Converting equipment

Beer in PET gains popularity in Europe

Watch for a lot more beer in PET in Europe. Martens Brewery in Belgium is gearing up with 500-mL PET bottles blown in-house on Sidel equipment and coated with a thin barrier layer of hydrogen-rich amorphous carbon on the inside of the bottle.

December 31, 2003

Recycling: Page 382

Household/Automotive

Plastics lab opens at RIT

The Integrated Plastics Center, a 1걄 sq’ center with $800ꯠ worth of new equipment, has opened at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

December 31, 2003

Protective/transport packaging

Void-fill to order

Dart Warehouse’s giant fulfillment operation uses a wide variety of void fillers to match what its customers want.

December 31, 2003

Sustainable Packaging

Pipeline: Same plan, different cultures?

I always enjoy reading reports from the Australian Institute of Packaging meetings, prepared by Michael Halley. Among other topics, these reports help me keep up to date on the kinds of packaging issues faced there.

December 31, 2003

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Cool pack for a hot product

Ultra Blue’s new handheld propane torch uses a patented container and valve to safely deliver the gas to do-it-yourselfers.

December 31, 2003

Home

Ontario packaging fees seen likely to resurface

With a new government in Ontario, it’s too early to get a firm reading on the future of Bill 90, the Waste Diversion Act, that would trigger packaging fees.

November 30, 2003

Converting equipment

Henkel cuts fees with new Sil package

The Henkel Group, Düsseldorf, Germany, has cut the costs of packaging fees on its Sil-brand stain-removing laundry powder by using a new package with a moisture-vapor-barrier built into the box.

November 30, 2003

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Q&A: Corrugated's role in RFID

Andy Kerr(above) is a Development Technician specializing in corrugated packaging at Eastman Kodak, and he’s been re-elected chairman of the End User Advisory Committee at the Technical Assn. of the Pulp and Paper Industry. Here, Andy talks about the RFID program held recently at TAPPI’s October conference in Dallas.

November 30, 2003

Protective/transport packaging

Microsoft pack wins EPA design challenge

A new shipping package that looks like an envelope and protects like a box won the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cradle-to-Cradle E-Commerce Package Design Challenge, announced at the recent Pack Expo Las Vegas show in October.

November 30, 2003

Protective/transport packaging

Recycled corrugated protective packaging

Corru-Shred introduces a nationwide recycling program to help companies save the costs of packing materials and waste removal through recycling corrugated boxes.

October 31, 2003

Coding, Printing & Labeling

No uniformity for 'green' labeling

“Green labeling is no longer a voluntary marketing tool. The use of various—and sometimes conflicting—symbols has become mandatory in 21 countries,” says Michele Raymond, publisher of Recycling Laws International.

October 31, 2003

Sustainable Packaging

PET recycling rate drops

The PET recycling rate fell to 19.9% in 2002, down from 22.1% in 2001, according to the National Assn. for PET Container Resources. In addition, the amount of PET collected for recycling dropped to 797 million lbs from 834 million lbs in 2001, marking the first decline since 1996.

October 31, 2003

Recycling

Tropicana's juiced about aseptic bottle filling line

New aseptic line opens the door for Tropicana Europe to expand its line of bottled juices and beverages produced at its new plant in Zeebrugge, Belgium.See video

October 31, 2003