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Thomas Sievers shows PTC 200

Image: Uhlmann

Uhlmann Group: EU packaging regulations accelerate pace of transformation

14.11.2024

Less packaging waste, more recycling and increased use of sustainable materials – these are the goals of the EU packaging regulations PPWR which will soon be implemented. For this, the packaging industry has already begun full-scale preparations. For example, the Uhlmann Group from Swabia – in the centre of a region that is one of the world's most important hubs for the packaging industry.
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EU flag

Image: Antoine Schibler/unsplash

European ReBioCycle project aims to develop circular solutions for bioplastics

06.11.2024

October saw the launch of the new EU-funded ReBioCycle project. It is intended to show that the bio-based and biodegradable plastics PLA, PHA and starch-based compounds can be efficiently recycled on a large scale, keeping them in circulation.
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Pact Meat tray

Image: Pact Group

Pact group & partners creating circular solution for pret tray-to-tray recycling

06.11.2024

Australia’s meat eaters create a lot of waste with their PET meat trays. But thermoformed PET food packaging is very recyclable, with the right infrastructure in place. So Pact Group is working with Hilton Foods, Woolworths Group and Cleanaway Waste Management to close the loop on this by collecting, sorting and cleaning these PET materials, and remanufacturing them into more food packaging.
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Recyclable label on packaging

Image: iStock

Sustainable plastics on the rise

23.10.2024

Consumers’ growing environmental consciousness leads to added pressure on the packaging industry to develop sustainable solutions. In this context, sustainability is not limited to bio-based or bio-degradable materials. Conventional fossil-based plastics can also be part of sustainable strategies – if they are designed for recyclability or produced using recycled raw materials.
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Concept of blockchain technology, graphic showing futuristic chain with digital element

Image: iStock, Jackie Niam

Rendering packaging sustainability transparent with blockchain technology

14.10.2024

Anyone using recycled materials needs to know where they come from, what they are made of and what stages they have gone through. Particularly in times of global, complex supply chains, seamlessly tracing materials is an immense challenge. Blockchain technology can help.
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Stretch film holding tins in place on a pallet

Image: Brangs+Heinrich

Sustainable packaging film for sleeving, stretching, shrinking and sealing

17.09.2024

Plastic film is indispensable in the packaging sector. Used as sealing film, it can seal food trays, it can enclose beverage bottles in the form of sleeves and as stretch film, it lends stability to packaging during transport. Modern packaging films are sustainable, recyclable or are made from recycled materials. With a view to the European Packaging Directive, this is indeed a boon.
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Three EU flags

Image: unsplash/ Alexandre Lallemand

Compulsive EU regulation for sustainable packaging not far away

13.05.2024

Harmonising the rules on packaging and packaging waste within Europe is long overdue. The draft of a Europe-wide, compulsive packaging directive by the European Commission in 2022 has already passed through the different levels of legislation and could achieve final adoption in autumn. Industry representatives are both expressing approval and criticism.
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Sorting belt with packaging waste inside a sorting plant

Image: Julia Paul

Artificial intelligence improves recycling

16.04.2024

A green Europe is unthinkable without a working circular economy. For this to happen, waste sorting and recycling processes need to improve in order to obtain more recyclates for reuse. Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used in sorting and recycling today, but new AI developments are currently revolutionising the industry.
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Caroline Babendererde is Head of Sustainability Mid Europe at Tetra Pak

“We must make packaging more attractive as a varied professional field”

21.02.2024

In a world forced to meet the global challenges of sustainable food systems, progressive packaging solutions are indispensable. This includes the people working on these solutions. In this interview with Caroline Babendererde, Head of Sustainability Mid Europe at Tetra Pak, we discuss how to win young talents for the industry and the role of sustainability initiatives.
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Caroline Babendererde is Head of Sustainability Mid Europe at Tetra Pak

“We must make packaging more attractive as a varied professional field”

21.02.2024

In a world forced to meet the global challenges of sustainable food systems, progressive packaging solutions are indispensable. This includes the people working on these solutions. In this interview with Caroline Babendererde, Head of Sustainability Mid Europe at Tetra Pak, we discuss how to win young talents for the industry and the role of sustainability initiatives.
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Several rolls of labels

Image: Securikett

Paper safety labels for recycling

14.02.2024

Products that are counterfeit or which have been tampered with cause large economic damage. Safety labels can help to guarantee the authenticity and integrity of goods, as when someone attempts to open the packaging, it leaves irreversible traces. When it comes to recyclability, however, these small labels are often not performing very well.
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Foam from waste cardboard

Image: Beijing Key Laboratory of Wood Science and Engineering

Researchers tout sustainable packaging foam made from waste cardboard

17.01.2024

Researchers in Beijing have developed an environmentally friendly cushioning and insulating foam made entirely from recycled cardboard that they say offers a sustainable, plastic-free packaging alternative to the shipping industry.
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tray sample

Image: Juha Hakulinen, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland

VTT PILOTS CELLULOSE AS ALTERNATIVE TO RIGID POLYPROPYLENE PACKAGING

30.11.2023

Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed formable, cellulose-based webs that they say offer a sustainable alternative to plastic in rigid polypropylene in food packaging applications.
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Three people in front of a poster

Image: RIGK

Agricultural bulk bags for a circular economy

14.11.2023

Whether it is seeds, fertilisers or animal feed, farms receive a large amount of items in bulk bags. But what to do with the empty plastic super sacks? The VerenA return scheme was launched in early 2023 specifically for the disposal of used, licensed bulk bags.
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Mia Pettersson

Image: BASF

Women in packaging: Mia Pettersson – helping take compostable bioplastics to the next level

14.11.2023

BASF has been active in the bioplastics field for more than 30 years. Swedish chemical engineer Mia Pettersson is head of BASF’s biopolymer portfolio in Ludwigshafen, Germany, where she works on continuing to develop compostable and biodegradable plastics while supporting women in their advancement in the company.
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Digitally watermarked yoghurt and kefir containers

Image: Aldi Süd Gruppe

Final testing stage for HolyGrail 2.0

14.11.2023

Digital watermarks could play a key role in the future when it comes to packaging recyclability. They are invisible to the human eye but carry a wealth of information. The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative aims to implement the technology for large-scale sorting of post-consumer waste, with plans for a test market in France in 2024. The final stage of testing has now begun.
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printed stand-up bag front and back

Image: Siegwerk Druckfarben

How coloured foil bags become colourless granules

11.10.2023

Colourful plastic packaging sells well. However, the printing colour also prevents the packaging from being recycled in the form of transparent granules. Now there is a solution that completely removes printing colours and barrier coatings from foil bags. Afterwards, the packaging can be recycled to almost colourless granules.
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Takeaway drink with paper lid

Image: The Paper Lid Company

Paper lids for less single-use plastic

15.08.2023

When the time comes for a hot or cold drink while out and about, many people opt for takeaway beverages in disposable cups. These often come with a plastic lid, resulting in a significant volume of waste. One Finnish start-up is instead using recyclable paperboard lids and has entered into a partnership with Walki.
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Roll of adhesive tape over a cardboard box

Image: Futamura

Sustainable tamper-proofing

11.08.2023

When it comes to protecting valuable products from tampering and theft, the method often used is to apply adhesive tape that will leave permanent marks on the packaging if an attempt is made to open it. In addition to recyclable paper solutions, there are now compostable alternatives made from bio-based film.
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A plastic energy chain

Image: igus GmbH

Recycling programme for engineering plastics

11.07.2023

Plastic energy chains and bearings are deployed wherever movement is required in production. They are responsible, for instance, for keeping processes running smoothly in packaging plants. But even chains and bearings need to be disposed of at some point in time. What happens then?
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An icon showing a person disposing of waste

Image: Gary Chan/unsplash

Labels with separation information on packaging help the circular economy

13.06.2023

Efficient and consistent recycling is one of the pillars of a functioning circular economy in the packaging industry. Such recycling includes the correct separation of packaging so that it can be fed into its respective recycling stream. A survey has now shown that information about separation can play a decisive role for consumers.
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An arm with a hand in a rubber glove is holding a spray bottle.

Bild: jeshoots/unsplash

Better recycled material as a result of fewer fragrances

16.05.2023

Not all recycled materials are the same. That is because the quality of recycled plastics plays an important role en route to a circular economy. The Fraunhofer Institute LBF has consequently developed a method that removes problematic fragrances from packaging for detergents that is being recycled.
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Product photograph of three PET water bottles with stretch sleeve

CCL Label was able to reduce the thickness of their stretch sleeves to 30 micrometres. (Image: CCL Label)

Thinner sleeves for more sustainability

14.02.2023

Everyone is talking about sustainability. The way to an improved carbon footprint is to decrease the use of unnecessary material. Austrian company CCL Label, for example, were recently able to decrease the thickness of their stretch sleeves for PET bottles by one third.
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Biobased plastic wrap made from coffee grounds

As part of the WaysTUP! project, Aimplas has produced a plastic wrap from coffee grounds. (Image: Aimplas)

Plastic wrap from coffee grounds

14.02.2023

The project WaysTUP! is looking for new use options to maintain organic waste in circulation for longer and to use it as secondary raw materials. The Spanish centre for plastic technology Aimplas is using coffee grounds to make biobased polymers for flexible packaging.
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Three EU flags

The European Green Deal is supposed to make Europe carbon neutral by 2050. (Image: unsplash/Alexandre Lallemand)

European Green Deal – ambitious concept for carbon neutrality in Europe

17.01.2023

The bundle of measures that makes up the Green Deal is supposed to make Europe the first carbon neutral continent. Circular economy is an important stepping stone on the way to achieving this goal. The EU Commission now has presented a suggestion for a packaging regulation which is supposed to create a new order for the European packaging market.
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Sausage in a recyclable film wrapping

The new film by allvac is suitable for wrapping foods and has a high degree of recyclability. (Image: allvac Folien GmbH)

Recyclable wrap for food packaging

16.01.2023

Film wrapping can achieve an appetising presentation of foods at the PoS. For composite films, their ability to be recycled is especially relevant. allvac has achieved confirmation from the cyclos-HTP institute that their new wrapping film is 100 percent recyclable.
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BC Ecobulk SX-D being emptied

When emptying the Ecobulk SX-D, the discharge pipe reaches down to the bottom and achieves near complete emptying. (Image: Schütz)

Safe protection under difficult conditions

12.12.2022

The safe transport of hazardous goods or chemicals depends on reliable containers. But sustainability should not be overlooked. The German company Schütz produces different IBC containers which are manufactured using recycled material.
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Plastic pallets by Cabka

The sustainable load carriers by Cabka were especially designed and improved for the chemical industry. (Image: Cabka)

The new generation of recycled plastic pallets

12.12.2022

For the chemical industry, plastic pallets could be a sustainable alternative when it comes to the transport and storage of products. With the help of industry feedback, Cabka has developed a sustainable generation of their plastic pallets, made from recycled material.
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Product image of the head of a vacuum suction pad

The ZP3C series vacuum pad (shown here in the version for flat work pieces) does not require tools for maintenance thanks to its two-part construction. (Image: SMC Deutschland GmbH)

New vacuum pad makes maintenance possible without tools

12.12.2022

Transport of hazardous materials poses different challenges to labels. They have to adhere to different materials and be resistant to chemicals or environmental effects. Storage and disposal of large amounts of labels can become a problem.
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Extrusion system PowerCast XL by SML

The PowerCast XL is a high performance system for the manufacture of stretch films (Image: SML)

PCR in film production

17.11.2022

Mechanical engineering company SML and plastics producer Braskem have entered a cooperation and are now using recycled raw materials to produce film for a joint project. The use of PCR (post-consumer recyclates) is supposed to save resources and reduce waste.
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Fog rising from a pine forest.

Bio-based adhesives may for example be produced from pine resin. (Image: Michele Purin/unsplash)

Glue goes green

17.11.2022

Quite often, consumers only take notice of it when it doesn’t work: glue. But as invisible as this little helper of packaging might be, so important is paying attention to its carbon balance, too. Improvements can be made, for example by using bio-based adhesives.
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Paper cups for to-go beverages such as coffee.

When it comes to their daily coffee, many people choose the to-go option and quickly dispose of the cups afterwards. Stora Enso and Huhtamaki now want to recycle these cups. (Image: Stora Enso)

A coalition for more and better cup recycling

24.10.2022

For 2030, the EU recycling target for paper and cardboard packaging is 85 %. However, the valuable raw materials in paper cups are often lost after only a short period of use. With The Cup Collective, Stora Enso and Huhtamaki are launching an initiative to collect and recycle paper cups.
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A blue rubbish bin with a white recycling symbol

The use of recyclates begins with the correct separation of waste. (Image: Sigmund/unsplash)

Use of recyclates in packaging

24.10.2022

If there is one thing the industry agrees on, it is that more recycled raw materials must be used. In the case of plastics, this means recyclates. They are in greater demand than ever, but the supply is still relatively small. What do packaging manufacturers have to pay attention to when using them, and what has to change so that more recyclates can be used?
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Drink cans and plastic bottles

There is no such thing as innately good or bad packaging, and the environmental impact should always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. (Image: Nick Fewings/unsplash)

Life cycle assessments – a useful tool or greenwashing?

26.09.2022

Plastic or paper, single use or reusable – which packaging gets the best marks in a life cycle assessment? The answer often appears to be simple, but an environmental assessment should always look at the individual case in detail, because there are benefits and drawbacks everywhere – and the results are sometimes surprising.
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The washing and racking system from KHS

The Innokeg AF-C Transversal can wash and rack returnable and one-way kegs on just one system. (Image: KHS Group)

500 kegs per hour on one conveyor belt

24.09.2022

In the early days, a keg tap was simply driven into the wooden keg with a hammer, but today modern returnable kegs are connected to tap systems. However, after use, they need to be washed and then refilled, or racked. KHS, a Dortmund-based machine manufacturer, has now developed a system that can wash and rack different types of kegs using a single conveyor belt.
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Close-up of the recycling symbol for polypropylene.

Many companies are switching their packaging to mono-materials like polypropylene. But what are their advantages and disadvantages? (Picture: Shutterstock/ CalypsoArt)

Mono-material, a ray of hope

17.08.2022

The industry is in pursuit of the circular economy. That is why, in the packaging industry, companies are increasingly switching to mono-materials. But what exactly does that term mean, and why are these packaging materials becoming ever more popular?
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Bundles of empty beverage cartons

Used beverage cartons on the way to the recycling plant. Photo: FKN

Benelux to recycle beverage cartons

17.08.2022

Beverage cartons are not waste, they consist of valuable raw materials that can be recycled. Stora Enso and Tetra Pak want to build a complete recycling system for the composite cartons in Belgium and are currently assessing the project’s feasibility.
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Container for Aino ice cream against a woodland backdrop

Image: Froneri Finland Oy

Ice cream packaged in mono-material

21.07.2022

Companies continue to ask themselves how they can meet customers' demands for sustainable packaging. Together, Borealis, Froneri and Paccor have found an answer, and are packaging ice cream from the brand Aino in mono-material.
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Cart buyer in supermarket

Image: AdobeStock

Sausage wrap that can be recycled

21.07.2022

Sliced sausage is supposed to look good on the refrigerator shelves in the supermarket and is usually wrapped in non-recyclable transparent composite film. Now, thanks to energy-efficient heating systems in thermoforming machines for packaging, it is possible to use more sustainable materials – while maintaining the same level of safety, quality and transparency.
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Three garbage bins next to each other and one garbage sack for different kinds of waste.

Image: "Mülltrennung wirkt" (waste separation works) initiative / Steffen Jagenburg

Public obligations for recycling: Germany – a good role model?

14.07.2022

In 2019, the Central Agency Packaging Register started its work. Since then, companies that place packaging in circulation must register with it. An amendment to the German Packaging Act led to this requirement being extended to all online retailers and providers of take-away packaging on July 1st, 2022. Is this still reasonable or is this over-regulation?
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Several small single-use bags

Photo: Kier In Sight / unsplash

Mono-material sachets

21.06.2022

For packaging made of plastic, their potential to be recycled is very important. Refilling systems save material. Mono-material sachets and bags also reduce the amount of material consumed, protect packaged goods and have practical uses for customers.
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A range of glass bottles filled with various recyclates.

Image: Fraunhofer IVV

Rebound Plastic Exchange: New trading platform for recyclates

25.05.2022

Circular economy can only truly work if plastic waste is collected, recycled and reused. To drive international trade with recycled plastic, Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company (IHC) has now established a new trading platform for recyclates with Rebound Plastic Exchange.
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A reusable glass bottle upright on the beach. Next to it lies a plastic bottle that is damaged in some places.

Image: Sea Me

Deposit systems for cosmetics packaging?

24.05.2022

On the beverage sector, deposit systems have been around for many years. Now, deposit systems are being introduced specifically for cosmetics packaging as well. A pilot project by Circleback is currently underway in Berlin, while Sea Me has introduced a reusable solution for cosmetics packaging with zerooo.
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Greiner Packaging and LyonellBasell’s CirculenRevive as a circular coffee capsule for Nestlé

Image: Greiner Packaging

PCR Coffee Capsules Stay in the Recycling Loop

12.04.2022

For their morning coffee, many consumers choose coffee capsules that then end up in the bin. This is not particularly sustainable, since the capsules consist of new plastics. Greiner Packaging and LyonellBasell have developed a circular solution made of post-consumer recyclates for Nescafé.
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Coca-Cola bottle with new cap

Image: Coca-Cola Germany

Coca-Cola keeps its cap on

02.03.2022

Coca-Cola Germany has given its single-use PET bottles new caps. In November 2021, the company introduced caps that are tethered to a safety ring on the necks of their bottles. In doing so, Coca-Cola is implementing a EU directive on plastic products way ahead of time.
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One person holds shredded plastic

Photo: Borealis & Tomra

Goods in short supply but in high demand

10.02.2022

10.02.2022- Although the use of recycled plastics is an important pillar of the circular economy, the recyclate market is nearly empty as of the beginning of 2022. In future, standards are supposed to ensure the availability of a sufficient amount of recyclates with consistent quality in order to supplement new material.
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Ccycled styropor box from BASF and Vartdal containing salmon fillets from Bömlo.

Image: Peter Tubaas, Vestland Media

Fish in packaging made from chemically recycled plastic

04.02.2022

Styropor boxes are a popular choice for transportation, particularly when food or medication need to be kept cool on the road. In Norway, this task is now fulfilled by the world’s first styropor boxes made from chemically recycled plastic.
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Cream cheese packaging with visible design and invisible digital watermark

Photo: Mondi

HolyGrail 2.0 and the digital recycling passport

23.11.2021

High-quality recycling is the be all and end all for a working circular economy. The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative is now testing how invisible digital watermark codes can contribute to increasing efficiency when sorting packaging waste; the project is supported by more than 120 companies and organisations along the entire packaging industry value chain.
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94% of the material for the caps on CATRICE (cosnova) nail polish is created from the post-consumer recycled plastic Procyclen.

Photo: Cosnova / ALBA Group

cosnova implements post-consumer recycled material in packaging for its decorative cosmetics for the first time

25.05.2021

The cosmetics industry is using more and more recycled material for packaging, although government requirements are not yet concrete. In the process, individual manufacturers are developing their own standards and making them available to the entire industry. The use of post-consumer recyclate reduces CO2 production enormously.
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toom's bright white paint held in hands

In 2011, toom became the first DIY store to introduce emulsion paint in tubs made out of recycled plastic. Photo: toom

Recycled materials in the construction industry

24.03.2021

The construction industry is aiming to become more sustainable and has increased their use of recycled materials in their packaging with the objective of reducing their own CO2 emissions. toom, a DIY giant, was one of the first in the industry to set their sights on implementing recycled materials.
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Bins, bucket, crates for the home with a rug

New products made from packaging. Photo: LIDL

New products made from packaging

15.03.2021

Packaging is valuable and should be reused and repurposed as often as possible in line with the ethos of a sustainable circular economy. Thanks to improved recycling technology, more and more new products can be created from packaging, as demonstrated by the discount retailer LIDL.
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Thayers’ cosmetics bottles with red caps.

Photo: L’Oréal

Increasing recycling of cosmetics packaging

12.02.2021

The cosmetics group L’Oréal is striding into the future with new technology and an attention-grabbing recycling campaign with the objective of increasing recycling of cosmetics products and closing loops.
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Mask on the floor with a waste bin and a woman’s legs.

Photo: Metsä Board

Hygienic disposal of masks

27.01.2021

People are wearing masks around the globe. This means we’re also seeing more and more of them littering the streets and the environment all around the world. The packaging specialist Metsä Board has now ensured that there is a hygienic solution for disposing of used masks.
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 Many Coca-Cola bottles in shelf

Photo by Evonne Yuwen Teoh //Unsplash

Coca-Cola bottles made out of rPET

14.05.2020

Sweden will soon see the launch of the first Coca-Cola bottles made out of 100% rPET. Other brands produced by the group will also use this fully recycled plastic. The beverage giant has even replaced its sweeping, red-and-white lettering to motivate consumers to recycle the bottles.
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The first prize in the “Household” category at the WorldStar Packaging Awards went to the Frosch stand-up pouch by Werner & Mertz and Mondi.

© Werner & Mertz

What is reverse engineering?

23.03.2020

Packaging innovations are increasingly based around closed circuits. Engineers are employing the principles of reverse engineering in packaging development. A current and prominent example of this is the stand-up pouch for Frosch liquid soap, produced by Werner & Mertz and Mondi.
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Paper-based cosmetic tubes and bottles from Seed Phytonutrients

© L‘Oréal

Cardboard-based cosmetic packaging

12.02.2020

Many industries are looking for sustainable packaging. Recyclable, organic-based or compostable. The next big trend: A new approach in the cosmetics industry - paper packaging for body care products.
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Bike by Vélosophy

© Vélosophy Cycles AB

Upcycling Nespresso coffee capsules

15.01.2020

Turning waste products into new and useful products is known as upcycling. There are numerous examples: furniture made out of Euro-pallets, toys for children made out of cardboard and bicycles made out of used deodorant cans. Now, Nespresso is showing the world what old coffee capsules can do.
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In Germany the tin plate recycling ratio stands at over 90%. © R by La-Liana / pixelio.de

Recycling champion tin plate

06.01.2016

Boasting a recycling percentage of over 90% tinplate again outperformed all competing packaging materials last year. Sheet steel owes its top position first and foremost to its material resistance.
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© Robert Kneschke / fotolia.com

High-Tech against spoilage of food

03.07.2015

Over 80 kilos of foodstuffs are disposed of per year per capita in Germany according to statistical assessments. Innovative packaging material is to contribute to longer shelf-life.
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