Page 8 - Packaging New magazine Jan-Feb 2023

NEWS
Ball & Doggett to distribute Sappi’s barrier papers
AS ADOPTION OF paper-based flex- ible packaging finds lift off in the Australian market, Ball & Doggett has signed an agreement with Sappi to distribute its sus- tainable barrier papers, tipped to provide the sought-after barrier functionality in paper-based food packaging where brand owners are looking to make the switch from flexible plastics and foils.
For Ball & Doggett, Australia’s largest distributor of printable materials and consumables, this partnership bolsters the com- pany’s ever-expanding product offering. This is its first foray into the flexible materials space and this move, the company says, solidifies its ongoing commit- ment to bringing innovative and sustainable solutions to the local market.
Sappi is a producer of func- tional papers with integrated barrier functionality and heat- sealing properties. These papers for flexible packaging, which Ball
& Doggett will distribute, come with integrated barriers against oxygen, water vapour, grease, aroma, and mineral oil.
According to Sappi, the inte- grated barriers mitigate the need to apply special coatings or laminations, an innovative development that meets market demand for alternatives to foils and plastic.
Lou Tsoukalas, national man- ager for Flexible Packaging at Ball
Left: Lou Tsoukalas, national manager
– Flexible Packaging, Ball & Doggett (left) and Craig Brown, managing director, Sappi Australasia seal the deal.
& Doggett said the partnership with Sappi signals their further expansion into the flexibles mar- ket. “We continue to diversify our product offering at Ball & Doggett and present sustainable alternatives where fit for pur- pose.” Tsoukalas said. “This is an exciting space in the Labels & Packaging division of our busi- ness and is experiencing sustained growth stemming from continuous product innovation.”
“The partnership will be a huge benefit for customers needing a quick turnaround as new busi- ness opportunities are created for barrier papers.” says Craig Brown, managing director of Sappi Australasia. “Having stock available from Ball & Doggett’s warehouses in Australia, will bring a more efficient and timely pro- cess to what is a long lead-time out of our European manufactur- ing base,” Brown explains. “We have found that new business can be a long and expensive process from concept, to trials, to orders and having stock on the floor will help streamline that.”
This partnership grants Ball & Doggett distribution rights for three of Sappi’s paper-based pack- aging grades, enabling it to offer customers a paper-based pack- aging solution with integrated heat-sealing function, and two high-barrier paper-based packag- ing solutions to replace multi-layer barrier films. ■
Amcor, Licella sign advanced recycling MOU
IN LATE DECEMBER last year, Amcor signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
Australian-based technology pio- neer Licella Holdings, which sees the packaging giant invest in one of Australia’s first plastic advanced recycling facilities.
The agreement supports Amcor and Licella’s commitment to cre- ating a local circular economy for soft plastics in Australia, and helps advance Amcor’s target to achieve 30 per cent recycled con- tent across its portfolio by 2030.
“Amcor is proud to be part of
the solution, supporting the devel- opment of new technologies and creating a local circular economy for soft plastics in Australia,” said Mike Cash, president of Amcor Flexibles Asia-Pacific.
“We are proud to be able to help deliver a local supply of food-grade recycled content that can enable more customers to participate in a circular economy.”
Located in Melbourne, stage one of the proposed facility is expected to process 20,000 tonnes per annum of waste plastic utilis- ing Licella’s pioneering Cat-HTR technology, and will rely on col- lections activities to divert soft plastic waste from landfill or incineration.
Stage one of the project has already received approval from the Victorian Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). “Licella and Amcor share a
vision for a more sustainable future for plastic,” said Dr Len Humphreys, CEO of Licella Holdings.
“We are delighted to partner with Amcor as we develop our first Australian advanced recycling facility, with our Cat-HTR tech- nology that enables soft plastic to be repeatedly recycled into food- grade post-consumer recycled content, which is rapidly increas- ing in demand both locally and globally.”
Amcor ANZ and Licella also col- laborated on Licella’s feasibility study, which validated a local sup- ply chain for food-grade recycled soft plastic, and demonstrated the economic and environmental ben- efits of the proposed facility. ■
8 ❙ JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2023
WWW.PACKAGINGNEWS.COM.AU