< Previous30 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING BAG SEALING MACHINES RM Sealers remain a leading British manufacturer and supplier of high quality Bag Sealing Machines, also known as Rotary Band Sealers and Impulse Sealers. Call 01442 843387 to speak to a member of our team SEALERS © www.rmsealers.co.uk The evolution of food and drink packaging is being affected by numerous factors, with perhaps the most influential being sustainability, as consumer awareness over the environmental impact of their product choices continues to rise and they become willing to spend more on, specifically seek out and switch to sustainably packaged goods. As a result, companies across the food and drink industry have been making pledges and innovating, whether that relates to packaging materials chosen, coatings on products, or the biochemical and engineering processes involved in their creation. Tackling targets The world over, brands are setting and now hitting targets - particularly when it comes to plastic - with Corona for example recently becoming the first global beverage brand to achieve a net zero plastic footprint, meaning it recovers more plastic from the environment than it releases into the world. Meanwhile PepsiCo has committed to eliminating all virgin plastic from its Pepsi brand beverage bottles sold in nine EU markets by 2022. The company will package the beverages with plastics recycled from post-consumer packaging (recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or rPET), which takes less energy to make a plastic bottle from. PepsiCo estimates that the move to one hundred per cent rPET for these bottles will eliminate over 70,000 tonnes of virgin, fossil-fuel-based plastic per year, and lower carbon emissions per bottle by approximately forty per cent. The business has said that technological innovations in the use of recycled plastics in carbonated drink bottles, improvements in the appearance of recycled plastic, and greater availability of recycled materials on the market have made it possible for the company to accelerate this switch. Simultaneously, a plethora of industry bodies are 33 Á Sustainable alternatives surge Though the idea of using more sustainable packaging is not new, with consumers prepared to switch brands for environmentally friendly goods, innovation continues apace to provide novel options to the food and drink industry. 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:31 Page 1Food & Drink International 31 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING © Shutterstock /wee dezign BENCHTOP BAG SEALING MACHINE IMPULSE BAG SEALING MACHINE HORIZONTAL BAG SEALING MACHINE VERTICAL BAG SEALING MACHINE 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:32 Page 232 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net It’s M o re T h a n A B ox You put a lot into your products. Your customers benefit from that decision when purchasing online By making smart choices on your primary and secondary packaging you can deliver on your promise every day. Trust is important. We agree. We can help you deliver. Download our e-book Sealedair. co. uk/safe-shopping-home 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:32 Page 3Food & Drink International 33 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING Looking for assistance labelling your product? HERMA are committed to meeting your requirements With over 110 years’ experience of manufacturing labellers and labelling machines HERMA have a wealth of knowledge in providing both local and international customers with labelling solutions. Visit HERMA to see how they can help with your labelling requirements. Labelling Systems HERMA Labelling Systems, The Hollands Centre, Hollands Road, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 8PR Tel. 01440 763366 Email. sales@herma.co.uk Web: www.herma-labellingmachines.co.uk committing to new roadmaps to enhance the sustainability of food and drink packaging. The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) and its members - who are aiming to deliver the most sustainable packaging for resilient food supply systems, which is renewable, climate positive and circular - recently revealed a ten-year roadmap detailing goals for sustainable packaging, involving increasing the collection rate of beverage cartons to ninety per cent and recycling rate of beverage cartons to seventy per cent by 2030. It is also looking to make sure beverage cartons are only made from recycled and renewable materials, made of sustainably sourced materials, that they are fully recyclable, and are the packaging solution with the lowest carbon footprint. New material momentum While the use of recycled plastics continues to rise, primarily in beverages, with brands such as Danone’s Evian last year revealing a new fully recyclable mineral water bottle that is label free and (apart from the cap) made from one hundred per cent recycled PET, companies are also looking to other solutions to provide more sustainable packaging that can ensure freshness and food safety. Paper and board packaging is a popular, sustainable alternative, with even wine bottles now being made from recycled paper. Major collaborations are being formed to push this form of packaging forwards, with Diageo - covering brands including Smirnoff and Guinness - joining with Unilever, PepsiCo, and venture management company Pilot Lite to invest in sustainable packaging technology and launch Pulpex Limited, which has designed and developed a fully recyclable paper drinks bottle made from food-safe and sustainably 34 Á © Shutterstock /one photo 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:32 Page 434 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING sourced pulp. The cap is made of aluminium, and bottle contents are protected by a liner made from resin which, once the bottle is empty, disintegrates. Creating more sustainable glass packaging is also on the agenda for the food industry, and a mission to create the world’s most sustainable glass bottle has been called a success following initial results from a trial. Glass container manufacturer, Encirc, and industry research and technology organisation, Glass Futures, have proven that new bottles can be made from one hundred per cent recycled glass © Shutterstock /Mykolastock 36 Á Sappi Rockwell Solutions launches sustainable, coated lidding film Heat seal coating specialist, Sappi Rockwell Solutions, has developed its first sustainable, multi- substrate, heat sealing lidding film. Developed and manufactured in house, Starlid GPE-CL is an extrusion coated lidding film specifically formulated and processed on Sappi Rockwell’s solvent-free coating line. It is designed to outperform all other lidding films. Importantly, the Starlid GPE-CL coating can be applied onto any film including those with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. The company currently coats up to 60 percent PCR film, which is compatible with all tray types, including 100 percent rPET trays. Options for Starlid GPE-CL include Sappi Rockwell’s high-clarity anti-fog for optimised transparency and good oxygen and moisture vapour transmission rate barriers to increase product shelf-life. Moreover, the Starlid GPE-CL seals to all types of food packaging trays, including PP, paperboard and all PET variants. To find out more, visit www.rockwellsolutions.com. (minimising the lifetime impact of these products), using only the energy from burning ultra-low-carbon biofuels. On the more novel side, seaweed and plant- based packaging materials that naturally biodegrade in weeks, and are even edible, are being developed, PEF plastic (made entirely from plants) is being scaled up, and food processing company Lamb Weston has unveiled packaging sourced from the by- products of making French fries - corn and potato starches. Meanwhile, new research published in Nature Communications diverts attention away from fossil fuel single use plastics, making public the science behind a new plant protein substitute. University of Cambridge Knowles Lab researchers say they can create a polymer film from plant protein that is sustainable, scalable and one hundred per cent natural. The plant protein can be sourced as a by-product of the agriculture industry, and the subsequent material can be consumed in nature after use like any natural waste, with no pollutants left behind. The functionality of the material is said to be consistent with conventional plastic, but does not 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:32 Page 5What if food packaging came from responsibly managed forests? Hundreds of wildlife species are driven to extinction every year. But what if all food packaging came from forests that were managed to protect the plants, wildlife and people who live there? Today 100% of Tetra Pak ® carton packages are FSC™ (Forest Stewardship Council™) certified. But we won’t stop there. Our aim is to create cartons made solely from plant-based materials that are fully renewable, fully recyclable and sourced from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. It’s all part of our journey to deliver the world’s most sustainable food package. Learn more at gonature.tetrapak.com The FSC license code for Tetra Pak is FSC™ C014047 Go nature. Go carton. 191879_TetraPak_GNGC_Ad_Brazil_Food&Drink_International_210x297_Global.indd 101/06/2021 10.16 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:32 Page 636 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING Protect delicate items in transit 100% Recyclable an employee-owned business kitepackaging.co.uk Unique honeycomb shaped sleeve 02476 420065 Pinch top box includes a peel-&-seal strip 100% recyclable & 100% biodegradable No tape or glue required Can be purchased individually or as a bundle Pinch top box Flexi-Hex Flexi-Hex & pinch top box require chemical cross-linking used in biopolymers to give them the strength and flexibility of plastic, with chemicals used often unsustainable. The research shows how the plant proteins can be naturally assembled so the final structure is similar to spider silk. Through a process involving acetic acid and water, ultrasonication and heat, the plant proteins are transformed in an energy-efficient way using easily obtainable, sustainable ingredients. The Cambridge University spin-out commercialising the technology, Xampla, is developing its applications to replace single-use plastics like flexible packaging films and sachets. Additionally, Mars Wrigley has partnered with Danimer Scientific, a manufacturer of biodegradable materials, to develop home compostable food packaging. The Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) packaging is produced through natural fermentation processes using plant oils such as soy and canola and biodegrades in both soil and marine environments. Mars is to evaluate opportunities to scale this novel packaging technology across its portfolio of brands and categories. As new materials are developed, governments are introducing various proposals and taxes to address packaging sustainability and waste. In the UK, a tax on plastic packaging that does not meet a minimum threshold of at least thirty per cent recycled content will come into force in April 2022, and the government has also introduced proposals under an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Scheme, for which a consultation closed last month (June), to require packaging producers to pay the full costs of dealing with the packaging waste that they produce. It seeks to encourage producers to use less packaging and use more recyclable materials, reducing the amount of hard to recycle packaging placed on the market. © Shutterstock /Robert Kneschke 30-36.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:32 Page 7www.fdiforum.net Plan your campaign with Food & Drink International… ...your competitors are! As marketing is the vital ingredient for the success and growth of any business, we can offer advice and packages to suit all budgets. Speak to one of our experienced account executives. CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO? • Print • Online • E-Newsletters • Regular News • Topical Features The perfect medium to give your brand the best chance of being seen! Contact us below for our 2021 editorial schedule Call today on +44 [0] 1472 310310 or email: v.hunt@blmgroup.co.uk INTERNATIONAL Food&Drink Food &Drink I N T E R N Food Food &&& Food Food & N A T I O N &&Drin Drin Drin &&Drin A L nk nk nkk ahe The d y safety and a News Healltth, saf hygiene Pumps and nd fluids I N T E R N Food Food &&& Food Food & N A T I O N &&Drink Drink Drin &&Drink A L nk nk nkk inno Foc ovati io i News Packaging spotlight oading ba L ayy doors s ysand I N T E R N Food Food &&& Food Food & N A T I O N &&Drin Drin Drin &&Drin A L nknknkk News ng and challeng Meeting Flavouring colouring ges colouring c er Softw waaree sp spotlight I N T E R N FoodFood &&& FoodFood & N A T I O N &&Drink DrinkDrin &&Drink A L nk nk nkk Beverages ellff The futu in foc The futu On the shel ture s in focus i s End off line packkaaging MINIMUM COST…MAXIMUM IMPACT! www.fdiforum.net 37.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:29 Page 138 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net ENGINEERING AND COMPONENTS Engineering for the new world As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, food firms have accelerated discussions with engineers over automation, increasing flexibility and more, while engineers themselves have changed how they work with such companies. 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:27 Page 1Food & Drink International 39 www.fdiforum.net ENGINEERING AND COMPONENTS While the food and drink industry continues to face rapid change, increasing demand, new trends, and higher consumer expectations for quality and freshness year-round, as well as the drive for sustainable packaging and operations, the sector is simultaneously working to reduce costs and optimise productivity. Advancing machines and facilities is key, and engineering central to this, as equipment and infrastructure ages, and focus is put on performance of machines and environmental targets. Simply placing spick and span machines in facilities is not always the best approach, with deeper collaboration outbreaks and a requirement for social distancing, many have been forced or incentivised to consider automation as a labour-saving method, to assist where there are not enough employees to run plants. Even prior to COVID-19, tech that could take people out of food processing was a future priority, with focus growing on robots, which do not take days off, are excellent in repetitive tasks, reduce virus transmission concerns, are improving with better vision systems and the ability to work safer alongside humans, and are being moved upstream to take on wider roles. Robots are also being developed to be smaller and lighter, to make the most of space in facilities, seeing smaller and more precisely engineered components too. Of course, an end-to-end automated system is not always affordable or achievable, meaning most are seeking solutions where humans and robots work together, complementing each other’s skills. Deciding which aspect of a plant should be automated will vary based on the product being made. For those with currently lower levels of automation, determining which solutions bring fast returns and offer quick implementation will help in this process. The pandemic additionally saw a rapid rise in demand impact production, seeing greater automation considered once again, alongside production line upgrades, to allow for more flexible processing and variable speed options, for the ramping up of production of both goods and packaging, and to increase throughput levels, particularly for retail-focused products. The importance placed on flexibility here builds on that already existent as smaller production runs and more frequent changes have become common. With heightened agility required, interest is turning to automated modular systems where lines can be reconfigured as necessary for a different product. Meanwhile, remote service support devices have been fitted by engineers to help with line improvements and diagnostics. © Shutterstock /Gorodenkoff 40 Á between equipment builders and food manufacturers critical to creating a factory fit for their future. Something such as mixing equipment for example can designed and manufactured in purpose-built factories to meet stringent customer standards and optimise specific individual processes. Discussions over enhanced automation and digitalisation remain high on the agenda for engineers working to innovate for food firms, and the pandemic, which saw food processing plants judged essential, has only expanded the desire for these solutions. With workforces, already in the middle of a staff shortage, hit by 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 24/06/2021 08:27 Page 2Next >