Amcor’s AmPrima recycle ready solutions offer customers a more sustainable choice for their flexible packaging needs without compromising performance. AmPrima PE Plus with heat resistance was developed to meet more critical requirements for demanding applications such as flow-wraps, pouches with spouts, lidding and more. AmPrima PE Plus solutions meet all the performance expectations of non-recyclable laminates, and satisfy customers’ needs for more complex options for strength, stiffness, clarity, higher line speeds, fitments, graphics and print finishes in a recycle-ready format. “The review committee commends Amcor for its efforts in providing a comprehensive submission, including additional data from testing per the APR PE film benchmark test,” wrote APR President Stephan Alexander in a letter to Amcor highlighting the acknowledgment dated July 17. The APR Responsible Innovation program is part of an overall effort to improve the quality of recycled packaging by helping innovators gauge the recycling consequences of products. Available in a wide variety of formats, including pouches, flat-bottom, roll stock and lidding, AmPrima products are designed to be compatible with PE film recycling streams in the U.S. “AmPrima products can deliver as much as a 60 percent reduction in non-renewable energy use over equivalent non-recyclable options,” said Amcor Flexibles North America Sustainability Director Fabio Peyer. “It also offers as much as a 46 percent reduction in carbon footprint and an 18 percent reduction in water consumption .” The acknowledgement from APR comes on the heels of the June release of a pilot test report by the Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF) consortium, which successfully demonstrated the ability to collect, separate and prepare flexible plastic packaging for reuse in a large, single-stream materials recovery facility, effectively keeping it out of landfills and the environment.

Founded by French-born, but now Adelaide-based, Nathalie Taquet, eBottli is now working with 12 clients across her adopted country, including vineyards in the McLaren Vale region and Barossa Valley, South Australia. Taquet said premium artisan wine labels are particularly vulnerable to export fraud. “It’s quite unbelievable the extent that wine counterfeiters will go to. Some will simply replace valuable wine with cheap substitutes in the original bottle, with fake labels. They also add juice, and spices for added flavour. Other dodgy bottles contain no grapes at all, and even have harmful substances – such as lead acetate, which is a sweetener,” she explained. The new system was developed with the backing of the South Australian government. Australian wine exports to China alone are worth around $1.25 billion but the counterfeit market is even bigger, according to Taquet. Research has estimated potential losses to the global industry due to counterfeits will reach $4.3 trillion by 2022. In China alone it is believed around 50% of wine over $35 is fake, and up to 70% of bottles sold are fraudulent. When Taquet arrived from France two years ago she set up a B2C online wine club called Bottli, specialising in premium and luxury French and Australian wines. Her family owns a winery in the Burgundy region of France. “Bottli also offers wine concierge and sommelier services and we are able to track and source extremely rare and valuable bottles of wine globally on request,” she said. “The eBottli technology allows wine drinkers to connect with the vineyard. Our ultimate plan is to have wine bottles arrive to the customer overseas, and then they can use their smartphones to scan the label and read its Australian story of origin, ”according to Taquet. “There are a number of anti-counterfeit technologies available to the Australian wine industry, but eBottli is the most comprehensive: it uses multiple tracking and geolocating technologies, is ready to use, has its own secure app, and is reliable and low-cost compared to others," she claims.

This major investment in equipment, with the ability to fill 1,600 cans per hour, reflects the company’s recognition that the Wine Can offers an exciting opportunity for business growth. After a short delay due to Covid-19 restrictions on technicians’ travel, the line began operating in mid-July. The first two Producto de Aldea canned wine drinks to roll off the line will be an organic white wine-based sangria, Chisposa (5.5% ABV), and an alcohol-free sparkling white wine drink carrying the company’s core brand Aldea. Further labels are in development and will be added over the coming months, as the company builds on the positive commitment it has made to Wine Cans. Ardagh’s innovative Wine Can features unique characteristics developed to conserve wine taste and quality throughout the filling, transportation and storage lifespan. The elegant 250ml Slim format is particularly suitable for casual dining and socialising, whether on-the-go outdoors, or with a restaurant meal. Producto de Aldea’s key markets include younger and single-person households, especially those in premium export areas such as Asia and Sweden, where consumers place high value on guaranteed quality and convenience. The company is also targeting the international hotel, restaurant and café (known as HoReCa) market, recognising that cans are particularly appealing to the on-trade as they are quickly chilled, have excellent shelf life, and reduce the potential for wastage of larger formats. Dirk Schwung, Sales Director at Ardagh Group’s European Metal Beverage business unit, said: “The Wine Can is our response to the demand for convenient, lightweight and sustainable packaging that also provides protection for sensitive beverages like wine, and we’re proud to see Producto de Aldea embrace it so fully.” Manuel Gil, CEO and winemaker at Producto de Aldea, confirms: “We were looking for a new packaging format to satisfy our customers’ diversifying tastes and habits. We also appreciate the great service and support Ardagh provides its customers, so committing to the Slim special can from Ardagh was the ideal solution.” As well as the on-trade, Producto de Aldea is aiming to achieve distribution in higher-end Spanish supermarkets such as El Corte Inglés, and Froiz in Galicia.

ECO Bowl is a fully recyclable corrugated cardboard tray covered with a plastic skin film and lid film that reduces plastic by up to 85 per cent versus a traditional tray. To eliminate excess packaging, ECO Bowl’s plastic skin and lid film can be easily removed for disposal, leaving the corrugated tray for recycling. The ECO Bowl allows for easy and effective implementation for customers – it is designed to run on Multivac thermoforming packaging machines and tray sealers and can guarantee equal shelf-life when compared with conventional modified atmosphere packaging for fresh food, or even improve it. ECO Bowl has already been tested in the market with amidori, a German producer of plant-based meat alternatives which started using the packs at the end of 2019. Marc Chiron, sales, marketing & innovation director packaging at DS Smith, said: “We’re thrilled to see the success amidori is having with ECO Bowl and this is a great example of the benefits that customers can reap when they choose to implement this new generation of packaging innovations into their supply chains. “The innovation behind ECO Bowl demonstrates the strides DS Smith is taking to encourage greater sustainability within the retail landscape, and through our partnership with Multivac, we are committed to driving the circular economy at greater scale.” Multivac’s vice president partner products & consumables, Bernd Lasslop, added: “We are constantly working on innovative solutions to reduce the quantity of packaging materials and on packaging concepts that meet the current requirements in terms of resource efficiency and recyclability. ECO Bowl is yet another example of these efforts.”

By incorporating the new Touchguard over lacquer, the innovative anti–bacterial design delivers a surface finish that inhibits the growth of bacteria. Utilising a silver–based technology, the coating can be applied as a water or solvent–based finish and is ideal for a range of packaging formats including flow wraps, lidding films and pouches. New Product Development Technical Manager at Parkside, Mark Shaw, said: “Our collaboration with Touchguard has enabled us to create a truly innovative and industry-leading packaging solution that will enable our clients to keep their customers safe. The current Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on all our lives and it’s important we are all doing what we can to protect ourselves. This new packaging development is supporting that fight.” At Parkside, the Touchguard technology is applied during the print finishing process as a component of a specially formulated solvent–based over lacquer. As a result, it adds only pence per square metre to the packaging production process, enabling brands to keep print costs down. Notably, Touchguard is also proven to reduce the growth of MRSA by 99.97% and E. coli by 99.96%, making it an ideal solution for food packaging. Mark Shaw added: “This latest packaging development from Parkside and Touchguard in no way replaces the need for careful hand washing. However, it is an innovative solution which can inhibit the spread of cross–contamination on packaging substrates that are not usually subject to any cleaning or infection control procedures.” The coated packaging solution has been thoroughly tested in lab applications and is seen to be stable and exhibit an environment which, following the current UK Government and varying chemical society guidelines, will render the Covid-19 virus inactive. The coating has already been independently assessed and certified for anti-bacterial performance to ISO 22196:2011.

The ‘state of the art’ traceability platform is integrated with the industrial park’s existing big data platform provided by Beijing Aokemei Tech & Service. Upstream information such as batch, picking dates and inspection can be associated with the unique codes, allowing all data to be stored in one central platform for full traceability. The project involves the application of unique, secure, and traceable QR codes to every pack of radishes. In addition, there is a four-digit hidden pin code for authentication.

A new closure for edible oils Maestro is Aptar’s new solution that gives consumers the easy-to-open, portion control and drip free benefits they desire. Maestro creates an elevated experience that allows brands to stand out from the competition, while also staying aligned with e-commerce and sustainability trends. An enjoyable cooking experience Giving consumers an enjoyable cooking experience is the core mission of Maestro. Maestro’s wide finger recess allows consumers to easily open the lid with one hand, and the raised spout was thoughtfully designed to let consumers decide which flow to pour with. The pouring lip also promotes a clean product cut-off, keeping drips, spills, and messes under control. In the kitchen, on the table, or even outdoors, Maestro delivers an easy, controlled pour. Smart and modern lifestyle Maestro’s unique appearance brings a fresh, modern look to edible oil packages. The colored spout paired with a translucent over cap allows brands to select colors to match each product’s identity. This trendy design helps draw the attention of consumers not only on stores shelves, but in the e-commerce sector as well. The premium look and feel of Maestro lends itself to fit seamlessly into the modern lifestyle of today’s consumers. Leading the way to sustainability A notable feature of Maestro is its fully recyclable composition. With its tethered cap, non-detachable parts, and 100% recyclable material, Maestro enables brands to meet their sustainability goals, and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.

The international community set a goal of halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a reliance on imported crops, Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate is at a 25-year low. In contrast, 6.43 million tons of food in Japan are wasted per year due to food products that are unsold, unconsumed or past the expiration date. “Plastic packaging can play a critical role in reducing food loss, ensuring consumer safety and meeting environmental goals of lowering carbon emissions,” said Dr. Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, circular economy market director for Dow and global technology and sustainability director for Dow Olympic and Sports Solutions. “At Dow, we foster collaboration across the value chain – film producers, converters, equipment manufacturers, brand owners and retailers – to promote packaging solutions that support resource efficiency and a more circular economy. In teaming up with AEON on this project, the goal is twofold: integrate new packaging technologies that preserve food freshness and deliver quantifiable environmental impacts, while raising awareness with consumers on the issue of food loss and its importance.” In 2017, AEON committed to contributing to the industry’s SDG by setting a target of halving the company’s own food waste by 2025. AEON started adopting the use of vacuum skin packaging (VSP) for several types of food in its stores owned by group companies. Supported by Dow’s lonomer technology (in Japan, a joint venture, Dow-Mitsui Polychemicals Co., Ltd., manufactures and markets under a license from Dow)4, VSP extends the shelf life of products and offers better protection during shipment, leading to food loss mitigation and carbon reduction throughout the lifecycle. “Powered by our vision for a low carbon society and a country with zero food waste, AEON has set challenging yet attainable sustainability goals for our company and customers that will contribute to the industry’s effort to help build a sustainable future,” said AEON. “This agreement will accelerate the achievement of our goals through this first-of-its-kind food packaging collaboration in Japan.” Aeon’s group company – Daiei, made a trial sale in November 2019 with four of its beef products. Since then, they have expanded their product lineups to include poultry and lamb packaged products, with plans to increase the store count and expand this packaging solution to seafood application. The collaboration with Dow and AEON will drive the adoption of more sustainable solutions that mitigate GHG emissions throughout the products’ lifecycle. The resulting climate benefits will be validated by a third party and contribute to Dow’s Official Carbon Partnership with the IOC.