Transcript:
Note: Transcriptions were completed via AI, and have not been closely edited.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Hi, I am Matt Reynolds, editor of Packaging World Magazine, and I’m here with Packaging World Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan, and we’re going to discuss the sustainability innovations report that came out of last year’s PACK EXPO. Both of us are preparing to enter PACK EXPO Las Vegas in about a month and a half. So as we’re doing, so, we’re looking back on some of the trends and things that we saw last year to kind of serve as a springboard into what this coming year. So Anne Marie, kind of looking in the rear view mirror first before we talk about what we expect to see. Looking back at PACK EXPO, what really stood out to you in terms of trends you saw in sustainability?
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
So when we talk about materials, of course we’re packaging equipment and materials, but just the biggest trend that we saw, they’re really aligned with what we’re seeing every day when we get press releases, when we report on new CPG packaging, and that’s paper, paper, and more paper. It’s undoubtedly the biggest shift that we’ve seen with packaging materials in years.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Okay. Now what are some examples? Is it corrugated? Is it board, is it everything? What caught your eye?
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
It’s pretty much everything. We saw paper and everything from cups and trays to multipack ring carriers and protective packaging. So one of the challenges we see with paper packaging is that in order to hold a lot of these products that we’re talking about, frozen foods, food in general, liquids, viscous products, you need to have a barrier material. And in the past, that’s been polyethylene, which renders the package no longer recyclable. So what we’re seeing a lot of is new paper-based packaging that is recyclable, that uses sometimes like a bio-based barrier, a very thin barrier. Multivac introduced a paperboard tray for food that has a film lidding that can be easily peeled off. And then inside the tray features a very thin film liner, and that can also be separated from the tray so that the tray is recyclable. And I can’t say for sure whether the film that’s being peeled off can go into store drop-off, but at least the paper can.
And that’s a replacement for what would typically be a plastic tray for food. Greif introduced what it’s going, the EnviroRAP for aqueous and fatty foods that you would find in foodservice applications. So it’s a barrier-coated paperboard material that’s fully recyclable. It’s a carton, but I can’t say what barrier material they’re using. They’re not publicizing that, but it is recyclable.
There were also two exhibitors with void fill or protective packaging materials that were made from paper. These were HexcelPack and ExpandOS. ExpandOS is unique because the complementary equipment forms the paperboard material into pyramid-shaped cushioning, which is very interesting and a different kind of format that we haven’t seen.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Before now, I mean, I think recyclability is really what’s behind paper becoming so popular and leaning into, I guess arenas that they were never deemed available before. You could never, I mean you wouldn’t think of paperboard and food before, but now we’re getting these barrier layers and barrier coatings that are making that possible. Is it just recyclability that’s really made paper so popular right now?
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
I would say that it’s recyclability, which plays into some of the CPGs commitments around making their packaging recyclable. It also feeds into that a desire by consumers for plastic-free packaging because plastic is more difficult to recycle and plastic is seen as very negative material because of plastic pollution. So it addresses consumer concerns. It enables recyclability, which is also a big driver for consumer acceptance of different types of packaging.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Well, that covers off on paper. There must’ve been some other sustainable materials that you saw at the show and are expecting to see really in this coming year.
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
Yes, absolutely. Another big trend that we saw in materials was bio-based or compostable materials. So Accredo introduced a bio-based pouch that’s made of sugarcane and it is store drop-off recyclable. So it’s typical. I mean, it’s similar to some of the mono-material or monolayer packaging that we’re seeing with polyethylene that’s store drop-off recyclable, and it is compostable, but because that’s a bit of a stretch for consumers to be able to compost it, it is recyclable. Another thing we saw was a seaweed-based polymer that was developed by Charter Next and a partner called Sway. And this plastic can be made into film for fashion, home goods, cosmetics, packaging, as well as for food pouches and mailers, and it’s fully biodegradable and compostable. And that we also saw a home-compostable zipper for pouches from Fresh-Lock. In the past, if you had a bio-based pouch, it was not fully recyclable if it had a zipper. Now the zipper is also bio-based, so the whole thing can be composted.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Okay. Those are major trends that we’ve been talking about for quite some time. Paper compostability, bio-based, anything that surprised you? Was there anything that was unexpected?
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
Yes, there was one pretty interesting development that I hadn’t heard about before going to the show. And it was the AluKpod from Constantia. It’s first Keurig-compatible coffee capsule that’s made from aluminum, and the way it’s been designed, the lid also can be easily removed for recycling of the pod. It has like a peel tab, you just pull it off and knock out the grounds and then you can recycle it. And they recommend stacking a number of these to make it larger for sorting at the MRF. The first application, commercial application of this pod was also being shown at PACK EXPO. The company is called Cambio Roasters and they’re using this for their coffee. And we have also reported on it in Packaging World, so you can learn more about it there.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Yeah, I believe that may have landed on a cover recently. Anne Marie. So good. We’ve talked about materials, I mean everything aluminum, paper, compostables, but PACK EXPO is known as a big equipment show as well. What about on the equipment side that you would categorize as sustainable?
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
Well, much of what we saw was related to creating or handling these new sustainable materials. So some of those that I mentioned had complementary equipment, but we also saw other equipment as well that was designed to accommodate these new materials. There were two machines on the show floor that are applying paperboard ring carriers for beverage multipacks. So they replaced the typical plastic multipack ring carriers. One was the Douglas NexClip, paperboard ring carrier applicator for bottles and cans. The other was Graphic Packaging International’s Enviroclip EBB 1200 for PET bottles.
Garrido was also showing an interesting new machine called the AMS-JR. It’s a fully automatic paper mailer system, so while it can also handle film or bubble wrap, it’s primarily developed to create curbside-recyclable shipping bags for e-commerce applications. It also rightsizes the bag for the particular product that it’s mailing, so it reduces packaging waste. And another really fascinating new piece of equipment we saw was Duravant’s Canopy Wrap paper-based bundler, which can apply an overwrap to a tray of products. So it replaces shrink film.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Okay, cool. Well, that’s a lot that you saw last year, but are these trends carrying over to this year? Are you expecting to see anything new? What are you excited about for, I guess it’s the end of September, early October in Las Vegas?
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World:
Yes, I would expect to see the trend of paper packaging continue. As I mentioned, we get press releases and new product information every day about new paper products that can replace film. We’ve seen paper bottles, so I think that will continue. And we’ll probably also see a lot more bio-based and compostable packaging. That’s really become popular. There are some things that need to be addressed with those materials, but I think we’ll see more of that. We’ll also see probably more machines that will accommodate these materials. What we didn’t cover here are some machines that help reduce packaging waste, machines that handle new packaging materials other than those we mentioned such as high-content PCR films or bio-based materials as well, and those that reduce energy use. So those were shown at PACK EXPO. We haven’t talked about them here, but they are in the report, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of these at the show as well.
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World:
Yeah, energy use and air. Also pneumatics reduction is something that we’re seeing as a route for the machines themselves to become more energy efficient. Alright, well thanks so much, Anne Marie. Once again, you can view this innovation report on [email protected]. That’s along with more than 20 other innovations report covering a range of packaging innovations that we saw at last year’s show. This is from Vertical Market. This is machine category, material category. All of these will help you prepare for this year’s show at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. And speaking of that, don’t forget to register for PACK EXPO Las Vegas again. It’s taking place in late September, early October. So we will see you there. PW
Download a free copy of the Sustainable Packaging Innovations Report from PACK EXPO International 2024 HERE.
