June 2023
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German multinational chemical and consumer goods company Henkel has announced that it is conducting a pilot trial using 100% post consumer recyclate (PCR) from the yellow recycling bag for the blister caps of its WC Frisch Kraft Aktiv Pro Nature Pack cleaning product. 80% of the PCR material is derived from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) trays which are used for food products and have not been recycled as standard until now. Henkel has so far used recyclate from PET bottle collections which are particularly suitable for high-quality reprocessing due to their high purity and low sorting complexity. The pilot scheme was a collaboration by Henkel alongside two Austrian companies, Boldog Consulting and the film manufacturer PETman, and relies on a specially adapted recycling and manufacturing process. The resulting material is said to be virtually indistinguishable in quality from the current blister hoods made from recyclate from the deposit bottle system. See also: 100% recycled HDPE dishwasher bottle can be recycled.
There is a noticeable shift to using more recycled plastic packaging across the board as a way to mitigate the negative press the material is getting of late. 100% recycled solutions will continue to increase in their presence as and when technical advances progress. Recycled plastic availability can also be a challenge.
This has opportunities throughout the Food, Beverage, Health & Beauty and Consumer Goods sectors
May 2023
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A collaboration between two bioplastics companies has resulted in the development of a new compostable coffee capsule that meets the EU’s proposed packaging regulations. The EU recently announced a proposal to make plastic packaging such as tea bags, coffee capsules, very light plastic bags and self-adhesive labels for fruit and vegetables compostable. The two companies, US-based Danimer Scientific, Inc, and Dutch TotalEnergies Corbion, came together to develop the capsule, with Danimer contributing with its signature bioplastic Nodax, which is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and TotalEnergies Corbion’s well-established PLA bioplastic Luminy High Heat. Both materials have passed tests for biodegradation and are certified for home composting. The close collaboration between the two companies began in 2021, and the new capsules are currently being tested on the market by several European companies.
The coffee pod market is working hard on delivering more sustainable solutions in terms of improved recyclability, compostability and the use of biomaterials, and this is another good initiative.
This innovation has applications for Beverage products.
May 2023
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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is trialling technology that could turn hard-to-recycle plastic into beverage bottles. CCEP is funding CuRe, a Netherlands startup that specialises in producing food-grade recycled plastic from plastics typically destined for landfills or incineration. These hard-to-recycle materials include films, trays and coloured packaging and even clothing. CuRe Technology’s polyester rejuvenation offers a low-energy recycling process for used polyester and PET. Their recycling process creates high-quality rPET with a carbon footprint that is approximately 65% lower than virgin PET, which can be used for food and drink packaging. The process, known as partial depolymerisation, removes colour from polyester, transforming it into clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pellets. CuRe has been sending samples of its recycled plastic to Coca-Cola’s headquarters in Atlanta for testing. If the recycled plastic consistently meets quality standards, there is a possibility that it may be introduced into other markets.
The success of this pilot depends on the quality and cost of the recycled output and could help play its part in improving the recyclability of plastic packaging.
This scheme has wide additional applications across hard-to-recycle plastic to benefit Beverage, Food, Consumer Goods, Pet Care, Industrial and Health & Beauty products.
May 2023
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Koehler Paper has introduced an additional product to its NexPlus range of papers originally developed as barrier films for the food sector. NexPlus Seal Pure is a sustainable packaging option for products with no additional barriers for products such as screws, electronic components and parts, processors, and LEDs. The company carried out a pilot project for a few months with Schneider Electric, to put the new Koehler NexPlus Seal Pure through its paces for the non-food sector. It is said to be very strong yet still supple, and another standout feature is its excellent printability, for example, for product illustrations or application instructions. Koehler’s aim is to replace plastic in packaging by using so-called barrier paper wherever possible. Koehler NexPlus Seal Pure is available in grammages of 35, 40, 45, 65 or 80 g/m². See also: Paper with ultra-thin metalised layer is recyclable.
This progressive advancement has potential applications across many non-food consumer goods.
This has opportunities across Consumer Goods sector products.
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Uber Eats is conducting its first pilot in the US with reusable takeaway packaging. The pilot is being conducted in partnership with DeliverZero and the pilot will be conducted in New York with customers having a choice of over 80 restaurants. When customers order their food via the Uber Eats app they will be given the option to select reusable packaging at a cost of $1. DeliverZero will then send them a text message with instructions for returning the reusable containers to a participating store or scheduling a DeliverZero pickup at no extra charge. Uber Eats will monitor the volume of first-time versus repeat users and will work with DeliverZero to track return rates. Previous data has revealed that about 70% of existing DeliverZero customers return the packaging at a participating restaurant instead of scheduling a pickup. The containers are BPA-free PP (polypropylene), and designed to be reused up to 1,000 times (although the reality is that no pack will ever be reused that much. See also: Online food delivery company trials reusable packaging.
This is an important trial in a sector that generates a lot of packaging waste. The market will be following its successes and learnings closely.
This innovation has applications for the online delivery market.
May 2023
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German technology company PolyTaksys has announced the development of its U4FOOD Smart Labels, to address the issues of food loss and waste in the refrigeration sector. The U4Food label reminds consumers to eat limited shelf-life products and in doing so reduces food waste, as well as giving information about the product/brand and ultimately leads to sales growth, it claims. The label is activated either automatically when the product is opened via product moisture, or by manual activation. Information and recommendations for action are released in a daily sequence, over a defined time period, for example, one, two or three days – each day revealing a different, more urgent message. Depending on the rate of cooling, the release of information can be accelerated or slowed down. Interested parties are being offered the opportunity to implement their own test market in supermarkets with U4FOOD opening time control labels from the middle of this year.
This sensor is yet another development in the battle to reduce food waste. We are yet to see any significant commercialisations.
This has potential for Food products.
May 2023
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Arla Foods is collaborating with German film manufacturer and recycler SÜDPACK to explore new ways of recycling plastic waste. Arla produces mozzarella cheese at its Rødkærsbro dairy in Denmark. It needs to mature in specially designed bags for about two weeks. The plastic films need to be multi-layered for food safety reasons, but this also means they cannot be recycled through mechanical recycling, which is the industry standard across Europe. Utilising the processing capabilities at Carboliq, SÜDPACK’s chemical recycling plant in Germany, they can ensure that the films produced for Arla’s cheese maturing purposes do not exit the loop but instead are recycled into new packaging. One tonne of mixed plastic does not equal one tonne of new packaging, but it does reduce the need for fossil feedstock. The companies are testing the process with 80 tonnes of plastic film from Rødkærsbro dairy. After concluding the test, they will evaluate and plan the next steps. See also: New chemical recycling tech for mixed plastic waste in development.
Chemical recycling advances will inevitably play an increased role, and we will track this technological development with interest.
There will be opportunities to use this application across product sectors.
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A new reusable packaging scheme was recently launched in Bradford. The scheme called ‘Borrow’, sees participating local businesses in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK lending customers reusable takeaway food and beverage packaging for a returnable deposit of between £0.50p to £1. There are several incentives Borrow customers can receive, including discounts on food straight away when they place their order, and discounts on their next order when they return the takeaway packaging. Customers with a smartphone can also scan a QR code to enter monthly prize draws every time they borrow. Maybe*is an innovative technology company that devised the digital rewards scheme. When customers return Borrow packaging, they can collect points exchanged for free food and drink items. On their return, the cups and boxes are commercially cleaned and ready to be reused. Borrow was trialled for the first time at an open Iftar held at Bradford Cathedral in March. See also: Reusable packaging scheme launched in Chicago.
There has been an explosion of reusable packaging schemes in Europe and North America. Many are small scale pilots like this one in Bradford.
This has opportunities for Food sector products.
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Two beauty brands have revealed partnerships, which will drive circularity in the sector. French skincare brand Garnier is collaborating with Loop Industries in a pilot scheme to transform low-value waste into high-quality 100% recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Canada-based technology company Loop Industries has supplied Garnier with 20,000 recycled bottles featuring the Loop Industries logo on the front of the packaging to support its environmental sustainability goals. Also, another French beauty brand, Sephora, is working with Australian nonprofit Pact Collective. To help reduce the amount of packaging ending up in landfills and oceans, Beauty (Re)Purposed will allow consumers to drop off their empty beauty packaging at any Sephora retail store, no matter the brand, and give their beauty products a second life. Pact Collective will sell the collected materials to a partner to convert the empties into something new such as carpet, pallets, asphalt, new packaging or energy. See also: Prototype rPET water bottle developed that uses low-value plastics.
This pilot will help these businesses understand how this initiative can be scaled in the future.
This has opportunities for Food and Beverage sector products.
May 2023
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British supermarket chain Waitrose is trialling the removal of foil and plastic sleeves from the necks of its own label wine bottles to cut down on unnecessary packaging. The trial is being conducted on its Loved & Found range, with all ten varieties set to be sleeve-free by the end of 2023. By then, the move is expected to save half a tonne of “unnecessary packaging” annually. A spokesperson for Waitrose said that bottleneck sleeves were introduced many years ago to prevent pests such as moths and weevils from ruining wines kept in dark, damp cellars. The caterpillars of this moth species would bore into the wine corks, causing the wine to leak or taste musty. Today few people have wine cellars and those who do tend to keep them in much better conditions, meaning that sleeves up and until now have been purely aesthetic.
This change reduces packaging and costs and will not negatively impact product perceptions.
This is a necessary change for wine products in the Beverage market.
