “It may suit many of our smaller vendors, with a small proportion of sales going through e-commerce, to leave it to us to ensure the product is packaged properly. In the course of the next year we expect much of the industry to convert to the right packaging, after which there will be a cost increase for those vendors who have not done so.”

At the moment the incentivised program applies only to packages sold and fulfilled by Amazon that are larger than 45.5 x 34 x 26.5 cm and/or weighing more than 12.3 kg. Such large items (e.g. electrical appliances, exercise equipment), which predominantly get ordered and shipped alone, tend to create the most egregious cases of over-packaging, as various shapes and sizes of bulky goods in retail boxes have to fit into larger, standardised overboxes. Meanwhile, with smaller items Amazon is shifting from corrugated boxes to flexible packaging, such as paper mailers and cushioned mailers, which are much less bulky.

Sustainability + “The implications for lightening the environmental footprint of shopping on Amazon are clear, and this also eliminates several pain points for our customers,” Kim Houchens remarked. “Excessive packaging impacts customers via the time spent opening boxes and dismantling them for the recycling bin, the size of their bin, the cost of kerbside collection. Frustration-Free Packaging is addressing customer convenience issues such as the ‘wrap rage’ from taking ten minutes to access a product you bought.”

“From a supply chain perspective,” she continued, “you can imagine that if a product comes from China in a smaller box, that generates fuel and space efficiencies all the way through the system – the inbound container ships, warehousing at our fulfilment centre, and delivery to the consumer. We see this as a triple win, as there are savings for the vendor, savings for Amazon that can be passed on to the consumer, and finally improved customer convenience.”

Driving innovation?

Consumers are particularly sensitive to the wastefulness of a box inside a box.

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Enjoying around half of the e-commerce market in the USA and a smaller presence in Europe, Amazon’s increasingly proactive stance in setting packaging specifications will inevitably have an impact on the industry’s R&D ecosystems.

Whether the introduction and now enforcement of standardisation has a nurturing or stifling effect on innovation is probably too soon to tell. However, it’s undeniable that Amazon has been leading advances in packaging development out in the wider marketplace.

“Before bringing new specifications to vendors we have reached out to the packaging industry,” Kim Houchens revealed. “It takes time to bring through packaging upgrades, particularly things like updating tooling, so early stage engagement with the industry is essential. I came to Amazon in 2015 with a background in rigid packaging and one of the first initiatives I worked on was dealing with the problem of leaks in products such as shampoo and detergent bottles. One of my first calls after joining was to reach out to lots of my contacts across the industry, invite them in and help them understand the pressures causing leaks.”

These engagements prompted innovation projects among leading players in caps and closures, including a collaboration between Rieke and Amcor that resulted in the creation of a new pump (the Ultimate-E trigger sprayer) that is certified by Amazon as prep-free. The wider upshot is that vendors have a catalogue of suitable, leak-free packaging to choose from, enabling them to send liquids through the supply chain without requiring additional prep charges and additional layers of plastic wrap.

“That was a first step in the consumables segment, and following the work with packaging manufacturers big brand owners were among the first to run the leak testing we put forth,” Kim Houchens said. “Once that initiative got rolling our team began to focus on the Frustration-Free Packaging program for the larger items – obviously, changes in corrugated packaging specifications don’t have quite the same timelines and costs as replacing steel tooling.”

Judging by these examples, it seems certain that Amazon will continue to exert a gravitational pull on the development of future e-commerce packaging. But could the influence extend further than we envisage? It’s a scarcely guarded secret that Amazon has ambitions for the grocery market. Inevitably, Kim Houchens declined to speculate on this market, which is outside her remit, but she did offer a general insight into the culture of a trillion-dollar company that thinks deeply about packaging. “What Amazon does in the future one can best guess by looking at what they have done in the past,” she concluded. “Our approach has been to experiment with things with the aim of ‘failing fast’ – making sure that we try multiple paths to insure we can deliver innovation for our customers.”

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THE LONG ROAD TO CARBON-NEUTRAL PAPER On the occasion of the official completion of the first phase of the PROVIDES project, Bernard de Galembert, CEPI’s innovation director, tells Packaging Europe about the progress of CEPI’s 2050 roadmap, outlining procedures to achieve an 80 per cent CO2 reduction by 2050, and the innovations that emerged from the Two Teams Project.

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2010, when the EU developed its roadmap towards a low carbon economy, with an overall commitment to decrease emissions by 80 per cent, CEPI decided to make a matching commitment of reducing emissions within the pulp and paper industry by 80 per cent. Of course, the easiest solution to do that would have been to close down capacities in Europe and to relocate them outside of Europe. But we strongly felt that the paper industry should grow in Europe, so the focus was on a decarbonisation effort accompanied with value creation and growth.

In November 2011 CEPI launched the Forest Fibre and Paper Industry 2050 Roadmap for a low-carbon economy, representing the vision for the sector in the next 35 years. It investigates how to achieve an 80 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions and at the same time create 50 per cent more value.

Once the commitment was made, the key question was how to achieve both decarbonisation and growth. Growth would build on the development of the bio economy. Decarbonisation would be achieved through a mix of different measures that would touch on transport, on changing the fuel mix, on growing bio energy, on buying green electricity but also on breakthrough innovation, rethinking the way pulp and paper are made.

Once we identified the breakthrough technologies as being one of the key elements to achieve the decarbonisation effort, in 2012 an internal competition, the Two Team Project was put in place within CEPI to identify what kind of breakthrough technologies would indeed make the difference. It ran over a year, and at the end delivered eight breakthrough technology concepts.

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Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents The winning Deep Eutectic Solvents concept was described as a truly groundbreaking discovery. It has the potential to revolutionise the pulping process, opening the way to produce pulp with minimal energy, emissions and residues. It can also be used to recover cellulose from waste and dissolve inks and contaminants in paper for recycling.

The European pulp and paper industry came together to start a joint research initiative to further research and elaborate on the DES concept. The Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT), which had introduced the idea in the Two Team Project, was asked to coordinate the initiative. This is how the ISPT cluster ‘Deep Eutectic Solvents in Papermaking’ was founded in April 2014. The objectives of this project, which is called PROVIDES, are in line with the priorities defined in the forest-based sector value chain by the pulp and paper industry.

The objective is to achieve industrial implementation of the technology by 2030.

Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents exist in nature and allow to dissolve wood into its main components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, without having to resort to the traditional high-pressure process for pulp making.

Prior to the discovery of hydrophobic DESs in 2015, all known DESs had been hydrophilic, which means they dissolve in water, making them unsuitable for removing contaminants from paper pulp, which consists of 95 per cent to 99 per cent water. The hydrophobic DESs currently consist of various ratios of decanoic acid and lidocaine. Decanoic acid is a plant-based substance, which makes it very suitable for use in an environmentally friendly solvent.

The intention is to soon build a pilot to explore the possibility to upscale and really put the economics of making paper with Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents to the test.

The PROVIDES consortium consists of 20 industrial partners in the pulp and papermaking chain, complemented by ISPT as coordinator, and Technical University Eindhoven, University of Aveiro, University of Twente, CTP and VTT as knowledge partners. Consortium partners come from all over Europe: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.

On track for 2050 In 2017 a review of the roadmap was released to showcase the progress made in terms of decarbonising. Of course, it is always difficult to assess whether we have been picking the low hanging fruit and whether the further | 18 | Packaging Europe

goals will possibly be more challenging to achieve. However, we know that the political pressure will keep growing to the extent that it wouldn’t come as a surprise if at some stage industries in general would be required to be carbon-neutral. So far, we are progressing according to the set trajectory in terms of carbon reduction.

I’m quite comfortable in saying that the current sustainability drive in the industry has not impacted on our roadmap. Our industry has been at the forefront of sustainability commitments for many years already, be it when it comes to its feedstock supply and procurement, but also in terms of environmental management systems and social conditions. We want to show that competitiveness and sustainability can go hand in hand. Our regular sustainability reports show constant progress in terms of increasing forest certification rate, certified raw material procurement rate, increasing recycling rates, reducing emissions, reducing impact and reducing the accident rate.

Paper and the plastics debate Graphic and printing paper use is declining, whereas packaging, tissue and specialty paper segments are growing, and the exploration of new bio-based products presents a way forward.

We illustrated the potential in 2015 with the publication of our ‘Age of Fibre’, that showcased the wide range of products the industry can deliver. Some interesting examples of new concepts incorporating fibre from unexpected places is the Papermilk by Gruppo Cordenos, which includes milk fibre that would otherwise be wasted in the paper process, resulting in a paper with excellent tactile properties, or Schut Papier and Smurfit Kappa’s tomato paper, incorporating fibre from stems within the paper.

CEPI believes that carton and paper definitely have chances in a ‘zeroplastics’ or even in a ‘less plastics’ society. This being said, the transition from plastics to non-plastics won’t happen overnight. It requires more research and more innovation in the field, and we must make sure that we progress cautiously on this to avoid deceptive claims.

It is difficult to say when these innovations will be ready. It is not just a matter of having a policy in place, and a product ready at the same time.

It’s about the economics, the market acceptance and the consumers’ willingness to switch from one material to another. But indeed, this feels like an opportunity for the bio-based sector in general and for the forest industry in particular.

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The Sustainability Awards trophies anxious await their new owners

SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS 2018 WINNERS UNVEILED LIVE IN GOTHENBURG The winners of the world’s most prestigious competition for sustainable packaging innovation were announced live in Gothenburg last month. Uflex won the overall Sustainability Awards 2018 trophy for its waterless flower e-commerce AMAP packaging solution, which creates significant energy reductions in the supply chain while prolonging the freshness of flowers for 20 days without water. Coca-Cola, Amcor, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Mayr-Melnhof Karton and James Cropper also scooped awards. The Sustainability Awards ceremony took place on 23 October on a buzzing Superbrand stage at Scanpack, hosted by Packaging Europe with the support of sponsors Avery Dennison, Mondi, Rockwell Automation and Borealis.

The most prestigious competition for sustainable packaging Compered by TV presenter Frida Zetterström and hosted by Packaging Europe, the ceremony drew large crowds at Gothenburg’s Svenska Mässan.

The 2018 edition of the Sustainability Awards received over 100 innovative submissions, which were graded by a seventeen-strong, independent, expert judging panel representing the breadth of the European packaging value chain.

The Sustainability Awards combined this year with the Sustainable Packaging Summit, featuring thought leaders from across Europe, to create the green packaging event of the year. At the Summit brand owners were represented by P&G’s Gian De Belder, Danone Water’s Philippe Dierxcsens and Ian Schofield of Iceland Foods (the first major retailer to commit to eliminating plastics), the three of whom articulated their contrasting approaches to achieving circularity within effectively functioning packaging. Meanwhile, Norah Lewis of WRAP introduced the UK’s Plastic Pact, and Jocelyne Ehret challenged some popular preconceptions about right and wrong packaging materials.

“The Sustainability Awards have grown steadily in profile since we launched the initiative but in 2018 we have been taken aback by the engagement,” commented Tim Sykes, Packaging Europe’s head of content. “I think this reflects the increased urgency with which consumers and regulators has demanded solutions to environmental problems associated with packaging in 2018. But it also reflects the serious thought and investment the whole

packaging value chain has been putting into sustainability. In my opinion, the submissions to this year’s Sustainability Awards, as a snapshot of sustainable innovation, demonstrate greater depth and more substantive progress across the industry than ever before. Moreover, most of these innovations are the culmination of years of R&D or planning. We’re proud not only of our winners, but of the 24 finalists and the achievements of the packaging world in general as reflected in this competition.”

Packaging Europe’s Tim Sykes with Ian Schofield (Iceland Foods), Jocelyne Ehret (TheRightPackaging.com), Norah Lewis (WRAP), Gian De Belder (P&G) and Philippe Diercxsens (Danone) at the Sustainable Packaging Summit

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Tim Sykes accepts the winner’s trophy on behalf of Uflex from Georg Müller-Hof of Avery Dennison, platinum sponsor of the Sustainability Awards 2018

Resource Efficiency The winner of the ‘Resource Efficiency’ category as well as the overall winner of this year’s competition was the waterless internet flower packaging solution by Uflex Limited, based on Active Modified Atmospheric Packaging Technology. Uflex engineered a special proprietary patented polymeric film for offering packaging solution for fresh plant-based produce. A Fast Respiration Meter is used for ascertaining the respiration rate of flowers and associated software thereafter calculates the required film permeability. A special laser system uses this information to adapt the permeability of the film offered by Uflex through micro perforations.

This special proprietary polymeric substrate is the first biodegradable (by composting) film that maintains the hydration of flowers during transpiration (evaporation causing loss of moisture during respiration) thus creating a closed loop system. Flowers are put to slow respiration mode by reducing the oxygen availability preventing excess oxidation and dehydration. The film keeps the flowers breathing in hydrated oxygen and release excess humidity keeping them touch dry. The flowers thus can go without water for 20 days as the humidity is fed back in to the flower when it continues to breathe in the modified atmosphere and further seven days in vase.

N. Siva Shankaran (VP - business development) commented: “Uflex had invested in AMAP technology and our initial trials did not yield the desired results. We had issues of Water condensation, weight loss and inability to achieve the equilibrium of gases as per design. When we looked at the broad

spectrum of polymers available, we could easily manage on attaining the equilibrium of gases, but we needed to have something unique to address condensation, while maintaining a very high humidity inside the bag. That’s when Uflex looked out of the normal polymer spectrum and found few materials which contains polymers made out of plant sources. When we did our initial trial, we found that we could solve all of the issues and we could recirculate the humidity back to the product.

“Thus Flexfresh was born and we have been working in expanding both the market and produce range which we can work with. One of the major projects is of Flowers as we can transfer the entire logistics from Air to Sea. The major benefits of Waterless Flower Packaging is that the Flowers could be stored at the destination for longer periods without compromising on its vase life and also be able to offer fresh flowers when the market demands it.

“Waterless Internet Flower Packaging has added another feather in its cap by winning the ‘Resource Efficiency’ award and also the overall Sustainability Award this year, which recognises as to how packaging could contribute to reducing GHG gases and bring enormous savings by reducing wastage and costs significantly in the supply chain. Uflex would like to thank the Jury of Sustainability Awards for reimposing their confidence on this innovation.”

The other finalists in the ‘Resource Efficiency’ category included Stora Enso’s EcoFishBox, Billerud Korsnä’s Disappearing Cement Sack and Nanopack’s Horizon 2020 funded project for antimicrobial packaging.

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Best Practice Many retailers and brand owners have been working hard to minimise the environmental impact of packaging and its supply chain. The ‘Best Practice’ category is designed to reward the most substantive if these efforts and the winner this year was Coca-Cola Western Europe, edging ahead of fellow finalists Marks & Spencer, Iceland Foods (the first retailer globally to go plastic free), and Garçon Wines’ recycled PET flat profile wine bottle.

Coca-Cola’s sustainability action plan ‘This is Forward’ was launched in October 2017 with the aim of using the leading status of its business and its brands to set new standards for sustainability packaging under the Circular Economy approach. This is Forward is focused on three leadership priorities: Drinks, Packaging and Society. In terms of packaging, the plan sets out commitments to be achieved by 2025: Coca-Cola will make sure that 100 per cent of its packaging is recyclable or reusable and will work with local and national partners to collect all of its packaging in Western Europe. It will additionally make sure that at least 50 per cent of the material used for PET bottles comes from recycled plastic. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola will leverage the reach of its brands to inspire consumers to recycle and pioneer sustainable packaging, including renewable and smart ways to reduce packaging waste.

Accepting the award, Susana Pliego, Coca-Cola Iberia’s environment & safety manager, remarked: “Thank you very much to Packaging Europe for the organisation of the Sustainability Awards, which contributes and motivates towards sustainability,

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Coca-Cola’s Susana Pliego poses with Stijn De Wit of Sustainability Awards gold sponsor Mondi

and thank you very much to the jury for voting for us – it’s really a honour for us to accept this award as a recognition of the efforts we are making in relation to sustainability. Packaging is one among several priority areas in our Sustainability Action Plan. We, Coca-Cola Western Europe, along with our main Coca-Cola European partners, are committed not only to achieving all of the goals of the plan, but also the ones we build with our consumers, stakeholders and customers.”

Anna Tenhunen shows off VTT’s ‘Bio-Based’ trophy

Bio-based In the category celebrating bio-based packaging innovation finalists included the Agripap sandwich wedge by Rapid Action Packaging, SIG Combibloc’s Signature Pack and sustainable feedstock for bio-based LDPE production by Dow Europe.

However, the highest grades were awarded by our judges to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, which created a compostable three-layered cellulose-based, compostable multilayer packaging substrate. It is suited to packaging both dry food products and flexible packaging air-sensitive products, because of the material’s good barrier properties against gases, grease, mineral oils and moisture, essential properties for food packages.

The multi-layer packaging solution is built from two different cellulose-based transparent films that have complementary barrier properties and that essentially make the solution a monomaterial. The solution is processable with existing film and roll-to-roll manufacturing machines and processes. The films are processed in a way that does not introduce any unwanted or toxic chemicals.

Anna Tenhunen, Research Scientist at VTT, said: “We are honoured to be chosen as the winners in the Bio-Based Packaging category – it is a great acknowledgment for our work in the field of sustainable packaging and material R&D&I here at VTT. The Sustainability Awards 2018 competition was organised very well and the jury behind the selection was very impressive. We want to thank Packaging Europe for organising the Sustainability Awards and furthermore taking a lead in highlighting and supporting sustainability in packaging. Due to the win in the competition, we have already been contacted by three major brand owners to discuss our innovation and packaging R&D. “Our winning innovation is based on decades of lignocellulosic expertise and is a highlight on the type of R&D that we do. The packaging solution looks like plastic and performs like plastic, but it is 100 per cent bio-based and made from mother nature’s very own raw material: cellulose – the very same thing as a typical paper is made out of. Two types of cellulose films, nanocellulose film and thermoplastic cellulose film, have complimentary barrier properties and have been combined into a three-layer structure to achieve the necessary properties for food packaging applications. The materials are in prepiloting phase and we are scaling up the technology and processing. We are actively looking for partners across the value chain to speed up the commercialisation. As VTT’s role as a governmental non-for-profit

Günter Stephan - of Sustainability Awards gold sponsor Borealis - announces James Cropper as the ‘Driving the Circular Economy’ winner

research organisation is more of a technology provider, this win definitely helps us in finding the partners to start actually producing and using our biobased materials. Above all, it supports our goals of contributing to solving the global environmental challenges we all face – that is the ultimate reward.”

Driving the Circular Economy In the ‘Driving the Circular Economy’ category, James Cropper’s CupCycling™ impressed the judges the most. CupCycling™ relies on a newly developed technology to recycle disposable paper cups on a commercial scale for the first time, and has played an integral role in establishing demand for paper produced from used cups. By partnering with waste management companies, coffee chains and restaurants, James Cropper has created a suitable supply chain to enable cup waste to be transformed into beautiful papers.

High street restaurants and retailers, such as Costa, McDonald’s, and Selfridges, have installed cup collection stations to allow for correct disposal.

There are now more than 4000 dedicated cup recycling stations across the UK. The used cups are collected by waste management partners for processing, before being delivered to James Cropper’s plant.

Julie Tomlinson, marketing communications manager at James Cropper, said: “We’re really thrilled to have won at the prestigious Sustainability Awards against such impressive competition. With CupCycling™, we’ve developed a scalable and innovative solution to the issue surrounding coffee cup waste in the UK. By working with waste management partners and brands who care about the environment, we’ve played a key role in the development of a supply chain to drive an increase in the recycling rates for used cups and to nurture demand for this valuable waste stream.”

“Since launching last year, we’ve brought many major brands on board – both those supplying used cups for recycling and those using the resulting fibre in their packaging while enriching their brand story. CupCycling really is a working example of the circular economy in action, and demonstrates how collaboration between businesses can lead to successful outcomes for both industry and the environment: a win-win.”

The other finalists were Coca-Cola Freestyle with re-usable intelligent bottles, SkyCell AG’s recycled temperature control container and Henkel’s Pattex Made at Home universal glue.

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Amcor’s Ashish Saxena accepts the ‘Machinery’ award

Machinery The winner of the category recognising sustainable advances in packaging lines and machinery was arguably the most innovative example of R&D in the 2018 competition: the groundbreaking liquid forming technology by Amcor Rigid Plastics and The Liquiform Group. The LiquiForm® technology uses consumable liquid instead of compressed air to simultaneously form and fill the container, which means that the liquid product in essence forms its own rigid plastic container. The combination of bottle manufacturing and filling process into one step results in the removal of blow-moulding equipment and high-pressure air systems. Costs associated with equipment and space as well as handling, transportation, and storage of empty bottles are eliminated.

On accepting the trophy, Ashish Saxena, VP and GM, Amcor 360 Packaging Solutions, commented: “It’s great to see Liquiform’s sustainability benefits recognised. LiquiForm reduces the carbon footprint of liquid packaging by eliminating energy-intensive compressed air and empty bottle transportation because products are formed and filled in one step, on one machine, and in one operation.”

The other finalists in this category were Ardagh Group’s sustainable hybrid battery storage, Sidel’s Aseptic Combi Predis ™ and DS Smitih Packaging Systems’ Made2Fit. | 26 | Packaging Europe

Felix Langkjaer of Sustainability Awards gold sponsor Rockwell Automation with Amcor’s Ashish Saxena

Mayr-Melnhof’s Horst Bittermann delivers his victory speech

Recyclable The judges were impressed by the contribution to sustainability through recyclability of X-Enviropouch by RPC bip protec, Braiform’s garment hanger recycling loop and WestRock’s Enshield Natural Kraft. However, the winner of the ‘Recyclable Packaging’ award was Mayr-Melnhof Karton for its next-generation virgin fibre cartonboard FOODBOARD™, featuring an innovative barrier concept.

The protection of consumer health is the top priority for the food packaging supply chain. Discussions about mineral oils in food started in 2010. It therefore became an urgent challenge to find the cause of the mineral oil issue and to identify possible solutions. FOODBOARD™ virgin fibre shields packed food against the migration of defined unintended substances such as mineral oils, phthalates and bisphenol A. The barrier provides comprehensive protection

The Sustainability Awards were founded and are organised by Packaging Europe with the aim of encouraging serious consideration of the requirements of complex environmental challenges, stimulating crossfertilisation of ideas and promoting the best sustainable innovation. The WPO WorldStar-recognised competition has designed its categories and judging criteria to encourage a holistic view of sustainability.

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against penetration from printing inks and the environment, which can infiltrate packed food during transportation, storage and at the point of sale. Accordingly, FOODBOARD™ virgin fibre reliably protects against cross-contamination and means transparency throughout the supply chain.

Horst Bittermann, head of marketing at Mayr-Melnhof Karton, said: “FOODBOARD™ is a ground-breaking innovation standing for safe and green food packaging. It has a functional barrier on the reverse side against unintended substances as mineral oils and replaces or avoids multilayer compound materials not recyclable and bio-degradable. Winning in the Sustainability Awards underscores the solution competence of Mayr-Melnhof Karton as well as our ongoing efforts to provide sustainable packaging with no compromise to food safety.”

Its independent jury consists of experts representing the whole of the European packaging value chain in order to ensure judging is neutral, informed and balanced.

For details about the competition rules, judging and structure, this year’s winners, and how to enter the Sustainability Awards 2019, visit: sustainabilityawards2019.com

DOES HOT MELT TAMPER EVIDENCE RAISE THE BAR FOR PHARMA? The rapidly approaching Falsified Medicines Directive requires European pharmaceutical manufacturers to adapt their packaging lines to guarantee that every box is safely closed until it reaches the consumer’s hands. Cinfa – the Spanish-based pharma giant – spoke to Packaging Europe about its reading of the demands of the FMD and tamper evidence, and their recent collaboration with Valco Melton.

JAVIER GORRITI, PRODUCTION ENGINEER AT CINFA:

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hanks to tamper evident packaging, we achieve a relevant quality leap: we guarantee that the patient receives a secure product that has not been manipulated, what can affect the quality of the medicine. This solution has been already implemented alongside other markets for long time and it was absolutely necessary for the pharmaceutical industry, where quality is a priority.

At Cinfa we have pursued a solution that does not modify the final product but meets the requirements of the FMD regarding tamper evidence and serialisation. We are really involved in this project since a large range of our medicines are affected by this new law. We have been looking into new technologies that could guarantee not only the security of our products, but also the threat of counterfeiting. I guess we can say we opted for the best option to meet the 9 February deadline successfully.

The adaptation to the tamper evidence requirements has had big implications for us since it affects all the production lines of our company. It has been necessary either to purchase new packaging machines or to update our current ones.

Furthermore, we had to acquire hot melt equipment for all our production lines, since we changed from a tuck-in closure to a hot melt sealing.

Performance criteria

comparison with alternative technologies, which require spare parts replacement and cause more incidents.

Based on this experience, I would predict that this tamper evidence technology will eventually migrate to other markets beyond pharmaceutical and medical products. It is mainly applicable to those which involve valuable products because it provides added security and guarantees that the product is original and has not been manipulated.

Collaboration Cinfa ultimately adopted Valco Melton’s cutting edge hot melt tamper technology, extending a partnership that had existed for several years. Valco’s new complete solution consists in the Kube melt-on-demand demand unit, which promotes adhesive stability and reduce char by only melting adhesive as it is required, and an EcoStitch™ all-electric hot melt applicator, which produces accurate adhesive dot patterns and reduces adhesive usage by up to 75 per cent.

Combined with the VD2 controller, adhesive patterns can be easily customised and controlled. To ensure a faultless delivery, the PackChek Vision Inspection System checks the correct placement and length of every glue bead and reports any error.

As might be expected, after the implementation of new technologies, there is an adaptation period. We are pleasantly surprised by how far we got familiarised with this hot melt technology. In this respect, breakthroughs in recent years have been key, such as the reduction in the size of melting tanks or the improvement in adhesive handling, avoiding degradation, debris and the loss of its properties.

Another improvement would be the adhesive autofeeder, which avoids manual filling, stops and heating time. Besides, the implementation of electric guns represents big progress compared to the pneumatic ones, offering an accurate adhesive application and reducing noise.

The main benefit of a hot melt tamper evidence solution for us is that the installation of this technology does not require a large space and long production stops. Working with hot melt avoids the need of extending the production line, which is a crucial factor. Pharmaceutical medicine production and packaging entail various requirements around temperature, humidity, air filtering, etc.

The maintenance of these installations is complex and, in this respect, space optimisation is imperative. In addition, hot melt reports less production stops in

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RAMON TORREDEMER, SALES REPRESENTATIVE AT VALCO MELTON, TAKES UP THE STORY:

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lot of solutions have emerged to tackle the challenge of adapting to the new pharmaceutical industry requirements. Most of them are existing technologies that used to be cumbersome, voluminous and expensive.

They are cumbersome because they imply more installation time, and an external technician cost is very expensive. Voluminous since they occupy a big space in completely fitted lines. And they are expensive because all this big and specialised ancillary equipment comes with significant additional cost! Fitting, for example, a new self-adhesive labelling machine in a production line would lead to these problems.

In this context, Valco Melton has launched an anti-counterfeit solution based on our traditional hot melt technology. But our alternative does not lead to the above-mentioned drawbacks. The pharmaceutical packaging systems already feature a hot melt sealing machine. Therefore this system is not completely new for the packager. Our system is not voluminous and can be installed inside an existing machine without requiring more space. Our solution it is not expensive, when we compare price and life cycle with other technologies.

The point of our electric guns is that they can operate at extremely high speeds. In contrast to pneumatic guns, our all electric guns operate at extremely higher speeds with a life cycle of up to 500 times greater than their pneumatic counterparts and they can easily be installed. Electric gear pumps and valves remove all but one dynamic seal required to run a pneumatic system. This fact minimises the chance of failure and greatly reduces downtime and the need for maintenance. In addition, our adhesive melters do not require a big melting tank.

Our revolutionary Kube is available in three different mount configurations and can be easily installed anywhere inside the production line.

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THIRST FOR A COMPETITIVE EDGE “Many people in the beverage industry are currently asking how they will become or remain competitive in the future,” says Andrea Kalrait, exhibition director BrauBeviale. Ahead of Europe’s key beverage event this year (which takes place in Nürnberg on 13-15 November), Libby White spotlights some of the innovations addressing the core challenge for beverage packaging today – how to grasp the attention of consumers in a competitive marketplace.

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Canned water?

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hairman of the Can Makers, Marcel Arsand pinpoints a major disruption he sees in the market: the packaging of water in cans. “Canned water and flavoured water are two of several types of beverage that we are seeing disrupting the drinks market - we are seeing a greater variety of types of drinks being launched in cans than ever before,” he enthuses. “Customers are being given alternatives to bottles and while canned wine or water for example may seem unconventional at first, it actually makes a lot of sense for the consumer, retailer and drinks makers.

“It makes environmental sense because drinks cans are sustainable with infinite lifecycles therefore reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill; it makes economic sense because the recycling process for cans is self-sustaining thanks to metal’s high intrinsic value. Industry investment in recycling also means we have more than enough capacity to recycle every drinks can placed on the market.”

Tesco is the first supermarket to offer canned water in its portfolio. By using aluminium the supermarket hopes to reduce its plastic waste and cater to its customers’ desire for eco-friendly options.

“Aluminium cans have the highest recycling rate of any product out there and a recycled can could be back on the shelf as another one in just 60 days”, says CanO Water co-founder Ariel Booker. The brand owners hopes the new 500ml cans of spring water will rival industry giants, while their minimal design and cult social media following will attract a younger generation.

It remains to be seen whether the premium image and the price premium associated with aluminium will be a winning proposition in the marketplace for the simplest of consumable products.

Digital opportunity Aside from rethinking packaging formats, beverage brands are also leveraging the possibilities opened up by advances in digital technologies. Recently we have seen increased R&D in the quality and dexterity of digital print on glass (O-I’s EXPRESSIONS offering late stage graphic and 3D customisation) and cans (for example, Tonejet’s direct-to-can printing, introduced last year).

Velox has also pushed the boundary of digital offerings by launching a new technology as a replacement for conventional DTS printing, making possible for the first time both high volume and low volume runs with near-zero set up time.

“With the IDS 250 system, Velox has been able to find the Holy Grail for digital print. Digital is often a complementary technology, but the IDS 250 can be a replacement technology for analogue processes. Velox’s Adaptive Deposition Architecture coupled with their proprietary inks achieve the productivity and speed that long production runs require, with the full on-demand benefits of digital without compromising on colour or image quality,” says Amy Machado, research manager for Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions, IDC. Marian Cofler, Velox CEO, adds, “Velox disrupts the conventional perception that mass production digital DTS is a technology of the future. Finally, batches

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of any size, with a cost per copy that is competitive with analogue long runs, are possible. This is an enormous breakthrough that can profoundly shake the industry – printing digitally direct-to-shape of any volume is now revolutionising how products are branded, produced, and marketed.”

Digital technology is also elevating interactive consumer experience, conducive to brand-loyalty. Crown Bevcan has provided a first for the beverage industry with its CrownConnect™ technology. In conjunction with FACT - an allnatural sparkling drink- each can is marked with a 2D unique scannable code.

Crown partnered with entrepreneur Olly Bolton, to launch Almond, a blockchain platform that allows consumers to scan a unique hidden product code and rewards them by unlocking tokens that are redeemable for cash. The platform will also unlock details of FACT Water’s story, giving unprecedented access to supply chain information- aiming to foster brand loyalty with consumers.

As well as producing the physical beverage can- CrownConnect™ technology provides the 2D codes beneath the tab of the beverage can that facilitate the engagement between consumer (via a scanning application) and brand.

The platform, developed in partnership with IoT company EVRYTHNG then comes into effect, intuitively generating rewards and offers based on previous purchases and offering discounts and rewards to users based on their habits and the products they buy.

“The Internet of Things, and specifically blockchain technologies, will continue to drive the way brands interact with consumers and Almond is a very exciting step into this area for the beverage industry,” commented Matt Twiss, marketing and business development director at Crown. “From a brand’s perspective, the value lies in the ability to capture valuable data about when and where customers consume their products.”

Material effects Meanwhile, Tetra Pak has launched a suite of new packaging material effects, known as Tetra Pak® Artistry, to help beverage producers revitalise the look and feel of their products. | 38 | Packaging Europe

Artistry is a ‘plug & play’ offering, helping brands attract shoppers’ attention without the need for the manufacturer to switch to a new packaging format or invest in new equipment. Each of the different effects on offer is created using different materials and processes.

‘Reflect’ incorporates holographic effects onto the package. They are created using ‘holographic’ films, which are applied directly on the packaging materials in converting factories. ‘Metallized’ creates a metallic effect thanks to the use of metallic films. The Tetra Pak Sharp® printing method allows unique metallic and holographic effects on the package.

The ‘Craft’ effect gives a package the natural look of bare paperboard with wood fibres. It is created using an uncoated, un-bleached paper board, which is then converted. The FlexoLine printing method is used to give the package a natural look of bare paperboard with wood fibres. More offerings are being developed, including ‘Sculpt’, an embossed surface texture for an innovative consumer experience. The first Sculpt pattern, which was customised for our Chinese customer Want Want, has been launched in China with initial positive market feedback.

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The Can Makers’ Marcel Arsand

The whole range of effects will be available for the majority of Tetra Pak® package formats and offered to customers worldwide.

Charles Brand, executive VP, product management and commercial operations at Tetra Pak said: “In a world where almost everything needs to be ‘personalisable’, we want to provide customers with something unique to help their brands rise above the noise and reach the shopper. The new suite of effects and expressions will help our customers enhance their brand at no additional investment, making it a cost-effective solution to their needs.”

Slimline A design trend still enjoying particular popularity among brands, according to Marcel Arsand, is the slimline can. “Brands are favouring the trendy, sleek looking cans because they are perceived as being more elegant and refined as well as being easier to carry around. Their lightweight nature makes them convenient to carry for consumers on the go as well as easy to transport for brands and retailers. Their shape means they are even more cube efficient than standard 330ml cans.

“It’s a versatile format as well, making it a great choice not just for traditional soft drinks but also wine, mixed drinks, coffee and water. The likes of Red Bull, Minor Figures Coffee, CanOWater and Coca-Cola are just a few who are producing their drinks in this shape.”

Smaller sized cans are also being offered to consumers in response to the healthy lifestyle trends. Mini cans of beverage still quench the customer’s thirst but without as many calories. Customers are now being given a wider option of can sizes to suit their needs than ever before.

The overarching theme across materials, design, shape and size is to rethink conventional packaging for beverages – whether that means packaging a beverage in a new format, enhancing with new effects and printing techniques, or favouring more versatile designs that suit the modern trends of consumers. | 40 | Packaging Europe

ELOPAK LAUNCHES ASEPTIC PURE-PAK® CARTONS WITH NATURAL BROWN BOARD Elopak is taking a step forward into sustainability with the launch of aseptic Pure-Pak® cartons made with Natural Brown Board. The new cartons are carbon neutral and introduced only one year after Elopak launched its fresh gable top carton made from Natural Brown Board. Since its 2017 launch, the fresh carton has been successful on shelf across Europe for market-leading multinational and medium sized dairies.

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he aseptic Pure-Pak® cartons have one less layer and thereby retain the natural brown colour of the wood fibres which gives a visible fibre structure. This also results in reduced carbon footprint and reduced weight, providing a naturally different, sustainable and authentic package, designed to meet demands from growing trends in ethical, ecological and organic products.

The aseptic Pure-Pak® carton will be available in the sizes 1000 ml, 750 ml and 500 ml and runs on the E-PS120A aseptic filling machine. The new PurePak® cartons are carbon neutral and 100 per cent recyclable.

“Elopak has a continuous focus on developing and offering products with an improved environmental profile,” commented Elopak’s director, environment, Marianne Groven. “The Natural Brown Board is a good example in this respect.

With this latest launch Elopak is expanding its portfolio, enabling added value UHT milk and ambient juice products, plus new emerging aseptic markets, in order to be sustainable, authentic and naturally different.”

Project Leader Johanne Ramdal added: “Our objective was to transfer the success in the fresh market to new sectors with the technical and commercial

release of Natural Brown Board aseptic. The most important part for this latest development was to achieve the same natural feel and printing capabilities as the fresh carton, to enable our aseptic customers to maximise the branding and stand out possibilities in ever changing markets.”

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BIOPLASTICS BENCHMARKS The thirteenth European Bioplastics Conference takes place in Berlin on 4-5 December. Ahead of the annual, industry-defining summit, Tim Sykes caught up with Hasso von Pogrell (managing director of European Bioplastics) to discuss the latest advances in bio-based polymers and their growing impact on the packaging landscape.

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IM SYKES:

At last year’s European Bioplastics (EUBP) Conference there was much talk about investment in production capacity for categories of bioplastics that have strong packaging potential (such as PEF). How does this picture look a year on?

H

ASSO VON POGRELL:

This year has been very exciting for the bioplastics industry. From the legislative perspective, the EU’s commitment to the transition from a linear to a circular economy has definitely accelerated the momentum for the bioplastics industry. A number of Member States have adopted policy initiatives that acknowledge the value of biodegradable and compostable packaging solutions to establish the ground for a circular economy.

Germany has approved a new packaging law aimed at boosting recycling of packaging waste. It also stipulates that the systems collecting the waste fees are obliged to create incentives that encourage the use of recycled material or material from renewable sources for the production of packaging. For the first time, bio-based and recycled materials are recognised as equally viable solutions to make packaging more sustainable and reduce our dependency on finite fossil resources.

Additionally, we have seen new technical proposals that are positioning the bioplastics industry as a market driver for innovation. For instance, EUBP’s member Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC) was one of the winners of the $1 million Circular Materials Challenge by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. They have developed a coating with silicate and biopolymers that is fully compostable and can be used in many different food packaging applications, protecting food against premature degradation. The new functional coatings called bioORMOCER® have excellent barrier properties against water vapour, oxygen and flavours and are proven to be suitable for foodstuffs, especially in the convenience sector.

AIMPLAS, another EUBP member, received an honourable mention for a low-cost method of making thermoplastic PVOH, a high oxygen barrier, water soluble and compostable material, which is an alternative to the barrier material commonly used in multilayer barrier packaging.

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Both AIMPLAS and Fraunhofer presented these innovations at the 2017 EUBP Conference. At this year’s edition we will see some new developments, especially in processing and applications. We will, for example, learn about the next steps to the 100 per cent bio-based PET bottle presented by Anellotech in collaboration with the beverage company Suntory. Furthermore, our attendees will see an introduction to home compostable PLA. This product is not available it the market yet, but, if proven successful, it will add a new end-of-life environment for this kind of rigid packaging.

TS HVP

How do overall production and consumption trends and projections look for Europe, and for the packaging market, compared to last year?

Generally, we are observing a bigger consumer demand for packaging made from bioplastics due to an overall awareness about our consumption choices on the environment.

Packaging is again the strongest market segment for bioplastics, with currently around 60 per cent of the production capacities being used in packaging.

Currently, there is an increasing need for home composting goods, such as shopping bags. In France, for instance, the wording of the French implementation decree on single-use plastic bags, which was published in 2016, sets out clear requirements for the reduction of single-use plastic bags in favour of bio-based and home-compostable bags, in line with the EU Directive.

We can also find a recent example in Spain, where supermarkets have started to charge this year for plastic carrier bags. Only in the case of hygiene reasons, it is possible to give them out free of charge. However, as of 2021, consumers will have to pay a fee even for the very lightest bags, unless these are made entirely from biodegradable materials.

Another topic, which is still of great interest, is compostable coffee capsules.

At the upcoming European Bioplastics Conference, we will get a market insight into the increasing demand of this application, which provides the same performance as conventional capsules and has the unique advantage of being able to be organically recycled together with the organic content.

Regarding the materials, the market drivers are still polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). PLA is a fully bio-based and compostable polymer that has excellent barrier properties and is very versatile. PHAs are biodegradable in industrial composting plants but also show good biodegradation in several other environments, such as marine waters. The long-awaited bio-based polypropylene is now also expected to enter the market in 2022.

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TS HVP

Has there been increased interest in 2018 on the part of major brand owners and retailers in exploring or adopting bioplastics?

Over the past years, brand owners have shown an increased interest in the bioplastics industry due to the growing demand by consumers of sustainable products. For example, Lego has announced that the botanical elements such as leaves, bushes and trees will be made from plant-based plastic (polyethylene).

IKEA has teamed up with EUBP member Neste to produce bio-based plastics. Both companies aim to produce polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) from renewable or recycled waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil, as well as sustainably produced vegetable oils. The pilot at commercial scale of PP and PE plastic, chosen to contain 20 per cent renewable content, started during fall 2018. It will be the first large-scale production of renewable, bio-based polypropylene plastic globally. The production of bio-based plastics will be based on Neste’s 100 per cent renewable hydrocarbons.

Reverdia’s Biosuccinium® has been used in the production of biobased materials for VAUDE’s redesigned Summer 2018 Shoe Collection. Toe caps and heel counters of the shoes are made from bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using succinic acid.

TS HVP

Some of last year’s speakers presented very interesting R&D into biodegradable multilayer packaging film and biodegradable barrier coatings. Have there been any recent important milestones or breakthroughs in barrier packaging?

This is a very exciting topic actually, because biodegradable and compostable packaging offer suitable end-of-life’ solutions for food packaging. When the packaging is mixed with food waste, mechanical recycling is hardly possible. The use of compostable materials makes the mixed waste suitable for organic recycling.

In 2018 we have also seen an important milestone with Danimer Scientific and PepsiCo, which jointly won the Innovation in Bioplastics Award for their industrial compostable snack bag. The snack bag meets the packaging requirements regarding feel, noise and performance of PepsiCo, and has been certified to be industrially compostable by TUV Austria.

Packaging Europe | 45 |

TS HVP

What are your expectations of this year’s conference? Are there any presentations that will be particularly significant from a packaging point of view?

The agenda of the thirteenth European Bioplastics Conference will cover a wide range of important areas, including the EU policy landscape, the latest technological innovations, as well as the brand perspective on the use of biopolymers. Also, European Bioplastics will publish the latest bioplastics market data update during the conference.

Some of the highlights of this year include Philippe Diercxsens, from Danone, presenting on the impact of packaging waste legislation, Stephen ElliotWetmore, from WWF South Africa, on driving partnerships and innovations, and Miriam Weber, from HYDRA Marine Sciences, on testing biodegradation in the marine environment. From the European Commission, Michiel de Smet (DG Research and Innovation) will speak about bioplastics’ role in an innovative circular economy, and Rana Pant (Joint Research Centre) will share insights into the JRC’s LCA work on plastics using alternative feedstock material. Additionally, Philippe Mengal (Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking) will present on how to catalyse the growth of the EU bioplastics market, and María José Badenas Romero (AIMPLAS) will discuss how to verify food-contact compliance and questioning whether recyclates fulfil the requirements.

Furthermore, we will dive into a wide range of topics, including the latest updates and harmonisation efforts in standardisation for bioplastics, packaging developments from single-use to food-contact solutions, new technologies and process routes, as well as innovative bioplastics applications. Another highlight will be a major market introduction announcement, aiming to revolutionise the PLA market.

TS

Sustainability has been the number one issue in the packaging industry for some time but I don’t think we quite anticipated even one year ago how the debate around plastic waste would explode in the European public consciousness. What is EUBP’s perspective on the popular ‘war on plastic’? What is your perspective on the regulatory approach to the circular economy, and in particular the EU’s Plastics Strategy?

HVP

With regards to the EU’s Plastic Strategy, we will also have an update at the EUBP Conference. We welcome the emphasis on the potential of bio-based plastics for feedstock differen-

tiation in plastics production as well as the acknowledgment of the transformative role of innovative bio-based plastics already in the market. Equally important to us is the express call of the Parliament to define clear criteria for the use of biodegradable and compostable plastics. With regard to food packaging applications, this will boost organic recycling and thus help realise a circular economy across Europe. In this context, it is also very encouraging that the Parliament is taking a clear position against oxo-degradable plastics.

One of the most relevant tools we have to address the sustainability of a product is LCA. However, it is important to highlight that there is no general LCA available for all types of bioplastic. Each product is different and needs to be analysed separately. An additional challenge for LCA is how to integrate untapped potential of innovative and rather ‘young’ products, such as bioplastics, in a fair and comprehensive way. LCAs currently do not take into account the potential, which these materials and products have when they mature.

Therefore, projections for improvements should be made and then included in LCA.

TS HVP

What other issues have dominated the agenda of EUBP as an association in 2018?

We have been very active on regulatory issues, such as the revision of the EU Fertilisers Regulation and the new standard EN 17033 on biodegradation of plastic mulch films in agriculture developed by CEN/TC 249 on Plastics, which has been published this year.

Related to the topic of standards, we will have a session at the conference dedicated to new developments for biopolymers featuring NEN, OWS, ECOS, and bringing us up to speed on the status quo of marine biodegradation research presented by HYDRA Marine Sciences.

Finally, in our commitment to support research and innovation efforts in the biopolymer and bioplastics industry, we serve on the Advisory Boards of six on-going EU and national research projects. Also, as a member of the PolyBioSkin Horizon 2020 project consortium, we are currently working together with academic and industry partners in an effort to develop solutions for the biobased economy of the future. Focussing on skin-contact applications, the project utilises the beneficial properties of biopolymers and innovative engineering and nanotechnologies to create performance and sustainability-improved bio-based and biodegradable mass-market products in the biomedical, hygiene, and cosmetic sectors.

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THE AMBITIOUS REALISM OF KP’S PLEDGE In September this year kp Group (Klöckner Pentaplast), one of the world’s big players in plastic pharmaceutical, food and beverage packaging, unveiled a Positive Plastics Pledge, which articulates its sustainability strategy and commitments for the coming decade. Tim Sykes visited CEO Daniel Dayan in London to interrogate the vision and concrete plans behind this document.

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sustainability is a long-term, complex challenge requiring a holistic and joined-up response, the societal and political attention span can be frustratingly fleeting.

“Looking back over the last twenty or so years running businesses, society’s environmental demands ebb and flow,” Daniel Dayan observed.

“As recently as four or five years ago there was a primary emphasis on life-cycle analysis, carbon footprint and global warming. However, right now all attention is on plastic litter. That is clearly a hugely important issue but there’s a danger that a singular focus on ocean plastics can distract from the issue of climate change, which I tend to think will prove to be the even more important challenge.” He illustrates the point with a reveal-

ing anecdote: “A few months ago we sat down with an advisor to the UK government and when we raised the subject of the carbon footprint of packaging, they said, ‘The current agenda is only about stopping plastics entering the oceans.’” (Subsequently to this interview, it has emerged that the UK Treasury is consulting on a proposal to tax plastics with less than 30 per cent recycled content.)

This tension between the complex, substantive needs of sustainability and the sometimes faddish aspect of public concern is increasingly unavoidable, and for kp this has underlined the importance of active engagement in discussions beyond its traditional business-to-business confines. This is the background to the Positive Plastics Pledge.

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Long-term impacts kp takes a broader view of environmental responsibility, and one which sits inside a framework of commercial sustainability. This means investing in materials that are likely to remain viable in the marketplace over the coming years, cutting across the fashions and shifting priorities of popular discourse.

In concrete terms, kp has two major areas where it is seeking to impact on sustainability. The first of these, especially following the 2017 acquisition of LINPAC, is increasing usage of post-consumer recyclate, particularly in the food packaging market, into which kp annually supplies around five billion trays with mainly PCR content. “Globally we used more than 140,000 tons of postconsumer PET last year, and we’d have used more if there was more available,” Daniel Dayan revealed. “We’re going to leverage our size as a €2 billion turnover company to drive scale. By helping to create a market for PCR, we are providing the economic incentives for more recyclate to be generated.”

Purchasing volume is underpinned by innovation: kp is working on increasing the quantity of rPET that can be used in drinks bottle labels beyond present limitations, and expects to deliver full tray-to-tray recycling through increasing recyclate in trays to 100 per cent.

The second impact area is a continuation of traditional downgauging activities to further extend resource efficiency in formats such as sophisticated lidding films. Last year kp commissioned its first 11-layer flexible film line, which facilitates further downgauging of multilayer substrates.

Embodying both strands is kp’s rFresh Elite® product platform – a MAP mono tray and top film solution made from up to 95 per cent PCR PET. “The Elite product set is based on innovation that is fairly unique on the industrial scale,” said Mr Dayan. “On top of the recycled content, functional benefits include operating packing lines at lower temperatures, delivering a clearer product and reducing food waste in the process.”

Mr Dayan combines this success story with a characteristic note of realism.

“Elite is an example of an innovative technology now generating a lot of benefits to food producers and consumers, but which was developed over many years and required a lot of capital expenditure,” he said. “We’re working on lots of similar projects but people have to understand that such innovations don’t materialise at the wave of a magic wand.”

Design for recycling – where possible Another of kp’s key objectives is to simplify polymers for easier recycling, which the company again acknowledges as no overnight task. There’s no pledge to eliminate any particular polymer by a particular date, but rather to work on specific initiatives to find practically recyclable alternatives to today’s complex substrates.

“A central aspiration of our R&D has to be reducing the complexity of polymers,” Mr Dayan continued. “Over the years there has been an explosion of diversity in polymer grades, all of them delivering improved performance in niche applications, but at the price of making it harder to recycle together even two types of packaging ostensibly based on the same polymer. There are some areas where we identify that we can turn the dial and make a difference right now, and others where it’s going to be harder – but we’re working on it.

For instance, can we imagine an effective tray/film combination comprising a single polymer that’s easy to recycle? Yes, but we don’t have the complete answer today.” | 50 | Packaging Europe

There are some applications where practically recyclable alternatives are even further over the horizon, such as some multi-layer lidding for protein trays and PVC film for pharmaceutical blister packs. In both cases, kp are unaware of simple alternatives, and sceptical that regulators or the general public would tolerate compromises in safety or hygiene as the trade-off for recyclability. “The public might tolerate mountains of food waste but not one child contracting salmonella poisoning,” commented Mr Dayan. “We’re looking into easily recyclable alternatives but realistically, we have to say that nothing is going to change quickly because these alternatives do not exist yet.”

Meanwhile, another specific focus is on alternatives to expanded polystyrene. “EPS is a fantastic thermal insulator and very light,” observed Mr Dayan.

“Paradoxically, however, it’s so light – 93 per cent air – that it’s not economically viable to recycle. Currently we are in discussion with the supply chain and recyclers and looking at alternative solutions. The way forward should become clear in the next 24 months.”

The wider ecosystem Whatever progress an individual packaging business makes in circularity is inevitably constrained by external links in the chain: appropriate disposal and collection of plastic waste, and the existence of recycling infrastructure. kp believes that regulatory and governmental intervention will be crucial in completing the circle, both in shaping the market and priming the pump.

“At the moment it’s cheaper to export waste and to import high-quality recyclate,” said Mr Dayan. “Sometimes we hear that ocean plastic isn’t a European problem because most of the waste enters the sea from the major rivers of the developing world. Let’s not forget that we in the West still export a significant amount of waste to countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines where there is limited waste disposal infrastructure, even after China ceased to accept it. If we analysed the proportion of waste floating down Asian rivers that originated in western Europe, the findings might be very uncomfortable. The Chinese ban is actually a fantastic opportunity for Europe to invest in domestic recycling.”

He proposes emulating the way in which renewable energy has been transformed by subsidies over the last 25 years: as the scale grew, so the need for subsidy reduced, and the end result is that today’s wind turbines and solar panels are a fraction of their previous cost.

Joining up strategies across Europe would also make a big difference, though our fragmented and contested systems represent a formidable challenge for harmonisation. “There are lots of strategic questions which have to be handled carefully,” Mr Dayan stated. “For instance, in principle we support deposit return schemes – why pollute a high-grade polymer if it can be kept separate? But this raises the question of the impact of taking a high-value stream out of kerbside recycling. And how does the rise of e-commerce affect a system that relies on reverse vending machines in supermarkets? Meanwhile, across Europe different countries have different approaches and corresponding facilities. To name just three, the Netherlands has good collection rates and little landfill but relies heavily on incineration; Germany has long-established DRS delivering excellent returns of bottles but poorer collection and recycling of trays; and in the UK there is less incineration capacity, which has led to better recycling of pots, tubs and trays but relatively low overall recycling rates. These things are driven by regulators, and politicians need to take more of a holistic view.”

Of course, the most influential regulatory push has originated in Brussels, in the form of the EU Plastics Strategy. kp welcomes the general principles in terms of the key objective of driving up recycling rates. However, Mr Dayan diagnoses signs of that familiar regulatory failure to connect the dots, as reflected in the fact that the plastic waste plan was developed in isolation from the EU’s food waste strategy.

“The devil is in the detail and there’s still a lot of opacity around definitions that will be pivotal in turning broad strategy into law,” he said.

“For example, it’s still not clear to us whether a meat tray is defined as a single-use plastic. Banning such an item would be highly problematic causing food waste to rocket. Another glaring omission is that it’s not yet clear whether taxes on plastics will apply to virgin materials only or also, counter-productively, to recyclate.”

Meanwhile, when kp and other packaging manufacturers use recycled content in food-grade applications they are dependent on approval from the European Food Standards Agency – but EFSA over the course of around a decade has failed to issue definitive guidelines. As a result, any investment in PCR food packaging has been on the basis of temporary letters of approval. If the EU wishes to transform the investment climate, it would do well to put pressure on regulatory organisations to bring clarity to standards.

Positive Plastics Pledge And so – the Pledge. In the context of the feverish debate around packaging and sustainability and the desperate need for collective action driven by wide and long-term perspectives, kp has made a public statement of its stance. At a time when some organisations have rushed to make eye-catching but superficial commitments, this is refreshingly grounded in its commitments.

“Along with the rest of the industry, we have a role to play in educating and communicating about the challenges we face,” commented Mr Dayan. “This is an area where we fell behind in the past, perhaps put off by the risks of sticking our head above the parapet. What we’ve said and what we’ve promised in the Positive Plastics Pledge is entirely consistent with the strategy we have been pursuing for years but we’ve tried to articulate it much more simply and clearly for employees, customers and consumers.”

The document contains four pillars. The first, ‘Innovate’ outlines the commitment to putting its R&D resources into downgauging and maximising use of recycled content. ‘Accelerate’ sets out kp’s pledge to only use materials that are practically recyclable or sustainably sourced by 2028, as well as to simplify polymers to ease recycling. ‘Educate’ (a pillar manifested by the Pledge itself) promises to promote the benefits of circularity in plastics and engage with society around responsible disposal. Finally, in ‘Activate’ kp pledges to lead discussions and initiatives to make collection and recycling infrastructure fit for purpose.

“It can be hard to get the holistic argument across to consumers,” Mr Dayan concluded. “Cucumber packaging is a classic example of plastic film making an overwhelmingly positive impact on the environment, but as a proposition it seems counter-intuitive to the public. The Positive Plastics Pledge is an attempt to contribute to this, setting out the environmental and scientific logic behind our business decisions. We see this as a starting point for hopefully a fruitful dialogue with industry, consumers, regulators and environmental organisations.”

kp’s CEO Daniel Dayan

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ILLUMINATING THE EUROPEAN PACKAGING OUTLOOK This month Packaging Europe and the world-renowned packaging market research and consultancy specialist Smithers Pira are unveiling the product of an exciting new collaboration: a co-branded report produced by Smithers Pira’s experts according to a brief tailored to the needs and preoccupations of Packaging Europe’s readership. As Tim Sykes has remarked, ‘European Packaging Competitive Landscape Strategic Forecasts to 2023’ is an indispensable guide for any of our readers who need a ‘Google Earth’ view of the outlook for our industry over the coming five years, which complements the reporting and contextualising we do by zooming out to reveal the bottom line implications of this landscape. Report author David Platt answers our questions about this research.

What kinds of readers is this report written for and what needs does it fulfil?

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his report is aimed at producers of raw materials, packaging materials and substrates, equipment, and packaging converters, as well as brand owners, retailers and packaging users operating in or targeting the European packaging market.

The specific objectives of the report are to: • Give readers a comprehensive view of the current and future competitive landscape of the European packaging market.

• Quantify current and future demand for packaging by value and volume • Explain key market drivers and trends during 2018-23 • Provide the definitive guide for business planning.

You’ve looked into the business landscape of the European packaging industry. What are the report’s headline takeaways in relation to growth rates and likelihood of ongoing consolidation?

The European packaging market is forecast to grow 1.9 per cent annually during 2018-23, which is slightly ahead of overall market growth during the previous five-year period, mainly as a result of faster economic growth anticipated during the forecast period compared with the review period.

Packaging demand is influenced by economic growth and the level of real personal disposable income. Packaging demand in the more advanced countries of western Europe, which have mature packaging markets and higher personal disposable incomes, tends to just about mirror GDP growth overall.

In the less mature markets of eastern Europe, packaging demand growth is usually a few percentage points higher than GDP growth rates. This is explained by more rapidly rising real incomes and purchasing power here, which lead to a higher proportion of income being spent on packaged food and drink and other consumer goods. | 52 | Packaging Europe

Regarding industry consolidation, although there has been a recent flurry of packaging M&A activity, the plastics sector in particular remains fragmented and further consolidation aimed at reducing costs and increasing efficiency is likely to continue.

Have you identified any particular markets that are expected to undergo particularly strong growth over the next five years?

Given the current consumer backlash against single-use plastic in Europe, paper and board packaging is being positioned as a practical, sustainable alternative to plastic packaging in certain applications.

In addition, the report identified several areas likely to see strong growth: • Sustainable packaging: There is mounting public pressure on brand owners and retailers to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and move towards more sustainable packaging. Single-use packaging has increasingly become the target for specific sustainability measures, both with brands’ corporate citizenship goals and government regulations.

• E-commerce: Online shopping has created great opportunities for manufacturers of protective packaging materials. Around 80 per cent of this market is in corrugated board and many companies in this segment are creating specific business units, service lines and products to capitalise on this.

• Smart & intelligent packaging: Intelligent packaging demand will be spurred on as brand owners seek to enhance shelf appeal through the use of technologies that allow interfacing with the Internet via a consumer’s smartphone; and designs that prolong shelf life through the use of temperature monitoring and other freshness indicators.

• High growth packaging segments: plastic drums (new and reconditioned), stand-up pouches, bioplastics, shrink sleeve labels, high-barrier plastic packaging and paper-based packaging.

What are the big demographic and lifestyle trends that you see impacting on packaging – and what kinds of packaging innovation would you expect to respond to these?

Demographic trends is another key determinant of packaging demand. Generally, a higher rate of growth in the population is more likely to be associated with higher growth in packaging consumption. The population of major Western European countries is growing very slowly due mainly to a declining birth rate.

The population of many Eastern European countries is either static or declining, mainly due to outward migration.

The age structure of the population also plays an important role in driving packaging demand. In many developed countries the population is ageing.

An ageing population in advanced economies and longer life expectancy in developing countries is leading to growing demand for healthcare and personal care products.

Lifestyle factors such as growing consumer demand for health and wellness products, urbanisation and busier lifestyles, growing number of working women and single-parent / single-person households, are also shaping packaging trends. These include growing demand for convenience products/packaging, more portable packaging for ‘on-the-go’ consumption and smaller pack sizes.

How about the broader drivers in retail and CPG? Healthy and environment-friendly lifestyles is a focus for a growing number of consumers. Consumers are becoming increasingly mindful of their purchases.

More and more shoppers are choosing products that are sourced responsibly and are good for their bodies and the environment.

More consumers are also mindful of the product packaging, what materials it is made from and whether it is disposed of in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Consumers increasingly want packaging based on sustainable resources, packaging that can either be reused or recycled and less packaging altogether. Meanwhile, retailers that have placed health and sustainability at the core of their business are continuing to thrive.

Did you form a view of the most important technological trends that are likely to transform the packaging landscape in the coming years?

Technology also has an important role to play in supporting packaging market development. Key packaging technology developments include; high barrier packaging, bio-based renewable bioplastic materials, multilayer packaging film recycling, polymer nanocomposites and downsizing / lightweighting across multiple formats.

Packaging Europe’s readers are well aware of the importance of sustainability in defining packaging specifications and R&D. How do you see the increased regulatory and consumer demands in this area playing out for the industry?

The plastics industry needs to intensify its work in the EU standardisation bodies and work together as converters and recyclers towards quality product certification and standards for recyclates in the EU. Quality of recyclates is still the major issue and just a small number of converters do already work with recyclers to find solutions, so we need to improve this. The industry also identifies these technical barriers so we need to work on this, as well as with machinery producers.

The report outlines both opportunities and areas for caution across packaging. Is it possible to summarise the short-medium term outlook for the industry as a whole?

For the plastic packaging industry the outlook can best be described as challenging due to the consumer backlash against plastics, meeting regulatory targets for recycled content, intense competition, raw material price volatility and growing pressure on margins.

For more information or to purchase the report, visit: www.smitherspira.com/industry-market-reports/packaging/europeanpackaging-competitive-landscape-to-2023

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| 54 | Packaging Europe

FACHPACK 2018 LAST LOOK Elisabeth Skoda picks out some of the highlights of this year’s most important European packaging expo – Nürnberg’s FachPack.

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achPack covered the packaging process chain from packaging materials and machines to printing and finishing, and logistics systems and services. Many forums and special shows provided an opportunity for professional development and sharing knowledge on all aspects of packaging.

Digitalisation, e-commerce, packaging design, and sustainability in particular provided the key subjects for discussion.

“I am impressed by the dynamism and creativity that we saw in the exhibition halls,” comments FachPack exhibition director Cornelia Fehlner. “It is clear that the packaging industry is in transition. In addition to challenges of a technical nature, the industry is especially interested in ways to find clever packaging solutions for complex requirements that will also serve the interests of both the environment and the consumer, while also keeping the entire product cycle in focus. In other words, the packaging of the future. This is what we will be concentrating on at FachPack 2019.”

Achievements honoured: German Packaging Award An award ceremony on the first day of the fair, recognised a total of 40 outstanding solutions covering the entire added value chain in packaging in the form of the 2018 German Packaging Award, organised by dvi

(Deutsches Verpackungsinstitut). Two particularly innovative products in the categories of ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Design and Finishing’ secured the exclusive gold award: the innovative, deep-drawn packaging solution FlexiClose(re) from Schur Flexibles Group and the ‘Seepje’ detergent packaging from Hordijk.

Recyclability Mondi showcased its BarrierPack Recyclable, a fully recyclable packaging laminate, which also won a German Packaging Award in the ‘Sustainability’ category.

Another eye-catching feature of the Mondi stand was result of a collaboration which is the subject of Packaging Europe’s cover story this month: the recent jointly developed, fully recyclable solution in partnership with customer Werner & Mertz, owner of the Frosch (‘Frog’) brand of cleaning products. This patented polyethylene mono-material pouch has detachable decorative panels and is 100 per cent recyclable. Starting in 2019, it will replace conventional flexible packaging for Frosch products.

Jindal Films demonstrated a breakthrough OPP film technology, ULTRASEAL, at FachPack. Its unique heat seal performance capabilities are designed to replace blown polyethylene or cast polypropylene films used in flexible packaging laminates.

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BICOR™ 40 & 50 MB344US films are the first products to benefit from Jindal Films’ new ULTRA SEAL technology which consists of a new high clarity, oriented polypropylene (OPP) film range featuring high seal strength, low seal initiation temperature and exceptional hot tack performance. The technology provides robust seal performance in numerous packaging formats, especially pouch and stand-up pouch applications.

This new range of films will meet the increasing need across Europe to provide “design for recycling” solutions which are preferably based on mono-materials.

Paper from grass Zanders presented ‘Zangrass’ at the show – an uncoated, tactile paper with grass content with a substantial carbon footprint reduction relative to other papers.

Offering both surface and substantive green credentials, grass content in paper is an increasingly attractive solution for sustainability-conscious brands, also exemplified by ‘Graspapier’ - a Packaging Europe Sustainability Awards winner in 2017 by Scheufelen. The range (available in 120 and 150 gsm versions) contains between 20 and 40 per cent virgin fibres from sun-dried grass in the form of pellets supplied by Creapaper. Grass fibres are combined with bleached pulp.

The optical and tactile natural character of Zangrass is topped off by the uncoated, textured surface which advertises its own naturalness. More importantly, carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 75 per cent compared with pure fibre-based papers, and the water consumption is lower. In terms of performance, Zanders attests to very good stability and processing properties.

The series is suitable for flexo printing. | 56 | Packaging Europe

Speaking to Packaging Europe at FachPack, Zanders revealed that it intends to bring significant tonnage of its grass paper to market over the coming year and is conducting research on extending its range of market applications and expanding the product range to lighter and heavier weights. For the time being Zangrass is mainly selling into the organic and natural products segment.

Centralised adhesive supply Baumer hhs has expanded its product range for glue application and quality assurance with the launch of Xfeed, a centralised adhesive supply system for hot melt units, at FachPack.

The automated, closed-loop system supplies adhesive granules on-demand to up to 20 hot melt units from a central storage location, bridging incomparably long distances of up to 200 metres even at high feed rates. In addition to the Xmelt family of hot melt units from Baumer hhs, the Xfeed is also compatible with systems from all other manufacturers.

“Our customers want just one representative for their entire gluing process if at all possible. They want to be able to get all the system components and services they need from a single source. In response, we introduced the Xfeed to round out our range of hot melt application products for end-of-line packaging,” explains Martin Kotecki, packaging industry specialist at Baumer hhs.

Standing out on the shelf Sonoco showcased its SquareCans at the exhibition. With their unusual rectangular format, they stand out at the point of sale. Printable lids produced with in-mould labelling technology (IML), such as a convenient hinge lid, offer

additional printing space for brand messaging, or for extra content, such as recipes and health tips.

The virtually square shape of the rigid paperboard container also increases the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of logistics processes, as it optimally uses the available space during transport and in storage facilities. Sonoco produces the Hermetic SquareCan in a newly developed process that considerably increases the container’s stability. In addition, a sealed-on aluminium membrane turns the new solution into an air- and gastight vault perfect for sensitive products like coffee, nuts or even baby food products, including powdered infant formula (PIF).

Integrated labelling performance Embracing web compatibility and Ethernet control for interconnectivity, the new HERMA 500 label applicator, premiered at FachPack, is a highly integrated, high-performance applicator.

It marks a step forward as the packaging and labelling sector moves towards adopting smart factory principles. Its intelligent features satisfy the criteria imposed by Industry 4.0.

The successor to the HERMA 400 labeller offers compelling connectivity, intuitive operation, highly flexible integration options, and outstanding performance parameters. HERMA has delivered an innovation with the new machine’s online functionality, as Martin Kühl, head of HERMA’s Labelling Machines Division, explained: “In the future users will be able to parametrise, maintain, and operate the applicator as necessary by way of the Internet – quickly and simply.

And the labeller itself responds to remote control as well, all of which further helps to reduce setup and maintenance times, and therefore costs.”

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2018 RETROSPECTIVE Libby White looks back on some of the defining innovations of the year, whose significance is gauged not just in terms of market impact, but also in the way they are emblematic of two megatrends that have dominated the year in packaging.

The common goal

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ustainability. The buzzword on everyone’s lips. The predominant theme on exhibition stands across Europe. The common goal of the whole packaging supply chain. 2018 has been pivotal in the drive for results.

Packaging Europe published a monumental 640 articles this year online which mention sustainability and championed some of the leading innovations and philosophies at our Sustainability Summit and Awards 2018.

Many supermarkets and global brands have pledged targets over the next few years, for example: Nestlé aims at 100 per cent reusable or recyclable packaging by 2025, P&G released its ‘packaging sustainability: ambition goals 2030’ citing partnerships and collaboration as vital to make meaningful progress, Costa Coffee announced a commitment to recycling the same volume of cups it puts to market, and Mondelēz International announced a new commitment to make all packaging recyclable and provide recycling information by 2025.

The European Parliament recently approved a ban on single-use plastics which will see 2019 ramp up innovation. The New Plastics

Economy Global Commitment led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment, was signed by many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. We’ve seen innovation across the board, here are our top picks which embody the spirit of sustainability:

Monopolymer Sustained R&D efforts over many years have borne fruit in 2018 with the emergence of significant advances and genuine breakthroughs.

In September (in a world exclusive) Packaging Europe broke the news of Amcor’s game-changing polyolefin-based flexible substrate for ambient and retort high-barrier applications that matches the performance of existing multimaterial structures. This OPP film with silicon oxide coating is the platform for a flexible packaging portfolio catering to a wide range of applications, from ready meals and pet food to snacks and coffee.

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The retortable grade sets new benchmarks with barrier performances of <1cc oxygen and <1g moisture after converting and retort (numbers which align with the top performing non-recyclable barrier films currently on the market, for instance PET barrier films).

Also this year Mondi introduced its BarrierPack Recyclable, a laminate that is fully recyclable where a suitable recycling infrastructure exists. In places where the infrastructure is catching up to material innovations, BarrierPack is considered ‘recycling ready’. CeDo Recycling, a pioneer in recycling technologies, proved the material’s compatibility via extensive validation trials. The key innovation in BarrierPack is the addition of a gas barrier between the its PE layers. This opened up new high-volume markets for the material – most notably in fresh food and other food products requiring modified atmosphere packaging.

Snap Pack Another attention-catching sustainability innovation was Carlsberg Group unveiling of a groundbreaking packaging innovation as part of its ongoing sustainability pledge, Together Towards Zero. The new ‘Snap Pack’ replaces traditional, bulky plastic rings with a pioneering solution that instead bonds multipacks of cans together.

A sustainable packaging solution, the new Snap Pack holds Carlsberg Expørt cans together in a multipack form with small pieces of a specially developed glue in small dots, which are easily snapped apart when required, but robust enough to stand up to handling to and from the store.

Using minimal plastic and limiting waste, as well as reducing CO2 emissions and the reliance on fossil fuels, the Snap Pack aims to reduce the Carlsberg | 60 | Packaging Europe

Group’s global plastic usage by more than 1200 tons - from brewery to store annually once the roll out onto all four, six and eight packs across all Carlsberg variants in 11 markets is complete.

Biodegradable capsules In cooperation with Golden Compound, ALPLA brought a world first onto the market: a biodegradable coffee capsule that consumers can dispose of in their home compost.

The capsule is made from the material Golden Compound green. This comprises an organically based material and ground natural fibres from sunflower seed shells. The capsule and filter fleece are completely biodegradable in the garden compost within a maximum of six months and are free from aluminium and genetically modified organisms. ALPLA provides its customers with the capsule and the garden-compostable lid.

Browsing redefined The second big trend driving innovation this year has been the continuing rise of the omnichannel. More and more brand owners are looking for packaging solutions that cater to e-commerce and home-delivery retail streams.

API commissioned a survey of brand owners and marketing managers earlier this year. Exactly half of all respondents believed that the retail and e-commerce space were equally as important when it comes to product sales, something that couldn’t have been envisaged five years ago.

Online grocery shopping is growing at a double-digit rate, while traditional stores are being reinvented, merging together into an omnichannel where

consumers expect to be able to buy whenever, wherever and however they choose, with the smartphone as their compass. Packaging will play an important role in response to the trends that are shaping the growth of on-line grocery, says Tetra Pak.

Made2fit DS Smith announced a solution set to be the first ever 3D-adaptable packaging, minimising size and cutting associated costs by up to 60 per cent. This customisable packaging solution enables e-tailers to reduce packaging size and associated costs, including void fill, storage, shipping and administration.

The new technology, called Made2fit, is based on three available sizes of cardboard sheet (mini, small and medium), from which 33 different box sizes can be manually created in a quick and easy way. With built-in crease lines and a tool for custom perforation, the product is the first ever 3D-adaptable packaging – in that it can be modified in three directions.

Made2fit is estimated to reduce void fill by 80 per cent on average and achieve a potential cost saving of 30 per cent on inbound and outbound shipping. | 62 | Packaging Europe

Amazon Dash The Amazon Dash Replenishment Service Solution Providers program enables systems integrators to bring new DRS-enabled devices, which automatically reorder physical goods from Amazon.com, to their customers.

As one of the first certified DRS solution providers, Jabil Packaging Solutions delivers specially designed smart packaging and devices with embedded technology that senses when new supplies are needed. When the contents are running low, the packaging containers use DRS to trigger an order from Amazon, delivering new supplies to consumers at the right time.

Jabil’s digital replenishment solutions with DRS will serve consumers through a smart container that senses product usage, with or without an accompanying smartphone application. Product modifications—such as changing the flavour, size, delivery date or re-order threshold—are at the user’s discretion. This customizable, frictionless repurchasing reduces and simplifies the complexity of tracking stock, remembering what needs replacing, making lists and planning store trips. Use of DRS’s ‘Dash Button’ has already demonstrated the measurable impact re-order convenience has on product sales for brands.

M&H Postal Pack RPC M&H Plastics created a range of packaging solutions designed to be easily posted through letterboxes to cater to the growing e-commerce market.

M&H’s new Postal Pack range addresses this demand for a range of solid and liquid products. Ideal for mail order, the pack is available with varying neck and closure specifications to fit different product requirements. The standard solid dose variants are available in 150ml, 200ml, and 320ml, which the standard liquid option complementing the range at 300ml.

M&H’s foil sealed, tamper-evident closure and retained wadding, ensures that freshness and security is guaranteed for each delivery.

Due to the growth of e-commerce luxury brands have increased their digital presence which means that more rigid boxes are delivered directly to the consumer’s door. There the boxes can create a memorable impression through a ‘surprising’ unboxing experience. As significant as it is to create emotions towards the brand, it is also important to ensure that the box protects the content all the way to the consumer, and still conveys the brand message.

The industry is already deep in the sea of change for sustainable solutions within the retail sphere, however the rise in e-commerce and the need to tackle packaging waste in this sector is crucial over the next few years. Now is the time for a paradigm shift: prevention rather than cure for how we package the future buying habits of consumers.

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| 64 | Packaging Europe

NULOGY EXPANDS AGILE CUSTOMISATION PLATFORM WITH ENHANCED QUALITY CAPABILITIES FOR EFFORTLESS COMPLIANCE Nulogy, a leading provider of agile supply chain solutions to consumer packaged goods companies and their external supplier networks, launched its Enhanced Quality Solution at PACK EXPO International.

With the release of Enhanced Quality, Nulogy helps brand owners and contract packaging service providers protect consumer safety with the quality control and conformance capabilities needed to uphold standards for regulated and quality-centric industries.

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ccording to the Contract Packaging Association’s ‘State of the Industry Report 2018’, ‘Seventy per cent of contract packaging and contract manufacturing companies are concerned that the regulatory environment will have a significant and possible negative impact over the next three years’.

“Supplier quality initiatives are a major priority for manufacturers, second only to cost,” said Kevin Wong, COO at Nulogy. “Our latest release ensures that we continue to support our CPG customers and their late-stage customisation suppliers in upholding the high-quality standards and stringent regulatory requirements that drive industries such as food, personal care, and over-thecounter products.”

“Quality and compliance is a huge part of our guarantee and we rely on best-in-class software to maintain our reputation,” said Ted Ditch, director of Quality Assurance at AmeriPac. “The Audit Trails functionality within Nulogy’s Enhanced Quality solution has proven to be very valuable during investigations

and troubleshooting, as it allows our team to see the chain of events that lead to the particular set up of a job and follow the data all the way through to reconciliation on the line.”

Nulogy’s Enhanced Quality solution includes the following capabilities to help brand owners and their suppliers demonstrate compliance while managing costs and complexity within the late-stage customisation environment:

Superior track-and-trace Audit trails ensure that businesses have full traceability over the modification of regulated electronic records and other high-risk activities that may impact product quality, consumer safety, or data integrity.

Evidence of safe product handling Electronic batch records enable businesses to provide evidence that a batch of product was produced according to specification and is safe for release to market. It helps businesses fulfil one of the most critical requirements under GMP regulation. Unlike other solutions on the market which can require substantial amounts of manual entry, the automation of electronic batch recording within the Nulogy platform serves to improve data integrity and streamline processes within the production environment.

Seamless digital sign-offs Electronic signatures make it easy for the right user to sign off on critical activities. The capability effectively controls the approval and review of regulated events through user identity verification.

Digitised and integrated quality processes The quality inspection process is streamlined through the auto-population of production data into quality inspection forms, and is enforced through mandatory inspection checkpoints which eliminate shortcuts and workarounds.

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DIGITAL NOMAD WHEN IS A TREND NOT A TREND? It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. and once again, gift buyers all over the world are trying to achieve the holy grail – how can I control the amount of money I spend but still display the maximum amount of thought? Or is it just me Richard Askam that thinks like that? Thought lies at the heart of Digital Nomad all gifting, which is why we stand and watch our nearest and dearest unwrap the presents we have bought for them. We want to see the look on their face as they open their gift and bask in the reflected something that you keep forever and to my mind, glory of a job well done – hopefully! It’s why the this is where the explosion of personalisation has handmade card from your children becomes come to the rescue of gift buyers everywhere.

SO

is it a trend or not? Well I say not – personalisation has been around since at least the Bayeux Tapestry was created in 1066! History shows us that a higher value has always been placed on anything bespoke by both buyers and recipients be that tailoring, jewellery or gift cards. So what we are seeing now in our era is nothing new – but the big change has been the methods used to deploy personalisation, and this has fuelled the continuing growth of digital print. This has opened up the possibilities for brands and consumers alike and as such, it all feels new and therefore is easier for the media to describe as a trend.

But trends come and go, and as I explained above – we are getting on for 1000 years of this particular trend. Trends to me are a single idea deployed on multiple products – think of Keep Calm & Carry On – which have a shelf life much shorter than most. The cognoscenti of gift buyers don’t follow the herd because they are looking for something special, something bespoke. To be able to add a personal touch to a gift raises the value for the buyer AND the recipient and cements a relationship as a result.

The plethora of direct to consumer campaigns we have seen in recent years has cemented a direct relationship between the brand and their consumers that never previously existed, simply by allowing the consumer to personalise their bottle/box/bag. At that point it ceases to be just a consumer product, it’s a gift that happens to be made of a consumer product. Did you

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know that 90% of the ShareaCoke bottles bought online were never opened – they remain as keepsakes in the same way as the handmade card I mentioned earlier. That campaign by Coca-Cola has become the benchmark that set a new bar for brands the world over and it owes it all to the phrase “It’s the thought that counts…”

100 years ago, the Industrial Revolution literally changed the landscape of the business world. When students come to study this era in 100 years’ time, I guarantee it will become spoken of as the Digital Revolution – and as the packaging world continues to get to grips with the opportunities, you are then at the cutting edge of this era and able to harness the limitless possibilities that digital print for packaging offers. So as Christmas time approaches again, give some thought to your friends and family of course – but at the same time, give some thought as to how you can imagine the future of your business utilizing some clever personalisation!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Richard Askam Richard Askam Digital Nomad