June 2023
Read more ›
Australian supermarket chain Coles has announced that it has removed plastic openings on some of its own brand tissue boxes. The newly designed boxes, which are made from 95% recycled material, underwent vigorous testing to ensure a high standard of performance was maintained and have a tissue elevator and smaller opening size for ease of use. Coles has estimated the packaging change will remove 13 tonnes of plastic a year from circulation, the equivalent of 412,000 plastic bags. The move includes the following products: Coles Facial Tissues Aloe Vera 95 pack, Coles Facial Tissues Eucalyptus 95 pack, and Coles Facial Tissues White 224 and 90 packs. Removing plastic openings for some Coles Brand tissue boxes is the supermarket’s latest move to reduce unnecessary and problematic plastic packaging from its shelves.
Removing unnecessary packaging, plastic or otherwise, is a cost and environmental no-brainer.
This has applications for products across all sectors.
Read more ›
London-based Greyparrot is a leading AI waste analytics platform for the circular economy. Greyparrot’s mission is to increase recycling transparency and automation to unlock waste’s financial value. Their AI Waste Recognition System is deployed on moving conveyor belts at plants around the world. It enables MRFs (Materials Recycling Facilities), PRFs (Plastics Recycling Facilities), and other reprocessors to monitor, audit and sort large waste flows at scale and has a reported error rate of less than 1%. Greyparrot detects differences almost imperceptible to the human eye, even when crumpled and overlapping. Reliable recognition of packaging type, including food vs. non-food grade items. Greyparrot can accurately identify over 50 materials, including the black plastics and mixed material packaging (e.g sleeved bottles) that confuse current NIR systems. It also has the ability to recognise packaging by brand and SKU e.g. Diet Coke 300ml.
This is another tool in the armoury to one day make recycling more efficient and cost-effective.
This has applications across Food, Consumer Goods, Health & Beauty, Industrial and Pet Care sectors.
June 2023
Read more ›
The Zerna café in Uzbekistan has reportedly created the first packaging made with lagenaria, a vegetable belonging to the pumpkin family. The idea behind the innovation was to combat the problem of excessive plastic consumption in packaging by using lagenaria as packagIng to preserve products, especially spices and dried fruit. In collaboration with the advertising agency Synthesis, it decided to replace the plastic packaging of its dried fruit with dried lagenaria, which has a decomposition time of about one year, compared to a plastic bag, which can take between 100 and 400 years to decompose. This vegetable has another benefit: It is highly resilient, making it ideal for transport. Finally, it adapts to environmental conditions without major problems, and is not affected by the presence of humidity and sudden changes in light.
This is one of many new bio-material developments coming to our attention but the first to use this unusual vegetable. This is also our first initiative from Uzbekistan.
This has opportunities for products in the Food sector.
May 2023
Read more ›
Kellogg’s, owners of the Pringles crisp brand, has announced that they are moving to a new recyclable tube in more markets. Following an investment of over €100 million (£86.9m), the revamped tube is now made of 90% paper, and the previous steel bottom of the can has been replaced. The research costs for the project were subsidised by VLAIO, the Flemish government’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Agency. It is claimed that the superior quality of the paper packaging is completely airtight and keeps the product good for at least a year, which is the main innovation. The new tube was developed with Fost Plus, the company that monitors the recycling of household packaging in Belgium. The production process of the new tube will be adopted in other Pringles factories worldwide after Belgium. According to the company, the paper used will come mainly from recycled materials. The paper tubes roll out in Belgium has now started.
This is a welcome and overdue change to pack structure to transform recycling rates for a market leader. The pack format has previously been identified as one of the worst for recycling.
This innovation has applications for snacks in the Food sector.
Read more ›
Cajo Technologies has unveiled Cajo MakeBright, a sustainable and efficient product marking technology. The initiative delivers a notable reduction in the carbon footprint of industrial labelling, decreasing it by up to 90%. It eliminates the need for ink or packaging labels, producing precise and permanent markings on cardboard that adhere to ISO 29158 standards. Cajo MakeBright employs a patented laser marking technology that facilitates rapid marking without additives, lowering operational costs and generating minimal waste. This adaptable solution can be integrated into both new and existing production lines. Cajo MakeBright offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution for the packaging industry.
This novel product marking technology offers both sustainability and efficiency benefits with the potential to substantially lower carbon footprints and operational costs.
This has applications for products across sectors.
May 2023
Read more ›
The S-Bin, by Packaging Solutions Scotland Ltd, is being seen as an alternative to the industry standard EPS (expanded polystyrene) box for salmon transportation. It is thought that EPS boxes will be an obvious target for higher fees for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in years to come, thanks to their single use and difficulty in recycling. The S-Bin is a complete storage system comprising three main components: pallet base, lid and side wall. The S-Bin is designed for reuse, with bases and lids lasting several years and side walls good for 20+ round trips, while also being easily washable. They are also space-saving, as the unique collapsible design means 13 empty bins can be stored in the space of one full bin. The company also says that savings of up to 78% CO2 have been reported by customers when using S-Bins in place of equivalent polystyrene boxes and wooden pallets. See also: Smart packaging is reusable alternative to EPS packaging.
This ticks sustainability boxes to replace unrecyclable EPS with a reusable alternative. The Innovation Zone has tracked many similar initiatives to this.
This innovation has opportunities for Food and Pharmaceutical sector products.
Read more ›
Best Beef has announced that it is the first Brazilian meat company to use the Cryovac Darfresh on Tray system, packaging with a tray that has a high barrier “skin” lid film and meets the refinement of the cuts in the Black Label category, such as Filet Mignon, Prime Rib, Picanha, T-Bone, among others. The protection technology was developed by SEE (until recently known as Sealed Air), owner of the Cryovac brand and pioneer in the vacuum system for protein packaging. The vacuum packaging protection system features high-barrier sealing that prevents oxidation and increases the product’s shelf life, reducing losses, especially in retail. In addition, the technology reinforces the natural maturation of the meat and guarantees its freshness and the maintenance of its flavours for a longer period of time. According to SEE, other benefits of meat packaged in this way are savings in packaging material, storage space and even labour optimisation.
Meat packed in this way is still unusual in some markets. The extended shelf life will make this solution attractive.
This has opportunities for usage for meat, fish and cheese Food sector products.
Read more ›
Australian customers of Moët & Chandon are being offered the chance to purchase champagne in limited edition metal boxes that allows them to add a personalised message to their gift of champagne. The customised “Specially Yours” gift boxes are available for the house’s signature 75cl Moët Impérial and also for its Rosé Impérial and have been launched for Australia’s Mother’s Day. The metal tins were designed and produced by the Moët & Chandon team in France and are then shipped to Australia. Once online orders are received, the personalised messages are printed onto the tin by a third-party fulfilment team locally. The company says that it hopes the tins are created as a lasting keepsake to mark a memorable milestone, the “Specially Yours” metal gift box is designed to be cherished as a personal memento long after the champagne has been enjoyed. See also: Record your own message to say it with champagne.
This is a clever way to use packaging to add an extra dimension to the gifting experience to really personalise the offering.
This type of innovation has opportunities across Food, Beverage, Health & Beauty and Consumer Goods sectors.
May 2023
Read more ›
Ohio-based CCT (Consumer Convenience Technologies) has announced that the largest German supermarket chain EDEKA has become the first European grocer to adopt the CCT EEASY Lid. The EEASY Lid is the world’s first aluminium lug lid (first reported in the Innovation Zone in November 2019) and reduces the amount of torque needed to open a jar by up to 50%, providing customers with a new level of accessibility. The EEASY Lid is also the world’s first aluminium lug jar lid – a more sustainable and durable alternative to traditional steel lids. The EEASY Lid will be available on EDEKA Kempken’s new tomato-basil flavour of its in-house private-label pasta sauce brand, providing its customers with a new level of accessibility. The EEASY Lid was created after a company co-founder was approached by a close friend who underwent surgery for breast cancer. Struggling to open a jar, she asked why someone couldn’t make a jar lid that was easier to open. See also: World’s first aluminium lug lid is easy to open.
This is encouraging to see CCT’s easy open solution for vacuum-sealed jars start gaining market traction.
This has applications mainly in the Food sector products.
Read more ›
Hinojosa, a leader in sustainable packaging, has developed a novel product for mushroom packaging at its Vegabaja Packaging plant, a collaborative effort with Champiñones Emar, one of Spain’s leading mushroom producers. The new packaging is distributed in Spain and Portugal and represents a cost-effective alternative to plastic. Composed of 100% recyclable, biodegradable cardboard, the packaging holds Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, indicating the material sources from sustainably managed forests. The pack allows for maintaining the optimal quality of the product, supporting its required moisture properties. As a viable alternative to plastic packaging, this development benefits both the environment and businesses by marrying sustainability with cost-effectiveness.
The development of biodegradable cardboard packaging for mushrooms offers a promising approach towards mitigating plastic use.
This could be applied to various Food sector products.
