Page 41 - Packaging News Magazine May-June 2020

May-June 2020 | www.packagingnews.com.au | FOOD PACKAGING
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All about sustainability
Innova Market Insights records a 16.4 per cent growth in F&B products using biodegradable packaging and a 53.9 per cent growth in compostable F&B products.”
blockchain are increasingly deployed as tools to elevate engagement and transparency. In China, for example, 50 per cent of consumers scan QR codes several times a week, predominantly with the hope of gaining financial rewards, according to a recent SIG con- sumer survey.
Danone recently launched a dual QR code data service for baby formula applications that gives consumers and retailers greater transparency on the product’s farm-to-fork journey. In Australia and New Zealand, Danone uses the dual QR code on its Aptamil and Karicare brands. The Track & Connect service also allows Danone to better understand consumer prefer- ences. Also, Danone’s Spanish natural mineral water brand Font Vella intro- duced a cap device that tracks water intake and instructs people toward adequate hydration.
IoP technologies can also be employed to fend off food waste. Researchers at Imperial College London, UK, developed a smart- phone-linked, biodegradable spoilage sensor for meat and fish packaging. A simple tap of an NFC-enabled smart- phone on the package’s “freshness sensor” provides a digital readout of the product’s actual freshness, which
has teamed up with Veolia in India and Indonesia, Berry with Georgia- Pacific Recycling in the US and Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) with Viridor in Germany and the UK. In Australia, Licella and BioLogiQ joined forces to accelerate the commercialization of Cat-HTR technology to chemically recycle post-consumption plastic that would otherwise not be recycled. Meanwhile, Nestlé partnered with Australian recycler iQ Renew to trial soft plastic recycling from over 100,000 households through kerbside recycling.
Leading the recycled plastics race, 100 per cent recycled bottles are a more common occurrence and mak- ing market entry across numerous cat- egories. Coca-Cola Amatil announced that all plastic bottles smaller than one litre and water bottles across all sizes would be made entirely from recycled plastic in New Zealand and Australia, by the end of 2019, includ- ing leading brands Coca-Cola, Sprite, Powerade, Fanta, and Pump water. Other packaging formats, such as con- tainers, are making up ground, exem- plified by Amcor’s launch of a 100 per cent rPET container – the first in the multivitamin segment.
Fuelling a high-quality supply of PCR is a growing number of packag- ing solutions that are recyclable by design. Prominent here is the devel- opment of mono-material film solu- tions, such as Mondi-Unilever’s poly- propylene (PP) mono-material pouch for the Knorr dry soup powder range and Berry bpi Group’s X-Enviro lami- nate range, which overcome the non- recyclable issues related to
multi-material films dominating the market. “Recyclable By Design” was Innova’s top packaging trend for 2019, from which this year’s “Plastics come full circle” extends.
Demonstrating how far recycled plastic usage has come, Australian packaging supplier Pact Group revealed in July 2019 that it now has the capacity to use up to 100 per cent locally sourced rPET in its food grade packaging.
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As recyclability and end-of-life cycle become increasingly important issues for consumers, suppliers have been working on sustainable alternatives to Styrofoam-based peanuts, commonly used for insulation and as a filler mate- rial. Notable solutions include Kom- packt’s insulated packaging made from jute, which provides a Styrofoam-free mail-order solution for businesses.
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As IoT technologies
become ubiquitous, QR codes,
Near Field Communication and
ABOVE: Fabbri Group produces the highly transparent stretch film Nature Fresh, based on BASF’s certified compostable ecovio.
PACKING AN E-PUNCH
Incessant growth in online retail channels and the rising demand for corrugated board is taking e-com- merce packaging into a brave new world. Moreover, it is opening up an array of brand enhancement opportu- nities, particularly through the con- sumer unboxing experience and so- called “wow factor” effects, played out within the wider context of increased environmental sustainability demands.
INTERNET OF
PACKAGING