Avery Dennison began the digital traffic sign revolution in 2014 with our introduction of the TrafficJet Print System. Quickly becoming one of the best-selling printers for specification compliant traffic signs with warranties exceeding industry standards, TrafficJet is in regular use in nearly 500 locations across 50 countries. This printer has been instrumental in the elimination of more than 1.5 million gallons of wastewater worldwide. “Our newest printer, TrafficJet Pro, truly challenges the need for toxic screen printing” says Aaron Means, senior product manager. “This affordable printer featuring UV LED instant cure and True Traffic Color spot inks, delivers print speeds comparable to high-volume screen printing, while eliminating the complexity and multiple waste streams associated with screen printing. In addition, the print production process can be housed in an area less than one-third required by screen printing, conserving valuable space and associated costs. For government agencies, longer-life TrafficJet Pro signs reduce their replacement cycles and maintenance costs, lessening the impact on the environment.

A plant’s compressed air system serves functions, driving machine movements and other uses throughout the glass packaging manufacturing process.

It’s among a plant’s more energy-intensive systems, but the new computer software helps the system work more efficiently and decreases electricity demand. Decreasing demand also saves on a plant’s energy costs.

Previously, a plant’s six to 10 compressors would operate independently.

But the new software creates efficiencies by linking a plant’s air compressors as a network.

This gives full visibility to the teams on one screen, allowing each plant to get an automatic selection of the best available combination to optimise energy efficiency while meeting the plant’s compressed air needs.

“The system allows us to secure air production and ensure better service continuity while optimising energy,” said Jean-Paul Arquillière, ETN Manager, O-I Veauche.

“In addition, we have increased the visibility of the network with all the necessary information on a single screen. A fantastic time-saver!”

The return on investment has been immediate, with a reduction in energy consumption and the realization of annual savings of €245,000 (about $290K) for the four facilities, representing approximately 3,800 MWh, or 2.3% of the total electricity consumption these four sites.

The project itself was made possible by a €416,000 grant ($487K) from France’s CEE energy-saving programme piloted by the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

CEE pushes energy suppliers to promote energy-saving to their clients through financial grants.

The systems are installed in Veauche, Reims, Labégude, and Wingles. The centralized system is also being deployed in Vayres.

The Gironcourt, Beziers and Puy-Guillaume facilities use similar systems.

Tape can be recycled as long as it is made out of paper, which unfortunately excludes many of the most popular types of adhesive tape. However, that doesn't mean you can't put tape in the recycling bin at all — depending on the type of tape and your local recycling center's requirements, it is sometimes OK to recycle materials like cardboard and paper with tape still attached. Learn more about recyclable tape, other environmentally friendly alternatives, and ways to avoid tape waste.

Recyclable Adhesive Tape

There are a few recyclable or biodegradable tape options that are made from a combination of paper and natural adhesive rather than plastic.

Gummed paper tape, also known as water-activated tape (WAT), is usually made of a paper material and a water-based chemical adhesive. You may be familiar with this type of tape and not even know it — it is often used by large online retailers.

As its name suggests, WAT needs to be activated using water, much like an old postage stamp. It comes in large rolls that must be placed in a custom dispenser in charge of moistening the adhesive surface to make it bond (though a few retailers also offer a home version that you can moisten with a sponge). After use, gummed paper tape will remove cleanly or tear and will not leave sticky residue on the box.

There are two types of WAT: non-reinforced and reinforced. The former is used for shipping and packaging lighter objects. The stronger variety, reinforced WAT, has embedded fiberglass strands that make it harder to tear and can stand heavier loads. The paper on reinforced WAT is still recyclable, but the fiberglass component is filtered out during the recycling process.

Self-adhesive kraft paper tape, another recyclable option, is also made of paper but uses a natural rubber-based bonding agent. Like WAT, it is available in standard and reinforced versions, but does not require a custom dispenser.

If using any of these paper-based products, they can just be added to your normal curbside recycling bin. Keep in mind that small pieces of tape, just like small pieces of paper and shredded paper, may not be recyclable because they may ball up and damage the equipment. Instead of removing tape from boxes and attempting to recycle it on its own, leave it attached for easier recycling.

Biodegradable Tape

New technology is also opening the door to biodegradable and more eco-friendly options. Cellulose tape is already available in some markets, and a 2013 study developed an innovative self-adhesive tape made with plant starch as a carrier.1 According to researchers, applications for the new product include commercial adhesives as well as medical tape and biomedical electrodes, and the material fully biodegraded after 42 days in soil tests.

What to Do With Tape on Packaging

Most of the tape that gets discarded is already stuck to something else, like a cardboard box or a piece of paper. The recycling process filters out tape, labels, staples, and similar materials, so a reasonable amount of tape typically runs through the process completely fine. However, in these cases, there's a catch. The plastic tape is filtered out and dumped in the process, so while it can go in the recycling bin in most cities, it does not get recycled into new material.

Often, too much tape on the box or piece of paper can cause sticky clogs in the recycling machinery. Depending on the recycling center’s equipment, even too much paper-backed tape like masking tape can cause the entire package to be thrown out rather than risk clogging the machinery. San Francisco, for example, requests that any and all tape be removed from cardboard boxes, while the city of Napa, located just over an hour north, requests that you remove as much tape as possible.

Plastic Tape

Traditional plastic adhesive tapes are not recyclable. These plastic tapes can contain PVC or polypropylene, which on their own could be recycled with other plastic films, but are too thin and small to be separated and processed as tape. Plastic tape dispensers are also hard to recycle — and therefore not accepted by most recycling centers — since facilities aren’t equipped to sort them.

"Greener" Tape

As new sustainable technologies develop, alternatives to plastic adhesive tape are becoming more common. For example, though not recyclable, Scotch Tape makes a “green” alternative to its original invisible Scotch Magic Tape, made from 65% recycled or plant-based material with refillable holders.

Painter's Tape and Masking Tape

Painter's tape and masking tape are very similar and are often made with a crepe paper or polymer film backing. The main difference is the adhesive, typically a synthetic latex-based material. Painter's tape has a lower tack and is designed to remove cleanly, while the rubber adhesive used in masking tape may leave a sticky residue. These tapes are generally not recyclable unless specifically stated in their packaging.

Duct Tape

It's no secret that duct tape is a reuser’s best friend. There are so many items in your home and your backyard that can be repaired with a quick application of duct tape, rather than buying a whole new product. Duct tape is made of three main raw materials: the adhesive, the fabric reinforcement (scrim), and polyethylene (backing). Although polyethylene on its own could be recycled with similar #2 plastic films, it is impossible to isolate once combined with the other components. Therefore, duct tape isn't recyclable either.

Ways to Reduce Tape Usage

Most of us find ourselves reaching for the tape when packing boxes, sending mail, or wrapping gifts. Try these tips to reduce your tape usage, so you won’t have to worry about recycling it at all.

Moving

Get creative and swap out cardboard boxes with suitcases, baskets, or tote bags. Better yet, see if reusable moving boxes are available for rent in your area. If you must use cardboard boxes for moving, opt for tapeless boxes with locking lids.

Shipping

Tape is almost always overused when packing and shipping. Before you go to seal that package, ask yourself if you really need to wrap it up so tightly. There are plenty of eco-friendly options available to replace traditional packing material as well, from self-seal paper mailers to compostable mail bags.

Gift Wrap

For holidays, opt for one of the many tape-free wrapping options, such as furoshiki (the Japanese cloth folding technique which allows you to wrap objects with fabric), reusable bags, or one of the many eco-friendly alternatives to wrapping paper that don't require adhesives.

The food jars and soft drinks bottles specilalist’s spirits bottles feature a cork finish, and each hold 700ml.

The custom-designed traditional look with a modern twist makes them suited for whisky, gin, vodka and rum.

AEGG said the range can be further tailored for more bespoke designs, including embossing, debossing, frosting, screen printing and colour spraying.

Jamie Gorman, Aegg managing director, said: “We have partnered with a carefully vetted strategic glass partner to bring this core range of exclusive spirits bottles to the UK, which are available from early 2022.

“We have invested over £6m in our glass-related infrastructure since 2018, to meet significant increased demand in our glass business. We created our own logistics hub in Suffolk, providing in-house warehousing and transport facilities for our glass products.”

He added the company is continuing to invest in staff, with added expertise in the spirits drinks business as well as within the quality & technical team.

Two chemical companies purposefully kept the dangers of a toxic chemical found in food packaging hidden from the FDA, in effect, exposing millions of Americans to the substance. And now, the organization is working to phase it out.

Several studies have linked 6:2 FTOH, a chemical used in food packaging to combat grease, with potentially serious health issues like kidney disease, liver damage, cancer, neurological damage, developmental problems, and autoimmune disorders, according to The Guardian. But chemical companies DuPont and Daikin ignored and hid them, the report claims, and continued to use 6:2 FTOH in pizza boxes, carryout containers, fast-food wrappers, and paperboard packaging.

Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now

In 2008, DuPont and the FDA determined that humans' exposure to 6:2 FTOH would not result in its accumulation in the body. The FDA then approved it for use in 2009.

Both DuPont and Daikin didn't disclose or publish studies completed in 2009 and 2012 about the chemical's toxicology, instead, telling the FDA that they were safer than PFAS, or "forever chemicals" that are not broken down in the body and accumulate over time, per the Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2015, the FDA found out about the studies after Maricel Maffini, an independent researcher, and Tom Neltner, the chemical policy director with the Environmental Defense Fund, discovered them while analyzing others published on the FDA's website.

The FDA has since inked agreements with some manufacturers to phase out using 6:2 FTOH by 2025, but both Maffini and Neltner say that isn't doing enough to keep the public safe.

"I think people need to be able to rely on the FDA to turn science at the agency into real action, and right now that doesn't seem to be the case," Neltner told The Guardian.

This isn't the first case involving harmful additions to the foods you eat to come to light this year:

This Major Mac&Cheese Brand Is Being Sued for Toxins Linked to Asthma and Obesity

90% of This Fruit Contains Harmful Toxins, New Report Finds

Wendy's Is Banning These Harmful Chemicals From Its Produc

This great innovation of making Eco-friendly paper and cloth from banana tree waste(banana fiber) is done by an entrepreneur from Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh which is near to Bundelkhand region of India. This revolutionary idea of reducing the hundred of a ton of banana tree waste to reuse it to make paper, sanitary napkin, tissue, and the cloth will help us save forests and the environment.

Mehul Shroff, who belongs to Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh got this idea in his hometown which is known for its banana fields. Banana cultivation is the main agricultural produce of the district. Banana cultivation is done on 20,000 hectares of fields. He saw hundreds of tons of banana tree waste being produced every year, it gave him the idea to reuse this waste into something useful while reducing the waste.

This will provide some extra income to the farmers of Bundelkhand and nearby areas who can sell their Banana Crop waste to these industries. It will reduce the hurdle for farmers to deal with huge waste dumps. This technique will reduce waste, reuse waste and help environment.

How Mehul Shroff used banana tree waste to make eco-friendly paper and cloths

During childhood when Mehul used to pass through Banana farms, he noticed that people think of banana stems. The banana tree’s life span is 10-11 months and it gives 2 harvests(Fruit) in its life span. People used banana leaves and fruit but the banana stem was treated as waste and it was available in huge quantity. People used banana stem juice but the consumption was not enough to reduce the waste.

Mehul studied how banana tree stem can be used

After conceiving this idea of making eco-friendly paper and cloths from banana tree waste, he decided to study the tree itself and researched the banana stem. He spends weeks researching the microbiology of banana trees. He found that Banana stems are high in cellulose and it has a high amount of natural fibers.

He realized that banana stem can be used to manufacture a variety of products and can attract many industries that make cloths and paper products. Mehul decided to use banana stem in productive ways to build products that will be made of Agro waste so it will never consider waste and those products will be recyclable and bio-degradable. He started his own factory named Shroff industries to make his idea a reality.

This great vision and effort of Mehul Shroff were highly appreciated by Collector(IAS) of Burhanpur. he acknowledge this technique can be great for local farmers tah

How fibers are extracted from banana stem

First, they cut Banana stems and load them in tractors and bring them to the factory. They used cutters to cut it into half vertically. Sheets are separate from the cut banana stem by a workforce of women. These sheets are processed via several machines to extract fibers out of them. They get long and short fibers which are then sun-dried to make them suitable for different industries.

Usage of banana fiber made from Banana stem

Sanitary pads are made fro banana fiber

Banana fibers contain a huge amount of cellulose because which easily absorbs liquid and water. It can be used to make eco-friendly sanitary pads that only take 200 days to decompose.

Banana fiber is used to make clothes, tissue, and paper. In addition to this, tissues also can be made out of these, which will save millions of trees.

Toilet paper wipes out 27,000 trees a day. Worldwide, the equivalent of almost 270,000 trees

Basket and broomsticks can be made from the waste of hard fibers that is not suitable for making paper and clothing.

How Eco-friendly paper and cloth from banana tree waste will help the environment

Cotton cultivation is done for the sole purpose of making clothes and it cannot be used for anything else. On the other hand, banana trees can be used for fruits, leaves, stem juice in addition to banana fiber-based products. This will not need separate cultivation or additional resources like water and fertilizers. Banana fiber usage will help reduce water footprint and help conserve the forest. It will help the environment and keep our earth planet sustain life for a longer period.

Final words

This had shown us that our people from India are capable of great innovation that can make this world a better place. we want more and more people to join the banana fiber-based product industry so a large number of products can be produced and made available on the market. It will lead to the fast growth of this new industry.

If more industries start using this technique and put more effort into research that will enhance the final product quality and it can be exported to other countries to help the Indian economy. This will bring a lot of employement for the M.p and bundelkhand region as industries will be setup to use the locally available banana tree waste.