Plastic Packaging

The agriculture and food packaging sectors consume roughly 45% of worldwide plastic production. Maria J. Lopez, Professor of Microbiology and Project Coordinator of the RECOVER project, explains how it aims to deliver new biorecycling routes for food packaging and agricultural plastic waste

Wooden pallets are often used for transporting goods. But some alternatives could have critical advantages. For example, the manufacturer of plastic pallets Cabka produces pallets made of recycled plastics which are especially suited for the chemical industry.

Melodea, Ltd., a producer of sustainable barrier coatings for packaging, launched VBseal, a new sustainable packaging solution that the company said can be used as an alternative to plastic.
 
The green coating solution is resistant to water vapor, oil, aroma, and has heat-sealing properties. The company brought its first products to market, MelOx and VBcoat, last year. VBseal is resistant to water vapor, oil, aroma, and has heat-sealing properties.
 

Propel Fitness Water is rolling out a major brand refresh that includes a new packaging design and logo. The new packaging first appeared on store shelves in early 2023 and will be fully rolled out by summer. PepsiCo, Propel’s brand owner, executed the project inhouse.

Propel products are made with Gatorade electrolytes — ideal for exercisers looking to replace electrolytes lost to sweat — and the refresh emphasizes Propel’s Gatorade connection. The new Propel logo, for example, features the orange Gatorade bolt at the center.

Earlier this week, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that it had to hand “confidential documents prepared for industry stakeholders”, which cited 2021 plastics recycling figures for Australia at 16 per cent (lower than the 18 per cent cited in 2020). The National Packaging Target for plastic recycling is 70 per cent by 2025.

Feneberg Lebensmittel GmbH, a successful retail chain from Southern Germany, demonstrates in an impressing manner the opportunities that arise from questioning existing concepts and breaking new ground. This family business, based in the Allgäu region of Germany, now uses an innovative packaging solution by Schur Flexibles for its self-service minced meat products by the Feneberg in-house butcher’s: the recyclable and sustainable flow-wrap film MonoFlowre . The results have been impressive: By switching from tray to flow wrap, the two companies have managed to save 70% of plastic.

US-based adhesive provider HB Fuller has joined the multi-industry RecyClass initiative as part of efforts to improve its sustainability.

The company said its decision to join RecyClass highlights its commitment to sustainability.

It expects the move to support the industry’s transition towards a circular economy.

Based in Minnesota, HB Fuller develops packaging solutions for use in PET bottles, rigid plastic containers for home care and flexible packaging.