< Previous20 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING ®Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. © 2020 Sealed Air Corporation (US). All rights reserved. PROTECT YOUR READY MEALS, IMPRESS YOUR CUSTOMERS DON’T LET YOUR READY MEALS GET CONTAMINATED IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN. CRYOVAC® brand BDF® film provides maximum security with hermetic sealing and no flange contamination. It allows for hot-filling and in-pack pasteurization which extend shelf life and enhance food safety. Transparent, ultrathin film forms a neat pack and grants consumers full view of the content. Visit sealedair.com/bdf and request your food safety insurance White Rabbit Pizza Co adopt YPS’ plant-based packaging for plant-based pizzas Rising pizza powerhouse, The White Rabbit Pizza Co, have adopted Yorkshire Packaging Systems’ (YPS) B-NAT bio-based shrink film for its range of authentic Italian pizzas and stone- baked bases. Spotting a gap in the market for chilled alternative ‘free from’ pizzas back in 2017, The White Rabbit have crafted an innovative signature collection that includes vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free creations. Knowing that a shrink film layer avoids waste by keeping food fresher for longer, White Rabbit were searching for the most eco-friendly wrap possible. In June 2019, the company approached YPS who recommended its B-NAT bio-sourced shrink film, a unique polyolefin comprised of more than 40% sugarcane ethylene. After successful film trials on The White Rabbit’s existing shrink wrapping lines, the company placed their first order for film in only a matter of months and it was successfully rolled out in stores in March. To find out more, visit www.yps.co.uk. 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 3Food & Drink International 21 www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING UK aftersales spares and service support provided. www.robopac.co.uk Robopac, Unit 7 – 8 Highfield Parc, Highfield Road, Oakley, Bedfordshire, MK43 7TA Tel: 01234 825050 Fax: 01234 827070 Email: sales Turntable Wrapping Machines Rotating Arm Wrapping Machines Case Sealers & Erectors Self-Propelled Robot Wrapping Machines Horizontal Wrapping Machines See us at Stand J60 initiative in the UK, wherein new food packaging will be made using plastic collected from beaches and coastline. The initiative will initially prevent over 60 tonnes of plastic from being introduced to the ocean per year - equal to 2.5 million plastic water bottles. Commitments from brands range widely, but many are now extending efforts past simply using recycled plastic. Plans are being produced that address all phases of packaging lifecycles, from sourcing to end of life. In May, Campbell Soup Company committed to a four-point packaging sustainability plan to reduce packaging waste by increasing circularity. In this instance, the company said it will transition all packaging to recyclable or industrially compostable designs and materials by 2030, increase use of post- consumer recycled content and incorporate twenty-five post- consumer recycled content into polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by 2030, help increase recycling rates through labelling by including the How2Recycle label on one hundred per cent of packaging by 2022 and expand access to recycling and advance the development of infrastructure to improve the collection and recycling of packaging by building and investing in partnerships with peers and industry groups. The food industry continues to look for sustainable replacements to single use plastics, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene amongst other materials. While one hundred per cent recycled rPET material is being introduced, bio-based materials are a key focus area, such as corn starch, which has been used in cups, takeaway containers and in food box linings. Simultaneously, milk protein has been utilised to form water soluble, biodegradable thermoplastic pellets for chocolate, cereal bar, lids and sauce packaging, Chitin from discarded seafood has been used to create 23 Á © Shutterstock /Alina Kholopova 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 422 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING i2r wins Alufoil Trophy with innovative container i2r Packaging Solutions has been awarded a coveted Alufoil Trophy 2020 in the Resource Efficiency category for its multi-award winning smoothwall container, i2r Ultra™. The Alufoil Trophy competition is organised by EAFA (the European Aluminium Foil Association), as a showcase for excellence and innovation using aluminium foil. The competition is open to products that are either made from aluminium foil or contain aluminium foil as part of a laminate, structure or packaging system, as well as aluminium closures. Commenting on i2r’s entry, head of the judges, Veith Behrmann, Group Packaging Manager for Nestlé Nespresso, said: “Often we do not appreciate how much thought and effort goes into improving aluminium foil containers. Here, even small things can make a big difference. “The pack has gone through a transformational rethink, which has resulted in a stronger container using 10% less material. That is a significant and sustainable achievement worthy of recognition.” For more information, visit www.i2rps.com. Mini Air Pro air cushion system, producing 100% recyclable air cushion on demand an employee-owned business kitepackaging.co.uk 100% recyclable material Air cushioning for requiring less storage space 900m roll equivalent to approx 10 rolls of large bubble wrap Mini Air EasiMini Air Classic Entry level system producing air cushion on demand Ideal for under 100 parcels per machine per day Mid-level system producing air cushion on demand Ideal for 100 - 400 parcels per machine per day Advanced system producing air cushion on demand Ideal for over 400 parcels per machine per day 02476 420068 Includes 1 free roll and 40m wrapper available 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 5Food & Drink International 23 www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING Finland real meal maker reduces plastic packaging with Sealed Air solution Based in Tampere area, Saarioinen is a family-owned business and Finland’s market leader for fresh ready meals. They produced their first ready-meals in Finland in 1957 and began their long partnership with Sealed Air back in 1960 through the packaging of their whole chickens. Finns love pizza, and Saarioinen is Finland’s largest pizza maker. Their pizzas are baked at their Valkeakoski factory and they produce an impressive 12 million pizzas a year. The challenge Saarioinen’s main pizza product is economically priced, yet the company aims to strengthen their position in the high- quality pizza segment by investigating modern packaging solutions which use less plastic and deliver a fresh look with excellent presentation. The existing packaging for the half-cooked premium pizzas was a rigid (plastic) PET-tray (MAP) with a plastic film lid. The solution In light of their long relationship with the company, in 2019 Saarioinen approached Sealed Air for a solution to their challenge. Sealed Air recommended CRYOVAC® brand BDF® flow-wrap system. Saarioinen understood that CRYOVAC® brand BDF® is the perfect solution to fulfil their needs of presentation coupled with reduced plastic. For this project, Sealed Air worked closely with machinery partner ULMA, and recommended an Ulma FM 300C (flowpack wrapper for HFFS) and CRYOVAC CJ63 (hot air shrink tunnel). The pizza is placed on a recyclable card tray and CRYOVAC® brand BDF® is used to wrap around the product which is then sealed in the shrink tunnel. By switching to this new packaging, Saarioinen has reduced the amount of plastic in their pizza packaging from 75g to just 5g – a reduction of 93% plastic content! With the same amount of plastic, Saarioinen can now pack 15 times more pizzas with CRYOVAC® brand BDF®. For more information, visit www.sealedair.com. flexible, biodegradable and antimicrobial film to wrap products in, seaweed has been used to create 200 ml edible bubbles of liquid for marathons, and mushroom-based materials are being employed as polystyrene alternatives. Further plant-based plastics established on the market include those based on renewable wood pulp, corn, wheat, bamboo, sugarcane, and bagasse. Compostable plastics are also of interest as sustainable packaging alternatives - with seventy per cent of citizens believing these to be better for the environment than other types of packaging - and could be particularly useful for flexible packaging which contains food residue. However they should be avoided where there is potential for them to contaminate conventional plastics recycling, and clear labelling on their disposal should be in place, for instance what can be composted at home and not. WRAP highlights the best potential uses for compostable packaging, pointing to fruit and vegetable stickers, tea bags, coffee pods and ready meal trays. Of course it is not only plastic in packaging that negatively impacts the environment and 25 Á © Shutterstock /Erlo Brown 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 624 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING Innovia launches Encore carbon neutral BOPP films Innovia Films is launching Encore, a new family of functional recyclable BOPP films which are carbon neutral and manufactured from renewable non-food based raw materials. The first film in the range to be promoted is Encore REF30b. A 30 micron film that is a low temperature heat seal film, sealable on both sides. It is ideal for use in high speed form-fill-seal and overwrap applications giving excellent hot-tack and seal integrity. It is treated on one side to facilitate printing and lamination processes. Steve Langstaff, Business Manager, Packaging, states: “We have calculated using our Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) that by using certified renewable polymer we can determine that Encore film is carbon neutral. This represents our first step in our journey with the next being products with recycled content. The renewable polymer is managed through ISCC PLUS chain of custody. They are suitable for use in all market segments currently using BOPP films.” To find out more, visit www.innoviafilms.com. 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 7Food & Drink International 25 www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING Kite expands product range to support warehouse and logistic operations Kite Packaging has expanded its pallet and load stability range, providing users with a wide range of solutions for their operations. Pallet boxes Kite’s pallet box without a pallet is the ideal solution for customers who already have pallets and just require the tray, cap and sleeve pallet box. The benefits is that it can either be used purely as a large box for storage, can be placed on top of an existing pallet, or used with Kite’s individual corrugated pallet runners. Sanstrap pallet bands Produced from 100% recyclable 40-micron Polyethylene film and 100% recyclable, Kite’s offering of Sanstrap pallet bands provide great stability, keeping products secure whilst in transit or storage. Polypropylene strapping kits Recently expanded, Kite’s polypropylene strapping kit range now includes a strapping kit with a combination tool that performs both the tensioning & sealing. To find out more, visit www.kitepackaging.co.uk. sustainability of packaging, elements like the metal inside crisp packets and confectionary wrappers which needs to be torn off for plastic to be recycled is a problem. Working to address this, Oxford University researchers have created a film that can block gases and water vapours with a nano sheet made of non-toxic synthetic clays stabilised with amino acids. Other exciting developments in sustainable food packaging have seen banana plantation waste transformed into a biodegradable and recyclable packaging material. Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot and Professor Martina Stenzel from the University of New South Wales are behind the innovative material which utilises pseudostems – the layered, fleshy trunk of the plant that is cut down after each harvest and mostly discarded. The pseudostem is chopped, dried at low temperatures in a drying oven, and then milled into a fine powder which is washed with a very soft chemical treatment that isolates nano-cellulose. When processed, the material has a consistency similar to baking paper. Depending on the intended thickness, the material could be used in numerous different formats in food packaging and tests show it to be non-toxic, biodegradable and recyclable. Meanwhile, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed polydiketoenamine, a polymer that can be manufactured, recycled and reused without losing its properties or value. It’s not always about reinventing the wheel when it comes to investigating sustainable packaging options, with many looking to Forest Steward Council certified paperboard from sustainably managed forests. PepsiCo is testing moulded pulp and paperboard packaging to replace plastic rings on six pack beverages. Consideration must also be given to the tricky aspects of moving to sustainable packaging. Sustainable solutions must be able to protect food, guarding against humidity, light, pressure and bacteria. Furthermore such packaging switches can impact coding and marking, packaging weight, convenience and shipping. Making food and drink packaging sustainable is about more than using sustainable, renewable and recycled materials, though, with how it is sourced, manufactured, transported, recycled, and how that impacts the environment just as important. © Shutterstock /Ink Drop 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 826 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING - WOOLCOOL Sustainable packaging pioneers Woolcool are used to thinking in an innovative way. After more than 10 years perfecting the use of real wool as an insulator for chilled packaging, the award-winning UK firm has the flexibility to meet the needs of the many food and drink firms who use their products, from household names like Abel & Cole, to small start-ups. So, when the Coronavirus crisis brought a spike in interest from food and drink companies looking for chilled packaging solutions to deliver their produce beyond lockdown, the Woolcool team were ready. “The Woolcool approach has always been to work with our partners to provide sustainable packaging that is tailored entirely to their needs,” said Managing Director Josie Morris. “Our range of products has evolved to be remarkably flexible. That means that, as new partners engage with us, we can apply our expertise to create a bespoke solution in terms of design, size, portability and the components used.” The component at the heart of the Woolcool range is 100% real wool. Recyclable, reusable, biodegradable and naturally abundant, sheep’s wool provides the sustainable insulator inside Woolcool’s innovative chilled packaging range. And after more than a decade of research alongside Cambridge University and others, the firm has scientific and independent data to prove wool outperforms man-made insulators, such as polystyrene. Woolcool’s team boasts more than 40 years’ experience, providing the expertise needed to advise an influx of enquiries from firms seeking a sustainable way to deliver their produce. “We like to build a partnership with customers, using our expertise to advise and support them, but above all listening to what they want for their product,” Josie said. “The key to delivering chilled goods is to never let a customer down, and we have always had the attitude that we will go the extra mile for a partner.” That attitude has resulted in an array of sustainability awards for Woolcool, as well as Royal recognition in the form of a Queen’s Award for Industry, for Innovation – perhaps the greatest accolade a UK business can get. Woolcool is also the first UK packaging company of its kind to gain B-Corp status, joining a worldwide community of firms who have pledged to put social and environmental impact on the same level as profitability. Key to all this success has been an inclusive team mentality that not only includes Woolcool employees but extends to bringing cherished clients and partners into what is often called the ‘Woolcool family’. And that team has risen to the challenges created by a spike in inquiries just as the need to self-distance became evident. By carefully instigating social distancing policies and adjusting shift patterns, Woolcool has been able to meet the demand brought by so many food and drink companies moving to delivery models. “Successfully operating during the pandemic has been about asking the right questions: what is the right thing to do, the safe way to operate, how do we protect our team whilst giving our partners the service they expect. The way our team has reacted to the crisis has been inspirational,” Josie said. Innovation the key to success for sustainable packaging pioneers Woolcool For further details Tel: +44 (0)1785 262030 Email: sales@woolcool.com Visit: www.woolcool.com 18-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 918-27.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2020 13:29 Page 10Though flow measurement technology is prevalent across several industrial sectors – including wastewater, laboratories and natural gas – the food industry, perhaps more than any other, is the most prevalent user. This is likely down the sheer number of applications that require flow measurement and control of one kind or another, from aeration of food and measuring ingredient quantities, to carbonating and packaging. As with any other equipment that comes into contact with food and drink products, it’s important to consider how flow meters can affect taste quality. An issue which should be of particular concern to products with a mild flavour or those with none at all – such as bottled water. It’s therefore Flower measurement plays a crucial role right across the food and drink supply chain, not just in a manufacturing context, but also in retail and hospitality settings. Here, Food and Drink International explores the importance of flow measurement, highlights the various types of flow meters available, as well as some of the other challenges facing manufacturers. flow Maintaining 28 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FLOW MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL advantageous to use non-metallic wetted components which won’t affect the taste of a food or beverage product. There’s more than flavour at stake, with subpar meters potentially rendering a product unfit for human consumption. Avoiding such outcomes can be significantly diminished by selecting flow meters made with anti- corrosion and anti-rust materials. Typically, meters are made from a shell of stainless steel with movement parts incorporating special materials with optimised design. The importance of health and safety can’t be overstated, and so in order to avoid contamination, inline devices must be hermetically sealed. Moving parts, meanwhile, must be structurally sound and clean of lubricants. Moreover, meters should be easy to clean when pipes are flushed between batches. Of course, clamp-on meters preclude many of these issues by attaching to the outside of the pipe, but often this comes with a decrease in accuracy. Ensuring products aren’t tainted remains as crucial during manufacturing as later down the supply chain, with flow meters indispensable during 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2020 12:39 Page 1Food & Drink International 29 www.fdiforum.net FLOW MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL 30 Á © Shutterstock /MOLPIX bottling, cartoning, canning and the jarring of food and drink products, delivering the exact amount of product every time. A product that is even marginally under or over the weight specified on its label is enough to prompt a recall which can be costly even under the best of circumstances. Never mind the potential reputational damage. There are so many different flow meters on the market designed to meet specific industry needs, so finding the right one is critical if not always easy. Therefore, it’s important to understand the advantages and drawbacks of each type so it can meet a manufacturer’s specific requirements. One of the most commonly found flow meters are electromagnetic. These volumetric meters contain no moving parts and are ideally suited where low pressure drop and low maintenance are required. They work by using Faraday’s Law which, simply defined, states that voltage induced across any conductor as it moves at right angles 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2020 12:39 Page 2Next >