FOR STARTERS …
FLEXIBLE FOIL ADDED TO CEFLEX PROGRAMME
Flexible food packaging containing aluminium foil is to be included in the CEFLEX testing programme as the organisation develops its “Designing for a Circular Economy” guidelines.
CEFLEX is collaborating with Flexible Packaging Europe and the European Aluminium Foil Association to explore the sortability and recyclability of the packaging configuration.
The design guidelines are being developed by various stakeholders and are due for release in 2023.
MAJOR MONO MARKETS SHIFT
Moving to mono is a shift in most major markets due to mono material’s significant contribution to packaging recyclability.
PKN Packaging News invited us to collaborate on an article on the topic, which was published in their latest edition (see Page 34).
ALDI LONG LIST OF COLLECTION POINTS
Aldi has expanded its soft plastic collection points to nearly all its stores in the UK. The stores will accept all types of clean, soft plastic packaging, including crisp packets, salad bags, bread bags and carrier bags, regardless of where they were purchased.
Also, the grocery chain has opened a new eco-friendly store to reduce carbon emissions by up to two-thirds and make recycling easier for customers.
BOSSES’ PAY LINKED TO WASTE
Tesco is aligning its executive pay performance targets to key sustainability measures, including reducing food waste.
The move is part of the supermarket’s accelerated plans to halve food waste in its operations by 2025.
25% of the Performance Share Plan received by executive directors will depend on Tesco’s progress on its key sustainability measures.
OPINION ON PET
The problems with circularity in household flexible packaging and PET's role have been discussed with BOPET Films Europe’s chairman, Steven Davies.
For example, Steven highlights that PET is currently the backbone of about 25% of all household flexible packaging structures, and replacing this with a polyolefin alternative will significantly increase plastic use to get the same level of pack performance.
OPINION ON CARBON
Adequate and optimised flexible packaging can significantly reduce carbon footprints, according to Dr Thomas Gröner. He told Packaging Europe that this is mainly due to longer shelf lives reducing food waste.
As presented within the Sustainability section of our website, flexible packaging plays an essential role in protecting food throughout the supply chain and extending shelf-life, thus reducing damage, loss, and waste.
PP (1) – VALUE BOOST
Advances in technology and recycling are helping to boost the value and popularity of polypropylene (PP).
A recent report from Research and Markets predicts the global PP market will grow to more than £90 billion this year.
This has been boosted by the building of a new PP resin plant in Canada, the resin being returned to an influential “widely recycled” list, and innovative new approaches to advancing closed-loop polypropylene recycling.
PP (2) – OFFICIAL APPROVAL
The first closed-loop system to mechanically process domestically recovered household waste polypropylene (PP) back into food-grade packaging has been granted a Letter of No Objection (LNO) from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
The LNO confirms that the post-consumer recycled (PCR) PP produced by Berry Global’s unique CleanStream® process can be used in levels up to 100% recycled content for food contact applications.
PP trays are used by many ready-meal manufacturers. KM Packaging offers mono material lidding film solutions for PP trays in our K-Peel and K-Seal range of lidding films. And we have PP lidding films suitable for REDCYCLE, the soft plastics collection scheme in Australia.
IN PACKAGING
Glass and a half of PCR
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk family blocks will now be wrapped in 30% recycled soft plastic packaging. In what’s said to be a world’s first, the chocolate maker is supporting emerging advanced recycling technology to source soft plastic packaging containing recycled content.
New banger branding
The packaging of Richmond sausages has been revamped to build on the brand’s heritage in a contemporary and emotive way.
Along with the brand’s other products, the packaging of the sausages has an “evolved visual design that retains Richmond’s recognisable green rolling hills and rich colours, but now with more warmth and depth”.
Ready meal millions
Mindful Chef is building on its success since launching a quartet of chilled ready meals in Waitrose.
The one-person meals, which are free from dairy and gluten, have contributed to the meal kit retailer’s growth of 39.3% to £67m in its first full year under the majority ownership of Nestlé.
IN OTHER NEWS
Food chain: International private equity firm PAG has bought two of Australia’s leading value-added food companies, Patties Foods and Vesco Foods.
Boardroom COO: Bakkavor CEO Agust Gudmundsson is retiring to be replaced by current COO Mike Edwards. Gudmundsson, who co-founded the business 36 years ago, will remain a significant shareholder and become a non-executive director on the group board.
Beating the bugs: Scientists have developed a virus-killing plastic that could make it harder for bugs, including COVID, to spread in hospitals and care homes. The Queen's University Belfast team says the plastic film is cheap and could be fashioned into protective gear such as aprons.
IN POUCHES
- Stand-up growth: The global stand-up pouches market size is expected to reach £35.6 billion by 2028.
Feeling the squeeze: Ithaca Hummus has released a first-of-its-kind, child-friendly hummus in a portable, squeezable pouch. Ithaca Squeeze is available in three varieties, Plain, Beet, and Red Pepper.
- We are one: We* the many has launched a mono material recyclable pouch for its carbon-neutral gourmet health food.
IN RECYCLING
- Failed pledges: Two-thirds of plastic-packaging recycling pledges in Europe have failed, according to a review of industry associations reports.
Huge plant: Europe’s largest advanced recycling plant is to be built in Germany. Mura Technology’s plant is expected to be operational by 2025 and will deliver approximately 120 kilotons per annum of advanced recycling capacity.
- Trading trouble: Recycling Technologies – one of the UK’s most prominent chemical recyclers – has entered administration.
- Value slumps: Plastic recyclers and the recovered paper sector are seeing a downturn in the value of material for recycling. Plastics Recyclers Europe has warned that the energy crisis is impacting recycling facilities and endangering the transition towards circularity.
IN WASTE
- Governments’ plastic coalition: Rwanda and Norway have launched the “High Ambition Coalition” to develop an international, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution by 2040.
Businesses’ plastic coalition: Aldi has become the first UK supermarket to join “The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty”, calling for a new UN agreement to end plastic pollution.
- Action pact: The Kenya Plastics Pact has published a roadmap outlining targets and steps necessary to reach the primary goal of eliminating plastic waste by 2030.
IN ALTERNATIVES
Funding challenge – Round 1 success
A coalition of industry, infrastructure, and academic associations has been launched to study the feasibility of collecting, sorting, and treating compostable packaging through existing bio-waste collection and treatment programmes.
The Compostable Coalition UK has received funding of £1.2 million from the first round of the UKRI’s SSPP Challenge.
Funding challenge – Round 2 launch
UK Research & Innovation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge has launched a new £2.5m Future Plastic Packaging Solutions Round 2 competition for research and innovation projects.
Funding challenge – project support
British bioplastics and radio frequency business Biome has secured funding of £244,000 from government agency Innovate UK. The project aims to improve the shelf-life performance of Biome’s bioplastic food packaging.
IN KM PACKAGING
Cling film innovation grabs attention
Cling film once revolutionised the way food was wrapped and kept fresh. Now we’ve launched a new alternative – home-compostable C-Cling.
It is clear, stretchy, and sticky and performs the same as conventional cling film. And it’s captured global attention, for example, in Australia, the US, Canada, and Singapore.
Setting the AA-grade standards
We are delighted to have been awarded an AA grade in the BRCGS Audit for the fifth year. BRCGS is among the most respected standards in the food industry, and AA is the highest grade that can be awarded for an announced audit.
Matt’s on the team
A big KM welcome to Matt Read, who has joined our team as International Business Development Manager.
PLUS …
- There’s a new industry mag in town – Eco Plastics in Packaging – and its first edition includes news about how fresh pasta maker Nonna Tonda switched to our compostable bags.
- What’s New in Food Technology & Manufacturing has published a case study (Page 40) on Earth & Wheat’s usage of our compostable bags for their “wonky” bread.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
From the KM team … stay safe, keep up the good work, and value plastic.