Packaging Europe Issue 15.7

VOLUME 15.7 – 2020

GREEN INNOVATION TAKES FLIGHT: MEET THE SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS WINNERS ADHESIVES • TRACEABILITY • CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS • TETRA PAK • MULTIVAC

Editor

Brand Director

Victoria Hattersley

Tim Sykes

Journalists

Sales Director

Elisabeth Skoda Libby Munford

Jesse Roberts

Digital Editor

Dominic Kurkowski

Fin Slater

Production Manager Rob Czerwinski

VOLUME 15.7 – 2020

Senior Sales Executive Sales Executives Alain Rizk Alex Cheung

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Advertising Coordinator Senior Audience Kayleigh Harvey Development Executive IT Support Syed Hassan

Operations Director

Andrew Wood

Audience Development Executive Dominy Jones

Amber Dawson

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

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Editorial Victoria Hattersley Sustainability Awards 2020 Tim Sykes reviews the 2020 competition Overall Best Sustainable Packaging and Biobased Packaging Fraunhofer ISC Best Practice Henkel Driving the Circular Economy Penn Color Pre-Commercialized Innovation Ardagh Group Resource Efficiency Ruinart Machinery Syntegon Recyclable Packaging BERICAP Readers’ Award Beiersdorf Koehler Paper Group Wider View Challenging the ‘myths’ around paper packaging MULTIVAC Major fields of action at interpack 2021 Trinseo How can sustainability be embedded into company culture?

Tetra Pak Looking towards a more sustainable packaging future ROVEMA Wider View The sustainable power of flexibles Taghleef Industries How can we take a holistic approach to developing sustainable packaging materials?

Bostik A look at the adhesives market with Bostik Traceability Traceability from farm to fork and from vineyard to glass Rockwell Automation Wider View Digital transformation connects factories to the future Cambridge Design Partnership Interview: Changing perceptions of consumer packaged goods On second thoughts... Removing plastic already in the ocean is a distraction

EDITORIAL |

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nd so we reach our final issue of this long, exhausting year. But while I don’t think any of us will be looking back with fond eyes on 2020, we can at least say that the packaging industry has not forgotten its pressing environmental concerns, even as it has adapted to face the Covid-19 crisis. As I write this, our virtual Sustainable Packaging Summit is underway. It’s not been what we expected – nothing this year has been what we expected – but it’s certainly given us a chance to broaden the conversation around sustainable packaging in ways we might not have done during a two-day live event. The virtual summit is just getting started, and you are welcome to join our forthcoming live sessions, as well as catching up on the ones that have already taken place. Just visit packagingsummit.earth/join to register.

As the opening event of the Summit, on 15 October our Sustainability Awards 2020 ceremony was held, for the first time as a virtual event, with a very formally-attired Tim Sykes doing the honours. The 275 entries we received gave an exciting – and reassuring – insight into the breadth of innovation that continues across the entire supply chain.

Among other things, they have shown us how circularity in single-use packaging continues to drive R&D, how e-commerce is changing the landscape, and how reusable packaging has well and truly entered the mainstream. This issue, we take the opportunity to have a closer look at the winning entries and the environmental challenges they address.

Victoria Hattersley Senior Writer

Elsewhere, Libby Munford speaks with MULTIVAC’s Christian Traumann ahead of interpack 2021, to find out some of the trends he expects to see manifested across the show floor. Fin Slater catches up with Bostik’s Richard Lelievre to discuss the role of adhesives in packaging sustainability and performance, and Elisabeth Skoda takes a dive into serialization and track and trace applications in the food and beverage industries.

Our ‘industry’ perspectives on sustainability for this issue come courtesy of Tetra Pak, Taghleef Industries and Trinseo. Finally, our regular ‘On Seconds Thoughts...’ column sees the welcome return of SYSTEMIQ’s Yoni Shiran, who questions whether a focus on removing plastics already in the ocean comes at the expense of ignoring the root causes of the continued plastic pollution problem.

We’ll see you again in the New Year when we can, hopefully, be looking forward to the postponed interpack in February. Stay safe in the meann time, and thank you all for your support this year.

Victoria Hattersley Victoria Hattersley vh@packagingeurope.com @PackEuropeVicky

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WHAT DID THE SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS 2020 TELL US ABOUT GREEN INNOVATION? The judges’ verdicts are in! Over the following pages you can discover and hear from the winners of the eight Sustainability Awards categories. But the leading global sustainable packaging competition isn’t just about picking out winners: it’s intended to shine a broader floodlight on the scope and cutting edge of green innovation up and down the value chain and around the world. Tim Sykes reviews the 2020 competition and picks out five trends revealed by this snapshot of recent innovation.

1. A circular economy in single-use packaging remains the number one driver of R&D This year we saw a record 275 submissions to the Sustainability Awards.

Once again, a large proportion of those entries were based around singleuse packaging that was designed for recycling and/or incorporating recycled materials. This year’s submissions underline the fact that mono-material films and pouches are maturing as a market and extending their reach into more challenging applications.

Circular economy orientated innovation also dominated the list of finalists selected by our judging panel: the BASF/Borealis/Südpack pouch made from chemically recycled waste plastic waste; P&G’s all plastic aerosol and Bericap’s silicon-free valve; Ecover’s and Volvic’s entries driving the use of PCR; entries focusing on recyclable white pigment and decoloration; and of course Ardagh’s exciting innovation in closing the loop for glass recycling.

2. E-commerce Direct to consumer delivery is a trend that will grow and grow, and which explodes established paradigms about resource efficiency and product protection. It’s unsurprising that this year’s competition saw growing numbers of entries aimed at reducing the environmental impact of such packaging, from recyclable mailers and waterless refill systems to the Slimbox perfectly fitting solution for optimized boxing of e-commerce packages – a finalist in the machinery category.

The home delivery trend has accelerated under the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I anticipate this will channel even more R&D into packaging for e-tailers. Hopefully some exciting ideas to look forward to in the 2021 edition.

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3. Reuse Reusable packaging has gone mainstream, and this is reflected in both the number of entries to this year’s competition, and their prominence among the finalists. It’s notable that the finalist entries represent quite a spectrum of reuse models: refill at home (Ecover); deposit-return systems (Coca-Cola Brasil’s universal PET bottle and TerraCycle’s Loop concept); and refill in the store (Beiersdorf’s NIVEA refill station and MIWA’s dispenser system).

4. The market responds to demand for renewable alternatives Demand for renewable and recyclable materials is strong, and with plastic under media and political fire, we are living through something of a golden age in innovation in paper-based packaging. Syntegon took the Sustainability Award in the ‘Machinery’ category for its PaperForming technology to produce moulded pods, while Maison Ruinart won in ‘Resource Efficiency’ with its ingenious fibre-based ‘second skin’ champagne case, and Frugalpac’s recycled coffee cup was a very worthy finalist. Meanwhile, the ‘Bio-Based’ category supplied the overall winner of the Sustainability Awards 2020: a game-changing development that’s come as the culmination of decades of research.

5. The cutting edge is sharper than ever A new ‘Pre-Commercialized Innovation’ category was introduced this year so that judges were no longer compelled to compare innovations that have been tested by the marketplace with those that look promising in the laboratory. The resulting avalanche of entries provided a thrilling glimpse at the technologies, processes and materials of tomorrow. Our judges shared the excitement. Entries to this category attracted the highest average scoring across the whole competition. n

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OVERALL BEST SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING AND BIOBASED PACKAGING:

FRAUNHOFER ISC

The worthy winner for Overall Best Sustainable Packaging at the Sustainability Awards 2020 was the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research with their bioORMOCER® biodegradable functional barrier coatings. This innovation also picked up the Biobased Packaging award. We spoke to Dr Sabine Amberg-Schwab, expert scientist for barrier and multifunctional coatings.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you?

SA-S: I am absolutely overwhelmed to be the overall winner of the Sustainability Awards 2020. For me, it is a great honour and a huge appreciation of the work performed by our group here at the Fraunhofer ISC. And a big thank you to Packaging Europe for organizing the Sustainability Awards. This creates a worldwide public that is incredibly helpful, especially for the presentation of new materials and solutions on the market.

PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

SA-S: Modern packaging based on plastic or paper is composed of many different materials. Each material performs a specific task in the composite and the thin layers cannot be separated. This impedes recycling, nor can the packaging decompose in nature.

At Fraunhofer ISC, we have developed multifunctional silicate-based barrier coatings (ORMOCER®). We have basically distilled most packaging functions into a single thin layer, thus making multi-layer packaging obsolete. Our coatings (ORMOCER® and bioORMOCER®) are so thin (< 1-3 µm) that the coated packaging materials can be treated as monomaterial packaging. This works for packaging using polymers as well as paper. The properties required for packag-

ing food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals can be achieved, while monomaterial packaging can easily be recycled several times. For compostable packaging, we have further developed bio-based and compostable bioORMOCER® coatings.

We use various bioorganic ingredients from green waste, or chitosan. We do not compete for food crops, but upgrade bio-waste and produce high-quality compounds for our coatings.

The basis and model for our new development of the bioORMOCER® is a proven principle from nature: diatoms, or some plants e.g. horsetail, are using silicates to stabilize their cell walls and create very robust structures.

We also use silicates and combine them chemically with bioorganic structures, e.g. from green waste, celluloses or chitosan (crabs). As a result, new high-quality compounds (bio-precursors) for the synthesis of coating materials were developed by upgrading bio-waste.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

SA-S: Our modern lifestyle would be unthinkable without packaging. In my opinion, the challenge is that we not only have to reduce packaging materials, make them more environmentally friendly, recyclable or compostable.

Rather, we must also educate consumers that packaging is not an annoying waste but a valuable high-performance material.

Our functional coatings can be integrated into state-of-the-art processes to replace current multilayer packaging materials with compostable or recyclable monomaterial solutions. The market potential for these new packaging options is very high. Mass market will reduce production costs to a scale similar to the conventional sector.

On the industry side, I would like to see more willingness to innovate and implement technology transfer in the short term. We have developed highly potent materials that can be adapted and then simply put into production.

The basic development work has already been done. So new solutions could n be found quickly. I would simply like to see more openness.

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BEST PRACTICE: HENKEL This year’s award for Best Practice went to Henkel’s EasyD4R tool. We talked with Thorsten Leopold, Director International Packaging Technology Home Care, to learn more about the solution, a publicly shared software tool for evaluating the recyclability of different kinds of packaging materials.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you? PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry TL: We are very honoured that our EasyD4R tool was awarded in the category Best Practice of the prestigious Sustainability Awards 2020. For us, it is a great recognition and at the same time yet another motivation to accelerate our efforts to foster a circular economy and promote sustainability along the value chain. I hope that now even more companies will get to know the tool that is available for free on the Henkel website to design recyclable packaging solutions.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful entry and what’s innovative about it?

TL: Recyclable packaging is a prerequisite for a functioning circular economy.

This is why Henkel has developed the software tool EasyD4R. It allows packaging developers to quickly and reliably assess the recyclability of packaging solutions made of plastic, paper, glass, aluminium, and tinplate and identify possible areas for improvement.

As such, EasyD4R demonstrates how digital tools can bring ‘Design for Recycling’ to a new level.

In order to promote open collaboration and an accelerated transition to a circular economy, Henkel does not limit the tool to internal use: EasyD4R is publicly available on the company’s website so that other companies and organizations can use it to develop sustainable packaging solutions more easily.

addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

TL: To tackle the global plastic waste issue, we need to transform the way we do business in a circular economy system in which all materials are either reused or repeatedly recycled. Thus, it is important that the recyclability of products and packaging is already considered from the very first ideation and design phase.

In this context, the development of the EasyD4R tool depicts an important step toward a circular economy, as the tool provides clear definitions and a consistent evaluation method for the recyclability of packaging.

The EasyD4R tool is used globally by Henkel to assess and improve the recyclability of packaging solutions. Therefore, the development of the EasyD4R tool is an important milestone to achieve our target of making 100% of all our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. At the end of 2019, this was already achieved for 85% of Henkel’s packaging.

In July 2019, Henkel made the EasyD4R tool publicly available on its website. Since then the tool has been downloaded more than 2500 times.

The feedback received from companies and organizations has also been very positive and constructive.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

TL: Especially in emerging markets, sorting and recycling infrastructures are often not sufficiently developed, which can lead to plastic waste ending up in the environment.

We currently rely on partnerships and initiatives, such as our collaboration with Plastic Bank, to help address these challenges. However, a joint approach by regulatory bodies and governments could certainly address this problem on a much higher level.

The same is true for the limited availability of high-quality recycled material which often aggravates the use of recycled content in packaging solutions.

Here, all partners along the packaging value chain need to collaborate to be n able to further promote the recyclability and recycling of packaging.

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DRIVING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: PENN COLOR The winner of our award for Driving the Circular Economy, Penn Color, has developed a new masterbatch technology for PET bottles to achieve high levels of opacity and whiteness combined with excellent recyclability.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you?

PC: We are thrilled to receive the Sustainability Award. The award goes to our R&D team who have done an exceptional job, to our customers who have trusted us and to our partners who have helped us. The award is also a testament to the ability of our industry to do the right thing for sustainability, with passion and resilience. As they hear about the Sustainability Award 2020 going to pennaholtTM, many customers are reaching out to us: we are excited to talk to them about their products and to pave the way with them for next-generation colours and functional additives driving circularity.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful entry and what’s innovative about it?

PC: The pennaholt™ masterbatch technology for PET bottles is the firstever 0% TiO2 masterbatch achieving levels of opacity and whiteness that would typically require around 8% TiO2 with a conventional technology.

Patent-pending pennaholt™ uses a mechanism completely different from conventional technologies: pennaholt™ technology generates micro-structured interfaces in the thickness of the PET bottle side wall, creating a barrier to light with high reflective power. pennaholt™ exploits the synergy between the reflection of light on this impassable barrier and the light scattering effect of inert particles, to create opacity and whiteness, without TiO2. pennaholt™ can be used in any stretch-blow moulded PET bottles and several different types of formulations are available, including variants with no particles and no minerals.

The pennaholt™ technology is applicable to both monolayer and multilayer bottles. The first generation of pennaholt™, offering the same opacity and whiteness with 50% less TiO2 than conventional masterbatch technologies, is being introduced in a large-scale consumer test in Europe for long shelf-life white milk.

PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

PC: pennaholt™ was initially designed to alleviate the challenges faced by recyclers who reported that the increasing concentration of TiO2 in the non-clear recycled PET stream was likely the root cause of processing issues such as filters clogging, filaments breaking for non-woven textile applications, and poor performance of the end products.

With the 0% TiO2 version, pennaholt™ answers a broader set of challenges. On the regulatory side, a new Classification Labelling and Packaging regulation was adopted in 2020 for TiO2 in Europe. The new CLP does not directly affect PET packages per se, but it triggers a domino effect: under the new CLP classification, when packages with more than 1% TiO2 become waste, they fall in a category of the EU Waste Directive that could make them difficult and likely cost prohibitive to recycle.

In addition, the Single-Use Plastics Directive is setting the goal of 90% recycled rate and 30% recycled content in each package. This combination makes it critical for additives to be specifically ‘formulated for circularity’.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

PC: A major misconception is that PET can shrink its way to success from a recyclability point of view, by pushing brands to make compromises on the functionalities or aesthetics of the PET packages. The largest growth potential for PET is in segments (liquid dairy, home & personal care, food) where colours and engineered packages are essential to shelf appeal and functional performance.

It is critical to restore the trust of consumers, NGOs, law makers, and n politicians in what our industry is capable of doing.

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PRE-COMMERCIALIZED INNOVATION: ARDAGH GROUP Our inaugural Pre-Commercialized Innovation award went to Ardagh Group for its innovative method for giving new life to glass that is rejected during the recycling process. We spoke to Brendan O’Meara, Cullet Process Engineer for Glass Europe, Ardagh Group.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you?

BoM: We’re absolutely thrilled and proud to win the Sustainability Award for our glass briquette project, particularly with such strong competition. As this is a pre-commercialized innovation, our next step is to build the plant that will manufacture the briquettes, allowing us to recover 100% of recycled glass for remelt. Thanks to the judges for recognizing this achievement, and to Packaging Europe for organizing the competition and the professional virtual Sustainability Awards event – it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful entry and what’s innovative about it?

BoM: Ardagh Group has developed a method to produce briquettes from the fine particle glass rejected during the recycling process, allowing 100% of recycled glass to be remelted into new bottles and jars.

The goal of the project was to maximize cullet recovery for remelt, focusing on the small particles of glass breakage, or ‘fines’, caused during collection or produced during the recycling process itself.

These fines make up 10% of glass collected for recycling and are currently unusable in glass manufacture, because they contain excessive amounts of Loose Organics and CSP (ceramic, stone, and porcelain) which can create problems if they enter the furnace for remelt, causing blistering and inclusions in new containers.

Fines are typically diverted into road aggregate production or lost to landfill and will never be recovered for remelt: a ‘cradle to grave’ scenario.

Our research and development has culminated in the design of a processing plant to close the recycling loop by creating briquettes using 100% of recycled glass containers recovered through the various collection systems across the UK. The plant will be the first commercial type in the world.

recipe will reduce the need for raw materials, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the furnace, improving the circularity and thus the environmental impact of glass packaging.

The additional cullet available as briquettes will help to achieve the ultimate objective of 95% cullet and 5% raw materials within the glass batch.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

BoM: Industry-wide collaboration projects, such as the hybrid, oxy-fuel Furnace of the Future, are vital: sharing expertise and resources to replace fossil-fuel energy sources and cut CO2 emissions, to make glass production more sustainable throughout the world.

We would like to see more switching to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency of existing glass melting furnaces, processes, and plants as a whole, and more process innovation. Waste heat recovery through innovative technology such as Organic Rankine Cycle Engines is an important step in saving energy in the furnace by preheating the batch.

As a member of the container glass federation, FEVE, Ardagh is fully behind the ’Close the Glass Loop’ campaign, which aims to increase the amount of recycled glass collection from 76% to 90% across Europe which, again, will increase the glass cullet available for remelt, reducing energy and emissions n in the furnace.

PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

BoM: The whole glass packaging value chain is continually developing ways to reduce the emissions and environmental impact of glass manufacture. Using the briquettes to increase the cullet ratio in the glass batch

©Ardagh Group

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RESOURCE EFFICIENCY: RUINART Violaine Basse, CMO of the champagne producer Ruinart – winner of our Resource Efficiency award – talks about the company’s new lighter, fibre-based, recyclable case.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you? VB: This packaging addresses two environmental challenges: recycling VB: The Ruinart team, as well as the Pusterla 1880 and James Cropper teams, are very honoured to receive this prize. It is the culmination of a three-year journey, which was challenging at times but also very rewarding. Becoming the first champagne house to be awarded for a sustainable initiative in this category reinforces our commitment to promoting a more sustainable luxury and ‘art de vivre’. We are very grateful to Sustainability Awards 2020 for giving us this recognition.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful entry and what’s innovative about it?

VB: Ruinart second skin case is a new eco-designed packaging that aims to replace all Ruinart generic gift boxes. What is innovative about it is that it manages to have a 100% paper-based, entirely recyclable case, including the closing system, that is perfectly moulded to the shape of the iconic Ruinart bottle, and produced in one single piece.

Another characteristic that is innovative for the champagne industry is that the second skin case protects our wine from being light-struck until the very last step of consumer tasting, thanks to a mineral added into the paper pulp and the high resistance of the paper case until consumption.

For example, it resists months in fridges and hours in ice buckets.

PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

and waste reduction.

Indeed, regarding recycling, we wanted to be sure that once the packaging is thrown away, it is well recycled. In order to optimize the end-of-life of the second skin case, we decided to develop a ‘monomaterial’ paper case.

The previous generation of gift boxes was multimaterial: a paper structure and plastic holds (to maintain the bottle). The consumer had to separate both materials to secure recycling. With second skin, there is no need to separate anything – it is easily and entirely recyclable with other household paper.

Regarding the other challenge, reduction, we worked on packaging based on one essential element: the shape of our iconic bottle. This minimalism allows us to reduce the carbon footprint by 60% compared to the previous generation of gift boxes – second skin is nine times lighter, weighing 40g vs 360g.

Last but not least, it was mandatory for us to use FSC certified materials: the paper is made of natural wood fibre coming from eco-managed forests in Europe.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

VB: Climate change is already happening in the vineyards. The Champagne terroir is the source of our wines’ excellence: we have a responsibility to protect and preserve this natural environment. For Ruinart, sustainability is a must.

Twenty years ago, the culture of the vineyard melded with the philosophy of sustainability: from the vineyards certified ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagne’ (VDC) since the 1990s and ‘Haute Valeur Environnemental’ (HVE niveau 3) since 2014, to all wine production activities. Ten years ago, Ruinart decided to extend this to every element of the métier.

I think the major roadblock is consumer behaviour towards the luxury industry, because they are used to traditional gifting codes such as gold, lots of paper, cardboard and ribbons when they want to offer a luxury good. That is why it is important to set an example and to affirm that, nowadays, luxury means excellence, which means we also have to be excellent on the environmental impact we have. It is our duty to produce the cleanest packaging possible. Progressively, n their minds will change.

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MACHINERY: SYNTEGON The winners of our Machinery award, Syntegon Technology, tell us a little more about their new TPU1000 paper forming machine that forms shaped paper pods.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you?

ST: We are very honoured and proud to receive the Sustainability Award for our paper forming machine TPU 1000. This emphasizes the relevance of the Shaped Paper Pods pack style for the challenges we are facing in the packaging industry. Packaging Europe did a great job in realizing the awards ceremony despite the current situation.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful entry and what’s innovative about it?

ST: Syntegon’s TPU1000 paper forming machine is specifically designed to form paper and paper-based materials, realizing appealing packaging solutions. The TPU 1000 is a compact and modular form-fill-seal machine designed for product launch, small or medium-size production, and multipurpose solutions.

With a speed of up to 15,000 packs per hour, the machine is suitable for various products and filling technologies. Working from the paper reel, the material is formed with precision servo drive technology, enabling high-quality shapes and embossing of the pods. The volume of the shaped paper pods ranges from 10 up to 100 ml. The touch and feel of the material create a unique consumer experience.

PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

ST: Today, many products are still packed in plastics and the packaging does not get recycled after usage, even though alternative pack styles exist and are being developed further.

The TPU1000, in combination with FibreForm® paper, which is a stretchable paper material from BillerudKorsnäs that allows up to 10 times deeper embossing compared to conventional paper, has the ability to reduce plastics usage and replace some of the existing polymer pack styles in the market.

Our forming technology creates unique 3D effects with tailor-made haptics and optics. If required for product protection, various types of barriers can be applied to the paper to ensure the necessary product protection.

With shaped paper pods, we come closer to packaging solutions that require fewer fossil resources and which can also be economically and flexibly realized. Solutions can range from a pure paper packaging up to a coating from renewable resources as a fully bio-based solution.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

ST: As a packaging technology manufacturer, we are typically not the first to be addressed in the market when it comes to sustainable packaging.

This is usually the material producers and film converters or the recycling industry. However, from our perspective, it is necessary that especially the machine producers are involved when more sustainable materials or pack styles are tested and implemented, as variations in material properties or packaging shapes can have a big influence on the packaging process.

When changing from a polymer material to paper or paper-based materials, it might be required to adapt the technology to the material properties to prevent reduced equipment efficiency or damage to the product.

It might also be required to adapt the product to the packaging material and the packaging process. Whatever the approach, early integration of the packaging machine manufacturer can reduce risks and prevent surprises with sustainable materials.

In addition, further development is required on the material side to make sustainable packaging solutions both technically and economically more attractive. This can be the development of improved paper materials or improved barrier materials with a focus on the final costs. But also, the recycling industry has to invest in equipment to handle the materials that will enter the market in n the next years.

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RECYCLABLE PACKAGING: BERICAP The winner of this year’s Sustainability Award for best Recyclable Packaging was BERICAP, with their 100% silicone-free BERICAPValve. We talked with Pavlina Zabloudilova, Senior Manager Communication and Marketing, about the environmental benefits of this solution.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful entry and what’s innovative about it?

PZ: BERICAP introduced the BERICAPValve which is made from TPE and represents a 100% silicone-free valve. Closures with the TPE valve are convenient to use and offer controlled dispensing. The orifice stays clean after every squeeze. The BERICAPValve is available in various sizes, cut profiles and shore hardness levels, allowing it to meet the requirements of a broad spectrum of packaging types and product formulations.

The TPE BERICAPvalve is also suitable for the new lightweight BERICAP HC EV 29/23, which represents innovation for the food segment by satisfying today’s eco-design requirements of material usage and recyclability.

PE: What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

PZ: One of the processes of plastic recycling is the separation of PP/TPE materials from PET materials using a water bath. Whereas PP/TPE float to the top, PET sinks to the bottom where it is collected and reintroduced into the PET recycling stream. The traditional materials of valves that are commonly used also sink to the bottom and contaminate the valuable PET recyclate. The BERICAPValve floats in water, enabling a perfect separation, and is recycled in the PP/TPE material stream.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

PZ: As the BERICAP Group, we are committed to doing our business in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Our goal is to optimize the use of non-renewable natural resources, energy and water, to avoid the use of hazardous chemicals wherever possible and at the same time to encourage our suppliers to do the same.

Looking at PET material specifically, today’s recycling technology already allows a true circularity with significant advantages in CO2 impact vs alternative materials.

The main roadblocks are the availability and price of rPET vs virgin material, which are mainly driven by economies of scale.

The basis for any scaling is the volume and there the main roadblocks in many countries are still low collection rates (lack of motivating concepts, n e.g. DRS) and the capacity constraints of the recycling industry.

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READERS’ AWARD: BEIERSDORF The worthy recipient of our second-ever Readers’ Award – voted for, as you might have guessed, by Packaging Europe readers – was Beiersdorf, with its NIVEA shower gel refill station. Marta Suslow and Bernhard Felten, packaging technology specialists, tell us why this innovation has drawn so much attention.

PE: Firstly, congratulations on winning the award! What does this mean for you?

MS: We at Beiersdorf are extremely excited about winning the “Sustainability Award” in the Reader’s category. The first and most advanced refill station in the German market for a personal care product showed a very positive response from consumers and media. It is difficult to justify this concept by commercial arguments only given the current conditions of trade and environmental regulations. We hope this project will motivate the market participants and consumers to start changing their habits and will contribute to a more sustainable behavior on a broader scale.

PE: Could you please introduce your successful innovation? What are the environmental challenges in packaging that your entry addresses, and what impact do you hope it will make?

BF: At a time characterized by severe environmental challenges, it is of the highest importance for Beiersdorf to take all possible steps to counteract climate change and limit global warming. Therefore, it is essential for us to minimize, slow down, reduce, and close our material cycles where possible. As one key global topic is plastic, and we at Beiersdorf use a lot of plastic for the packaging of our skin care products that we sell around the globe, we are working hard to

find innovative solutions to avoid, reduce, reuse, or recycle our plastic packaging materials (our “4-R” approach). For this reason, Beiersdorf’s biggest global brand NIVEA, in collaboration with DM, Germany’s largest retailer of cosmetics and healthcare products, just launched its first shower gel refill station. The prototype, aiming to investigate the concept of reusable bottles, was developed in just seven months by a cross-functional team within Beiersdorf’s Global Packaging and R&D functions. The leading idea is to improve the end-of-life of single-use plastics, the multiple re-use of product packaging could be one key element in getting closer to our vision of a circular economy.

PE: ‘Sustainability’ in packaging is multi-dimensional – both in terms of objectives and challenges. Could you comment on the most important roadblocks you identify from your position in the value chain, and the kinds of solutions you would like to see addressing them?

MS: We believe that the regulatory side of reusable packaging concepts needs to be further investigated and defined by government policy. Additionally, collaborations with both suppliers and retailers need to strengthen and be further evolved, as well as improvements in the collection of plastic to improve the quantity and quality of material streams – this includes consumer education, the establishment of better waste streams and the technological uplift of n sorting lines etc.

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CHALLENGING THE ‘MYTHS’ AROUND PAPER PACKAGING For Koehler Paper Group – a long-established company but a relatively new entrant to the packaging market – there are many misconceptions around paper. Eckhard Kallies, Director of Flexible Packaging, and Jens Kriete, Sustainability Manager, explain why they believe brand owners should consider making the switch to this material.

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re we in the middle of a plastic backlash, or just at the start of it? Or are we seeing doubts emerging? We read stories about the LCA of paper and the resource-intense nature of its production; about the recycling rates and doubts about the use of timber. We know that achieving sufficient barrier properties for perishable goods is an ongoing challenge, as are increasingly stringent EU recycling quotas.

Without a doubt, these are all legitimate concerns, but what is the reality behind them? Koehler Paper Group is keen to at least address some of the ‘myths’ that have grown up around paper.

“If forest is planted, about 2500 seedlings are planted per hectare. Nature can do it also on its own. If a forest area is cleared by a fire or storm soon young seedlings will reclaim that space and that can (depending on the local conditions) be many thousands per hectare. What will we see after 100 years?

Well, we will see about 300 trees per hectare. Regardless of whether foresters thinned and harvested in the meantime or not Trees in forests compete for air, nutrients and water and not all trees survive that competition. Foresters make use of this process – they regularly harvest weaker trees helping the strong trees to get stronger quicker.”

Claim: The paper industry is causing europe’s forests to shrink

Claim: Paper production is very resource- and C02- intensive

Those who argue in favour of the use of forest products would say they that the forests are managed responsibly and they have been for centuries. As a side note: The German word for sustainability, ‘Nachhaltigkeit’, is actually a forestry term. According to Two Sides – between 2005 and 2020 European forests grew in area by 58,390 square kilometres. That’s an area bigger than Switzerland.

“This is actually not so easy to explain in two sentences. People have diffculties with the idea that trees are cut for paper and cut in general as we seem to have a certain emotional connection to trees,” says Jens Kriete. The rational side however is “Forests are a place of rising, growing and passing regardless of whether we intervene or not.”

Europe’s paper industry is currently the biggest producer of renewable energy in the EU. Koehler’s own paper mill at Kehl uses biomass energy, and it is by no means the outlier: 60% of the industry’s fuel consumption is biomass-based, according to the FAO. If biofuel is predominantly employed, the argument goes, then the CO2 impact is greatly reduced.

According to CEPI, the direct CO2 emissions of the European pulp and paper industry reduced by 25% between 2005 and 2017.

It is true, however, that paper production is energy- and resource-intensive. When it comes to water; it is an integral part of the pulp and paper making process. That being said, the argument from the paper industry is that, while we use a lot of water, the industry’s water loops are optimized.

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“People have difficulties with the idea that trees are cut for paper and cut in general as we seem to have a certain emotional connection to trees”

The vast percentage of the water is returned to the environment and methods for purifying wastewater are improving all the time.

What is required, says Eckhard Kallies, is for the industry to be entirely up-front about the energy and resources it uses and not shy away from diffcult questions such as those above. This involves a thorough life cycle analysis to back up any claims it makes about its solutions. “We need to have an honest approach with transparent analysis, e.g. LCA´s.

And after all, there is not one single metric by which sustainability can be measured “We see an inflation of the words such as environmentally friendly and sustainable and they are usually made as absolute statements: ‘Environmentally friendly vehicle’ or ‘sustainable transport’, for example. People

understand very well that that is contradictory. This makes it challenging for us to speak about our more sustainable packaging solutions. We at Koehler really want is to make a difference. Improvements must be measurable. That is the way we develop our products.”

Claim: Paper offers insufficient barrier properties One of the main issues brand owners have had with paper, particularly when it comes to packaging perishable goods, comes down to resource effciency. Whereas many argue plastic films offer superior barrier properties, they say paper has yet to achieve the levels suffcient for product protection. And when paper is used to package food, it’s often combined with a polymer layer which can impact recyclability.

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“Flexible packaging made of our NexFlex® material is recyclable wastepaper, goes into the wastepaper bin and even as waste it has a value. The value of wastepaper usually covers the costs of collection and sorting.”

But this does not always have to be the case; the paper industry is working all the time on developing ever-more superior barrier papers. Koehler has been working with the University of Darmstadt since 2018 on a Green Coating Collaboration, geared towards developing functional surfaces from sustainable raw materials. It hopes, through this, to replace plastic with more sustainable paper solutions wherever this is practical or desirable.

Koehler’s recent advances in addressing this barrier challenge include NexPlus® Seal, a heat- sealable paper with a mineral oil barrier and a grammage of 45gsm to 80gsm. This was developed especially for use in food packaging, either as secondary packaging, or primary packaging, where no additional barriers are required. The solution offers mechanical product protection, thanks to its special surface, and also has a barrier against MOSH / MOAH (mineral oil vapour deposits from printing inks). Koehler NexPlus® Advanced is a barrier paper whose functional layer provides protection against oxygen and mineral oil and is also resistant to grease. As it can be processed with a cold seal adhesive, it is intended mainly for primary and secondary packaging for temperature-sensitive foods, such as chocolate bars, food bars and confectionery. It can also be used in the non-food sector, where such barriers are necessary.

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Some also talk about the perceived ‘wastefulness’ of paper, something Jens Kriete is also keen to point out is what needs to be seen is. “Flexible packaging made of our NexFlex® material is recyclable wastepaper, goes into the wastepaper bin and even as waste it has a value. The value of wastepaper usually covers the costs of collection and sorting.”

Claim: Paper is too difficult to process on existing machinery Of course, it’s not just about barriers or forestry: the production infrastructure needs to be able to support barrier papers. Many assume that such papers cannot run effciently on existing converting and packing machines, necessitating huge investments – something which may, in itself, be offputting for brand owners.

“Further processing was indeed seen as a problem in the past,” says Eckhard. “The perception was paper behaves differently to foil, is not as flexible and tears faster. On the contrary, we are working closely with packaging machine manufacturers and have achieved excellent results. Only very minor adjustments were needed on the packaging lines. Our paper runs as well as film on these machines. In addition, the paper can score points for printability.”

Where does the industry go from here?

None of this is to say that paper is the ‘perfect’ material. Indeed, a pragmatist would argue there is no such thing.

“Paper based packaging can be the most sustainable option for a whole world of applications,” says Jens Kriete. “However, we would not claim that that is always the case. Recently you might even have come across statements such as ‘The best packaging is no packaging’.” The value of packaging - protection, a longer shelf life, etc. - he argues, always needs to be higher than its costs and that also includes environmental costs, but also the costs of no-packaging such as damage and/or spoilage.

And of course, it’s one thing to explain why Koehler believes these myths around paper are wrong, and why it still feels paper is the most sustainable choice: naturally it believes this, or we wouldn’t be having the discussion.

But it’s not enough to simply counter these things. Innovators within the industry should make their voices heard when it comes to providing real solutions moving forward. This can often mean being courageous enough to make changes.

It’s important to point out that EU recycling targets are becoming – rightly – increasingly ambitious. By 2030, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste

Directive will be focused on real recycling as opposed to collection for recycling. This applies to all materials, and it’s certainly true that all could be doing more to improve their actual recycling rates.

What companies like Koehler and many others are crying out for is a unified approach to the problems facing the paper industry. “I guess, the biggest challenge for the industry is to break new ground and rethink packaging and their business model,” says Eckhard Kallies. “It is time to make fundamental changes throughout the whole supply chain. As a new entrant we face this every day and see perfect opportunities to make this happen n with strategic development partners.”

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MAJOR FIELDS OF ACTION AT INTERPACK 2021 Libby Munford caught up with Christian Traumann, group president, MULTIVAC ahead of interpack 2021 to hear a leading provider of packaging solutions on the main trends it expects to explore on the show floor across the food, life science and healthcare sectors.

Christian Traumann

LM: MULTIVAC has spotlighted sustainability, digitalization, and automation as the main focuses for its stand at interpack 2021. Can you talk me through each trend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what are the main challenges and demands from your customers in each category, and how are you innovating to meet these?

CT: Sustainability: The EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plastics Strategy, as well as national legislation deduced from it, are driving developments in the market, through which fully functioning recycling loops are to be implemented, as well as alternative materials being developed, which can better meet the requirements of a closed-loop system. By using different material and packaging concepts, manufacturers can make an important contribution to meeting the current market demands with regard to the implementation of a circular economy.

In order to implement sustainable packaging concepts in the food industry, it is essential to view the entire added value chain holistically, from the manufacturing stage through the logistics chain and right up to use by the consumer. In addition to the introduction of closed recycling loops and the reuse of plastic packs, it is also productive to look at concepts for reducing the consumption of plastics in the production of packs, as well as the options for using alternative packaging materials.

Digitalization: Digitalization is an important key to mastering the increasing demands on packing in regard to cost efficiency and sustainability. Today MULTIVAC is already offering companies groundbreaking solutions with a wide range of tools for increasing machine availability and efficiency, and these can be implemented as required on a step-by-step basis. Viewed over the long term, digitalization offers companies great potential, insofar as packaging machines and even complete production lines can be continually optimized through a self-learning process.

Automation: An ever increasing number of fresh and processed food products have to be manufactured and packed. But it has become more difficult to find suitable or qualified staff. At the same time, hygiene and quality requirements are increasing. Automation solutions can provide one way out of the dilemma.

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However, compared to other sectors, the food industry overall still has a relatively low degree of automation. The main cause of the very subdued rise in the degree of automation in the food sector lies with the products that are processed: here it is a case of natural and often delicate products, which can spoil very easily. The packaging procedure in all its different parts has to be tailored individually to the product, its shape and its specific characteristics.

It is therefore very difficult, or in many cases barely possible, to standardize the procedure.

The possible areas of use for automation solutions within the packaging procedure extend from product infeed and loading right up to pack inspection and secondary packaging or palletizing at the end of the line. Automation is however only sensible, if the degree of automation is tailored to the needs of the company, and is economically viable.

Last but not least, we also see an enormous potential for automation solutions in the life science and healthcare industry. The ever-increasing complexity of medical devices requires a correspondingly increasing degree of automation of both production and packaging processes. For us, this results in the task to develop and offer complete solutions that can map the increasingly complex tasks with the highest degree of process reliability.

LM: The topic of sustainability has exponentially snowballed since the previous event. How far do you think the packaging industry has come, and how can it work together using events such as interpack to continue on this journey?

When it comes to sustainability, do you think the industry is focusing on the right things?

CT: Above all, packs play a very important role when it comes to product protection and shelf life. The industry is working at high speed on the development of new packaging materials, including mono films, which offer comparable performance and product protection to those made from various different polymers.

It should be emphasized, though, that plastic packs have considerable justification in many areas, for example in regard to the ratio of packaging volume to protective function. Therefore, the CO2 loss of food waste might have a higher impact than the CO2 footprint of the package itself. But we should not only have the carbon footprint in mind, but also the loss of other resources as for example water in case that food would be wasted. Today, barely 40% of all plastics are used in the packaging industry. Of this some 40% is recycled, while another 40% is recovered for energy purposes.

In view of these figures, there is still a lot of potential in the market with regard to closed loops.

LM: Another big topic of this show is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Save Foodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Again, how can your particular segment of the packaging value chain contribute to this allimportant subject?

CT: Due to its excellent protective function and a comparatively small volume input, plastic packaging can significantly extend the shelf life of food. It makes a significant contribution to reducing food waste. In complex industries such as the food industry, it is now a matter of protecting food along the entire value chain and logistics chain.

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Moreover, we are consistently striving to reduce the packaging material used in the production of packs, by utilizing specific equipment options and an optimized pack design. And last but not least, we are working with leading packaging material manufacturers to develop new packaging concepts, such as for example the use of recyclable materials.

influences the shelf life of the products â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and how product protection can be ensured by the entire process chain, for example, of foodstuff.

In regard to packaging solutions, innovative packaging solutions use energy-efficient servo drives, sensors or tool changing systems, which not only guarantee an extremely efficient packaging process, but also have a positive impact on the energy balance of the packaging process.

LM: MULTIVAC is just one element of a long and complex supply chain, but we have heard a lot about the need for more joined-up thinking and knowledge-sharing along the entire chain if the industry is to achieve its sustainability targets. In your opinion, what are the most promising technologies / approaches to ensure this happens?

LM: As a veteran of interpack, can you give me your opinion on how packaging machinery has advanced over the years, and how does interpack encourage innovation, competition, and progression? What are the biggest benefits for a company such as yourselves of attending this event?

CT: Not only for MULTIVAC, but for the entire packaging industry, there

CT: Over the years, packaging machinery has advanced in terms of the pack-

are two major fields of action: the first concerns the significant reduction of packaging material through the use of suitable machine technologies, the design of packaging that ensures a reduced packaging weight and the processing of packaging materials with a low plastic content.

The second area of action concerns the production of recyclable packaging through the processing of alternative packaging materials and the development of a recyclable packaging design. However, the question is, how the use of alternative packaging materials and alternative packaging concepts

aging material used, e.g. the film thickness has been reduced significantly and innovative concepts for sustainable packaging have been introduced. Also, IoT has found its way into the construction of packaging solutions. interpack encourages progression, as many companies develop new innovations in a three-year cycle. As the leading international trade fair for the packaging industry, interpack gives us an opportunity to present ourselves to an international audience as a holistic solution provider for the processing and n packaging of food as well as healthcare and life science products.

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HOW CAN SUSTAINABILITY BE EMBEDDED INTO COMPANY CULTURE? Walter van het Hof, Global Industry Affairs and Sustainability Leader, Trinseo, gives us an insight into how a company can embrace sustainability at its core and prosper.

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ounded a decade ago, Trinseo has embedded sustainability into its values and culture. It’s a strategy and commitment that is reaping rewards, with our recent Sustainability Report demonstrating a significant decrease in greenhouse gases, chemistry emissions, waste-to-landfill and energy use. While this is impressive, our ultimate sustainability goal is longer term and will be met thanks to our culture and passion for sustainability, in addition to close collaboration throughout the materials value chain.

Trinseo’s 2030 Sustainability Goals are an strong indicator of our company’s mission. The goals set out an exciting roadmap that will see us create new strategies to further tackle climate change, embed sustainability into our product portfolio, promote supplier and operational stewardship, and embody responsibility as an employer. Launched to coincide with our ten-year anniversary, the long-term goals are at the heart of Trinseo at every level. Central to all of this is a growing desire to close the loop on the circularity of materials we produce.

We believe the future, both for plastics and for our business, depends upon achieving a circular economy in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extracting the most potential value from them while in use, and recovering and regenerating materials at the end of each service life.

This is an area in which Trinseo is making significant progress, through our leading role in initiatives such as Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS), and Operation Clean Sweep®. The former, a cross-industry collaboration, has recently demonstrated that polystyrene is mechanically recyclable to food contact standards. A cooperation with the Fraunhofer-Institute für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung IVV confirmed the high cleaning efficiency of mechanical recycling technology for polystyrene to remove impurities originating from waste streams.

This will enable the first application of recycled polystyrene for food packaging.

Another area of specialization for SCS and Trinseo is chemical recycling of polystyrene. Together with INEOS Styrolution, we recently announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind polystyrene recycling plant based on depolymerization in Wingles, in the north of France. The commercial-scale recycling facility will have capacity to process up to 50 tonnes-per-day of post-consumer polystyrene

feedstock and is on track to be fully operational by mid-2023. This announcement represents a major milestone in our company’s pledge to offer 30% recycled content to its customers for polystyrene packaging in Europe by 2025.

But while Trinseo’s work in polystyrene recycling is helping to lead industry efforts, sustainability stretches far beyond that. We are also looking into low carbon, closed loop technologies and how we can make more bio feedstock and bio-resources available for materials development.

We are closing the loop on circularity across every material within our business but it is with polystyrene where the most promising work is taking place. When you can recycle polystyrene back into a monomer, you create a recycled styrene-monomer that can produce other styrene-based materials.

That is truly groundbreaking.

The future of sustainability offers endless opportunities. Plastics are all around us. They provide fuel efficiency in vehicles; they are used to manufacture life-saving equipment in the medical industry; to protect and preserve goods while reducing weight in transportation for packaging; to produce lightweight and affordable electronics which have revolutionized the way we live and work.

Closing the loop means we can continue to enjoy the benefits of plastics for n decades to come.

Walter van het Hof Packaging Europe | 35 |

LOOKING TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING FUTURE Alex Henriksen, Managing Director for North Europe, Tetra Pak.

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arlier this year, the Public Bill Committee met for the first time to begin scrutinizing the contents of the landmark Environmental Bill.

Key policy demands on the government, such as reducing single-use plastic and prioritizing the use of renewable resources, will all impact the packaging value chain and their business strategies.

The industry will be paying close attention, especially as it will need to take action to improve its environmental contributions. There are several measures that can be deployed – but they must centre around innovation, policy initiatives, and collaboration.

The importance of innovation Being innovative in developing long-term solutions is essential to reducing our industry’s carbon impact, especially through our choice of materials. The utilisation of plant-based materials like paperboard and plastics derived from sugarcane is key to a low carbon economy, thanks to their renewable nature and ability to be naturally replenished over time.

However, moving to lower carbon options cannot be at the expense of food safety – and this balancing act reiterates the need for innovation. At Tetra Pak, we’ve developed Tetra Rex® Plant-based packaging, the world’s first and only fully renewable beverage carton, and investing €80 million into renewable packaging solutions to help create a low carbon circular economy, without compromising standards.

Alex Henriksen

Working with policymakers to achieve demonstrable change Achieving a circular economy also demands a concerted effort by policy makers to address the entire value chain’s impact, not just end-of-life.

Current measures are not going far enough, and we are not on track to limiting global warming by 1.5°C. In fact, the CO2 emissions from material production still account for 23% of global CO2 emissions from energy and industry, and are set to rise to 32% by 2050.

And while it is positive to see retailers trialling their own deposit return schemes, the whole packaging industry will need to work with policy makers to encourage greater use of sustainable materials and capture maximum waste, to move the UK closer to developing a true circular economy.

A circular economy must align waste reduction policies with raw materials and production processes, and not look at them in isolation. But we cannot work towards this alone; collective action is needed.

The need for collaboration Collaboration across the packaging industry value chain will help us understand where the areas of greatest impact lie. Therefore, it is imperative that we acknowledge common goals and targets, and act both quickly and collectively towards them to tackle some of the biggest global environmental issues we face today as a community.

In support of this, we launched Positive Packaging: Towards a Low Carbon Future, a study into the changing attitudes of food and drink retailers, the pressures they are facing, and how they’re making packaging decisions. It is clear how important sustainable packaging has become to retailers across UK and Ireland – in fact, 97% cited it as their chief consideration when choosing a supplier. Retailers sit between the consumer and manufacturer, therefore playing a key role in helping to put affordable and sustainable options on our shelves.

Understanding the impact faced across the value chain when it comes to developing and supplying low carbon packaging is just the start. Continuing cross-industry conversations and partnerships will be vital for the packaging industry if we are to achieve demonstrable change in tackling the climate crisis.

Final thoughts Lowering the packaging industry’s carbon footprint cannot be done overnight; it will require commitment to developing long-term solutions and collective action from all its members.

It is essential for all those in the value chain to work together to set common ambitions, and work towards them. Through this, consumers will be presented with sustainable product choices that contribute to a n low carbon economy.

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THE SUSTAINABLE POWER OF FLEXIBLES Vertical form fill and seal machinery expert ROVEMA GmbH explores the challenges and opportunities faced when moving from rigid packaging materials such as cans and jars to flexible packaging materials, outlines how innovative machinery can help with the switch, and delves deeper into the growing trend for paper packaging.

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ovema develops and builds packaging machines and systems that suit complex circular economy demands. The company helps its customers to find sustainable solutions that best fit the product to be packed with an eye on logistics, packaging materials, shelf life and energy efficiency.

ROVEMA carries out over 120 packaging material tests every year in close cooperation with customers and packaging material suppliers.

“We actively search for possibilities to save packaging materials and have prepared our machines to process very thin packaging materials. At the same time, together with our clients, we continuously test new packaging materials from renewable or recyclable materials to ensure process ability at the highest possible output rate,” explains Jens Torkel, CEO at ROVEMA. The company is keen to keep moving forward along with sustainability trends.

“We are transforming ROVEMA with a new culture, new ways of operating and an adapted product portfolio. As champion for packaging machines we focus on sustainability, and we enable our customers to provide safe and durable food while protecting the environment.”

Packaging liquid – alternatives to cans and jars In a quest for sustainability, flexible, high barrier pouches are increasingly becoming alternatives for cans and glass jars for liquid food products thanks to their cost saving potential in the areas of packaging materials, operations and fulfilment.

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Flexible packaging has become a familiar sight in retail environments, with many manufacturers already having made the switch. However, in the area of food service packaging, change has been slower. Food is often delivered to restaurants, cafés and convenience stores in cans, tubs and buckets. While many of these containers may be recyclable, they often end up in landfill.

Compelling arguments for making the switch A lot of energy is required to manufacture and process rigid packaging materials. Mining the components and producing steel and aluminium are resource intensive. “Of course, the manufacture of co-extruded plastics also consumes resources, but less – for example, a single roll of plastic with a diameter of 400 mm can pack the same amount of product as 11,000 steel #10 cans,” says Peter Lökös, Vice-President Sales at ROVEMA. From a material transportation, handling and storage point of view, the difference in volume and weight of packaging materials is significant.

Rigid container design limitations result in excess space requirements throughout the entire supply chain. Filling and seaming cans is energy intense. In contrast, vertical form fill and seal technology (VFFS) draw substantially less on resources. Pasteurization and sterilization of flexible pouches requires less energy. The packaging material itself absorbs less, and the shape of packages facilitates even distribution of heat or cold in the packaged product.

The total weight of packaging materials for a finished pallet of #10 cans in cases is approximately 270 pounds (120 kg) – 150% more than pouches and cases which weigh only 108 pounds (50 kg) for the same finished product volume. These translate into less space and less weight – in other words less resource consumption through distribution.

When it comes to the disposal of empty containers, it’s important to note that while some cans are recycled, multi layer pouch material currently is not recyclable. However, not all rigid containers are recycled either.

High quality films Veterans in the food service industry may recall early attempts to transition food service packaging to pouches, and frustration with films which weren’t ready for the task.

Today’s films must perform under the extreme heat of hot fill and retort, retain their strength when deep frozen, resist punctures and tears from handling, dropping and stacking, open easily, and keep the product safe for consumption.

Current multi-layer coextruded films are the thinnest, yet most puncture resistant. Südpack, for instance, has been able to reduce film thicknesses from 120 μ to 90 μ, sometimes as thin as 60 μ. The multiple layers of films are each engineered to deliver specific capabilities including seal strength, tear and puncture resistance, oxygen barrier, and UV protection for product and film.

Flexible material, flexible technology Of course, the packaging material is only one critical component of packaging success. The VFFS machines which package products in flexible pouches are the other. ’Flexible’ does not just describe the material and final package, but also the technology’s overall adaptability to product handling requirements, and both frozen and shelf stable package types.

Packages are produced by creating a tube from a roll of flat plastic using Vertical Form Fill Seal or VFFS. During a single production cycle, the bottom of the tube is sealed and the overlapping film, often on the back or side of the tube, is progressively sealed as the film unwinds to complete the tube.

“We actively search for possibilities to save packaging materials and have prepared our machines to process very thin packaging materials. At the same time, together with our clients, we continuously test new packaging materials from renewable or recyclable materials to ensure process ability at the highest possible output rate.”

Jens Torkel, CEO at ROVEMA Packaging Europe | 39 |

Product is dropped or pumped into the tube, and then the top is sealed. This simultaneously creates the seal for the bottom of the next package and cuts the complete package free from the tube. Format (package size) flexibility is inherent in this method. Weight or volume can be easily adjusted by changing the length of the tube and changing the amount of product which is delivered.

This continuous filling process delivers some product specific capabilities as well. Products which float because they are less dense than the liquid in which they are packed can be controlled while excess liquid is removed. Olives, for instance, can be contained within the bag by partially closing the sealing jaws even as the package is squeezed to remove air in the ‘headspace’. Accurately calibrating the package volume with known, repeatable dimensions allows for all air associated with the package creation to be removed. This often eliminates the need for ‘dosing’ with liquid nitrogen to create inert headspace for certain products to avoid oxidation.

Challenges to overcome Of course, any transition requires some changes within a factory. However, because VFFS lines are compact and typically installed in parallel with canning lines, it is often not significant and can be managed with some engineering and planning.

High barrier pouches aren’t filled as quickly as cans. Typically, they run at about half the rate, which means that two VFFS machines are required to match the output of a typical canning line. For products which require retort, manual loading into trays may be required. However, pouch packaging can be a differentiator for food processors in competitive markets. | 40 | Packaging Europe

A closer look – packing powdery foods Packing powdery food comes with its own set of challenges, and children’s foods are among the most sensitive products in the food sector. ROVEMA has turnkey competence in infant nutrition and offers complete packaging lines from a single source. A turnkey line for baby food powders, consisting of dosing, bagging, spoon feeding, cartoning and final packaging, can thus be quickly converted from bag in box to bag in case mode.

Detecting contaminations ROVEMA auger fillers SDH combine dosing accuracy with high product safety and output rate. The product safety monitoring system ACM uses a sound sensor to warn against metallic abrasion in the dosing process and protects against product contamination by smallest particles and dust. Hygienic stainless steel components and a well thought-out design ensure quick and thorough cleaning. The easy machine operation and the tool-free format change guarantee high efficiency. By providing interfaces such as OPC-UA, ROVEMA prepares the basis for serialization and aggregation in connection with higher-level systems. A high sealed seam quality, best bag tightness and a comprehensive Life Cycle Service concept complete the offer.

Packaging with paper But what about that other flexible packaging material, paper? Paper packaging is often perceived as a more sustainable packaging alternative to plastics, and governments across the world have been introducing legislation to discourage the use of plastics and boost alternatives.

“While high-quality graphics are possible, they often require very high-quality paper grades. Furthermore, paper offers reduced puncture resistance properties compared to films, and potentially sharp products, such as broken shortcut pasta, may require thicker paper to avoid tears. In many cases ROVEMA can modify existing equipment to run paper – and even to run both paper and plastic”

ROVEMA can support manufacturers to efficiently adapt existing VFFS primary packaging equipment to run paper in place of plastic, but the company focuses on keep the big picture in mind, looking both at the sustainability benefits of using paper instead of plastics, as well as unintended consequences, in line with its company vision of generating 100% of sales from sustainable products and service applications. It is important to look at the entire life cycle, from virgin material to recycling. Food safety and shelf life considerations may necessitate greater thickness, which in turn can result in more waste. Another, often overlooked factor is the efficiency of packaging machinery – its floorspace, electricity and compressed air requirements all contribute to the overall reduction or increase in demand of resources. Last, but not least, damaged or spoilt goods increase a product’s carbon footprint.

Plastic packaging actually excels in most of these areas. On the other hand, the problem of plastic waste is very visible. Reducing plastic and increasing recyclability are concerns for consumers.

The right material for the right application For the right applications, paper can be an ideal material of choice.

“Paper is suited for vertical bagging of dry products including noodles, rice, shortcut pasta, flour, beans, and cereals and grains. With hermetic seals and barrier layers, it can also provide oxygen and water vapour protection, and high-fat products like nuts and coffee can be packaged when an oil barrier is used,” explains Peter Lökös.

There are of course trade-offs to be made.

“While high-quality graphics are possible, they often require very high-quality paper grades. Furthermore, paper offers reduced puncture resistance properties compared to films, and potentially sharp products, such as broken shortcut pasta, may require thicker paper to avoid tears. In many cases ROVEMA can modify existing equipment to run paper – and even to run both paper and plastic,” adds Peter Lökös.

As stated in the German VerpackG (Verpackungsgesetz 2019) paper is considered a monomaterial as long as the entire structure contains less than 5% volume (by weight) of other materials. This means that inks, sealants, barriers, windows and other embellishments can be added to the paper during converting and packing, but it can still retain its recyclable status as long as they’re cumulatively less than 5% of the weight.

“Existing ROVEMA VFFS machines can generally be adapted to run paper from any supplier, and still retain the ability to run plastic as originally designed thanks to standard components. While the perceived benefits of paper may prove more elusive than generally assumed, ROVEMA can help companies quickly begin to satisfy demand with common vertical bag styles made from paper on existing equipment,” concludes Uwe Maier, n ROVEMA’s head of life cycle services.

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HOW CAN WE TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING MATERIALS?

Mario Molinaro, business unit flexibles and marketing director, Europe, at Taghleef Industries.

D

eveloping innovative products that meet various stakeholders’ real needs and promoting a circular economy for a more sustainable future – are two objectives that lay at the core of Taghleef Industries’ vision. In fact, through its recently launched Dynamic Cycle, a holistic sustainability approach, Ti aims to look within and beyond the industry and to focus on developing breakthrough solutions that positively impact people’s lives with today and tomorrow in mind.

Every Ti product line is designed with exceptional properties that is made for recycling. For instance, Taghleef’s range of OPP Specialties consists of innovative PP-based substrates that combine high technical performance and recyclability. Premium lightweight packaging films, such as EXTENDO®, offer high functional barriers and product protection.

Low-density SHAPE360™ TDS – polyolefin films for shrink sleeve labels – improve PET-bottle recycling stream quality by ensuring the separation of floatable printed sleeves from rigid PET flakes while Biobased NATIVIA® solutions are breathable and compostable films derived from renewable resources (PLA). Ti’s technical film lines include DERPROSA™ – a brand of films for lamination that has a dedicated biobased, biodegradable, and recycled portfolio for luxury graphic arts applications and SynDECOR®, a range of films engineered for decorative laminates and used as an ideal replacement of melamine paper.

As consumers’ demand for a greener lifestyle keeps growing, Taghleef’s broad portfolio of sustainable innovations continue to expand with its most recent addition to its range of solutions-: reLIFE™ and biobased PP films. reLIFE is Ti’s latest range of recycled polypropylene films that brings new life to used materials and saves limited fossil fuel resources. This includes packaging and labeling solutions with either PCR (chemically or mechanically recycled) content or RPG (reprocessed granules) in which Ti’s portfolio of PCR-CHEM films are ISCC Plus Certified. Meanwhile, Taghleef’s biobased PP films represent a biobased alternative to films made from the conventional fossil-based feedstock. They are made from renewable resources of vegetable origin, thereby contributing to the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere with potential fossil depletion reduction by up to 80%.* Ti’s biobased PP films are also ISCC Plus certified and can be used in the same applications as the traditional grades made of fossil-based raw material, thus guaranteeing the same excellent technical performance and

machinability. At their end of life, these films can be recycled in existing polyolefin recycling streams.

Furthermore, customers are provided with a series of value-added services that Taghleef offers through collaboration, expertise, and consultancy under the Dynamic Cycle initiative. Ti’s unique reDESIGN™ approach, for instance, is a tailor-fit service where Ti facilitates the switch from traditional structures to innovative and sustainable packaging and labeling solutions that best fits the brand owners’ needs in terms of packaging requirements.

Dynamic Cycle Services also include providing independently verified product certifications and LCA studies that demonstrate the improved features of the films used.

With Dynamic Cycle, together with its partners, Taghleef takes purposeful steps in the right direction while we are all continuing, searching, and n investing to foster sustainability for the future. *(each kg of Renewable PP removes up to 2 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere with fossil depletion reduction potential by up 80%. - Basis: 1kg PP - Scope: Cradle to Gate - Impact Category: Carbon footprint - Impact assessment method: ReCiPe Midpoint (H) V1.13 / Europe Recipe H.) Mario Molinaro

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SIDEL

ON DEMAND

WEBINAR HOSTED BY PACKAGING EUROPE

IS THERE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR PET BOTTLES? rPET and tethered caps - key levers for a circular economy This webinar will provide beverage and liquid food manufacturers with an update on what is going on regarding the worldwide single use plastics movement.

Attend to find answers to the challenges we are facing as an industry, true facts about PET bottles and the circular economy, as well as criteria for designing your packaging roadmap Join us to learn more about Sidel’s program for sustainable PET packaging including a deep dive on tethered caps and rPET.

Learning Objectives: • Understand how to develop a sustainability strategy for your PET packaging • Get answers to your burning questions around the quality of rPET bottles and the implementation of tethered caps on your lines • Gain insights on the true environmental value of packaging in PET • Find out how Sidel can support you in defining your PET packaging roadmap

LISTEN NOW

ON DEMAND

ON DEMAND

packagingeurope.com/is-there-a-sustainable-future-for-pet-bottles/

SPEAKERS

VINCENT LE GUEN Vice President Packaging Sidel

HOST

LUC DESOUTTER Sustainability Officer Sidel

Sidel, one of three industry groups of Tetra Laval, is a leading provider of equipment and services solutions for packaging beverage, food, home and personal care products. Sidel has over 170 years of experience with proven expertise in blowing, filling, labelling, material-handling, end-of-line and lineengineering solutions, including an innovative focus on the factory of tomorrow with advanced systems.

| 44 | Packaging Europe

ELISABETH SKODA Editor Packaging Europe Working across print, digital and live media, Packaging Europe is the leading intelligence resource for European packaging professionals.

Our mission is to connect forward thinkers across the value chain with the latest developments in packaging technology and materials, making sense of innovation in the context of the core business challenges packaging is required to meet.

A LOOK AT THE ADHESIVES MARKET WITH BOSTIK While they are often overlooked, the importance of adhesives to the sustainability and performance of a pack cannot be overstated. To understand more about the adhesives market as it stands today, we spoke with Richard Lelievre, senior vice-president of Bostikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advanced packaging business unit.

PE: Sustainability is now of the utmost importance in the packaging industry, and the separation of different substrates in the recycling process is a key part of this. How is the adhesives industry helping to facilitate this process?

RL: Sustainability has indeed become the primary focus of the packaging industry, at each level of the value chain. Bostik, the adhesive solutions segment of Arkema, is actively partnering with brand owners, converters but also associa-

tions, and recyclers among others to develop the most suitable solutions for all kinds of packaging whether they are glass, paper, or plastics.

Although it usually represents a relatively small part of the packaging, the adhesives can very often play an important role in the recycling process.

Regarding cardboard packaging, adhesives can be designed to be easily screened and sorted from fibre in paper mills in order not to disturb the recycling of fibres and avoid micro-stickies, thus improving the paper quality. For labels on Packaging Europe | 45 |

glass and PET bottles, recycle streams go through a wash-off process. In that case, it is important to have adhesives that allow clean separation from glass and plastic bottles.

Flexible multi-layer packaging manufacturers are asked to re-design packaging in monomaterial structures for easy sorting and direct recycling in existing recycling streams. However, it is likely that not all packaging will be able to be turned into monomaterials for some time, so the industry is considering options to separate different packaging substrates for recovery of those of interest.

Bostik’s R&D team is at the forefront and actively working on several dedicated programmes to develop new adhesives systems to allow such clean separation.

It is likely that it is not one solution that needs to be developed but a spectrum of solutions, with different technologies depending on the situation and the regions, and this will be achieved through deep partnership with all actors of the packaging industry. That is what Bostik is engaged in today.

costs of bio-based raw materials are also more volatile and often less competitive than fossil-based counterparts as they depend on harvesting conditions that can vary from one year to another.

Bostik has a long experience in bio-based hot-melt adhesives with very high renewable content (up to 80%) and some of these are industrially compostable according to current standards. They can be used in packaging for fast moving consumer goods, for advanced closures, sealing or labelling solutions, for single or multiple use.

It is very important to say that the group is very attentive to the responsible sourcing of natural raw materials, that must exclude deforestation and competition with the food chain among other criteria.

PE: Demand for paper-based packaging is also increasing – how is the adhesives market adapting to this trend?

PE: Likewise, bio-based alternatives to traditional packaging materials are

RL: We do see increased interest for paper-based packaging that the market

becoming more mainstream – is this also a trend within the adhesives sector?

perceives as environmentally advantageous. Cellulose is obviously renewable and already easily and highly recycled in existing paper mills. However, plastic films and/or aluminium foil are still necessary for their unique barrier properties, which are mandatory for food preservation.

In Bostik’s Advanced Packaging Solutions, we are capable of combining our expertise in all materials used as substrates to develop and offer solutions that allow good paper recycling even if packaging structures are hybrid and

RL: Renewably-sourced materials including adhesives are of value as they contribute to minimize the environmental footprint of the packaging. Although bio-based adhesives have always existed, today their use is not widespread due to performance needs, consumer convenience and costs. Drawbacks can include unpleasant smells in some cases, for instance. Availability, quality and

Packaging Europe | 47 |

Richard Lelievre

contain other materials. We also offer functional coatings such as heat seal and primers that help our customers to obtain high performance in their new paper-based packaging.

Another environmental concern, veganism, has also been taking root in recent times. Casein (a product derived from milk) is often used in beverage labels. Is the industry looking into alternatives?

RL: As we said before, there are very diverse and sometimes conflicting trends today on the market, driven by multiple consumer expectations. Luckily, the adhesives market is rich in technologies, and there is often more than one that can perform a given function. This is why it is important to be able to offer multiple technologies in this market instead of specializing in one technology only, and be able to answer the variety of our customer needs.

For instance, to substitute animal protein like casein in labelling glues we can offer performing acrylic technology.

PE: GLYMO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can you explain this issue to our readers and talk about how the industry is dealing with it?

RL: Glymo is historically often used as adhesion promoter, and common food packaging adhesives in the marketplace may contain it, notably those destined for high performance packaging that must withstand thermal processes such as

sterilization, pasteurization, hot fill or boil-in. It is considered to have a genotoxic potential, and the European adhesive association FEICA has recommended its members to replace it in food packaging adhesives by the end of 2020.

Other adhesion promoters can be used requiring adhesive re-formulation and qualification by customers. For Bostik this is not an issue: our regulatory team had spotted and anticipated this several years ago so our European current portfolio of laminating adhesives is already glymo-free.

PE: Adhesives are also being used to replace plastic wrap/secondary packaging â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can we expect more of this as brands look to lower their material consumption?

RL: Cardboard can in effect be a good and easier-to-recycle alternative to plastic films in certain secondary packaging. There are also some interesting examples where small dots of a hot melt adhesive can replace many square meters of polyethylene wrapping. To redesign paper-based packaging or even to avoid secondary packaging, the adhesive becomes a smart enabler for a packaging that fits into the circular economy. Hot melt is the most suitable technology in these cases, and this is a technology where Bostik excels.

PE: What does the future hold for the adhesives sector? Which trends do you think will become more prevalent?

RL: Adhesives will continue to be a key element of many products that keeps the whole thing together and enables efficiency and performance. Even if many times it is not visible. Specifically in packaging, we see through digital channels that sustainability, convenience, consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s further sub-segmentation (vegans, low sugar, organic food, etc) and e-commerce are the strongest trends in packaging, so also for the adhesives. We anticipate that solvent-less solutions will continue to gain market share over solvent-based ones.

It is important to say that at Bostik, we see our adhesives as more than simply bonding agents: we strive to go beyond and enrich our products with valuable functionalities. One good example is our reclosable adhesive for food trays that for almost 20 years has helped avoid food waste by keeping food fresh longer. It benefits the ever-growing needs of the food brands to offer n convenience and a better consumer experience.

Packaging Europe | 49 |

| 50 | Packaging Europe

TRACEABILITY FROM FARM TO FORK AND FROM VINEYARD TO GLASS Most of our readers will be familiar with the EU’s Falsified Medicine Directive, which came into force in February 2019. It requires pharmaceutical companies to send serialization data from each individual item to a European Hub through the use of unique barcodes, and to place a tamper-proof seal on every pack. But what about other industries? Elisabeth Skoda takes a look at serialization and track and trace applications in the food and beverage industries powered by NFC tags and QR codes, for a range of products from wine to radishes.

W

hat are the benefits of knowing exactly where a product is on its journey across the supply chain?

The food industry faces increasing legislation requirements from authorities and increasing transparency and sustainability expectations from consumers, Christine C. Akselsen, CEO at Kezzler, points out.

“By tracking an individual product’s unique journey through each step of the supply chain food brands can proactively use real data and insights to resolve issues related to product sustainability, production efficiency, regulatory compliance and risk. The use of unique, secure and traceable identities (UIDs) delivers vastly improved visibility into product value chains and allows brands to deliver an enhanced consumer engagement experience.”

This end to end traceability allows identifying problems and their causes at any point along the supply chain and enables a targeted recall for the affected products.

“This means that only the actual products affected need to be taken out of the supply chain, and communication can be targeted directly at those customers who have received products that have been compromised. End-to-end traceability solutions ensure that the link to the company is never broken.”

In the wine industry, serialization can offer ‘wide and broad’ benefits, as Ayhan Uslu, area sales manager at KURZ TRUSTCONCEPT®, explains.

“The wine industry has a complex, fragmented supply chain with diverse materials and ingredients, ranging from fertilizers to grape growers and cap and bottle manufacturers. The industry is also heavily regulated. Therefore a serialized system can help with compliance to rules and regulations. Combatting the grey market and knowing that each bottle of wine is exactly where it should be is important. Counterfeit protection also prevents risks to consumer health, for example due to methanol, and prevents a loss of revenue. €2.3 billion are projected to be lost in the EU wine and spirits market in 2020 alone. Last but not least, wine consumers are also keen to know what they are drinking and where their wine is coming from.”

When serialization happens, a predetermined coding type is assigned to each item. This gives it a distinct identity that can be tracked and traced to its location

in the supply chain or where it had been during its life cycle. But what is the best way to get this information on each and every pack and keep track of it throughout the supply chain?

Wine bottles and NFC TRUSTCONCEPT®’s solution for the wine industry works based on a smart NFC label with a tamper loop, Matthias Kronawitter, marketing manager at KURZ TRUSTCONCEPT®, explains.

“The NFC label with a tamper loop inside and a QR code on top is applied on the bottles. The QR code is linked to the NFC tag and allows for quicker readability of product information, such as what the product ingredients are, where it was produced and on what machine it is stored in our database. The bottles then get stacked into a box, so another label gets applied on that, and the same happens on the pallet, so you know what products are in the boxes. Product information is held in our cloud-based systems. After this you can track product Christine C. Akselsen

Packaging Europe | 51 |

| 52 | Packaging Europe

positions and be sent alerts when the product is where it shouldn’t be. Once the bottle is opened, the NFC tag gets destroyed. Everyone who receives a refilled bottle receives an error message.”

The undamaged label offers reassurance of first opening. In a second step, the QR code can be scanned with a proprietary app to offer further reassurance.

“We believe in a combination of physical and digital functionalities – you can see if the label is intact and if it is genuine even if you don’t have access to the digital information to verify it at that moment,” says Mr Kronawitter.

Radishes and QR codes Kezzler uses QR codes to ensure traceability across the supply chain. For example, in a cooperation with Runhui in China, they provided a traceability and authentication solution for The National Modern Agricultural Industrial Park in Shandong Province in China for the Weixan radish, a local specialty.

“Each individual radish pack is given a unique, secure and traceable identity.

A label with a unique QR code, and a hidden authentication PIN, is applied to each of the packs during packaging. The QR code is used both for tracking the radish through the supply chain, and by the consumers to see the product journey. By revealing the hidden pin, consumers can check authenticity, eliminating any concerns about the product’s origins. Full traceability across the entire supply chain helps to ensure quality and taste for these well-loved local delicacies,” says Ms Akselsen.

“A fundamental part of the Kezzler platform is the serialization engine that creates the Kezzler UIDs. Kezzler UIDs are cryptographically secure, unique and unpredictable codes without any decipherable pattern. They are also carrier agnostic, applicable through QR Codes, RFID chips, NFC tags or any other carrier. The Kezzler platform is also ‘code agnostic’ and able to manage UIDs issued by other systems or governments.”

Insights through barcodes The Systech Brand Protection Suite is a ‘holistic’ solution to bring together the key pillars of brand protection: serialization, traceability, authentication and insight. It transforms a package barcode to give brand owners end-to-end visibility and actionable, data-driven insight about a specific product as it moves across the supply chain.

“Systech’s covert and non-additive e-Fingerprint solution UniSecure®, along with its track-and-trace solution UniTrace®, helps fight global counterfeiting and diversion problems across the supply chain without relying on adding anything new to the packaging process. This powerful combination of solutions ensures products are authentic, safe and connected throughout the supply chain from point of manufacturing to the customer’s hands,” says Steve Tallant, Systech’s senior director, Solutions Marketing Group.

Consumer reassurance Several leading food and beverage companies around the world are using digital IDs on products to implement smart or intelligent packaging.

“In emerging markets like India, food safety and hygiene are major concerns. The Indian Railways implemented a serialization programme for the meals they serve on trains, which is powered by Sepio Products.

When a consumer scans the food packaging via a QR code on their phone, they get to see a live video stream of the kitchen that made the food and get reassurance on the safety and standards,” says Sepio’s director Murad Nathani.

“Sepio’s IoT platform is a technology stack that allows brands to serialize, aggregate into shippers and pallets as goods move across the supply chain, offers AI and ML based product authentication and offers personalized consumer engagement via smart packaging at the point of sale.”

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| 54 | Packaging Europe

Overcoming barriers Mr Nathani explains that a successful track and trace system in the food and beverage industry has to be low-cost yet effective, given that it has to be applied across billions of products, and considers QR codes an ideal way forward. But of course, a code cannot work on its own.

“To print a serialised code on the product at scale, the brand needs a onestop solution including its packaging partner or line automation partner. Hence, cloud-based solution providers must integrate their solution with the ecosystem players in order to deploy serialization at the plant level.”

In order to engage consumers to make sure they actually scan products, digital platforms will be required to educate them.

“Fortunately, any consumer with a smartphone knows how to scan a code.

But why should they do it? That is where brands need to develop innovative

marketing strategies to give consumers a reason to ‘talk’ to their packaging, which can be a significant tool to build engagement and loyalty.”

Serialization in the food and beverage industry does not have as long a history as in pharmaceuticals, which means that implementation has been somewhat slower. Some companies may shy away from the expense a serialization project entails, but the benefits are clear, as Mr Tallant points out in conclusion.

“Serialization has passed the rigor of the pharmaceutical industry, with live mandates in the EU and USA. Mature vendors are in the space with solutions that can easily adapt to serialize food and beverage – with costs that have greatly come down over the past decade. Additionally, the benefits the space sees from serialization and more comprehensive traceability are creating a much higher ROI for brands in making the jump into n mass serialization.”

Packaging Europe | 55 |

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION CONNECTS FACTORIES TO THE FUTURE Digital Transformation is providing OEMs with opportunities to utilize technology that increases the efficiency of their own manufacturing processes, adds functionality to their machines and adds value to the end user through increased connectivity, information and insight into the operation and maintenance of a machine and plant. Libby Munford reports

R

ockwell Automation is a clear leader in this field, providing OEMs with opportunities to utilise technology that increases the efficiency of their own manufacturing processes, adds functionality to their machines and adds value to the end user through increased connectivity, information and insight into the operation and maintenance of a machine and plant.

Andrew Smith, EMEA Segment Leader, Packaging & Process OEMs | 56 | Packaging Europe

Jason Minto, EMEA Manager, OEM Segments

Realizing Smart Factories “With the implementation of Smart Factories, greater efficiency, less waste and increased flexibility will be achieved,” comments Andrew Smith, EMEA Segment Leader, Packaging & Process OEMs, Rockwell Automation.

“Production and supply chains will be more closely aligned reducing the levels of inventory and time to market of the finished product. Additional flexibility means that factories will be able to efficiently produce a greater variant of products to meet their customers’ needs.”

Looking forward, smart, connected factories present opportunities for producers to create a range of customized products and pack sizes that match the retail outlet or customer preference while utilizing different packaging materials.

“With the implementation of Smart Factories, greater efficiency, less waste and increased flexibility will be achieved.”

“Our Connected Services Consulting Team help support our customers in the development and execution of the right Digital Strategy for their business.”

As workforce challenges continue to impact repair and operation of the plant, technology is being used to bridge the skills gap. With flexible working and a shortage of skilled labour, OEMs are required to remotely support individual machines and lines.

Andrew Smith adds, “We are helping OEMs implement predictive and prescriptive analytics within a machine control system to overcome these challenges and improve operational efficiency and maintain run time.

“Our Connected Services Consulting Team help support our customers in the development and execution of the right Digital Strategy for their business.”

Rockwell Automation’s EMEA Connected Enterprise customer centre is located in the heart of the ‘packaging valley’ in Karlsruhe, Germany. Customers are invited along to discover the value of digital transformation with Rockwell Automation technology. “We evaluate whether the companies are ready to make these changes and advise them on how to achieve the next level. It’s not a one-step change, we aim to understand what they want to achieve, and consult to build a path together on the journey,” says Jason Minto, EMEA Manager, OEM Segments.

He delves further into the value of digital knowledge, explaining that for OEMs, a lot of information is already embedded into their systems – but the value lies in being able to leverage it in a useful way. “On a typical packaging line, there are many data points, and diagnostic information – but with digitalization, OEMs can access the data with their fingertips, and use it in the most efficient way. For example it can provide a key opportunity for OEMs

to improve their machine quality, naturally improve their reputation on the market, help them find faults, and support end users with maintenance.”

This insight can be crucial.

He elaborates that there is also added value from new services OEMs can offer their customers, for example remote connected services, giving them the potential to evolve on their business models.

Close collaboration and a real partnership with shared goals is an essential part of the team’s approach and while many factors are common, typically the digital ‘journey’ is tailored to meet the needs of the customer, industry or location.

IT/OT convergence Typically, a packaging line will have multiple, individual pieces of equipment.

These may be from different, specialist suppliers but each ‘machine’ needs to interact with its ‘neighbour’ through mechanical, electrical and software interfaces.

“Using Smart Objects within a Rockwell Automation controller delivers seamless and intuitive communication between machines and provides contextualised data to MES / ERP systems enabling users to manage assets effectively, reduce downtime, and maximise productivity,” says Andrew Smith.

Jason Minto highlights a key example of the power of digitalization to streamline operations: “Very often when I talk with OEMs, one issue they have is downtime at the End User due to maintenance issues. Typically,

Packaging Europe | 57 |

they will send service personnel over to the site, often using resources at the detriment of their own production capabilities.” With digitalization, there’s a much simpler way to train operators with augmented reality to operate and maintain their machines.

Last year, Rockwell Automation acquired Emulate3D, a leading software developer for emulation of industrial automation systems. By using accurate emulation models to improve systems planning and decision-making, followed by emulation trials that test the control system before installation, Emulate3D’s software enables customers to virtually test machine and system designs before incurring manufacturing and automation costs and committing to a final design.

Jason Minto sums up, “For OEMs to be able to see where their issues originate, and to better integrate with their manufacturing operating systems, the IT/OT world will move companies in the direction of simplifying the actual interaction with machinery.”

The Connected Enterprise

great partner, adhering to the future needs of the marketplace.” For example, Rockwell Automation has partnered with Accenture to develop a digital offering to help industrial clients move beyond existing manufacturing solutions to transform their entire connected enterprise. The engagement is designed to capitalize on the expertise of both companies to deliver new capabilities for greater industrial supply chain optimization.

“There is no tick box to say, yes, my company is digitalized – that’s not the answer,” Jason Minto underlines. “We provide holistic solutions alongside our partners and are expanding rapidly with our portfolio.”

Rockwell Automation will be showcasing customer machines along with real world examples of how its people, processes and technology bring the Connected Enterprise to life at interpack 2021. It will also focus on helping its customers to become more efficient, sustainable and profitable. Industry 4.0 will be a key theme, and Rockwell Automation will be showcasing a number of customer machines at its booth in order to demonstrate digitalization.

“There’s not one company that can offer everything,” states Jason Minto.

“Along with our partners, we can showcase our wide portfolio in order to provide complete solutions to our customers. Rockwell Automation is a

“There is no tick box to say, yes, my company is digitalized – that’s not the answer,” Jason Minto underlines. “We provide holistic solutions alongside our partners and are expanding rapidly with our portfolio.”

He concludes by painting a picture of the future of factories: “Many companies are working towards the concept of the Dark Factory – a manufacturing method of a fully automated factory which requires no human presence onsite. With digitalization, we are starting to recognize the true n value of this technology.”

| 58 | Packaging Europe

Rockwell Automation partners with Accenture to create digital technology offering

INTERVIEW: CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS As Covid-19 is changing the way all of us live our lives, Elisabeth Skoda talks to James Harmer, planning & innovation strategy leader at Cambridge Design Partnership about changing perceptions of consumer packaged goods, and the effects of the virus on consumer behaviour and packaging innovation.

ES: Clearly, Covid-19 means that 2020 has not played out the way we thought it would. Before this, what were the main trends in CPG you anticipated for 2020?

about lightweighting, material reduction and that kind of thing. But with a global recession looming, this compression is likely to be even more of a challenge.

JH: Like anybody that’s involved in this industry, we weren’t resting on

ES: The virus has changed how we all live our lives. How has it changed

our laurels before the crisis hit. Everyone was uniting around the sustainability challenges we face so that was the overarching trend you were seeing at conferences etc. There had been a lot of interest in returnable packaging and some interesting developments in smart packaging.

Alongside this, FMCG companies had been seeing a lot of margin compression so they were having to innovative in different ways, thinking

consumer behaviour or shifted priorities?

JH: One thing that’s come to the fore is that the pandemic has created lots of tension points in terms of what the right information is, what consumers should be doing and how they should be handling things. There has been consumer concern about the packaging materials themselves and what kinds of materials Packaging Europe | 59 |

HUSKY

ON DEMAND

WEBINAR

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO TETHERED CLOSURES

HOSTED BY PACKAGING EUROPE

In the EU and other regions around the world, tethered closures will soon be mandatory for most single-use plastic bottles. For beverage producers, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.

How do you seize on that opportunity? What’s involved?

Learning Objectives: • Why switch to tethered closures: the basic requirements and opportunities • Best practices in tethered closure design • What’s involved and how to get started • Gallery of real-world tethered closure designs for inspiration

LISTEN NOW

ON DEMAND

ON DEMAND

packagingeurope.com/the-essential-guide-to-tethered-closures/

SPEAKER

HOST

MICHAEL WHITE Business Development Manager for Beverage Closures Husky Injection Molding Systems

ELISABETH SKODA Editor Packaging Europe

Husky Injection Molding Systems is the world’s largest brand name supplier of injection molding equipment and services to the plastics industry. With one of the broadest product lines in the industry, Husky equipment is used to manufacture a wide range of plastic products such as bottles and caps for beverages, containers for food, medical components and consumer electronic parts. They have more than 40 service and sales offices, employ over 4,000 people worldwide and support customers in more than 100 countries.

Working across print, digital and live media, Packaging Europe is the leading intelligence resource for European packaging professionals.

Our mission is to connect forward thinkers across the value chain with the latest developments in packaging technology and materials, making sense of innovation in the context of the core business challenges packaging is required to meet.

could be spreading the virus. While the FDA says it remains unlikely that the virus can be transferred from one material to another, we’ve seen scientific reports to say that it remains detectable for around 24 hours on cardboard up to 72 hours for smoother surfaces such as steel or plastics so there’s an ongoing dialogue. These hygiene concerns will probably persist long after the pandemic subsides. As a result of this, we have also seen a rise in single-use packaging and increasing use of plastic bags for delivery etc, while of course companies like Starbucks paused their reusable cup scheme so it’s hard to know how long the aftershock as regards to hygiene caution around packaging will last.

On the other hand – and this surprised me – we still saw Tesco launch their Loop partnership last month. They clearly thought it was the right time to do this and it shows that the Loop experiment hasn’t lost momentum as a reinvention of how we might use packaging in the future. So against all odds, amid concerns about consumer contact, the fact that returnables haven’t fallen off the agenda is quite encouraging.

ES: Sometimes innovation can come out of adversity. Have you seen any notable innovations in packaging as a result of Covid-19?

JH: The three major requirements for packaging the must haves are always cost, convenience and performance, but we’re now also seeing a good sustainability narrative, coupled very closely with hygiene in mind which might not have

been as relevant for some sectors as it is now. There is also the increased consideration of design for e-commerce; in future we will need to make sure that packaging designs work for both a bricks-and-mortar and e-commerce context.

“Against all odds, amid concerns about consumer contact, the fact that returnables haven’t fallen off the agenda is quite encouraging.”

It’s interesting to see the way that cosmetics producers, for example, have adapted the way that samples are used by changing consumer interaction with products, so there will probably be some further innovation around this, too. What’s also interesting is to look at the ways in which supermarkets will be protecting and preserving open food in supermarkets – e.g. meat and deli counters. We’ve seen packaging start to creep back in for these products, but it remains to be seen whether that takes hold and continues. Retailers are having to act in a measured way to the fact that consumers are concerned, but it’s also important that we cast our vision further and look at the possibility of further pandemics in the future: do we need to get better control of where products come from and how they are Packaging Europe | 61 |

ACTEGA

ON DEMAND

WEBINAR

BENEFITING FROM WATER-BASED BARRIER COATINGS IN PACKAGING A consideration of sustainability, functionality and efficiency Substances such as oil, fat or water have a strong influence on the quality of packaging. They attack the substrate, can damage the printing ink or impair the filling good. A barrier is therefore essential in many cases. Until now, PE layers have generally been used as a barrier for packaging.

However, the poor recyclability of PE layers - and thus the high use of plastic - is a major drawback in terms of sustainability. They are increasingly falling into disrepute and are subject to ever more comprehensive regulation. Also, legal requirements for the recycling or disposal of such production materials represent a major challenge for many processing companies.

Solutions are increasingly being sought at all levels to avoid additional plastic waste.

The requirements for alternative barrier solutions are manifold. Thus, they must not only provide a high level of functionality and enable efficient processes, but also be sustainable, e.g. in terms of recyclability. Water-based barrier coating solutions represent a very good alternative in most cases. This includes both water-based barrier coatings for packaging converters and printers or the paper industry as well as novel aqueous thermoplastic elastomer dispersions. TPE dispersions offer a wide range of coating solutions for packaging materials and different substrates and are also used as binding systems in the paper production.

HOSTED BY PACKAGING EUROPE

Learning Objectives: • Find out how to replace PE layers as a barrier for packaging • Discover what requirements are placed on alternative barrier solutions • Learn more about the advantages of water-based barrier coatings

LISTEN NOW

ON DEMAND

ON DEMAND

packagingeurope.com/benefiting-from-water-based-barrier-coatings-in-packaging/

SPEAKERS

HOST

DR. LISA SCHÖNENBERG Global Portfolio Manager Paper & Board ACTEGA Terra GmbH

WILKE FÖLLSCHER Business Development Manager YUNICO® Technology ACTEGA DS GmbH

MARKUS LOCHER Sales Director ACTEGA Schmid Rhyner AG

ACTEGA is a division of the internationally operating specialty chemicals group ALTANA and develops and produces coatings, sealants, printing inks and adhesives for flexible and rigid packaging as well as the graphic arts industry. These products do not only provide materials such as paper, cardboard, plastics or metal with an attractive surface, but also with functional properties such as chemical and physical resistance or barrier effects. ACTEGA’ s main customer for the products developed, produced and marketed is the packaging industry.

VICTORIA HATTERSLEY Editor Packaging Europe

Working across print, digital and live media, Packaging Europe is the leading intelligence resource for European packaging professionals.

Our mission is to connect forward thinkers across the value chain with the latest developments in packaging technology and materials, making sense of innovation in the context of the core business challenges packaging is required to meet.

handled moving forward? In this regard, smart packaging will be important in terms of monitoring and control. It’s possible that in the future, if a batch of products is infected or damaged, smart packaging will be able to identify where exactly in the supply chain that happened, how things got spoiled or damaged so the entire shipping container doesn’t have to be scrapped.

ES: How has the change in consumer habits affected demand for packaging? For example, we’ve been seeing people going out a lot less and trying to get their shopping done as quickly as possible.

JH: Of course, the biggest change in habit is that a lot of consumers are now turning to e-commerce where maybe they hadn’t before. We’re seeing baby boomers, older consumers who may have resisted e-commerce being pushed into the model and then seeing the benefits of it. All of a sudden we’re seeing businesses like Gousto, delivering meal boxes right to the door, rising exponentially in sales. I think this area will be interesting to watch in terms of packaging as there’s a huge amount more material required – refrigeration units, ice packs, fleeces to keep things the right temperature and so on. So although

“The biggest change in habit is that a lot of consumers are now turning to e-commerce where maybe they hadn’t before.”

I do enjoy the experience of this kind of service I am also concerned about the amount of packaging we’ll be seeing in future as more and more people turn to the direction to consumer model. It’s important, therefore, that we’re really smart about the way we use packaging.

Another thing that’s been really interesting to me personally is that, while I was used to having food and comestibles delivering to the door previously, during lockdown I started shopping for other things, like house plants. This got me wondering if there is anything we really couldn’t send these days by e-commerce if the packaging is done well; not just in terms of safety and security but also in terms of romanticizing the product itself. And we’ve seen some good examples of that recently, such as Garçon Wines sending wine through the letterbox. Who would have believed it five years ago?

Something else to mention here is the drive from retailers like Aldi for retail-ready packaging, whereby the primary and secondary pack are merged together. This kind of rationalization will be important in the future, especially is e-commerce continues the way it has been. We’re still tied to bricks and mortar shopping to a certain extent, but that won’t always be the case.

based and aesthetically pleasing. But it’s interesting to see now that brands are once again pushing – indeed inflating – the germ-killing credentials on their packaging. After all, it’s quite difficult for brands to pivot packaging formats quickly but it’s much easier to simply adapt semiotic codes, graphics and so on.

ES: Finally, how do you think the two challenges of staying Covid-safe but achieving more sustainability in packaging can be combined?

JH: That’s a very difficult tension to work through. As I mentioned, during the crisis we have seen more plastics being used so there has been a reintroduction of more packaging waste into the mix, and it’s sad to see so many images of PPE that has been dumped and is finding its way into waterways.

But we know that sustainability is a long-term challenge and we need to think of it like a chronic condition that is going to take some time to resolve.

On a more positive note, I’m delighted with the way that the whole world has joined together to try to deal with coronavirus as it proves that this can happen. Now, we need to leverage that will to really step change and focus on the chronic condition the environment is in.

And there’s money to be made moving to the green economy, too.

Obviously there are going to be short-term problems to be faced in terms of global recession, but those who can use innovation to their advantage, hitting the sweet spot between sustainability, safety and cost-effectiveness, will be the ones who reap the rewards. These are the kinds of clients we’d n love to get our hands on!

James Harmer

ES: Coming back to bricks and mortar, have you seen increased relevance of packaging as a ‘silent salesperson’ as people try to get in and out of the supermarket as quickly as possible?

JH: Yes, definitely. Cleaning products are a good example of how the Covid crisis has affected thinking around packaging. Before this, one of the things cleaning product brands had been grappling with was a move away from the ’Kills 99.9% of germs’-type messaging to a message that was more lifestylePackaging Europe | 63 |

ON SECOND THOUGHTS...

REMOVING PLASTIC ALREADY IN THE OCEAN IS A DISTRACTION

Yoni Shiran, Breaking the Plastic Wave Programme Director, SYSTEMIQ

P

lastic’s low cost, light weight, convenience, durability, and ability to be produced in different colours and shapes have driven its proliferation. As plastic production and use have surged, so too has plastic pollution, and with it the amount of plastic in the ocean, which could already be as high as 150 million tons – with severe consequences for ecosystems, businesses and communities. An analysis

by SYSTEMIQ and The Pew Charitable Trusts, Breaking the Plastic Wave project that without action, municipal solid waste plastic could double, plastic waste flowing into the ocean could triple and plastic stock in the ocean could quadruple in 20 years.

In this context, many people deeply concerned with the state of our oceans have been enthusiastic about technologies that claim to remove plastic from the middle of the ocean though sophisticated and wellengineered ‘plastic fishing’ apparatus. Some even consider these solutions a silver bullet. While incredible ingenuity has gone into these solutions, and while their development has been undoubtedly well intentioned, they are a complete distraction – and potentially a dangerous one. Given they are attracting hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, the focus needs be on investing into real solutions that focus on preventing plastic from entering the ocean in the first place, including new reuse/refill models, better plastic substitutes, new recycling facilities, and the significant expansion of collection infrastructure.

Removing plastic from the ocean is a distraction for a few simple reasons. First, the economics don’t work. It is unconceivable that removing a ton of plastic from the ocean is more cost effective than preventing it from entering the ocean in the first place. It has been estimated that removing a meaningful volume of plastic from the ocean could cost €708 billion, or ~1% of the world’s GDP .

Second, finding plastic in the ocean is like finding a needle in a haystack.

In fact, one cannot think of a smaller needle (think microplastics) or a larger haystack (the ocean’s volume is 1,350,000,000,000,000,000,000 litres, an unimaginable amount). Even if plastics concentrate in some parts of the ocean, the technical constraints are insurmountable, especially when compared to the well-known solutions that could prevent plastic from flowing into the ocean in the first place (and the ‘plastic island’ myth has already been debunked, with scientists now estimating that 97% of the plastic in

| 64 | Packaging Europe

the ocean is not floating in ‘plastic islands’). To make matters worse, plastic in the ocean degrades into smaller particles called microplastics (particles between 1 micrometre and 5 mm in size) or even nanoplastics (particles smaller than 1 micrometre) – exacerbating the challenge of finding and removing them at scale.

Last, even if somehow it were possible to find these particles, by the time plastic particles reach the middle of the ocean where they would be collected, these particles could have already propagated much damage to fish and natural ecosystems, potentially killing several animals along the way. A large proportion of life in the ocean is within the first 50 km from the coast – by the time plastic would have been collected from the middle of the ocean, it may have been too late.

Many have used the ‘flooded house’ metaphor to make a similar argument. In essence, if your house is flooding, you must turn off the tap before you start mopping the floor. Attempting to remove plastic from the ocean while 14 million tonnes of plastic are still pouring into our ocean every year is analogous to mopping the floor – and dangerously so, given the profound negative impact of plastic pollution, including altering habitats, harming wildlife, and damaging ecosystem function and services. Sadly, for the plastic already in the ocean it is ‘game over’, and we must focus all our resources on preventing more plastic from pouring in.

River trap technologies that capture plastic flowing in the river may be more effective than ocean clean-up initiatives. But these too should be implemented carefully to ensure that rivers don’t become our waste management systems. Rivers are, after all, as vulnerable an eco-system as the ocean, if not more so.

We must therefore focus on the root cause of plastic pollution in the ocean, not the symptom. Fortunately, we have today 80% of the solutions needed to address plastic pollution – including reducing plastic consumption, substituting plastic with other materials, designing for recycling, scaling up collection and recycling infrastructure, among others. Fixing our plastic system will by no means be easy, but it is possible. Once we have done that, we can turn to removing plastic from the ocean – but until then, the world needs to focus all its n efforts on prevention.

SUKANO

ON DEMAND

WEBINAR HOSTED BY PACKAGING EUROPE

BOTTLE-TO-BOTTLE, TRAY-TO-TRAY - CLOSED LOOP Fundamental redesign and innovation technology for PET packaging recycling There is momentum behind initiatives to drive circularity. However, the current trajectory is unlikely to be sufficient.

We urge for radical actions in redesign through innovation in polyester plastic packaging to replace less sustainable packaging into polyester monomaterial alternatives to the extent that the problem demands.

Sukano will showcase technology to support these initiatives to replace end applications made from non-recyclable or less sustainable materials and

compositions into applications made from PET through an innovative and dedicated RPET Masterbatch Portfolio.

Learning Objectives: • Get a common understanding of the current RPET market situation • Find out how to be part of the solution through collaboration and innovation that contributes towards circular economy goals • Explore the latest Sukano innovations to learn how they radically improve economics and recyclability of your products • Accelerate the changes in the packaging plastic market needed to deliver environmental impact benefits to the extent and with the urgency needed

LISTEN NOW

ON DEMAND

ON DEMAND

packagingeurope.com/bottle-to-bottle-tray-to-tray-closed-loop/

SPEAKERS

MICHAEL KIRCH Global Head of R&D Sukano

HOST

ALESSANDRA FUNCIA Head of Sales & Marketing Sukano

Sukano is a world leader in the development and production of additive and colour masterbatches and compounds for polyester, biobased, biodegradable and specialty resins. Headquartered in Switzerland, the company is a familyowned business with production facilities in Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. Providing unparalleled service, know-how, and quality to its customers worldwide, Sukano is the global partner of choice for plastic converters and brand owners to develop their innovative products and highly specialized solutions. For more information, www.sukano.com

ELISABETH SKODA Editor Packaging Europe Working across print, digital and live media, Packaging Europe is the leading intelligence resource for European packaging professionals.

Our mission is to connect forward thinkers across the value chain with the latest developments in packaging technology and materials, making sense of innovation in the context of the core business challenges packaging is required to meet.