Sustainability

PakItGreen Inc., a newly launched barrier coatings company headquartered in Michigan, is poised to introduce a diverse range of solutions tailored for paper, paperboard, and molded fibers.

The new material is a bio-based Polyethylene (PE) that incorporates at least 30% bio-based material, helping to reduce the industry’s reliance on synthetic virgin material for such products. LeadEdge says the closed-cell foam mounting material combines ‘exceptional corrugated print performance with resource-efficient design’.

Four Peaks Brewing today announced its partnership with CIRT Inc. (Can I Recycle This?), becoming the first beverage company in the country to include CIRT’s digital, location-based recycling tool on all of its packaging. 

Drawing on its extensive experience, RDM Group, the European leading producer of recycled cartonboard, has introduced Syros Duo Brown, made with 100% recycled fibers, natural-looking cartonboard, with the resilience needed for high-speed printing and folding.

No bleeding or cracking. And its quality is consistent and stable, making it ideal as a replacement for plastic packaging, for folders and envelopes, laminated food trays and plates, and for boxes.

Syros Duo Brown is perfectly in line with consumer trends; indeed this sustainable solution provides:

At a time when packaging waste in the EU amounts to almost 190kg per person and the US generated more than 33 million tons of corrugated boxes and 14.5 million tons of plastic containers, the Duxbury Go Green campaign is a powerful reminder of the importance of reducing waste.

To this end, in 2023 the distributor started negotiations with the suppliers of its products to switch to more eco-friendly packaging with zero plastic waste.

Understanding the Interaction with Water Vapor

Nanocelluloses, which originate from plant fibers, possess excellent mechanical and barrier properties. However, their interaction with water vapor can cause swelling and lead to a loss of these advantageous properties. This has led to the investigation of water vapor transport in multilayer films with nanocelluloses combined with hydrophobic polymers like PLA to improve compatibility and barrier properties.

Seaweed packaging startup Sway is making a splash in the fight against plastic pollution. This California-based company has launched the world's first scalable alternative to single-use plastics, using an unlikely hero: seaweed.

Sway is tackling a tremendous problem. Retail bags and polybags used for shipping make up a whopping 30% of single-use plastics. These pesky plastics sit in landfills for years, emitting methane as they decompose, which causes temperatures to rise and hurts those with compromised respiratory systems.