Latest news with #PackagingEurope
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Major brewery announces innovative change to six-packs of beer: 'Immediately catches the customer's attention'
A European brewery has teamed up with a packaging firm to deliver a unique unpacking experience that may have consumers hanging on to their empty six-packs for longer. As detailed by Packaging Europe, Martins Brewery brought in DS Smith to create a packhandle made entirely of recyclable, uncolored corrugated cardboard, leaning into a trend of companies adopting fiber-based solutions to reduce the use of plastic. Plastic is usually derived from dirty fuels that can leach toxic chemicals into the environment as it breaks down. The durable design requires no complex machinery to produce, allowing the Slovakian brewery to transition its packaging without significantly overhauling its manufacturing processes. Each pack also features mathematical puzzles on the inside to promote consumer engagement. "The puzzles, like the recyclable packaging can be reused. We feel that we have achieved a high-quality product, innovation, functionality, and an attractive design all-in-one," Martins Brewery CEO Norbert Pilka said in a statement. Martins Brewery didn't address other uses for the recyclable cardboard beyond the added entertainment. However, the biodegradable material is generally lauded for its versatility. It can suppress weeds in gardens without chemicals and is a component in nutrient-rich compost, suggesting that consumers may get even more bang for their buck with this packaging upgrade. As for DS Smith, it adhered to its "Circular Design Metrics" when developing the packhandles for Martins Brewery, according to its website and Packaging Europe. Along with recyclability and reuse, these metrics consider planet safety, overall carbon pollution, material utilization, renewable sources, recycled content, and supply chain optimization, supporting business efficiency while reducing environmental harm at every step of the process. "Our products have a sustainable ethos," Pilka said, per Packaging Europe. "We wanted to combine 'logically ecological beer' with sustainable packaging and the design concept immediately catches the customer's attention in a retail environment." "We are thrilled for this opportunity to collaborate with Martins Brewery and to produce a solution that has an innovative, interactive, and memorable component," added Martin Němec, DS Smith's subregional managing director. When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks The information it provides The waste it produces I don't think about packaging at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grocery chain to roll out revolutionary changes to some of its products: 'We're offering a glimpse into the future'
U.K. grocery store Tesco will package its store-brand ground beef in 100% recycled PET plastic, also known as polyethylene terephthalate. According to Packaging Europe, Tesco is partnering with Hilton Foods to package its ground beef in rPET, which Klöckner Pentaplast created. In April 2024, KP revealed its first tray packaging made of 100% recycled materials. Its Tray2Tray initiative used recycled trays to make this new tray material. KP's goal is to use 30% of the recycled materials from the Tray2Tray program by the end of 2025. The company is now piloting those trays with Hilton Foods and Tesco. The trays will be sealed with the company's "FlexiLid barrier film, which contains 30% post-consumer recycled content," per Packaging Europe. Some food-safe tray material gets recycled, but primarily for other products. KP Global Account Director Rebecca Harris said, "Until something changes and demand is boosted, the required collection, sorting, and recycling at scale will not be sufficient. So, what we're doing here has real significance." According to Packaging Europe, "Of an estimated one million tonnes of PET produced in the EU every year, only 5% is believed to be recycled back into food-grade trays." KP aims to establish a supply stream of recycled PET through its Tray2Tray program. While you may seem skeptical of a packaging material you're not used to, recycled materials often contain fewer chemicals than non-recyclable packaging. When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks The information it provides The waste it produces I don't think about packaging at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Servous said, "Some non-recyclable packaging materials contain chemicals that can leach into food and pose health risks." Conversely, recyclable materials are free from harmful ingredients, such as phthalates and BPA, which means food is uncontaminated. According to Food Print, single-use plastic food packaging harms the environment. The website noted, "Because so much food packaging (especially plastic) has ended up in waterways, the United Nations has declared the plastic pollution of oceans 'a planetary crisis.'" In addition to polluting waterways, food packaging impacts the air and soil. The website referenced an Environmental Protection Agency statistic: "Food and food packaging materials make up almost half of all municipal solid waste." While plastic may seem like it's everywhere, you can reduce your plastic waste by supporting brands with plastic-free packaging. Harris said, "Switching incumbent packaging to more sustainable alternatives should be simple, so we're showcasing the ease of transition without compromise. And, by doing that, we're offering a glimpse into the future of food tray packaging circularity." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plastics technology company unveils project to revolutionize packaging — here's how it can succeed where others have failed
A new project will help implement reusable plastic packaging in multiple countries across Europe. As explained by Packaging Europe, the plastics technology center AIMPLAS announced the launch of the Buddie-Pack project, which aims "to implement a circular system for the large-scale deployment of reusable plastic packaging." Examples of products that Packaging Europe provided included "a semi-rigid skin pack for meat distribution (Dawn Meats), semi-rigid catering trays at schools and nursing homes for 1 portion and 8 portions (Ausolan), pre-packed food in supermarkets (Uzaje), and catering trays for takeaway food consumption (Vytal)." On the one hand, this news gives vibes of "the best way to cut down on plastic is to produce more recyclable plastic" — even though it may never actually get recycled. That could be worse in many ways if the plastic items are made with more plastic and then still get tossed at a similar rate. If there are single-use items that can become multi-use items, it's generally better to make them with something less polluting such as metal, ceramic, or glass. But if those would be easily damaged or broken, it could be beneficial to use plastic products designed to be reused or recycled — if those who use them actually do so enough to drive down virgin plastic production. That's a big if without knowing more about how it will play out in practice. But while the Buddie-Pack project is coordinated by the Industrial Technical Center for Plastics and Composites, it's funded by the European Union research and innovation program Horizon Europe, which says it "tackles climate change" and "helps to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals." The report said 19 partners from six countries have committed to participate in the project, which is set to take place over the next three-and-a-half years. "The project is anticipated to cut down the production of single-use plastic packaging, reduce water and energy consumption, and avoid the release of microplastics into the oceans," Packaging Europe stated. Reusable plastic packaging incurs skepticism from many who question the safety and cleanliness of repeatedly using the same products. The Buddie-Pack project plans to address this by analyzing consumer habits and promoting "cleaning solutions to guarantee consumer safety against the possible contamination and ageing of all reusable business cases during their repeated use, and the durability of their functional properties and recyclability," per Packaging Europe. When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks The information it provides The waste it produces I don't think about packaging at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The project will apply mechanical recycling, which Packaging Europe said is "'the most widely adopted method' for plastic recycling, said to have relatively low energy requirements, minimal infrastructure needs and be highly scalable." This effort is one of the latest positive steps in the fight to reduce plastic pollution across the world, as many big-name companies have begun lending a hand in hopes of making a difference. For example, ShopRite partnered with TerraCycle to launch a program that provides kiosks for recycling flexible plastic packaging. Similarly, Nestlé expanded its use of innovative paper packaging across major brands to make 95% of its plastic packaging recyclable by the end of this year. These projects are part of a commitment to help consumers make smarter recycling choices and keep plastics out of landfills, where they can take decades to break down. By reducing our reliance on single-use plastics, we can all contribute to a healthier planet. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
