Mondi ‘Hug&Hold’

MONDI More Huggable

A global leader and a giant in the packaging and paper industry, Mondi has launched ‘Hug&Hold’, a recyclable, paper-based solution to replace plastic shrink-wrap for PET bottle bundle packs. Today, FMCG brands, including beverage producers, aim to reduce their use of unnecessary plastic. Mondi’s new Hug&Hold solution is therefore timely, meeting the sustainability needs of brands and their customers alike.

Mondi told SPN, “Hug&Hold comprises two elements that provide secure and safe transportation as well as stacking of bundles of bottled drinks. The first element is a patentpending sleeve made of 100% kraft paper that wraps around the bottles to hold them securely. Made from Advantage SpringPack Plus, it offers high tensile strength and can withstand enough weight to strap and stabilise the bottles during transportation. The second element is a corrugated clip which holds the bottles around the neck. An optional integrated handle means a bundle of bottles can be carried and transported easily. Simple separation of single bottles from the pack by the consumer or retail staff adds to the convenience of the design.

“ providing a strong and stable solution that is made from renewable and fully recyclable materials ”

Fully automated process

With Hug&Hold, Mondi is first to manufacture and market a complete concept, providing a strong and stable solution that is made from renewable and fully recyclable materials, suitable for existing paper waste streams throughout Europe. The team worked with Krones, a global acting specialist in packaging automation technology, to ensure that Hug&Hold can pack bottles in a fully automated process with the latest Krones’ machines. Krones further offers options to upgrade its existing machinery enabling an easy switch to Hug&Hold as a sustainable alternative.

Proven viability

Silvia Hanzelova, Sales Director Specialty Kraft Paper at Mondi, says: “Leveraging Mondi’s team of kraft paper and corrugated specialists, we were able to develop a fully paper-based solution with minimal material usage. Following thorough testing with Krones and a global beverage brand, Hug&Hold has been confirmed in terms of runnability and viability.”

Switch with ease and safety

“The evolution of secondary transport packaging is just what the global drinks industry needs as it looks to the future. A sustainable, functional and fully automated alternative to plastic shrink wrap means that brand owners can safely switch to a recyclable paper-based packaging solution, without any risk to their product or logistics”, adds Tarik Aniba, Sales & Marketing Director Corrugated Solutions at Mondi. Hug&Hold currently is available for 0.5l up to 1.5l PET bottles in bundles of six or four.

For more information go to www.mondigroup.com

Herbert Walker Lip-Sync

Today the cosmetics carton packaging industry is well in-sync with the growing movement for less plastic and greater sustainability. Philip Yorke discovered much more when he invited Mike Lammas, MD of Herbert Walkers, to comment on the current pressures to move away from plastics in the cosmetics industry.

Mike Lammas, MD Herbert Walkers

“ The challenge for brands and their packaging supply chain, is to ensure the packaging has impact on shelf, communicating luxury and excitement ”

Lammas told SPN, “With concerns about the planet, pollution and the effects of consumerism on developing nations in the global community, consumers have never been more aware of what goes into the products they buy. And that personal due diligence not only applies to ingredients; it also involves manufacturing practices, ethics, the journey from source to shelf and, of course, packaging.

Consumerism with a conscience doesn’t only apply to food and drink sectors either; for many, the drive to make ethical choices about what they choose to eat and drink, also spills over into decision-making about what to wear and what products to use for hygiene, beauty and household cleaning. Even those who do not identify as vegan, or do not challenge themselves to go plastic-free, are more aware of making responsible choices that will have less impact on people, places and the planet. For the cosmetics sector, these trends have prompted a complex journey when it comes to packaging design and production. While some brands have consciously gone down the ‘natural’ route, with raw, brown boards, minimalist text in muted colours, and the absence of finishes, that approach can lead to perceptions of a brand being more utilitarian than luxurious.

The challenge for brands (including own label brands) and their packaging supply chain, is to ensure the packaging has impact on shelf, communicating luxury and excitement to generate consumer appeal, while still delivering on sustainability with recyclable materials.

Image courtesy: mykaleidascope.com

St Moritz cosmetic packaging Image courtesy: Herbert Walker

Sustainable luxury

Fundamentally, cosmetics are a luxury item, and, even at the lower end of the market, packaging transforms the item into an experience as the first touchpoint with the consumer when they are making their choices in store. Ethical, sustainable and vegan do not need to be hair shirts that consumers with a conscience have to wear as a badge of honour. Indeed, too much of a paired back approach to cosmetics packaging can be seen as virtue signalling by many consumers, who want to enjoy the treat of something special alongside the reassurance that their choice doesn’t compromise their ethical values.

Fortunately, luxury and sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive. As a printing company with a rich heritage of packaging print for luxury food and confectionery, as well as cosmetics, Herbert Walkers also draws on our greetings cards experience to advise cosmetics brands on sustainable approaches to impactful carton packaging for the products.

Whether a product is aimed at a year-round market, or is destined for the lucrative Christmas peak sales period, reflective and metallic boards and finishes are still the bedrock of a pack with consumer appeal. Whereas the drive to demonstrate a commitment to ethics and sustainability caused brands to pull away from metallic boards and foiled finishes for some years, the availability of fully-recyclable metallic boards has seen a return to the consumer literate language of packaging materials that reflect the light and communicate luxury.

Supply-chain collaboration

It is vital that the supply chain – including the brand/product manager, the packaging designer, and both the commercial and technical experts within the printing company - work collaboratively to understand the implications of packaging material choices. Those choices should be to consider a brand’s, commercial viability, technical capabilities and sustainability. And it is sustainability that now lies at the heart of this decision making, because eco credentials support both sales and brand loyalty, which drive commercial success and brand advocacy. Accurate labelling of the pack’s recyclability is vital, because the consumer’s understanding of what can and cannot be recycled is not necessarily up to date. Brands not only need to do the right thing when it comes to sustainability and recyclability; they need to be seen to do the right thing too. It’s also worth remembering that metallic boards and foils are not the only finishes that can be used to premiumise packaging for a luxury look and feel. Texture enhances the pack just as much as visual embellishments so embossing, de-bossing and varnishes can also form part of a packaging design and production strategy that combines consumer appeal with sustainability credentials.

No7 packaging

Image courtesy: Herbert Walker

Evolving trends

As we approach another festive season, with Christmas 2022 set to be played out against the backdrop of a cost of a living crisis and rising inflation, it will be interesting to see how commercial factors affect decision making on sustainability. Both the costs of packs and the squeeze on consumer buying power could affect trends in packaging design and production choices - if not this year, then certainly when this year’s trends are analysed for next year’s product development”.

As buying habits evolve – for both brands and their customers - the expertise of printing companies like Herbert Walkers, will be more essential than ever in helping clients make specification choices that reflect brand, commercial and operational considerations.

Syntegon Beyond Convention

Going beyond conventional plastic, Sustainable packaging is taking many industries by storm, increasingly with the help of versatile equipment from key suppliers such as Syntegon. Here are some key excepts from a recent technical article published by the company.

Sooner or later, it happens to them all: traditional packaging materials like composite plastics must give way to more sustainable alternatives. Food packaging is no exception: around the globe, legislation and environmentally conscious brand owners are gradually changing the way some of the most common staples are packaged. While this change offers new environmental and marketing opportunities, it also calls for highly flexible packaging equipment – a trend that leading systems manufacturers are now responding to.

Composite plastics can be daunting for brands: while they provide great flexibility in terms of design and usage, they prove difficult to recycle – and hence poses a challenge to a wide variety of industries, including the food sector. As sustainable business practices are establishing themselves as the new normal, consumers and companies across the globe are questioning conventional packaging choices with regard to plastic content and recyclability.

While traditional plastics are losing their appeal due to poor recyclability, companies are on the lookout for alternatives that can be easily recycled, put less strain on the environment and contribute to the concept of a circular economy. Legislative pressure adds to this shift: The EU, for instance, has been imposing a tax on non-recycled plastic since 2021. In other countries, like the U. S., state-wide bans on other non-recyclable materials are contributing their fair share to the overall reorientation.

“companies across the globe are questioning conventional packaging choices”

Paper and mono-materials gaining ground

In addition to legal requirements, changing consumer expectations are an important driver of change. A survey among US consumers found that around two thirds of them consider paperboard, paper and glass to be very sustainable, displaying a keen interest in recyclable plastics and fiberbased alternatives. Two sustainable materials are particularly popular amongst manufacturers: paper and mono-material films. With the appropriate technology, these materials can be processed on existing equipment without compromising speed and efficiency. Moreover, they score points with high shelf appeal, guarantee product protection, and are recyclable at the same time, which puts them ahead of conventional multi-layer plastic films. But how to change packaging solutions that have been a mainstay of food and beverage packaging for decades? Molded plastic trays, plastic bags and shrink-wrap films are still widely used.

Paperboard pushing boundaries

Take fresh produce, for instance. Produce brands commonly rely on plastic clamshells, polystyrene trays, and plastic bags for berries, grapes, tomatoes, and the like, which are loaded, then closed or flow wrapped. Their packaging needs to be moisture-proof, since produce often comes ripe and freshly harvested from fields or orchards and is kept fresh with a mist-dispenser on shelf.

While paper may not seem a suitable choice of material at first glance, many applications in the field prove that paperboard is gaining ground in the fresh produce section too. Replacing traditional packaging styles with paperboard topload cartons or sleeves, however, requires some specific adaptations, especially in the case of moist produce.

Paperboard therefore needs to feature a barrier coating to withstand moisture. This is the case with latest developments in paperboard packaging. Moreover, mid-sized to large products like apples, onions and potatoes are usually sold as bulk ware, either loose or in flexible bags that can hold several pounds each. When switching to paperboard cartons or sleeves, produce companies need to make sure these alternatives are just as stable as traditional pack styles. Depending on the load, glue-style or lock-style cartons provide the required stability for safely handling high-quality produce.

“Running new packaging styles and adapting to current trends requires the right amount of equipment flexibility,” says Robert Kiely, Managing Director at Kliklok in Bristol, UK. As a pioneer in carton forming and loading, Syntegon has been refining its equipment for 75 years. Syntegon offers a large portfolio of matching solutions under its Kliklok brand, supporting food manufacturers globally to live up to their sustainability claims”.

Australians know their onions

They lived up to their sustainability claims lately with their Kliklok topload former and closer. Both enabled an Australian onion producer to switch to eco-friendly paperboard. The producer opted for glued recycled paperboard topload cartons with cutout parts at the top. The perforated parts are not only a design element, but they also serve as handles, allowing end consumers to safely carry the bulk onions.

The Kliklok ACE Topload Former was the best fit to realise this style, as it can form lock-style and glue-style cartons on the same machine, offering the manufacturer full flexibility for future projects. To bolster customers’ sustainability endeavors, Syntegon developed the ACE to run paperboard or corrugated material. The Kliklok Vari-Right, in turn, supported the customer in closing the cartons. Keeping the cartons’ shape as they traveled through the machine proved challenging, as the recycled paperboard was thinner and less rigid than most other cartons. The topload closer’s lug system, however, helped to safely guide the cartons through the various closing stations, while rollers ensure tight glue seals.

“ biscuit and baked goods producers show a keen interest in paper trays flow-wrapped either with paper or mono-material films ”

Integrated solutions

Many cookie manufacturers are considering paperboard trays and recyclable flow wrap film instead. According to a survey conducted by Syntegon together with the industry organization Biscuit People, cookie, biscuit and baked goods producers show a keen interest in paper trays flow-wrapped either with paper or mono-material films. More than half of the respondents prefer an integrated solution to achieve their sustainable packaging goals. Syntegon has been supplying the industry with suitable technology for years. The ACE Topload Former supports the packaging of trayed and flow wrapped cookies, biscuits or other trayable products. Besides its ability to erect a wide variety of lock-style and glue-style cartons on the same machine, the ACE now supports lock-style forming of paper trays with product compartments.

This enables manufacturers to replace conventional plastic trays for cookies or bars with eco-friendly paperboard trays. Backed by a Syntegon flow wrapper which can process conventional materials as well as mono-materials or paper, the ACE thus can contribute to an effective, integrated equipment system for sustainable packaging operations. One thing is for sure: companies, just like their consumers, are eager to fully explore sustainable packaging, which is still only at the beginning of a long and fruitful journey.

For further information visit: www.syntegon.com

Produce like strawberries and onions can be packed as safely in cartons as in plastic clamshells, polystyrene trays, or plastic bags.

The cookies and cracker industry has found a viable alternative to PET trays with paperboard trays and recyclable flow wrap film.

Albéa Going down the tubes?

Plastic is going down the tubes - literally. Over the last few years, the company has been diligently reducing the plastic content in their caps and developing a new generation of paper-based tubes.

When embarking on the challenging journey towards achieving a net-zero circular economy, eco-considerations should be made at the design stage. However, the big question is, from concept to end-of-life, how can the environmental impact of plastic be overcome, or at least minimised? In practice, when considering these objectives, the main focus must be on using the least fossil-based resources possible, whilst prioritising the use of renewable resources and scrupulously respecting renewal rates.

55% Weight Reduction

Albea told SPN: “For Albéa Tubes, reducing plastic content through weight reduction is a top priority, and is firmly built into our company’s ‘Responsible Product Roadmap’ plans. We took the first important step in 2017 with the development of a specially, eco-designed, range of lightweight plastic caps. The second step came early in 2022, through our dedicated technical innovations. These resulted in our company’s unique, EcoFusion Top. This is a two-in-one “head + cap” specifically designed to make it possible to “visualise” the clear material savings. The fusion of the tube and head together reduces the weight of the tube by as much as 55%1 compared to a standard plastic tube. In addition, there is an equivalent benefit achieved due to the carbon emissions savings. This latest unique, eco-friendly product is made from HDPE, in order to guarantee mono-materiality and optimal recyclability. Furthermore, our two-in-one system is available with various eco-friendly sleeve options for both laminate and our extruded tubes”.

Replacing plastic with paper

In 2019, Albéa started working on a new concept, which was the replacement of plastic with paper. This resulted in the launch of the company’s first paper tube which heralded an impressive reduction from 30% paper content at launch to its 50% paper content today. Moving forward, Albea is taking things one step further.

At this year’s LuxePack expo held in Monaco, the company created another new milestone with its product development of the world’s very first squeezable paper-based bottle currently at the proof-of-concept stage. This ground-breaking innovative composition by Albea, contains a minimum of 50% FSC-certified paper, excluding cap or pump. In addition, its unique, paper-based web structure reduces plastic content whilst lowering the carbon footprint of its packaging yet further, thus significantly reducing its environmental impact.

For Albea, the journey is far from over. The company is already engaged in the development of even lighter and moresustainable tubes. Albea’s determination to contribute to a net-zero circular economy sets a fine example to all those who are striving to achieve similar such welcome objectives!