Page 47 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

November-December 2018
www.packagingnews.com.au PACKAGING INNOVATION
TOKYO PACK
47
FOCUS ON FOOD WASTE AND PLASTICS
KICKING off an Asian packaging industry seminar, the Japan Institute of Certified Packaging Professionals (ICPPJ) shared findings of a two-year project on the future of global packaging to 2030 and beyond, assessing impacts of technological advances in the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Packaging (IoP), big data, smart logistics and sustainable plastics.
Japan will continue under strain from declining birthrate and aging population. In 2030, over-65s will be make up close to a third of the population (30.2 per cent) and a fifth (20.2 per cent) will be over 75 years. Based on the facts, packaging industry leaders are calling for action: “For global growth, the packaging industry of Japan must go beyond enhancing our own technical advantages to also develop products and packaging that meet overseas demand.”
Japan’s estimated 6,460,000 tons of food that’s lost in the system is the target of “Motte- nai Food”, a government-backed, food-loss saving movement, reported project leader Michio Shimada. It’s hoped that advanced packaging and supply chain technologies can take a bite out of the waste mountain.
pon Paper Foodpac started produc- tion and supply of biodegradable plas- tic straws and lids for drinking cups for fast food chains. The business has a PLA (polylactic acid) based straw in commercial use and a paper straw in development. In Thailand, a micro- wavable 100 per cent virgin natural pulp moulded tray made from euca- lyptus, suitable for hot and cold food, is on the market under the Fest brand.
PLANTIC EYES JAPAN
Plantic came to Tokyo looking for en- try points to the Japanese market for food trays made from recycled and re- newable plant sources. The Kururay owned company is active in Austra- lian home markets, in New Zealand and Europe. In the recycling process, a thin plant-starch layer of the PET con- struction ‘uniquely’ washes away and allows the PET to be recycled. An ani- mated version of Kururay’s alpaca mascot stars in corporate TV adverts in Japan, so why not at home in Austra- lia, wonders Momoko Saiki, of the Kururay Eval Division.
NEW FOR OLD
Toppan’s 900ml Airhold pouch spec- ified by detergent manufacturers is being developed as an “ultra dura- ble” pouch to widen the use to paints and alcoholic drinks. An alternative option to metal and glass, it can dis- rupt a category and cut transport costs, says Toppan general manager Chihiro Sakamaki. The new version runs on standard standup pouch fill- ing machinery so a company can run tests with its own products.
A new GL film at 12 micron thick is claimed strong enough for retortable pouches and can be transparent. By avoiding aluminium it reduces CO2 and VOC emissions, claims Toppan.
Toppan shared its idea of next-gen- eration packaging production with a
LEFT: Australian Paper exhibited as part of Nippon Paper Industries, to gain exposure
for products such as Supergold.
BELOW: Kuraray’s Momoko Saiki with the company’s alpaca mascot.
BOTTOM: DNP spruiked an OPP mono-material pouch.
fully automatic packaging supplier, random picking cartoning system that picks the carton size for each purchase order and makes changes by sensor, and fills and seals by ro- bot. A labeller identifies objects, pro- duces a label and accurately applies it to order and an IoT-driven produc- tion control system links production data to machine preventive mainte- nance, feeding off the output of sens- ing devices. Any human activity that still exists is monitored and re- corded via Bluetooth.
MAKING THE COMPLEX SIMPLE
DNP (Dai Nippon Printing) focused on environmental benefits of a thinner OPP mono-material pouch that’s “easy to recycle”, and new barrier CPP film that retains its in- tegrity and does not crack, which can be supplied immediately on competitive terms. Also promoted was a pouch film of PET/CPP/Nylon with sugar cane in the PET layer, and a bio CPP and bio Nylon are in
Japan’s five top convenience
store chains have agreed to
introduce IC (integrated circuit)
tags for all products by 2025,
amounting to some 100 billion
items annually. The Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry
has called for the “one-yen tag”
and an RFID-ready retail
environment to be in place by
then. Evidence has “increased
understanding that plastics are
not good for society,” says Shimada. “We must be focusing our efforts on collection of plastics in the world today and reusing them.”
In June 2018, Japan declined to put its name to a G7 charter that outlines a “resource-effi- cient lifecycle management approach to plastics in the economy”. ICPPJ project adviser Toshio Arita acknowledged that Japan had been “indifferent” to what it saw as a problem for other countries but it now understood the global nature of plastics pollution. Historically, Japan has diverted municipal waste from landfill by relying on incineration with energy recovery, resulting in a low rate (around 20 per cent)
of material recovery.
“I’d like to reassure you that what we’ve been doing in the past is not acceptable [and] once Japan becomes committed to a cause that is important they will make efforts for the best
possible outcomes,” Arita said.
Michio Shimada, ICPPJ Insight to Packaging Future to 2030 project leader.