With Packaging Innovations 2020 in Birmingham, UK, opening its doors tomorrow, PackagingInsights spoke to Nick Brown, Head of Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners, Michel Steinecke, R&D Sustainable Packaging Manager at Britvic and Libby Peake, Green Alliance Senior Policy
Advisor about their involvement at the show and the trends driving the packaging industry. The interviewees also shared their opinions on the show’s main event, the ‘Big Carbon Debate,’ which has replaced the ‘Big Plastics Debate’ of years gone by.
Ariel projected to save
an equivalent of 200 million virgin plastic bottles over five years after brand owner Procter & Gamble and UK recycling company Viridor agreed to a landmark recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) supply deal. Also, P&G announced that brands Lenor, Unstoppables and Fairy are set to become the first commercial implementations in Europe of the intelligent sorting technology HolyGrail 2.0 with the formation of a mega consortium of companies across the value chain reportedly on the horizon.
DS Smith’s pending sale of its Plastics Division to liquid packaging company Liqui-Box is expected to close shortly after clearing the US Department of Justice regulatory hurdle. Subject to the required US federal court ratification, the Olympus Partners portfolio company will acquire the Plastics Division for a reported net price of £400 million (US$514.6 million).
In a bid to combat food waste, scientists at the Imperial College of London, UK, created what is a low-cost and effective method to measure the freshness of food within sealed packages. Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame collaborated with Canpack and design agency Identica to rebrand its iconic Spitfire beer. A new mice study led by the University of Missouri, US, found that chemical
BPA-alternatives, such as Bisphenol S, could negatively affect both a mother’s placenta and the development of a baby’s brain.
The UK’s biggest packaging trade show is back and set to demonstrate the latest trends, innovations and technologies shaking up the primary and secondary packaging scene.
This week in packaging, Huhtamaki unveiled a special range of paper cups designed and optimized for vending machines. Also, Stora Enso introduced fluorochemical-free dispersion barrier materials for paper cups and food packaging, while Mondi partnered with Cartro in Mexico to enter the fresh produce segment with a sustainable-by-design avocado box.
