From March 22 onwards, all Damm’s cans, which are supplied by Ball Corporation, are certified according to ASI’s Standards for responsible production, sourcing and stewardship. The certification covers packaging and storage of beer in cans, as well as related activities including design, packaging and storage of finished products, waste management and storage, and the recovery of waste, including end consumer’s packaging waste. As consumers demand greater sustainability from their packaged goods, the ASI scheme aims to do for aluminium what the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) did for paper and wood, making sustainability performance a mainstream issue.

As part of the Performance Standard certification, Damm’s life cycle thinking, product design, emissions reduction plans and management of natural resources and waste in its breweries were audited. The Chain of Custody certification covers verified practices – certified under the ASI Performance Standard – from mining and remelting to aluminium casting, rolling, can manufacturing and filling.

The ASI certification also acknowledges Damm’s work in raising awareness of aluminium recycling, through the 349 can compactors it places every year along the Mediterranean coast. As well as this pioneering initiative in the drinks sector, the company partners organisations that promote responsibility among producers and recycling.

The ASI was founded over 10 years ago by representatives from the aluminium industry and industrial users of aluminium, and from research and policy organisations and society in general,  with the aim of promoting greater sustainability and transparency throughout the aluminium industry. Since 2017, organizations have been able to seek ASI certification and more than 160 organisations have joined the ASI as members, demonstrating their commitment to responsible aluminium sourcing.

Carey Causey, President, Ball Beverage Packaging, EMEA, said: “Today’s announcement represents a landmark moment as we bring together our customers’ ambitions to contribute to a genuinely sustainable economy, with the circular potential of the aluminium beverage can, the world’s most recycled beverage package. Damm’s more than 25 iconic beer brands are enjoyed by consumers in more than 133 countries. We have relished working with such a forward-thinking company that is meeting the increasing demand for sustainable products from consumers and society.”

Ball was the first can maker to receive ASI certification, across all of its 23 can making plants in Europe, Middle East and Africa, during 2020.
 
Damm’s continued commitment to sustainability
Commitment to caring for the environment forms part of Damm's corporate culture and is one of the main strategic pillars of the company, whose executive chairman is Demetrio Carceller Arce. This was confirmed by the chief executive at the last General Shareholders' Meeting, where accelerating the company's environmental agenda to continue being the most sustainable beer company was identified as a priority.

To minimise its impact on the planet, Damm has programmes aimed at the continuous improvement of industrial processes that use less raw and other materials, as well as initiatives to promote energy efficiency in all production centres and circular economy actions.

The company encourages ecological packaging design, reducing the total amount of materials used while constantly increasing the percentage of recycled raw materials, and improving recyclability. As of the 1st of December 2020, all Estrella Damm can multipack holders are made with 100% biodegradable cardboard; plastic rings have been eliminated. This was a pioneering project in the brewing industry that will mean a reduction in the use of over 260 tonnes of plastic per year, the equivalent of almost 89 million plastic rings. The suppliers that manufacture the cardboard for the packs are PEFC and FSC certified, guaranteeing that all the cardboard and paper used comes from responsibly and sustainably managed forests, thereby helping to combat climate change and protect biodiversity.

Damm has also eliminated printed plastic shrink wrap from six, twelve and twenty-four packs of Estrella Damm cans, which will mean a reduction of 99 tonnes of plastic per year. The plastic has been replaced by new cardboard packaging made with natural fibres from trees from sustainably managed forests with PEFC certification.

As a result of the pandemic, consumers now place significantly more value on food safety and hygiene and see sustainability as increasingly important as we emerge from the crisis, according to a recent McKinsey survey1. ProducePack Punnet offers growers and retailers the opportunity to cater to increased consumer demand for hygiene while also prioritizing sustainability.

Designed with optimum operational efficiency in mind, ProducePack Punnet can be top-sealed at speeds equivalent to traditional plastic punnets. The sustainable solution works with existing machinery and tooling for plastic trays, meaning that minimal investment is required for packers looking to make the switch to paperboard.

For brands and retailers, the pack has been proven to offer equivalent shelf life to plastic for certain produce items while reducing the potential for food waste. A range of board and barrier options is available, which have all been selected to ensure the package remains robust in cold storage and throughout the supply chain. ProducePack Punnet can be supplied formed or flat, the latter offering CO2 reductions in transit due to higher punnet tray volume per truckload.

In line with Graphic Packaging’s Design for the Environment (DfE) approach, its features can be customized to suit various markets and potential applications. From tomatoes to berries and more, the unique solution ensures sustainability is at the forefront at each stage of the manufacturing process. ProducePack Punnet can also be graphically printed to maximize branding opportunities without the need for additional labelling.

Elodie Bugnicourt, sustainability manager at Graphic Packaging International, said: “ProducePack Punnet delivers a 90 percent reduction in plastic when compared to polypropylene or polyester trays, and a 100 percent reduction if a barrier coating is not necessary for the application. It is expected to provide carbon footprint reduction versus standard fossil plastic trays and a much greater circularity with an average paperboard recycling rate of more than double that of plastics, on average, in most countries. The interest we received in ProducePack was extraordinary following its launch earlier this year. ProducePack Punnet now extends the range to new applications such as berries, enabling our customers to reap the environmental benefits of paperboard packaging in a wider variety of fresh produce applications.”

Ricardo De Genova, Graphic Packaging’s SVP, global innovation and new business development, added: “As growers and producers look to move towards recyclable fiber-based solutions, they can count on our expertise to deliver value-added innovation as well as like-for-like functionality versus traditional plastic trays. Aligned with our Vision 2025 and DfE methodology, this launch is another example of how we can partner with customers to accelerate the transition to a more circular economy.”

PFE tested a bag made with two layers of film and a polyethylene closure. The outer layer, made of Scholle IPN’s RecShield^®, is a barrier film specifically designed to keep unwanted flavors from migrating through the film into the water. The inner layer consists of Scholle IPN’s proprietary film technology, known as 2Pure™, which contains scavenging technology that protects the taste of the packaged water.

Teresa Bernal-Lara, Ph.D., Film Development Manager for Scholle IPN, said of the recyclability testing protocols, “A new film technology cannot simply be put out in the world and touted as recyclable—it must go through testing to be recognized as such. The testing performed by PFE compared an all-polyethylene film and closure to Scholle IPN’s innovative RecShield^® and 2Pure™ option along with a polyethylene spout and tap. The samples were reduced to flakes which were then extruded into pellets and successfully re-blown into film that can be used to produce new flexible packaging, a truly circular solution. Scholle IPN’s water packaging performed beyond the minimum threshold for compliance set forth in APR’s Critical Guidance Protocol for PE Film and Flexible Packaging (FPE-CG-01) and we have received a letter of recognition from APR for this achievement.”

“Delivering liquid products in the best, most efficient way possible is what Scholle IPN does,” stated David Bellmore, Director of Global Film and Package Development for Scholle IPN. “Our bag-in-box bag and tap make up less than 5% of the overall package weight—with corrugate making up the balance. According to the EPA, corrugate packaging is recycled at a 96.5% rate while PET and HDPE bottles are recycled just 29% of the time. That means our package will not only offer a recycle-ready bag and tap, but around 95% of the overall package by weight is likely to be recycled. Environmentally speaking, plastic water bottles simply don’t match up with bag-in-box.”

Ross Bushnell, President and CEO of Scholle IPN, added “Source reduction is a powerful step in the mitigation of our carbon footprint. By reducing the amount of plastic required to get our customer’s liquids to their end-market, we ensure that there is less waste throughout the product lifecycle. Our new flexible water packaging provides for recyclability where possible while also ensuring critical source reduction that saves our Earth’s diminishing resources for future use.”

Scholle IPN’s recycle-ready bag-in-box packaging for water is now available.

To start its "green" initiative, Miami-based Burger King, a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR), will switch up the materials used for its forks, spoons, knives, straws, drink lids, french fry pods, Whopper wrappers and napkins.

For example, fry pods will be made with renewable unbleached virgin paperboard. Cutlery will be made with the plant-based plastic cPLA. Napkins will be made with 100% recyclable fiber, according to a statement from Burger King.

The local pilot program will allow employees to gauge customer feedback for its nationwide rollout of sustainable packaging, planned within the next year.

Burger King recently partnered with Canada-based Loop to reduce its footprint of disposables. The fast-food chain already intends to introduce Loop packaging in New York, Portland and Tokyo, and the company is looking to extend that program to Paris and London, too.

A Burger King spokesperson would not comment on the cost differences of sustainable packaging for franchisees.

The company had just over 18,600 Burger King locations by the end of 2020, according to Restaurant Brands International's 2020 annual report. The majority of Burger King locations are owned and managed by franchisees.

Restaurant Brands International also owns Miami-based Popeyes and Toronto-based Tim Hortons.

DUO is the first aerosol dispenser that produces two different spray rates from a single device. This revolutionary dispenser allows a precise delivery for any purpose. Whether spraying large or small surfaces, on the body or in the face, with an easy 180° flip you can choose the mode that suits your dosing needs best. DUO is suited for dispensing an endless variety of products and formulations. Any company that wishes to try its formulation in DUO is invited to contact Pronova for testing.

Furthermore, the AeroFocus™ DUO does not come alone, but has a ‘little brother’ called MONO: a single-spray device with the sole purpose to spray precise and minute amounts of product, ideal for applying a product with high precision, directly into the face or on small surfaces, while preventing leaking, dripping, and wastage.

Check out the product presentation and video on www.aero-focus.com and get in touch with Pronova if you want to extend your aerosol product range and claim your exclusivity!

Visit www.pronovalaboratories.com for more information about the company and its portfolio, or contact aerofocus@pronovalab.com.

Hoffmann Neopac, a provider of responsible packaging for a broad array of industries and applications, has introduced a lighter plastic tube solution comprising up to 30% less virgin materials. The latest addition to the company’s EcoDesign series of eco-friendly tubes, the new Lightweight Tube aligns with packaging industry desires to minimize carbon footprint and materials waste.
 
Brand owners in various sectors are increasingly looking to reduce or replace the use of virgin plastic packaging materials to enhance their products’ sustainability profiles. The use of such lighter-weight packaging reduces both shipping costs and extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees.

Neopac’s Lightweight Tube is available in plastic tube diameters ranging from 30-50mm, and in four substrate varieties: Polyethelene and Recycled tubes, each with or without EVOH barrier. Material reduction is most prominent in the tubes’ wall thickness, which has been reduced from 0.5 mm to 0.35 mm without sacrificing exemplary haptics. Low profile closures are already in the pipeline to achieve maximum weight reduction in plastic tubes.
 
Neopac estimates that, in its own packaging manufacturing operations, the new tubes will eliminate the need for as much as 4.6 tons of HDPE materials per one million tubes produced. This translates to an overall carbon footprint reduction of about 8.6 tons of CO2 per million tubes manufactured. 
 
“Finding ways to reduce the overall amount of materials is mandatory for packaging suppliers to move toward ambitious sustainability goals,” said Cornelia Schmid, head of marketing for Hoffmann Neopac. “Always, a challenge is to boost a package’s eco-friendliness without sacrificing product protection or aesthetics. The new Lightweight Tubes are viable solutions for brand owners in a number of industries, helping meet increasing consumer desires for comprehensive product sustainability.”

Other solutions in Neopac’s EcoDesign portfolio include the Recycled Tube featuring 70% recycling material, 64% of which is PCR; the Sugarcane Tube, made from renewable raw materials; and the PICEA wood tube, comprised of 95% renewable material in the tube body and shoulder – including 10% of spruce wood from wood waste in sawmills.