FOR STARTERS …
IN-STORE RECYCLING COMES TO THE SCRUNCH
Shoppers can now recycle soft plastics at 1500 Co-op stores across the UK. The three steps of guidance are:
- Clean it – First, rinse your packaging out.
- Scrunch it – Now, scrunch it up tight - if it pings back, it's a useful indicator it's soft plastic.
- Co-op it – Pop it into our soft plastics recycling bin at a Co-op near you.
The retailer is aiming to offer the recycling service at another 800 of its stores by the end of this year and, as well as providing a list of what can and cannot be recycled, their advice is: "Soft plastics are lightweight plastics that often cannot be placed in recycling bins at home.
"Think plastic film lids on yoghurt pots, soft fruit punnets, and ready meals, as well as plastic crisp packets, pasta bags, and chocolate or biscuit wrappers."
GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW LABELLING SYSTEM
A new front-of-pack labelling system that reveals environmental scores on food products is set to launch later this year, supported by manufacturers and retailers from across the industry. The colour-graded traffic-light style labelling will indicate the environment impact of products.
RED LIGHT FOR PROBLEMATIC PACKAGING
Supermarket giant Woolworths in Australia has published a list of problematic and preferred packaging materials, based on a traffic-light system of red, amber, and green.
The Red list includes polyvinyl chloride PVC and oxo-degradable plastics. The Amber and Green lists include laminate films that are accepted via recycling soft plastic streams (such as the REDcycle program) and flexible plastics made of polyolefin mono-material.
As our business unit director John Shipley recently shared with Packaging News, we are a REDcycle partner, with products in our K Peel lidding film range already having been approved.
IN PACKAGING …
OUR SHAPED POUCHES HAVE SHELF APPEAL
We have added pre-made stand-up shaped pouches to our product range. The key features of the pouches, that are suitable for confectionery, dried snacks, and pet treats include:
- Pre-made, shaped and printed with a heat-sealable opening.
- Clear windows so the product can be seen by consumers or solid white finish.
- Gusseted at the bottom, allowing the pouch to stand upright on retail display.
- Can be supplied in mono polymer structures (PE/PE and PP/PP) for better recyclability and using compostable materials.
GOOD AND PROPER PACKS
PROPER has launched new snack bars with 30% recycled plastic packs. The range introduces their latest tagline, "Lookin' Like a Snack", and the design features the slogan "Bite Me".
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS WITH SUSTAINABILITY
Farming and food business Pilgrim's UK has announced it is to use the lowest possible carbon packaging formats for its products by 2030.
The firm's sustainability strategy also includes reducing emissions across all sites, using 100% renewable electricity, and neutralising all remaining residual greenhouse gas emissions.
No doubt, they will consider the sustainable benefits of flexible packaging as illustrated by Flexible Packaging Europe.
IN TRAYS …
TASTE OF ASIA
Tray sealing specialist Proseal has been in the spotlight with:
- Helping Asian-inspired healthy food brand itsu diversify into the retail market, with its new "Heat & Eat" range now on shelves in major UK supermarkets.
- Highlighting how switching to a top seal reduces overall plastic use, and better protects the product both on the shelf and through the supply chain.
- Revealing that their revolutionary tray positioning system, ProPosition™, calculates the required tray-spacing set-up parameters for individual tray sealing tool-sets, eliminating the trial and error usually associated with this process.
WINNER WITH TAILS
Packaging machinery specialist Packaging Automation has been in the spotlight with:
FLEXING MACHINE MUSCLE
ISHIDA Europe has added to its range of QX Flex tray sealers with the launch of the QX-900 Flex. The machine operates at up to 15 cycles per minute with a maximum of seven impressions, delivering a top speed of 105 packs per minute.
IN OTHER NEWS
And the nominees are …
Finalists of the Food & Drink Federation awards (2021) have been announced. The shortlist includes, in the Environmental Leadership category, Nestlé UK&I and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK - Podback – the UK's first cross-industry collaboration to recycle coffee pods.
And, for Sustainable Packaging Initiative, Britvic PLC – long-term commitment to recycled plastic and the circular economy.
Green cities league table
Cities around the globe with the best and worst recycling rates have been revealed through research from Business Waste UK. Leeds is the only UK city in the tables. It is rated 8th best with around 40 per cent of its waste being diverted from landfill. Vancouver in Canada tops the list.
Waste division
The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) has voiced concerns about the "potentially prescriptive nature" of the government’s proposals for collection systems.
The government wants local authorities to collect recyclable waste streams separately from each other and residual waste.
LARAC claimed there were "numerous examples" of mixed materials being collected together that were of suitable quality and supplied end markets with no issues.
Holy cow!
Microbes in a cow's stomach can degrade plastic, according to a study. Researchers in Vienna found that plastics could be degraded by the microorganisms found in the rumen, the largest compartment of a cow's stomach.
Chocolate nugget
On World Chocolate Day, Flexible Packaging Europe reminded us that flexible packaging keeps chocolate fresh AND prevents stains in our pockets.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
From the KM team … stay safe, keep up the good work, and value plastic.