Sustainability

Environmental groups have strengthened calls for thorough regulatory review of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food contact materials (FCMs) after discovering that the US FDA cleared several PFASs for plastic food packaging manufacture in the past decade.

The NGOs’ findings – reached through a Freedom of Information Act (Foia) request – follow the detection of PFAS contamination in fluorinated polyethylene containers, which prompted EPA and FDA investigations and the latter’s warning against unauthorised fluorination. 

“We are in a unique position to make sustainable packaging accessible and economically feasible due to economies of scale,” Delivery Hero Director of Sustainability, CSR and Safety Jeffrey Oatham told PYMNTS in an interview. “The Sustainable Packaging Program is an effective and scalable way to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions produced by the delivery industry.”

TriMas Packaging expands caps portfolio with acquisition of Affaba & Ferrari

TriMas Packaging, which consists primarily of the Rieke®, Taplast™ and Rapak® brands, sees the EU directive coming in three years on fastened lids and closures as an industry-wide challenge. The group has proactively made significant investments in this field. At the end of 2020, TriMas announced the acquisition of Affaba & Ferrari, a manufacturer of precision closures for the food & beverage industry, as well as for industrial product applications.

DOM-TITAN is the leading Slovenian company in the field of mechanical security protection of doors and locks for furniture. They were looking for a suitable partner for the development of ecological packaging. The idea of ​​replacing styrofoam material was born on the initiative of Tomaž Kališnik, an employee of DOM-TITAN in the development and technology department. For implementation, they turned to the sustainable packaging strategists of DS Smith.

With an aim to provide sustainable product-packaging solutions, a Hyderabad-based startup is all set to launch a range of eco-friendly compostable bags. SpruceGel is going to provide greener alternatives to carry bags, shopping bags, grocery bags, apparel bags as well as disposable pouches. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Dr Premnath Basa who is a materials scientist and has co-founded the company said that their organisation comprises of a team of entrepreneurs sharing the common goal of manufacturing 'green and sustainable products' for packaging purposes.

In a context of full-scale sorting and recycling infrastructure, Gualapack’s first-ever monomaterial polypropylene spouted pouch was proven recyclable. The results of extensive testing, carried out on several sites during the course of 2020, demonstrate that sustainability through innovation is possible.

These corrugated boxes refer to used containers or packaging made from unbleached, unwaxed paper with ruffled (‘corrugated’) inner lining-said corrugated materials (also known as containerboard) make up the likes of pizza or shipping boxes.

So far, a shortfall in the production of semi-conductor chips, an industry that helps generate a lot of OCC, has led to a shortage in available corrugated containers. Paper mills across the Midwestern US have offered to pay premiums on top of prices far higher than the national average to garner access to said corrugated boxes.