To meet the existing requirements and expectations of the logistics industry, companies need to be flexible, fast and organized. For example, in order to avoid long delivery times and incorrect shipments, AI solutions help coordinate all logistics processes and ensure structured item and customer master data maintenance. Companies that want to prioritize customer satisfaction in the long term and remain competitive at the same time will not be able to avoid digitizing the supply chain. The future of logistics is therefore all about artificial intelligence. The interplay between artificial intelligence and logistics can be experienced at HANNOVER MESSE.

The resin is based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) into which post-consumer recycled (PCR) material from shrink film is incorporated without sacrificing material quality and functionality in the final application. Initially introduced in late 2019, AGILITYTM CE is the first PCR product offering from Dow. The company now has PCR product offerings in its every operating region.

Inclusion of recycled content (PCR) is a vital step towards reducing the carbon footprint of packaging. The PCR content in the final shrink film developed by Plastigaur is 50%, which results in a significant reduction in carbon emissions of 25%.

Moreover, Dow has also worked with Plastigaur to reduce the thickness of this PCR-containing shrink film from 45 to 40 microns. By reducing the thickness while maintaining the packaging functionality, the film enables an additional amount of CO2 savings of 11% and reduces overall environmental impact by 32%. Incorporating this solution into packaging will help retailers and brand owners meet their sustainability goals without compromising on quality.

The commercial use of AGILITY™ CE, a resin containing 70% post-consumer recycled material, is an important moment, as Dow continues to work towards its goal of becoming the leading producer of circular plastics with the lowest CO2 footprint in the industry. This development is an example of Dow’s strategy to minimize resources and plastic waste as well as reduce carbon emissions and aligns with the Company’s new commitments to address plastic waste and climate change.

Agnieszka Godlewska, Marketing Manager Industrial & Consumer Packaging at Dow commented: "By working in close partnership with Plastigaur, we’ve been able to accelerate our innovative PCR product offering, demonstrating a commercially viable solution that uses high-quality packaging made from recycled content. This is not a concept or a project anymore, this is reality. We’re excited to continue working with more partners across the value chain and pushing forward industry standards in post-consumer recycling offerings with the ultimate aim of reducing plastic waste and CO2 emissions."

"We are very excited with the development of these new collation shrink films. They bring us, and the Brand Owners, closer to reaching our sustainability goals" says Luis Artola, Managing Director at Plastigaur. "The integration of recycled materials can be a challenge, but the newest technologies and our experience in the industry, enabled us to push the boundaries and we could not be more proud of the results."

Hoffmann Neopac, a global packaging provider, launched a direct purchase microsite for DigitAll360°, its digital tube decoration service. The new marketplace walks tube customers through a process that includes downloadable design guides and templates, an initial portfolio of stock tubes from 30-50 ml in volume, simple artwork uploads, 3D renderings and a comprehensive pre-purchase artwork check.

Neopac says DigitAll360° was developed to address growing industry demand for high-quality variable printing, precision color matching, flexible batch sizes and expedited delivery. The service prints photorealistic graphics and text on the entire surface of cylindrical containers. Available for a variety of substrates and color palettes, DigitAll360° benefits include:

• All-around decoration: 360° decoration with no slit or overlap, seam and shoulder printing and highly opaque whites and glosses with vivid displays. On-cap decoration capabilities will be added to the marketplace in the future. 
• Digital color matching: Up to seven simultaneous colors with white and glossy lacquer at up to 600 DPI resolution. This ultra-wide color gamut and micron-level color registration yields photorealistic images and color matching ideal for half-tones, gradients and other hues.
• Digital-level variability: Mosaic printing, promotions and prototypes to packages printed in different languages. Digital printing can makes variating decorations or text economical.
• Quick delivery: Neopac can deliver DigitAll360° products on short lead times.
• Increased Sustainability: From initial decoration to product manufacturing to consumer recycling, DigitAll360° delivers sustainability enhancements and reduces environmental footprint throughout product lifecycles. Offering a mono-material PE tube portfolio, digital printing can also help lower resource waste and consumption as well as energy and chemicals usage.

“For customers, the new site simplifies the most advanced digital tube printing techniques for an intuitive, step-by-step process to designing and decorating precisely the right tube for products in a variety of sectors, especially ones such as health and beauty where shelf impact is paramount,” says Cornelia Schmid, head of marketing for Hoffmann Neopac. “Importantly, the site’s 3D renderings and comprehensive artwork checks show customers exactly what their finished tubes will look like, eliminating guesswork and providing valuable reassurance.”