March 2024

Utilizing Frugalpac's Frugal Bottles, crafted from 94% recycled paperboard with a food-grade pouch housing the wine, Aldi introduces the UK's first supermarket own-brand paper wine bottles. These innovative bottles are fully recyclable and weigh five times less than standard glass bottles.

Eco-Products® today announced an innovative new product line designed to make it easier for consumers, composters, and the entire foodservice value chain to differentiate between compostable and non-compostable products.

All cups, lids, containers and cutlery in the new Veridian™ line include the word "Compostable," display the BPI Certification Mark signifying that the material is compostable, and feature green or brown identification elements like tinting and striping that further help distinguish them from their non-compostable counterparts.

The choice between biobased, biodegradable materials and recycled alternatives has thus far presented a dilemma. With Luminy® PLA bioplastics technology, this compromise is no longer necessary. Today, recycled biodegradable biopolymers, such as rPLA, stand as a commercially viable option, boasting a quality on par with virgin materials.

Ericsson joined forces with Deutsche Telekom of Germany and Swisscom of Switzerland to conduct initial tests of the new recyclable packaging solution. The project's primary objective is to offer a more sustainable packaging option and maintain the high structural integrity necessary for safeguarding heavy-duty electronic products during the shipping process.

The company says the ACP-722 RRP offers one of the smallest footprints currently available, being up to 50% smaller than equivalent casepacker models.

The single directional flow design produces a ‘lean and compact’ line layout which can also accommodate twin lines, with top speed of 20 cases per minute.

Key to the machine’s small size is the combination of case infeed and alignment, bag sorting and packing as well as case closing and sealing in one single compact unit, removing the need for additional conveyors.

Snacks like sugar coated nuts, chocolate or dried fruit are typically packed in pouches. As the material tends to be sturdy, there is a risk of using too much effort when opening the pouch, increasing the risk of breaking it altogether.

Walki is now introducing a new, easy-open pouch concept for the fast-growing snack segment.

“We set out to innovate a pouch that consumers can open in a controlled and easy way”, explains Andreas Rothschink, Head of Product Development and Technical Service, Consumer Packaging (Business Area) at Walki Group.

Scientists at King’s College London, UK, have developed a way to chemically recycle single-use bioplastics commonly used in disposable items such as coffee cups and food containers. The approach is 84 times faster than the 12-week-long industrial composting process used for recycling bioplastic materials, say the chemists.

Dive Brief:

• Grocers in Ottawa, Canada, are collaborating to develop a highly localized reuse pilot that’s anticipated to run between late April 2024 and March 2025.