Counting Down the Top 10 articles of 2019 - #3: Biopolymer Materials Hit Their Stride

Based on online clicks and unique page views, we're counting down the Top 10 articles of 2019. Join us as we look back at the best of 2019. Anne Marie Mohan's report on bioplastics and biopolymer adoption checks in at #3.

Dec 29th, 2019

In January of 2019, Anne Marie Mohan reported that the biopolymers market for packaging gets ready to take off, the range of bio-based renewable materials and the technologies being developed or used commercially continue to expand.

In Part I of Packaging World’s Biopolymers Special Report in the November 2017 issue, we discussed the “bounty of options for biopolymers.” While the article covered a number of advancements, the market is still a nascent one, albeit one expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.

According to a new report from Smithers Pira, bioplastics for packaging currently represent...

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BioLogiQ, Inc.

Synvina

Evoware

Danimer Scientific

Newlight Technologies, LLC

Kuraray America

Avantium Chemicals B.V.

BASF

Plantic Technologies

Alpla

Packaging Post-Pandemic

Nobody can measure with any real accuracy what impact Covid-19 will have on packaging. But what packaging professional wouldn’t value a glimpse into how things might look post-pandemic, especially if that glimpse comes from an experienced veteran?

Looking Ahead to New Packaging Material Innovation

Packaging engineers and product developers must work together to create new sustainable initiatives in packaging material innovation.

Along with a new focus on function, Ethan’s has changed the color of each bottle to reflect the shots’ unique flavors and primary ingredients.

Function-Focused Rebrand for Wellness Shots

Organic energy shot company Ethan’s redesigns the labels for its 2-oz shots to clearly convey the occasion of use for each as well as emphasize the flavor and ingredient profiles.

Sun-Maid Raisins 10-oz bag AFTER the redesign

Little Red Box Gets First Redesign in Decades

A brand refresh for Sun-Maid’s raisin and other whole-fruit products includes changes that aim to appeal to millennial shoppers looking for healthy snacks for their families.

Like almost all of Spacestation’s beverage output as a copacker, the company’s own Flybeverage brands—Nectr and Uncle Arnie’s—use a shrink sleeve labeling system that is flexible enough for a variety of different combinations of bottle dimensions/heights, substrates, container transparency levels, and closure styles.

Shrink Sleeve Fits Fine for Cannabis Seltzer & Soda Line

With varied SKUs for CM/CP business, plus a quickly growing in-house brand of its own, this cannabis-infused beverage producer found that shrink sleeve labeling is the right solution for just about any and all form factors, whether glass, PET, or cans.

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Economic Outlook: 2020 and Beyond

Discussing the current economic outlook amidst a “double black swan event,” Alex Chausovsky of ITR Economics presented “Guidance in an Uncertain Economy” last week as part of PMMI’s Executive Leadership Conference.

BIC North America will be producing 2,000 medical-grade face shields per day at its factory in Milford, Conn.

BIC Uses Plastic Packaging Materials to Produce PPE

Global CPG BIC gears up to produce 2,000 medical-grade face shields per day at its Connecticut facility, using plastic packaging materials and scrap plastic from its lighter products.

Direct digital printing on aluminum cans is what made this slogan-and-rainbow campaign possible.

Direct Digital Print Brings AR Experience to Beverage Cans

By printing a QR code on the side of aluminum beverage cans, this Canadian firm and three partnering beverage producers are lifting spirits in this time of pandemic.

The slim, e-com shipper comprises a hinged tray fitted with movable inner trays that securely hold the bottle and product literature.

Smart Supplement Shipper is Letterbox-Friendly, Sustainable

Brain health company Heights launches its D2C supplement product in a unique bottle and shipper made from bio-based materials that together measure less than one inch deep.

This robot picks freshly printed cans six at a time from the vacuum conveyor discharge and places them on the infeed conveyor of the curing oven.

Breakthrough in Direct Digital Can Printing

Tonejet’s electrostatic drop-on-demand can printing technology has taken some time to mature since it first burst onto the scene. That makes this SoluCan installation awfully interesting.

Just like in this iceberg image, hidden operating costs can sink you. Total cost of ownership enables gathering better data and understanding for better informed decisions.

It’s All About the Cost, Not the Price

Just like all change management, total cost of ownership is a journey that has transformational results when successfully implemented.

Boombox-Inspired Shippers Reinforce ‘Soda with Soul’ Proposition

With the COVID-19 lockdown, U.K. craft soda company Dalston’s unveils new shippers for its growing online sales that pay homage to its music roots, while introducing new consumers to the brands’ values and personality.

Machine Efficiency and the Impacts of Sustainable Packaging

Many primary packaging lines are no longer dedicated to a single product as SKUs increase, impacting line efficiency. Sustainable material changes may also create challenges.

The highly compact XTS has a circumferential track length of 22 m and uses a total of 40 independent movers. The L’Oréal Group produces high-quality skin care products, mascaras, and foundation makeup for its Division Luxe.

L’Oréal Replaces 5 Machines with One Smart System

Facing SKU proliferation and shorter runs, the L’Oreal Group replaced an outdated system with a new track-based system of movers that brings fast changeover and high output.

Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management

Supply Chains Race to Match Shifting COVID-19 Consumer Behavior

Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, discusses what retailers can expect in terms of changing consumer behavior—namely a shift away from commercial/foodservice, and toward e-commerce and retail.

Each & Every has rolled out a 2.5-oz deodorant tube made from bioplastic and a special black colorant that the company says can be detected by infrared scanners for recycling.

Sugarcane and Corn: ‘Ingredients Matter’ in New Deodorant Packaging

Vegan, cruelty-free deodorant from Each & Every introduces primary packaging made from sugarcane-based plastic and a corn-based bioplastic shipping envelope.

Five experts from the packaging and supply chain world offered a multi-sectoral analysis of COVID-19’s impacts on the Latin American industry, in an EXPO PACK webinar attended by 280 professionals from the entire region.

Packaging Innovation Post-Pandemic

Anti-pathogenic packaging, disruptive structural formats and graphic design that responds to the exponential growth of e-commerce in Latin America, and new approaches to sustainability in packaging will drive the future post-pandemic.

Pepsicolockupbrands 2line

PepsiCo Opens Two New E-Commerce Outlets

PepsiCo launches new direct-to-consumer offerings to deliver food and beverage products and meet increased demand amid pandemic.

Quest for a Plastic Packaging Circular Economy

Eliminating unnecessary plastic, sustainable innovation, and circulating plastic within the economy are the three goals of more than 450 global partner companies seeking to keep plastic waste out of the environment.

Op X Horizontal

Food Processing and Packaging Industry Turns to Remote Access and Virtual Factory Acceptance Tests

OpX Leadership network takes a key role in preparing CPGs and OEMs for life after Covid-19 with tools on Remote Access and Virtual FATs.

More in Home

Sustainable Package Reformatting on the Rise

According to a new report by PMMI Business Intelligence, over half of CPGs are changing product packaging to meet sustainability goals by moving from one format to another.

Smooth handling of bottles and partitions is a hallmark of the Wrap-Around case packer.

End-of-line Automation for Aussie Winery

Part of the LVMH group, Domaine Chandon Australia is a down under specialist in sparkling wine.

Covid19 Getty Images 1205740031

COVID-19 Survey: Early Results Reflect CPGs’ Current Resolve, Future Uncertainty

At press time, survey responses indicate that companies producing packaged goods are handling the disruptions, and though strained, supply chains remain intact. But when asked to forecast the future, there’s less consensus.

EXPO PACK México 2020's digital experience encourages connections between users and suppliers.

EXPO PACK México Goes Virtual With Digital Experience

Complimentary tools encourage connections between users and suppliers to meet current and future challenges in Latin American market.

NCC's Kevin Mauger refuses to let the pandemic dampen his company's mission or spirit.

OEM COVID-19 #10 - Culture Eases NCC’s COVID-19 Response

NCC's Kevin Mauger offers UnPACKED with PMMI podcast a reassuring voice in a sea of uncertainty.

Midol Before After[1]

Redesign Reverses Course to Reflect Modern Women

Midol®, the venerable OTC menstrual relief brand from Bayer, underwent a striking packaging redesign, reversing course on existing iconography, typography, and messaging.

By early April, online grocery ordering was continuing to surge, with 51% of shoppers placing an order in the four weeks ending April 7.

COVID-19 Spurs Wave of Changes in Consumer Shopping Behavior

Consumer survey documents quickly shifting food shopping behaviors in response to COVID-19 and explores whether these habits will continue post-pandemic.

Chobani’s package redesign, with lean branding and color-coordinated lidstocks that correspond with the milk fat, single-handedly changed the yogurt category.

Pain Brings Gain: Packaging Redesign is Worth the Risk

Go for the long game when redesigning packaging. While sales may decline initially, the opportunities to boost your brand are worth the risk.

With the pandemic, the amount of single use plastic and packaging is growing, and if not disposed of properly by the consumer, will head for the landfill.

March/April Sustainability Update: COVID-19 Changes the Plastics Conversation, but CPGs Still Innovating

The coronavirus raises concerns about reusable packaging and deals a blow to recycling, but amidst the uncertainty, CPGs and associations still work toward greater packaging sustainability.

Combination Scale System Slashes Labor, Doubles Throughput

Beyond the expected speed- and labor-reducing benefits of a new combination scale and depositor system, benefits that came along for the ride included accuracy that significantly reduced giveaway.

Bi Meal Kit Option 1

Can Social Distancing Buoy Slowing Meal Kit Adoption?

A nationwide survey of Americans shows interest around meal kits may be waning. But will social distancing bring a bump in the numbers?

An impressive example of what THIMM has been able to produce thanks to its digital capabilities is this package for a Danone Activia campaign executed in the Czech Republic.

Packaging Converters are Digging Digital

From a new approach to metallization to nanographic printing to digital laser scoring and cutting of printed corrugated sheet, converters agree that digital is the future.