Sustainability

Pernod Ricard has acquired a minority stake in circular packaging company EcoSpirits.

The French wine and spirits group’s investment in the Singapore business came as part of a $10m funding round led by New York-based investment group Closed Loop Partners.

Neither Pernod Ricard nor EcoSpirits disclosed the terms of the Beefeater brand owner’s investment.

Pernod Ricard is trialling a closed-loop packaging concept in south-east Asia using technology developed by EcoSpirits.

Coles has promised to phase out soft-plastic shopping bags in-store and online by the end of next month.

The supermarket chain says its remaining supply of soft-plastic bags will be run down in the coming weeks and it will cease selling them by the end of June.

The move to reduce unnecessary packaging at the checkout is expected to take 230m plastic bags from circulation nationwide within a year.

The Coles Group chief operations and sustainability officer, Matt Swindells, said the decision was proof of the retail giant’s commitment to affect positive change.

• Newly-developed high barrier flexible pouch for dry food is designed for recycling
• Monomaterial pouch containing over 95% polypropylene (PP) helps producers and brand owners fulfil stringent Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) guidelines
• Value chain collaboration in the spirit of EverMinds™ continues to advance plastics circularity

Accelerating plastics circularity through value chain co-operation

In a country drowning itself in plastic, the creators of an app called MyMizu are attempting to change seemingly entrenched views and cultural norms regarding sustainability.

It’s a challenge the creators acknowledge, but they believe they are making inroads. Two weeks after the release of the app, which provides a map of places in Japan where water can be obtained for free, it already had more than 8,000 stations logged and over 5,000 downloads.

Paper is a highly sought-after raw material worldwide, but its production requires a lot of water and energy. Grass-paper offers an innovative alternative. The material has up to 30 percent lower CO2 emissions in its production compared to normal paper and cardboard. The grass grows without the use of fertilizers on ecological compensation areas, often in the immediate vicinity of the respective paper mill. Grass-paper board consists of 40 percent pulp, which is obtained from grass. The remaining 60 percent pulp comes from FSC-certified forests.

H.B. Fuller Company, a leading global adhesives provider, announced that it has recently joined RecyClass, a comprehensive cross-industry initiative open to companies actively looking to improve the circularity of plastic packaging and to contribute toward harmonization of recyclability and recycled content practices across Europe.