Although I have dealt with packaging issues in various ways for many years, this question still bothers me. Especially when I read articles in the media, watch TV programmes, or explore the results of consumer surveys about the packaging in which they buy products and goods. This is the issue that I’m most concerned about. And not because I have no answer. But because of the fact that my and other packaging professionals’ answers and other information are not always heard in society. I believe that the negative contribution is made by the contradiction in packaging: on the one hand, it is difficult to imagine modern life without it today, but on the other hand, after using the products, it instantly loses its value and becomes garbage with other values and issues. I have already written in my editorial that any packaging has the right to life if it keeps products and goods safe from spoilage and damage during the entire specified period of storage without harming human health and polluting the environment, including its waste. All its other functions are important, but secondary. Moreover, every item and product needs its unique packaging. Professionals are then responsible for developing and producing such packaging and packing products that are delivered to the market and sold to the consumer. And the key factor here is professionalism and responsibility. All the rest is marketing and advertising events, unfair competition or lack of awareness of the current state and development of the packaging industry, which has currently brought together scientists, engineers, constructors, designers and many experts of other specialties to create and manufacture packaging materials, packaging and technologies and equipment for their production. So we read, get to know, and learn from professionals how to use all of the properties and conveniences of packaging throughout its entire chain of existence, and we trust their knowledge, experience, and responsibility. And we are actively in-
system, where each of us must learn
FOUNDERS: National University of Food Technologies JSC «Information-analytical center «UPAKOVKA» Founded 1996
The magazine is registered in the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine Certificate of registration KB № 16852-5615ПР
Since 1999 the magazine included in the list of scientific professional editions in Ukraine Resolution of Higher Attestation Commission of Ukraine № 515 from 16.05.2016 magazine was confirmed its registration 6 times a year Subscription index Ukrpost 40265
Editorial address: 02002, Ukraine, Kyiv, E. Sverstyuk str, 4a tel. +38 067 232 3215 e-mail: upakjour@nbi.com.ua www.upakjour.com.ua, www.packinfo.com.ua
Editorial board: O.V. Vatrenko, Dr.; O.M.Velichko, Dr.; S.B. Verbytskyi, Ph.D.; O.M.Gavva, Dr.; Dr.; P.V.Zamotayev, Dr.; A.Koyun, Dr. (Turkie); V.M. Kryvoshei, Ph.D.; O.A. Kucherenko; I.O. Mikulonok, Dr.; C. Olsmats, Dr. (Shweeden); B.O.Palchevskyi, Dr.; A.D. Petukhov, Dr.; I.I. Regey, Dr.; O.L. Sokolskyi, Dr.; S. Stefanov, Dr. (Bulgaria); S. Tkaczyk, Dr. (Poland); V.V. Khalaydzhi, Ph.D.; O.Yu. Shevchenko, Dr.; V.K. Shostya; V.L. Shreder; M.V. Yakimchuk, Dr.
Editor in Chief
Valerii Kryvoshei , Ph.D.
Technical editor Oleksandr Gavva , Dr. Pavlo Zamotayev, Dr.
CEO
Khalaydzhi, Ph.D.
Originals will not be returned to the authors
Edition is not always agree with the views of the authors
© IAC «Upakovka», 2022
According to the statement signed by ACE, CEFLEX, CEPI, EUBP, FEFCO, EUPC, Edana, Styrenics Circular Solutions, Plastics Europe, EUMEPS and GROW International, their advice is not reflected in the current draft of amendments to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. In their opinion, these changes are not based on sufficient evidence, so they may lead to greater environmental impacts and undo some of the progress made by the Green Course.
Restrictions surrounding pack ratio for specific products are said to be “arbitrary”. They have lack scientific or empirical evidence, and hold little relation to the characteristics of the product being packaged. Additional requirements and indicators disrupt the innovation of packaging materials, investment in recycling enterprises, collection schemes that are an integral part of new waste streams, as well as the implementation of recycled content into packaging.
Businesses remain unsure “whether the proposal is consistent with the ‘Better Regulation’ imperatives, principally whether an ‘evidence-based approach’ has been employed and whether the ‘evaluate-first’ principle has been met.” Doubts are also expressed that the new legislation has been thoroughly evaluated for “cost-effectiveness” or “proportionality”. Packaging manufacturers, their suppliers, and their users in industry, logistics, and retail are all believed to be affected by legislative changes.
A worst-case scenario is envisaged in which disruptions caused by EU supply chains and industry trade’s flows can destroy entire sectors, with the reported dismissal of recycling as a component of packaging circularity causing difficulties with the conversion of waste into viable secondary packaging It is noted that the new legislation emphasizes the reuse of packaging but such solutions have not undergone an adequate environmental impact assessment and present no proof of an improved outcome of packaging waste management.
Lifecycle assessments certified by expert structures demonstrate that long-distance transportation, logistical complexity, and the organization of efficient recycling or mandatory collection of used packaging can also affect the planet and climate. Applicants believe that this proposal did not consider the implementation of a new framework to ensure that refill and reuse schemes can be scaled up effectively.
Concerns have also arisen regarding the availability of and legal restrictions around recycled polymers. At the same time, a total lack of assessment into the actual feasibility of such changes expected to compromise packaging functionality and increase manufacturers’ dependence on additional materials with a higher environmental impact.
The statement calls upon the EU to invest in sorting and recycling infrastructure, as well as dealing with bottlenecks that threaten the availability, collection, and cost of recycled polymer packaging. Where such solutions are ecologically useful, ensuring the collection and reuse of packaging should take precedence over fixed objectives, ensuring the competitiveness of the European single market.
Business is ready to conduct further negotiations on the proposed changes to the Directive and ensure that any changes in regulation contribute to the development of the circular economy.
When russia assaulted Ukraine and our magazine’s editorial staff and I decided to leave, he was the first to offer help. He managed to quickly and easily not only assist us in establishing contacts with representatives of the Polish packaging industry but also to organize our living conditions. We have known each other for a long time, but never as well as we do now. Now I know a lot about my current interlocutor, Andrzej Kornacki, a Regional Sales Marketing Manager at Futamura and Chairman of the Council of the Polish Chamber of Packaging. And I would like the magazine’s readers to know about Andrzej, this wonderful person and expert in many fields of science and technology. I would like them to know him and want to meet him, like many experts from different countries who do not miss his amazing speeches about packaging and everything that surrounds it at conferences in different cities and countries.
Valerii Kryvoshei, Ph.D. in Chemistry
– Where was the boy Andrzej born and how did he spend his childhood?
– I was born in Kalish, where I spent my childhood and school years. Then it was a different world: school and street. The problem was that I liked so many subjects, especially History. I was lucky to have very good math teachers. I participated in the Olympiads in mathematics and I was fond of physics. And having won the Polish Olympiad in astronomy, I got the opportunity (and it was 1965) to freely enter this direction in Krakow or Torun. But I did not want to study astronomy. I went to the polytechnic in Poznan. I also loved being in the street very much. There was a ball, a bicycle and friends waiting for me. I had a very nice bike, and I rode it a lot. I recall that by that time, there were mopeds capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h. And I competed with them, sometimes winning.
– And who helped you choose a profession?
– I had a dream to combine technique and art. There were many artists in our family. These are my grandparents, and my mother painted fabrics for 40 years. It can be said that I learned to walk holding on to an easel. My interests in technology and the artistic environment of my childhood probably influenced
my choices. And when I learned that a new speciality, “Lighting Engineering” was being opened at the university in Poznan, the choice was made by itself. However, I did not want to light offices and houses, I wanted to do artistic lighting. For instance, instead of using a single spotlight to illuminate the Poznan University, 20 small lamps which provide a variety of light might be used in order to “play” with shadows and produce other effects. Then I collected about 400 pictures of illuminated castles, palaces and monuments. However, it turned out that this speciality was not opened at the university, and I went to study in the speciality “Electrical Devices”.
–The character of a person is usually formed by a family. Of course, the
environment has an impact. Who has influenced your character the most?
– It’s hard to say... Something I got from my mother and something I got from my father. And one of my grandmothers, Sasha, gave me a lot. She was an artist and often said, “Why do you do like everyone else? Do it differently.” For example, she and her brother, Misha, studied at the Academy of Arts in Vilnius. She had a lot of group photos of students posing with models who were either naked women or men. In those years when I was a child, many people said, “How is this possible?” And my grandmother Sasha said: “No. Everything is fine.” Nuns from the church also studied at the Academy: they had to know what a man looked like if they wanted to depict Jesus on the cross without any clothes. And I grew up in such an atmosphere. Today, I do not know if my grandmother wanted to teach me Russian, but for some reason, she often talked to me in Russian. I believe I still have a lot of my grandmother Sasha in me.
– Andrzej, what were your first steps in the profession?
– My first job was as an assistant at the Institute of Electric Power Engineering at the University of Technology. I was teaching students to electricity for two years. For me, this life was static. Although at the
same time being the head of a student club, I won the student club competition in Poland twice and I travelled a lot in Poland, playing handball as a goalkeeper. Such work was not for me, I stayed there only because of my professor, a very interesting person. Subsequently, he was a rector, deputy minister of science in Poland for many years. It was he who offered me to stay at the institute, and I really liked to work with him. And when he became the rector, we had less time to communicate, and I went to work in the Komsomol. It was a good school of life for me. There were no problems, no restrictions, and no one told us what to do. We organized many really useful activities and held interesting meetings, festivals and competitions. It was all interesting for me, because since my student days I engaged in sports, culture and liked to play the guitar. I believe that my work in the Komsomol provided a solid foundation for my subsequent professional life.
– Who is Andrzej in life: democrat or autocrat?
– I am an absolute democrat and I like to work in a group. I often say that man is a herd creature. Even when I was elected and became a leader, I always wanted a team to work together and tried to invite the best people to cooperate. And when
I did not agree with people, I tried to prompt, argue and prove that it would be better. It happened that these tips were not liked, but most often they were taken into account. Many people would like to do something, but they need someone to tell them how to do it. That’s what I did.
– And when did you first pay attention to packaging as a consumer?
– During my childhood, there was almost no packaging. When I wanted to buy candy, my grandmother gave me 2 zloty and 20 grosh. Then 100 g of sweets cost so much. In the shop, the saleswoman picked out candies from a large jar with a metal spoon and put them in a paper “cone”, which then moved into my pocket. And there it all stuck together. That was my first package.
– Today Andrzej Kornacki is an expert in packaging and at the same time a consumer of products in packaging. What does packaging mean to you as a professional and as a customer?
– It is always a problem for me as a buyer.
I call it “professional deformation”. I always see what can be done differently in the packaging. I don’t look at the design.
I look at the product in the packaging and remember how it should be packed. It happens that as a consumer I use my
professional knowledge. For example, sometimes it is very difficult to open the package. Many people do not know how to do it and tear the package anywhere. There are special devices that help to open the package easily and quickly without any effort. You just need to know how to do it. It’s easy for me to open the package because I know it.
– When and how did packaging become a profession for you?
– I was the director of the institute, where food production technologies were developed. There was a packaging department at the institute. In the distant 1980s, none of the enterprises could independently buy packaging material or packaging abroad. Even if they got currency somewhere, they needed to have a positive, professional opinion of the institute. And if, for example, manufacturers of baby food or dry soups wanted to use new packaging, our department had to give a conclusion then: it could be used or not. It was only one of the directions which involved the institute.
In 1990 there was a revolution in Poland, a new economy began to develop, and each company could already buy currency in the bank. Western companies did not have to come to us for permission
now, they could just go to the enterprises, negotiate and sell the packaging. But few people knew English then, there was no gasoline and there were other problems. And many people have lost themselves in this new Poland. At this time, my friend from Italy proposed to create a company in Poland, a limited liability company. I invested in this company my old car “Polonez”, and he gave money. And we started working for those who needed packaging in Poland, representing many companies that made paper, polypropylene and other materials. This is how I began to develop the packaging market in Poland.
Today, when everyone knows about polypropylene, I can say that I was the first in Poland to organise the BOPPfilms market practically from the ground up in 1990, selling tens of thousands of tonnes of this film for several years. This innovative work in very difficult market conditions was carried out together with a representative of Mobil Plastics Europe. Then there was work in other companies: Moplefan, Treofan, Vibac, Eurocast, Innovia Films, and now Futamura.
I would like to recall an interesting story that happened to me. By creating the BOPP-films market in Poland in the early 1990s, I contributed to a much faster cessation of cellophane production then called tomophan in Poland than it would be a consequence of a normal market situation. Cellophane has completely disappeared from the market. When I started working at Innovia Films, I discovered that, aside from BOPPfilms, this company is the only one in the world that manufactures cellophane
cellulose films and their new generation NatureFlex. So I started to bring these films back to the market. After several years at Innovia Films and then at Futamura who bought this pulp business, I have already sold many thousands of tonnes of cellophane on the market, and I hope that it forgave me my previous, less than favourable attitude towards it. I always collected various photos, information and made presentations. And many experts who knew everything about polypropylene in
Europe said that I had the best presentation about polypropylene, and now about cellophane.
– What helped you become such an expert in packaging that specialists come to your lectures from other cities and countries, ask questions and talk about their problems?
– I have always been interested in new packaging and why it appears. If there was another solution, what would it be like? And how exactly can you do it differently? I have always enjoyed visiting production sites and speaking with technical staff. It’s weird, but I loved it when there were complaints. Because if there is a complaint, then there is a problem. And if there is a problem, then what? What happened? What can be done to prevent it from happening again? In addition, I was studying hard. Somehow we had a big problem with the usage of film at one of the enterprises. For the consideration of this complaint the technical service from this enterprise came and stated that our film could not be used on the packaging machine. When everyone left, the head of this enterprise said: “Andrzej, it seems to me that we just do not know how to use this film on the machine.” We methodically analyzed what we knew one more and really found a way to use this film. I have always believed that nothing is impossible. We just do not know much and do not know how to.
– Andrzej, where is the packaging market today?
– But for the circular economy, I would be aware of that. And now everything has become jumbled. And the ways of developing the packaging market in each country in Europe are currently being assessed differently. There are European directives, but each country understands the problems and makes decisions in its own manner. There is no order. A lot of things were confused by COVID, and many of the planned projects slowed down. And now this terrible war is in our region. It won’t be possible to begin many projects until after its successful final.
– The war of russia in Ukraine. What is it for Andrzej?
– Perhaps it is less significant in terms of business. But for people! I wonder those who started this massacre. They had a long and difficult history. There was a king, then Lenin, Stalin, the NKVD and the KGB. People lived almost worse than dogs in the yard. And now, when it is possible to live in a different way, they are doing something that is impossible to understand. And more. War is when soldiers kill soldiers. Despite this, they continue to kill civilians, the elderly, and children. It is difficult to understand and comment on.
– What act would you never do?
– Something that would make anyone cry.
– What does your family mean to you?
– It is important. Because if something fails somewhere, I always return to my family and calm down. Because there is someone in the family who is waiting for you, who needs you and who you can tell about the problem without being afraid. When there is a family around, it’s not so empty. I remember talking to my sister Barbara when her husband passed away, her daughters left for their families, and she frequently stayed in the large house alone. She told me: “Andrzej, I feel lonely.” Family means that you are not alone. Someone who will always support and help you; someone who will offer you
a glass of water in a difficult situation. Loneliness is hard.
– Andrzej, has your life been successful?
– It is hard to say. For me, the main thing in life has always been a work. It doesn’t matter when: night, day or Sunday. I really like to work. Most likely, something useful has been done. I think that my example of a workaholic helps my loved ones, daughters and grandchildren. Of course, there were dreams, but I do not know what would have happened if they had come true. And everything in life was fascinating and, I hope, helpful to my family, other people, and society.
– What else do you want to do and what are your plans for tomorrow and the coming years?
– For the present moment it is work, and of course, with films. I have no idea how long. Health has a big impact. At work I always say: “Physically I feel good, but mentally you can already see for yourself.” Because if I do something stupid, I will not understand that it is meaningless, I have to be told about it. When I received an award for my work from the company this year, I asked: “What does it mean that I have to go already?” Our boss said: “In any case, instead. This is an indicator that the company needs you!”
– Andrzej, thank you for this conversation. I got a great pleasure. I believe that the magazine’s readers will learn useful information for themselves. Your path in life, in business can be an example for many people, especially young people who, whether we like it or not, already “stand on our feet”.
When Mahou San Miguel went in search for a sustainable type of packaging, the obvious choice was to contact its long-standing partner. Krones had just launched a new packaging solution on the market, which is called LitePac Top. The paperboard clips for cans are produced from renewable raw materials and can be completely recycled. Even though the use of packaging material has been rigorously minimised, the clips keep the packs absolutely stable. The packs are also convenient to carry and detaching a can from them couldn’t be simpler: Just one quick pull and you can take a swig. Instead of designing a new machine for this innovative packaging variant, LitePac Top has been optimally matched to the field-proven modularised Variopac Pro packer. The machine’s broad handling spectrum offers the requisite flexibility to create a variety of tertiary packaging, with pads, trays or wrap-around cartons, for example. LitePac Top offers flexibility not only in regard to tertiary packaging but also as far as materials are concerned. Customers can freely choose the paperboard clip blanks and their vendor.
“The fact that we can change them at need was an important criterion for us,” emphasises Marc Borreda Benavent. Together with Krones, the beer maker launched a pilot project in summer 2021 to test the new packaging solution at its plant in Burgos. Once the pilot was successfully completed, the new machine was relocated to the plant in Alovera. “Installation took around four weeks,” says Iago Barros Vilasanchez, supervisor in Alovera. “It all went without a hitch. Krones’ technology team was always there on site, at our disposal for any questions we had.”
The lines at Mahou San Miguel fit both 0.33-litre and 0.5-litre cans with a LitePac Top paperboard clip, creating packs of six or eight cans. The packs can either be put on a tray or each pack palletised individually. It is also possible to pack individual containers not fitted with a LitePac Top in wrap-around cartons. “Now we’ve got a variety of options for sustainable packaging of our products. Change-overs are performed automatically – no problems there,” says Iago Barros Vilasanchez.
The ability of enterprises to effectively position and develop their competitive advantages is becoming important for Ukraine in the context of modern economic development and during the war. Since the outbreak of a full-scale war, the business of our country has faced many challenges: a decrease in the dynamics of orders, an increase in exchange rates, a rapid rise in prices for raw materials and energy carriers, as well as a rupture of supply chains and uncertainty in the long term. These and a number of other negative factors have caused certain changes in the process of creating the product’s value. Despite this, Ukrainian business has become another factor in Ukraine’s unexpected defense capability.
Understanding the responsibility to employees, partners and consumers, as well as their role in supporting the economy, enterprises try to resume daily work. Univest Marketing Company is no exception. Univest Marketing Company is an expert in packaging solutions for the
to identify the necessary actions for the formation of such a product that will be highly appreciated by customers. The result of such an analysis should be an added value that exceeds the cost of creating a product. The value for which customers are willing to pay more should
provide the manufacturer with greater profits. Business will be profitable if the created value exceeds the costs associated with its formation.
Univest Marketing Company considers the concept of building a production chain of six main processes that create the value of the product. This includes product design, technology, marketing, procurement of raw materials and materials, production and logistics (Fig. 1). This concept makes it possible to determine the value that is added at each stage, including when creating innovative products, as well as more consciously approach the issue of risks.
Now the enterprise should be assessed as the relationship between transactions
food industry. Its employees create highquality and safe tableware and packaging from paper for retail, coffee shops, fast food restaurants, cinemas, gas stations.
For 28 years on the market, the company has successfully adapted to financial crises, COVID-19, and now even to work during the war.
All specialists of the company clearly understand what steps need to be taken in order for the company to survive in conditions of uncertainty, resource constraints and constant changes in the market. One such step was the analysis of the product value chain. This is a useful management tool that allows you
and contracts. In this aspect, the word “chain” is expanded to cooperation between companies and within the enterprise in the context of war. Univest Marketing Company, like most local industries, has faced certain factors that cause changes in the terms of the supply chain with counterparties (Fig. 2):
• Rise in price of products. Cardboard increases in value every 2-3 months by 10 % or more!
• New payment terms. The supplier wants to hedge its risks by requiring a 100 % prepayment until the products are shipped.
• Change in terms of delivery of raw materials and finished products. Due to the fact that most of the raw materials are supplied from European countries, bypassing the territory of the aggressor countries, the delivery time is increased by several days. In addition, there are certain difficulties with the search for transport, which causes a sharp increase in the price of transport: almost twice!
• Responsible storage of finished products. This is a necessary measure to reduce risks for the manufacturer.
There are questions: how can an enterprise work under such conditions? How to optimally manage internal processes?
Of course, the company understands that such a concept should reflect relations with customers. And this, as a result, affects the formation of the commodity value of products on store shelves, on our grocery basket. If earlier the manufacturer could provide retail postponement even for more than 100 days, now there is no such possibility. For example, China
why do companies find funds to pay China or EU countries but cannot provide timely payment for the local manufacturer? The local market has declined significantly, and this trend continues.
This year, despite the circumstances and uncertainty for many businesses, Univest Marketing Company has adopted a new development strategy for five years, which provides for comprehensive development, the formation of a flexible and adaptive management system, as well as the creation of conditions necessary for effective entrepreneurial activity (Fig. 3). The main goal of the company is the concentration of business and growth of operating activities. In view of this, Univest Marketing Company has formed for itself the implementation of plans for 2023. The first stage is a fullscale technical re-equipment of the enterprise. The chosen business model, among other things, provides for the
introduction of new technologies and active management of the relevance of certificates of quality systems for active entry into the European market. Investment plans include the purchase of new, more productive equipment to improve production efficiency. Taking care of safety during the production of orders, the company will continue to support equipment for each of the key technological operations, including duplicating.
In the future, you can most effectively plan the sequence of packaging production from paper, choose a way to minimize costs, identify ways to increase the competitiveness of the company in terms of costs, thus optimizing the value of products. Now every action in the interests of the company is to support the economic front of the whole Ukraine. The team is ready to help others support business, save jobs, get used to living qualitatively in a new reality.
The main thing that our country needs is peace. Together we will definitely win! We believe in our Armed Forces! Glory to Ukraine!
About the company:
Univest Marketing Company LLC is part of the Univest group of companies.
The production cycle of a closed type is 24/7.
The total production area is 19,000 square meters.
The total area of the logistics complex is 12,000 square meters.
The number of personnel is 385 employees.
Certification – FSSC 22 000, ISO 9001:2015, FC-COC-804607, FSC
Contacts: Address: str. Poligrafichna, 10, Fastiv, Kyiv region, 08500
Phone: +38 (044) 494 09 03 e-mail: sales@univest.ua website: univest.ua
For many years, in autumn, the Club Packagers have assembled the packaging industry specialists at the information conference “Packaging Industry”. This year, in conditions when russia is pursuing hostilities in the western and southern regions of Ukraine, and other regions are under the constant threat of missile attacks and UAVs, it is extremely dangerous to assemble the specialists for face-to-face conferences and other information events. For this reason, the Club Packagers decided to hold a webinar, the purpose of which was prompted by the current situation: to give Ukrainian packaging companies, the members of the Club Packagers, the opportunity to present their modern capabilities in the production of packaging products for food, beverages and industrial goods under the war conditions. And on October 26, such a webinar “Ukrainian packers add to the Victory” occurred.
Companies that have participated in information events of the Club for many years responded to our offer. This time, we suggested potential webinar speakers focus on the state of their packaging production after eight months of the war, present their views on what packaging should be during the war and how its range was updated, outline the problems of packaging materials and packaging in general and logistics challenges in particular and ways to solve them and define their plans for the future. The webinar brought together more than 40 participants, including specialists from companies that are both manufacturers of packaging products and consumers. The webinar was opened by Veronika Khalaydzhi, Ph.D., President of the Club Packagers, who in her speech “The work of the Club Packagers under war conditions” spoke about information assistance to Ukrainian companies, the participation in packaging exhibitions and presentations at conferences in Cologne and Milan, Poznan and Warsaw, the publication of four issues of the “Packaging” magazine in Ukrainian and English, meetings with packaging companies specialists in Poland and close cooperation with the packaging associations of Poland, the Netherlands, Latvia, packers’ associations – European EPIC and the world WPO.
In his speech “The role of flexible polymer packaging in the current realities of Ukraine” Denys Pryhodii, Ph.D., R&D Directorof Evotek. Ink. LLC from Kyiv, alluded not only to the issues of raw material, energy, and logistics price increases but also discussed the company’s capabilities in providing food producers with modern polymer films. In particular, he reported on the design changes aimed at improving the structure of multilayer films by reducing the thickness as well as switching to monopolymer structures and improving the packaging designs by reducing its size for the same number of products without loss of packaging properties. Information about innovative solutions to protect packaging from possible forgery was especially interesting. In the following report “Product Value Chain. New Challenges” Max Bayer, Director of Sales Department of Univest Marketing Company LLC from Kyiv, discussed the company’s packaging solutions for providing paper and cardboard packaging to representatives of the food industry. The company approaches this issue by analyzing costs,
estimating value-added and projecting profit. At the same time, it is thoroughly working on new packaging design options, manufacturing technologies, marketing opportunities for promotion in markets including other countries, and new logistics solutions for product storage and transportation. It’s nice that the company is working on its operating plans and new projects for the coming years. In his report “Production of PET packaging under the war conditions. New Challenges and Opportunities”, Deputy President of Crystal GlassPE (PackGroup) from Brovary Oleksandr Voronovskyi focused the attention of the webinar participants on the problems
that the company faced after February 24. First of all, these are prices for raw materials and logistics challenges in the supply of raw and other materials as well as the delivery of manufactured products to customers. Constant alarms and occasional bombing of the production site, which is located in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (south of the Odesa region) bother. As a result, the equipment operates at 40–50 %, capacity, limiting order execution. There are problems with the personnel. Unfortunately, among employees there are those who went to the war and have already returned wounded. At the same time, the company is working on new developments, actively uses recycled PET and provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with PET packaging.
Unusual, especially in the current conditions, was the report “Premium packaging without dumping under the war conditions. Beautiful is not always expensive”, which was made by Vilena Bardasova, Development Director of Vesna PPC LLC from Dnipro. Even under the war conditions, the company tries to avoid deviating from the adopted strategy, believing that it is impossible to survive at the expense of dumping. It is impossible to stop investing in new technologies, marketing, and market research and cut employee salaries because there is a risk of collapse, a halt in development, a decline in competitiveness, losses, and business closure. Business development can stop without competition. The more enterprises will be closed, the fewer cash injections will be made in the economy of the country. During wartime, it is very dangerous for all of us. Therefore,
the company stands for healthy, fair competition, proper price formation, stability and planning and “takes” the customer with service and new technologies instead of a price reduction. At the end of her speech, Ms. Vilena gave examples of new types of premium cardboard packaging that the company offers to its customers.
The final presentation of the webinar was a report “How to increase sales by improving the design” made by Eugeny Bondar, СЕО, co-founder of GORACIO Branding Agency from Kharkiv. I always pay close attention to Mr. Eugeny’s speeches because I am impressed by their unconventional construction. So, it was this time. Given that both the manufacturer and seller want to sell the product, and the buyer wants to pay for it, the designer must find this buyer. And do it not only through advertising, marketing steps and personal sales but also by considering your own steps. It is necessary to solve problems with the context,
refine the photo of the product, replace the interface, ensure that the buyer has the opportunity to inspect the products from all sides and take advantage of feedback. And most importantly, that products in packaging with a finalized design give rise to the buyer’s emotions, which are the key factor in deciding on the product purchase.
The webinar aroused great interest among the participants. Numerous questions and meaningful answers added information. I cannot help but note the Director of the Manufacture enterprise Basis LLC from Brovary Zamir Nachkyebiya’s desire to prove his opinion about the situation in the Ukrainian packaging industry, who called on all participants to work hard on the restoration of the packaging industry of Ukraine based on new technologies and equipment, the release of innovative packaging products competitive in the markets. This requires significant investments and active cooperation with international financial organizations. It’s all in our hands. At the end of the webinar, Veronika Khalaydzhi appealed to the participants to rely on the help and support of the Club Packagers, as well as make the best possible to provide consumers with packaging products and thereby bring Ukraine’s victory in the war against russia closer.
From 19 to 26 October 2022 Messe D sseldorf
hosted the K 2022 trade fair, where Windm ller & H lscher presented new developments in three areas: efficient production, circular/closed economy and digitalization. “The K 2022 trade fair is a meeting point for the industry, a performance show and an important point of contact with our customers,” Peter Steinbeck, CEO of W&H says. “Thanks to live machine demonstrations three times a day, we reached several hundred visitors each time,” added Dr. Sascha Witt, CSO of W&H. On four exhibition days, W&H organized an EXPO exhibition at its headquarters in Lengerich, where 12 lines (extrusion, printing, and converting machinery) were presented for around 1,100 visitors from 83 countries.
The highlight of the trade fair was the VAREX II line with the EASY2 Change system, an autopilot for product changes, the work of which was demonstrated live daily. This system reduces the time required to change a product by more than half compared to an experienced operator. All with the certainty of no errors being made. This is especially important for difficult products, for example containing recycled materials with varying qualities. Thanks to an intuitive HMI interface, the machine operator maintains full control when changing the product. After the K 2022 trade fair, the equipment will be delivered to ISOFlex Packaging, a member of Sigma Plastics Group in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
W&H introduced new packaging solutions within the circular economy in the production of recyclable materials and materials that contain a high share of recycled materials. Among them is a high-performance MDO PE-film with a co-extruded EVOH barrier layer. The film is produced with a width of 3200 mm on a VAREX II machine with inline MDO and it is used for the production of pet food bags. Such bags are designed for recyclability, highest efficiency and packaging performance, in particular, excellent flatness, despite the rigidity of the film, and the necessary oxygen barrier provided by the EVOH layer.
VAREX II with MDO technology enables all process parameters to be optimized and adjust a
stretching gap during production for optimized film properties via web tension or roller rotation speed.
The new RUBY APP app developed by W&H enables mobile production monitoring. It is suitable for everybody who is in charge of the production (from the managers to the production leads) and provides a simple way to monitor production from wherever in real time. Now you can stay in touch with the equipment and monitor the production and status of key parameters of the production. The app sends users push notifications about delays or critical production issues, allowing. In this way, measures can be taken immediately.
There are several preparation options on the way to a finished coffee treat. Coffee capsules for automatic brewers have become one of the most popular, but they are not the most sustainable choice because they generate a lot of packaging waste – primarily aluminum and plastic.
Kaufland offers its customers a more sustainable alternative to tried-and-true coffee capsules: The Fairtrade-certified coffee capsules of its own brand K-Bio, suitable for Nespresso brand coffee machine, are made of 100 percent bio-based, renewable raw materials – obtained from vegetable oil and cellulose. After use, the capsules can simply be disposed of in the compost at home. They are decomposed both in industrial and home composters certified to the EN 13432 standard by T V Austria (OK Compost HOME). The packaging is also FSC certified.
Vetropak has developed the world’s first Echovai returnable bottle made of thermally hardened lightweight glass. Studies have shown that reusable glass containers are one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly types of packaging. Its only drawback is its weight. The Echovai glass bottle is not only 30 % lighter than a standard reusable bottle, but also more abrasion resistant. This makes Echovai glass bottles a great solution from both an economic and environmental perspective that could truly revolutionize the reusable glass container market.
Scodix has announced the launch of the Scodix Ultra 6000 with SHD (Smart High Definition) technology. This is the next generation of the Ultra Digital Enhancement Press series and is a breakthrough technology that builds on the success of the Scodix Ultra 6000. It is aimed squarely at the packaging sector.
Scodix Smart High Definition is digital printing controlled by an algorithm that ensures high accuracy of image transfer. Capable of printing on sheets up to B1, the new machine offers the economic benefits of efficient production with a shorter total time to market. Smart High Definition ensures the quality of printing packaging for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, chocolate and spirits. Now Scodix customers can achieve high-quality printing of even small and delicate details in packaging design, which, combined with the flexibility of the offered solution, can positively affect the way the brand is formed.
Cortec® Corporation has received the “OK compost INDUSTRIAL” certificate from T V Austria for the industrial composting of Eco Film®, which is intended to replace traditional non-degradable films made of LDPE and LDPE.
When placed in a typical commercial composting environment, Eco Film® decomposes within several months. At the same time, there is no ecotoxicity for the soil, plants or microorganisms involved in this process.
Garbage and mulch bags, food bags, packaging for various products can be made from Eco Film®
Eco Film® II Backyard Compostable is designed for home composting at ambient temperatures.
When on February 24th russia has started an unprecedented military invasion on Ukraine it was clear that whatever outlook we had for the packaging industry or the economy as a whole became no longer valid. At first, Bussiness Climate Indicators for both the packaging industry and main sectors consuming
19-02 19-03 19-12 presentation packaging 6’2022
packaging (food industry, electronics, pharma, cosmetics) recessed to levels comparable to the third lockdown from 1Q 21 (Fig. 1), which can be read as only moderate increase in uncertainty. Since then, after a brief rebound, these indicators are now at their lowest levels since the first COVID lockdown that sent people to their homes and shut down many business for over a month.
19-01 20-01 21-12 20-02 20-03 20-12 21-01 21-02 21-03 21-1121-1021-0921-0821-0721-0621-0521-04 20-04 20-1120-1020-0920-0820-0720-0620-05
This means that the war in Ukraine has caused major economic disruption, that it’s impact was first underestimated by businesses, and that the impact increases in line with russia’s play on gas deliveries to Europe.
Seeing how well gas prices correlate to price inflation of the packaging sector we can estimate that prices higher than approx (Fig. 2). 350–400 PLN/MWh of
19-02 19-03 19-12
Globally, packaging sector is viewed as among the most resilient to economic turmoils. Polish packaging sector is no exception. Packaging industry managed to avoid sales losses during the first year of COVID pandemic, and also improved margins to a degree. Last year sold production of packaging companies located in Poland grew by an unprecedented rate of over 21 % year on year (YoY) – the highest since year 2006. Despite strong growth of cost base, where average price of plastics used in the packaging industry grew on average by 84 % YoY, and prices of cellulose increased some 45–55 %, we also saw strong demand in nominal terms – both domestic and export sales were on a growth streak. What was the only crack in this very positive picture was the ongoing, accelerating pace of cost base growth. This became especially apparent at the turn of 3Q/4Q 21, when Europe could for the first time feel the upcoming gas supply crisis. 19-01 20-01 21-12 20-02 20-03 20-12 21-01 21-02 21-03 21-1121-1021-0921-0821-0721-0621-0521-04 20-04 20-1120-1020-0920-0820-0720-0620-05
-60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20
Manufacture of products of wood and cork, excl. furniture
19-0419-0519-0619-0719-0819-0919-10 19-11 22-01 22-02 22-03 22-0422-0522-0622-0722-08 Manufacture of food, tobacco products Manufacture of electrical equipment Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products a) b)
19-0419-0519-0619-0719-0819-0919-10 19-11 22-01 22-02 22-03 22-0422-0522-0622-0722-08 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 Thid (and last) COVID lockdown Source: GUS Fig. 1. General business climate indicator, 2019–2022: packaging offtakers (a), packaging manufacturers (b)
50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 0
Jan Feb Mar
0%
Fig. 2. Estimated impact of gas prices on price inflation of the packaging sector: – ay-ahead natural gas price, PLN/MWh; – prices input to packaging sector growth, %
natural gas make the price component dominant in the growth structure (as opposed to increased volume of sales). When gas prices broke above 600 PLN/MWh we saw real demand dropping below last year’s level, measured by volume of sold production.
At EU level, based on data from Eurostat, since Jan 2021 average prices of packaging rose by as much as between 20 % (glass packaging) to 60 % YoY (wooden packaging, incl. wooden pallets). We view paper and paperboard packaging segment as the most vulnerable to the ongoing energy crisis, with its high exposure to electricity and gas prices and major share in packaging sector’s revenues.
As historically gas prices went up in the heating season, there is a big question mark over demand for packaging in 4Q 22. What we are seeing in October is that gas prices traded on the Polish Power Exchange (Towarowa Gieda Energii) are in a clear downward trend. August prices set the all time high record at 1485 PLN/MWh, since then we saw average price drop in September to 900 PLN/MWh, and in October we saw price slide from ~770 PLN/MWh all the way down to 151 PLN/MWh, with futures for the weeks ahead (week 46) trade at ~311 PLN/MWh (as of 21.10.2022). We see similar shift on the Dutch TTF hub, with November contract sliding from almost 350 EUR/MW
in August to 113,5 EUR/MW on 21st of October. What stands behind this spectacular change is positive outlook on gas availability in Europe for the winter season. Gas storage facilities in the EU are filled at over 90 %, demand has decreased due to a mix of extraordinary prices, energy saving measures, and decelerating economic activity. Paradoxically, EU gas market is now in the state of oversupply, which may continue into November. If lower prices were here to stay this would be a major positive for the packaging industry Europe-wide, which should translate into easing cost pressure, freed up revolving capital, lower prices and pick up in demand.
We approach demand analysis from two perspectives. First, we look into the situation of packaging-intensive industries and retail sales, which gives us a picture of the situation on a specific market (domestic or foreign). Then we analyse production data, showing us a holistic picture of the packaging manufacturers.
Focusing first on manufacturing indices of the Polish industry, we can see that consumers are strongly shifting their spending behaviour in response to rapidly rising inflation and interest rate hikes, which both limit disposable income. Food industry is the single most
important sector in terms of demand for packaging. While last year our estimates suggest that it could have been responsible for around 50 % of packaging sales growth, this year we see its share climb up to around 65 %. We see a similar trend in case of chemical products and pharmaceuticals, at around 20 % and 10 % respectively. On the other hand, we can see that electronics manufacturers are dealing with stagnating sales – even though electronics sector held over 40 % share in the Polish packaging sector growth in 2020, this year we see its input drop to just ~2 %. This shows clearly that especially in the first half of 2022, consumers were either turning away of deferring major purchases. We also see this as indicators of humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine in the state of war and Ukrainians forced to flee their country. As economic outlook worsens, we can see how indices approximating demand for packaging and manufacturing sector as whole converge, once again underlining the defensive character of the packaging sector (Fig. 3).
Source: GUS, Santander
Fig. 3. Index of production (2015 = 100), manufacturing sector vs packaging, 2019–2022: – manufacturing in total; – packaging demand index
in September. As papers’ prices trend follow natural gas very closely we may see this trend reverse in October, protective measures against energy cost increase across Member Countries may also make an impact.
Export sales to cushion overall softer demand Sales to foreign markets on average represented about 40 % of the Polish packaging manufacturing sector’s sales in 2021 but the picture is very different across sectors. In value terms, plastic packaging leads the way at 1,4 EUR bln sales last year, representing 38 % of Polish packaging export in value terms (Fig. 5). Second place is held by paper and paperboard packaging producers at over 900 EUR mln export sales in 2021 (26 % share). It is worth to note that on average, export sales in this segment are responsible for only ~25 % of revenues. Metal, and especially aluminium packaging is the most export-intensive segment of the packaging industry, at over 65 % of sales coming from foreign markets. Germany is the leading export destination in every segment, covering 25–30 % of foreign sales.
Polish and Ukrainian packaging sector are definitely similar in that they both represent a kind of specialisation and a strong point of their respective economies. To confirm this we analyse each country’s share in EU27’s import of packaging and merchandise goods
6% 9% 12% 15% 18% 21% 24% 27% 30% 33% Jan Feb Mar Apr
-12% -9% -6% -3% 0% 3%
in total. In both cases packaging deliveries outperform average sales of all products. Poland holds 8,3 % of EU’s import in this category vs 4,2 % share in EU’s GDP, which clearly shows above average competitive edge. Turning to Ukraine, first and foremost
2020–2021 – manufactured production, Jan 22 onwards – sold production
Source: GUS, Eurostat, Santander
we have to acknowledge that despite the ongoing war, forced emigration and other headwinds we can see that packaging deliveries to the EU rose significantly. In fact, Ukraine has increased it’s packaging export so much in YoY terms, that it outpaced Poland in this regard. Export deliveries to EU growth reached 47 % YoY, while Poland noted 28 % growth, and EU increased it’s packaging import value by 26 %.
Russian aggression on Ukraine has definitely changed the market situation not only in the Polish packaging sector but also EU-wide. Direct transmission measures are of moderate importance. In terms of packaging import to the EU,
EUR mln
Source: Eurostat
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 € млн 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 1-7 22 0,0% 0,1% 0,2% 0,3% 0,4% 0,5% 0,6% 0,7% 0,8% 0,9% 1,0% 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 1-7 22
Fig. 5. Polish packaging export value by segment (EUR mln): plastics ( ), metal ( ), glass ( ), paperboard ( ), wood ( ) a) b)
Source: Eurostat
Fig. 6. Share in EU’s import of goods, incl. packaging: Poland (a), Ukraine (b); – packaging in total; – goods in total
russia or Belarus did not hold significant roles as suppliers, except for wooden packaging (most of all wooden pallets) from Belarus which stood at ~3 % of EU imports in 2021 and glass packaging from russia at ~2 % of EU’s imports. Poland was among the most exposed to trade with russia and Belarus, with similar structure to EU average but at much higher rates. There was also exposure to polypropylene imports from russia which stood at around 18 %.
But most importantly we can see that the single most important factor is the transmission of high gas, energy costs to every industry. In this regard, there seems to be enough supply of natural gas to mitigate this issue in the short term but medium term outlook still remains uncertain, as Europe may potentially be almost completely shut off from russian gas deliveries next year, which could once more trigger inflation and negatively affecting demand. On the
upside, consumer demand has shifted towards basic products such as food, basic chemical and pharmaceutical products, which is supportive to packaging production. Polish and Ukrainian exports of packaging into the EU are both outpacing import growth from other directions. This gives manufacturers the possibility to cushion the impact of reduced demand and creates closer economic ties between Ukraine and the EU.
Inks and varnishes are becoming increasingly popular in the world of label and packaging printing. They are used mainly for attracting attention of a consumer to a packaging and product, pointing to its exclusive and special properties, distinguishing it with unique design in order to attract e.g. specific customers such as children and teenagers, or athletes, finally – for protection of products against counterfeit and forgery.
SPLinx is a Polish manufacturer of special inks and varnishes. The company uses raw materials coming from the most demanding and specialized suppliers in its operation. The Research and Development department is constantly working on development of new formulations of special inks and varnishes of Polish production.
SPLinx delivers inks in every printing technology: from offset, typography, through UV/LED (offset, flexo, screen, rotogravure), water-based inks, and even solvent-based inks. SPLinx’ flagship products are fluorescent inks (neon; for those familiar with the topic – within the Pantone® 801-814 colour range) and invisible fluorescent inks, used for printing protection against counterfeit.
SPLinx also specialises in printing and production of metallic gold and silver inks and their many variations from Pantone® metallic colour guides as well as special inks imitating foils.
SPLinx is undisputedly a leader of production of fluorescent and metallic inks in Central-Eastern Europe. Its solutions are used by even the biggest players on the market, both printing houses as well as other manufacturers of inks. Thanks to creative
VISION: to be the first in Central and Eastern Europe
MISSION: the customer is the most important object, the staff is the main resource
STRATEGY: our technical solutions create innovation that translate into value
solutions made by Research and Development department and relatively lower cost of operation, SPLinx is able to offer probably the best price-to-quality ratio of fluorescent and metallic inks on the market.
SPLinx is not only this! Within the company’s offer, a few dozens of special inks and varnishes can be found, including scratchoff inks, phosphorescent (glowing in the dark), thermochromic (changing under the influence of temperature) inks, scented varnishes, inks and varnishes for high class securities and many, many more.
SPLinx is also able to produce custom-made inks, meeting special needs of its customers. Currently, SPLinx’ Research and Development department is working on formulations of pigment pastes for production of spot colours (from Pantone® guides as well as from customer’s templates) to be used by printing ink mixing plants (mixing rooms/kitchens) for printing technologies such as offset and UV/LED offset.
SPLinx is thanks to.
SPLinx means high flexibility on the market and specialized staff.
The structural elements of packaging, which are able to signal the onset of a threatening state or changes in the controlled parameters (temperature, deformation, chemical composition, etc.), as well as adapt to changes in negative parameters, compensating for their effect, and have a selectively positioned location of the modifying fillers in predefined critical zones are called intelligent. They perform “self-diagnosis” of their state under operating conditions. First, a signal is received from the sensor, previously introduced into the packaging material, about the changes that have arisen in it (stresses, deformations, displacement). After identifying and processing the received signal, the system or operator makes decisions according to a certain algorithm [1–3].
It is advisable to use transport containers and other types of packaging made of polymer composite materials including nanomodified, for example, carbon nanotubes for the operation, storage and transportation of dangerous and highly responsible products, such as explosive, toxic, radioactive and biologically active substances and products. These are heterophase materials in which a continuous polymer (thermosetting or thermoplastic) matrix interacts with the reinforcing filler (glass, carbon, organic, or other fibers – continuous or short, or dispersed particles) along the distribution boundary to perceive external loads and redistribute them to the reinforcing filler. Stress-strain, temperature and another state of such a container is possible to monitor by introducing sensors into the material, the signals from which, in the form of a change in the electric or magnetic field are modified under the influence of transformations in their state and are read by special equipment. This makes it possible to operate the container under critical loads and influence conditions when no other methods of monitoring the state and influence on it can be used due to structural and technological reasons.
However, the use of expensive modifying diagnostic fillers that are evenly distributed throughout the volume of the container material can be considered
inexpedient from technical and economic views. A preliminary definition of the most critical or informative zones of a product and further modification of these zones with fillers by calculation or experimental means seems to be more expedient.
When creating such containers and packaging, it is necessary to ensure the positioned introduction of appropriate sensors into their structure, which are called intelligent (IS) [4]. It is important to achieve high accuracy of a certain depth of the introduction of sensors and the specified coordinates of the container. In the case of artificial or small-batch manufacturing of containers by winding fibrous materials [5] or other methods of forming containers from composite materials based on reactoplastic
resins (contact, spraying, pressing) (Fig. 1–3) [6] sensors can be laid manually during the technological operations of production. The works [7–9] examine the creation of intelligent polymeric systems based on electroactive sensors that allow controlling the effect of pressure, deformation, temperature and other external factors on the container. This makes it possible to monitor in real time the responsible elements. However, the authors of these works pay considerable attention only to the peculiarities of the use of finished products, without stopping on the technology of their production. Thus, the issue of the technology for the introduction of IS into the composite container material has received insufficient attention.
Fig. 1. Scheme of manufacturing fiberglass containers by the winding method:
1 – glass roving;
2 – resin bath;
3 – pressure rollers;
4 – mandrel
During the batch production of thermoplastic containers, it is necessary to provide special devices for the automated introduction of IS individually (in the case of the appropriate size) or in the form of a mixture with a polymer (in the case of micro- or nanoparticles) into the specified container zones at a certain point in the technological cycle. When introducing IS, one of the most important parameters is the immersion depth of the sensors, because when monitoring the stress-strain state, it is important to correlate the received data with the location of the sensor, namely, the depth of its immersion. The analysis of the existing works of scientists shows that despite, for example, the variety of modern fiber-optic and piezoelectric sensors, at this time there are no universal technologies and equipment for the introduction of IS into thermoplastic polymer material during its processing into a container that gives an answer. Sensors are divided into active and passive. Active sensors transmit and receive signals, whereas passive sensors detect changes without using emission.
Capacitive sensors detect changes in the magnitude and phase of alternating current, whereas induction sensors detect the change in inductance when ferromagnetic and electrically conductive components are introduced into the controlled volume while
changing magnetic and electrical properties.
Sensors that receive and process signals arising when a material is exposed to mechanical action use acoustic, electronic, molecular, electromagnetic emission processes.
Electromagnetic field pulses are recorded at the nucleation and the appearance of cracks, the rupture of fibers and the fibering of the material. Electromagnetic emission makes it possible to predict with high accuracy the strength of the composite material, limit loads and residual life of containers operated under static or dynamic load conditions.
Pressure sensors based on magnetostrictive materials are transducers which action is based on Villari effect, the inverse magnetostriction i.e. the change in the magnetization of the material during its deformation.
Electropiezoceramic polymeric materials are obtained by filling polymers with ceramic powders and fibers. In ceramic piezomaterials, stress and deformation lead to the appearance of an electric charge.
The limitation of control systems with these types of sensors is that, in the presence of a large number of components, their connection with electric wires creates significant difficulties. Wireless sensor systems can be placed without spatial constraints, and the measured parameter can be recorded
near the source. One of the most acceptable means to receive signals about the depth of introduction of intelligent sensors is using the electrostatic method of nondestructive control [10; 11] and digital signal processing. Traditional electrostatic methods are based on the capacitive connection between the active pairs of electrodes and use the electric field as a probing field.
Based on the analysis of existing types of wireless IS, a number of methods and devices have been proposed to enable the automated introduction of a certain number of them into predetermined zones of polymer, including packaging, products during the technological processes of pressing, extrusion and injection moulding [12–14].
For manufacturing of products by injection molding, the use of such a method is proposed [12]. The injection moulding machine performs a polymer melt injection in form until it is at a predetermined filling pressure. After that, intelligent sensor is introduced with a probe to a predetermined coordinate along thickness and width of the container. Removing the probe from the mould cavity, the pressure is reduced to a predetermined value in the technological regulation, maintained it for a certain time. Then the mould is cooled without pressure, opened and the container is removed.
Fig. 4. Scheme of an injection mold with an IS input device at a given volume coordinate of the polymer product
For the formation of containers by injection molding, the design of the mould is proposed [13], in the form of a matrix 1 and a punch 2 (Fig. 4). The prepared portion of the polymer melt under a certain pressure is injected into the mold cavity 3 until it is filled. The telescopic probe 4 is currently in its original position. Due to the fact that the hole in the wall of the mould and the nozzle 5 on the surface of the probe are mating, sensor 6 is fed into its internal cavity. At this point, the driver 11 is moving the gate valve 10, opening the nozzle of the probe. After that, the drive of the probe 7 moves it in the direction of the moulding cavity by a predetermined value, then the drive 8 moves the pusher 9 through the internal channel of the probe and pushes the sensor into the filled moulding cavity by the predetermined stroke of the telescopic probe. After pushing out the embedded part, the probe together with the pusher is returned to the original position by the drive 7, and the gate valve 10 is closed by the drive 11. The material is kept in the moulding cavity and cooled until the container solidifies. After that, the mould is opened, and the container is removed. The use of devices for implementing the processes of introducing IS at any given point of polymer packaging by injection molding methods and others will reduce the number of crashes and accidents
during the storage, transportation and operation of hazardous substances or products due to the advanced receiving signals from the introduced IS about the onset of a critical state under the influence of mechanical loads, changes in the chemical composition of the internal or external environment, temperature and other operational factors.
1. Warden K. New Intelligent Materials and Designs. Properties and Applications. Technosphere, 2006. 224 р.
2. Wallace G.G. Intelligent polymer systems–concepts, approaches present uses and potential applications // Materials forum. Institute of Metals and Materials Australasia, 1992. Vol. 16. N 2. P. 111–115.
3. Shahinpoor M., Schneider H.J. Intelligent Materials. Faculty and Staff Monograph Publications. The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008. 532 р.
4. Сівецький В.І., Колосов О.Є., Сокольський О.Л., Івіцький І.І. Технології і устаткування для формування виробів з традиційних та інтелектуальних полімерних композиційних матеріалів. Київ : ВПІ ВПК «Політехніка», 2017. 120 с.
5. Мікульонок І.О. Технологічні основи перероблення полімерних матеріалів. Київ : КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського, 2020. 293 с.
6. Технології композиційних матеріалів / КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського; уклад.: О. Є. Колосов. Київ : КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського, 2019. 258 с.
7. Honeychurch K.C. Nanosensors for Chemical and Biological Applications, 1st Edition. Birmingham : Woodhead Publishing, 2014. 372 p.
8. Barisci J.N., Conn C., Wallace G.G. Conducting polymer sensors // Trends in Polymer Science. 1996. Vol. 4. N 9. P. 307–311.
9. Carpi F., Smela E. Biomedical Applications of Electroactive Polymer Actuators. Chichester : Wiley, 2009. 496 p.
10. Ivitskiy I., Sivetskiy V., Bazhenov V., Ivitska D. Modeling the electrostatic control over depth of the introduction of intelligent sensors into a polymer
composite material // Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies. 2017. Vol. 1. №5 (85). P. 4–9.
11. Патент на винахід 107893 Україна, МПК G 01 B 7/00. Електростатичний спосіб неруйнівного контролю / Баженов В.Г., Івіцька Д.К., Грузін С.В.; опубл. 25.02.15, Бюл. № 4.
12. Патент № 116105 Україна. МПК B29C35/16. Спосіб виготовлення полімерних виробів з інтелектуальними датчиками методом лиття під тиском / Сівецький В.І., Колосов О.Є., Сокольський О.Л., Куриленко В.М., Івіцький І.І.; опубл. 10.05.2017, Бюл. № 9/2017.
13. Патент № 116107 Україна. МПК: В29С65/64, В29С67/18. Прес-форма для виготовлення пластмасових виробів із закладними деталями / Сівецький В.І., Колосов О.Є., Сокольський О.Л., Куриленко В.М., Івіцький І.І.; опубл. 10.05.2017, Бюл. № 9/2017. 14. Патент №112311 Україна. МПК: B29С 47/14. Кільцева екструзійна головка / Сівецький В.І., Куриленко В.М., Сокольський О.Л., Івіцький І.І., Гаращук В.І.; опубл. 12.12.2016, Бюл. № 23.
O.L. Sokolskyi, Dr., I.I. Ivitskyi, Ph.D., O.S. Romanchenko
An analysis of the trends of scientific research and development in the field of nanotechnology and intelligent composite materials was carried out, as well as possible directions of their application in the field of packaging materials.
For the serial production of products from intelligent composites, which can transmit information about the onset of a critical state under the influence of mechanical loads, temperature and other operational factors, it is necessary to achieve the possibility of accurate positioning of intelligent sensors in the given coordinates of the volume of the products in the automated technological process of their formation. Methods and devices for introducing intelligent sensors into a polymer product have been developed.
Keywords: intelligent sensors; composite materials; nanomaterials; injection molding.
The legislation regulates the protection of intellectual property rights arising from human creative activity. Therefore, the creative, intellectual activity of a person is present in every sphere of our life and is impossible without the most important resource – authors. The packaging industry is no exception. So, when does the protection of intellectual property begin? Of course, from the rights of authors who create certain objects with their creative work. Copyright in Ukraine is regulated by the Civil Code of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights”. According to this law, copyright to a work arises by virtue of the fact of its creation. Neither registration of a work or any other special formalization thereof, nor performance of any other formalities is required for the arising and exercising of copyright [1].
According to this law, such objects as works of applied art or works of fine art in the field of the packaging industry can be protected by copyright.
The first is a work of art, including art crafts, hand-made or created by industrial means for daily use, or one applied to objects so used (for example, souvenir packaging, gift wrapping, original bottles for drinks). The second can be a sculpture, painting, drawing, engraving, lithograph, a work of artistic (including stage) design, etc. (for example, a drawing for use on packaging, artistic design) [1]. In addition, photographic works can be used on the packaging.
What should you pay attention to when dealing with authors of works? Of course, on the distribution of intellectual property rights.
There was a conflict in the legislation of Ukraine on determining the ownership of the proprietary copyrights to objects created in the course of duty as well as the payment of the remuneration for the creation of such works. According to the Civil Code of Ukraine, the proprietary copyrights to works created by an author in the course of his duty shall be vested jointly with the employee and the employer. However, the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights” stipulated that the exclusive proprietary right to a work made for hire shall be vested with the employer, unless otherwise specified by an employment agreement (contract) and (or) civil-law contract between the author and the employer.
At present, this conflict has been resolved and amendments have been made to the relevant laws. According to paragraph 1 part 3, article 440 of the Civil Code of Ukraine, now the intellectual property rights to a work created under an employment agreement (contract) shall be vested with the employee who created this work and the legal or natural person where or in which he works, jointly, unless otherwise specified by the contract or the law [2]
Article 16 of the Law of Ukraine
“On Copyright and Related Rights” was also changed. Now, according to paragraph 2 part 3 of this article, if the official duties of the employee directly provide for the creation of works for hire of the relevant types, the author’s remuneration for the creation and use of such works, as well as for the assignment of rights to use the works, may be included in the author’s salary in accordance with the agreement between the author and the employer. But more or less regulated ownership of copyright to works for hire does not exempt employers from the risks that exist when employees create works for hire. According to paragraph 2, part 3, article 16 of the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights”, if the official duties of the employee do not directly provide for the creation of works for hire of the relevant types, it is necessary to pay additional remuneration for the creation of such works and distribute proprietary copyrights by entering into an additional contract.
Considering this, employers should carefully check the documentation (job descriptions and responsibilities) of employees who create works in the field of the packaging industry. Thus, if the official duties of an employee do not directly provide for the creation of works for hire, it is necessary to formalize such orders with the relevant documents – official tasks, which describe in as much detail as possible what exactly the employee should create and what the result should be after the completion of his work.
Furthermore, the distribution of proprietary copyrights between the employee and the employer, as well as the procedure for paying the author’s remuneration must be formalized with a separate agreement. The subject matter of such an agreement will be the distribution of proprietary rights to the work created by the employee in the course of duty in accordance with his job/employment agreement (contract) between him and the employer.
Particular attention should be paid to the case when several employees (co-authors) work on the project creating original packaging with their creative activity. In this case, the conclusion of an agreement on the distribution of proprietary copyrights is a required procedure because without distribution the copyright shall be vested with all co-authors and the employer. In the future, this will help to avoid disputes over the ownership of the proprietary copyright.
A similar situation exists with works created to order (for example, a designer created ice cream packaging). The fact of the assignment of proprietary copyrights from the author to the customer is very important. In a few isolated cases, the creation of works is ordered, but any documents on the assignment of rights and the payment of remuneration for the created object are not formalized. Therefore, when ordering the creation of a design, drawing, bottle shape or another packaging, it is important to resolve the issue of assignment of copyrights to the customer.
The protection of any objects of intellectual property begins with copyright. It closely overlaps with industrial designs, trademarks, inventions, etc.
Thus, industrial designs (appearance of products) include the appearance of any packaging, bottle, label or logo which are valuable not only for their design but also for their functionality and much more. Industrial design rights are also regulated by the Civil Code of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Industrial Design Rights”.
When registering the industrial design it is necessary to indicate the author. The applicant and the author may be different persons. Again, if the design of the product was created by an employee in the course of his duty, both the author and the person who would own the exclusive proprietary rights to the industrial design must be indicated in the application for registration of the industrial design. For example, it may be the company where the author works.
Fig. 1. Trademark under certificate No 147574 dated November 10, 2011
In this case, it is necessary to properly assign the right of ownership of the industrial design from the author to the enterprise.
At the same time, in a few isolated cases when requesting for registration of an industrial design, the author is indicated, for example, the director of the enterprise, and not the true author who created this work. As a result, the true author of such an industrial design may file a lawsuit for recognition of the rights to the industrial design. The Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Rights to Industrial Designs” states this method of protection, first of all, paragraph 3, part 2, article 27: courts shall resolve, in particular, in accordance with their competence disputes about authorship for the industrial design [3].
This law also regulates the issue of employer’s rights to industrial designs. Thus, part 1 of article 8 states that the right to register an industrial design shall be vested with an employer of the author if the industrial design has been created in the course of duty or of an assignment by the employer unless otherwise specified by the employment agreement (contract). The employer is to enter into a written agreement with the author concerning the amount and conditions for paying the remuneration to him (his successor) in accordance with the economic value of the industrial design and other benefits gained by the employer from the industrial design [3].
Let us also consider such objects of intellectual property as trademarks. The protection of rights to them is regulated by the Civil Code of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Rights to Marks for Goods and Services”.
It is impossible to imagine any packaging that does not have a sign according to which the goods and services of some persons are distinguished from the goods and services of other persons. This is the definition of the term “trademark” according to the above-mentioned Law of Ukraine.
Trademarks also closely overlap with copyright. For example, trademarks include the creation of a name for a product (“naming”), a logo or an original font for a product name, and so on. At the same time, trademarks also closely overlap with
Fig. 2. Industrial design No. 4920 dated June 15, 2001
industrial designs. The same logos are very often registered as industrial designs – either as part of a label or packaging. It is important to highlight that when registering an industrial design, the institution does not carry out an examination effectively, i.e., the industrial design is not checked for conformity with the requirements for granting legal protection. An industrial design is registered within the responsibility of the applicant. Because of this, any trademark can be registered as an industrial design or as part of an industrial design. However, there are cases when a trademark similar to an industrial design is registered with unfair intentions. Let us consider an interesting case that has been repeatedly considered by the courts. On December 21, 2010, one person filed an application and registered a trademark in his name under certificate No. 147574 dated November 10, 2011 (Fig. 1).
After learning of this, PJSC Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill filed a lawsuit to invalidate the certificate No. 147574 for the abovementioned trademark, claiming ownership of the patent for the industrial design No. 4920 dated June 15, 2001 (Fig. 2). The company emphasized that the trademark is confusingly similar to the industrial design and “actually imitates the appearance of the plaintiff’s goods, which undoubtedly affects its business reputation, and also leads to the confusion of identical goods on the market, thereby misleading consumers about the actual manufacturer and quality of products” [4].
After many court hearings, the certificate No. 147574 dated November 10, 2011, was invalidated. But what a waste of time and resources for the plaintiff!
That is why it is important to remember that the protection of intellectual property rights begins with the protection of copyright. Because of the possibility of copyright intersecting with other intellectual property objects, it is necessary to take care in advance for the registration of such items. Copyright arises from the moment the work is created, whereas trademark rights arise from the moment they are registered. An industrial design is currently protected for three years from the date it is made publicly available without registration. But this rule is new, and its application has not been put into practice yet.
For the full protection of copyrights to the objects of intellectual property, it is better to take care of their registration in advance and their qualitative contractual registration. It is important to remember that the judicial protection of intellectual property rights is very expensive due to the necessity to carry out appropriate examinations and the involvement of lawyers in the field of intellectual property.
1. On Copyright and Related Rights: Law of Ukraine of 23.12.1993 No. 3792-XII. URL : https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/ laws/show/3792-12#Text
2. On the Protection of Rights to Industrial Designs: Law of Ukraine of 15.12.1993 No. 3688-XII. URL : https://zakon. rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3688-12#Text
3. On the Protection of Rights to Marks for Goods and Services: Law of Ukraine of 15.12.1993 No. 3689-XII. URL : https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3689-12#Text
4. Resolution of the Supreme Court of 10 October 2019, case No. 760/24085/14-c. URL : https://reyestr.court.gov.ua/ Review/85075468
Intellectual property in packaging (norms, rules and practices)
Yu.V. Shapovalova
The results of human intellectual activity are found in every area of our life. The packaging industry is no exception. The creation by the author of the corresponding development is the beginning of the protection of intellectual property rights. Human has created almost any object of intellectual property. The packaging industry uses human creative work so fruitfully that it is very important to have an understanding of the protection of intellectual property rights. The article is primarily devoted to the protection of copyright in the packaging industry and the intersection of copyright with industrial property rights (industrial designs, trademarks).
Keywords: protection of intellectual property; copyright; industrial property law.
Traditionally, PET aerosols still contain standard metal valves with rubber gaskets. They interfere with processing waste of such packaging. The Plastipak company has developed a new aerosol packaging SprayPET Revolution, all elements of which are made of polymers. At the same time, the valve itself is not made of PET, but of other materials with a density of 1 g/cm3. SprayPET Revolution can be recycled at any PET recycling plant without affecting its quality or contaminating the waste stream. For recycling, the entire package is shredded. Flakes are sent to the separation chamber, where PET is immersed in water, and other polymers, due to their lower density, float to the surface. Thus, PET can be processed further and other polymers can also be repurposed as new products.
American sports beverage brand Gatorade, part of PepsiCo, has launched a new bottle that tracks personalised hydration needs and indicates to athletes when to drink, via a cap that lights up as an alert mechanism.
From the outside, the Smart Gx Bottle might seem like any average water bottle but like other smart fitness features, this new smart bottle too can be connected to a device via the iOS-only Gatorade Gx App, which the company says is a “personalised nutrition & training platform that helps athletes achieve their performance goals”. Once users synchronise the bottle with the app, it will then start tracking the individual’s daily progress via an array of sensors located on the cap and even tell them how much beverage is left inside the bottle. The smart bottle will tell the user when it needs to be refilled and provide them with exact readings of daily hydration. Inside the top cap are located several small LEDs that display users’ daily progress and also notify them to drink water from time to time.
DS Smith has partnered with Krones to create ECO Carrier, a fibre-based alternative to shrink wrap to package PET multipack bottles. The ECO Carrier is especially suitable for bottles from 1 to 1.5 liters in 2 2 or 3 2 multipacks and uses corrugated cardboard clips. Thanks to this innovation, 100 % of the packaging is recycled and the carbon footprint is reduced by 71 % compared to the use of shrink film.
In addition, the ECO Carrier binding is compatible with the Krones system for the LitePac Top range and easily fits into existing production lines with minimal disruption and maximum efficiency.
The war, which russia began on February 24, 2022, affected the whole of Ukraine. It mobilized the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defense forces to fight the enemy and formed a huge volunteer movement to help our soldiers. After being damaged the industrial enterprises resume their production supplying food, beverages and essential goods to the military and the civilian population, hospitals treat wounded survivors, schools and universities educate young people. The Club Packagers continued its informational activities. For the second half of the year, the Club has planned a contest of scientific student works “Golden Chestnut” and a conference with the speeches of its winners, which have held with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine since 2000 in order to promote the participation of students in solving urgent packaging industry issues, the introduction of their developments in production, search for inventive future creators of packaging and packaging technology.
Despite the challenges in organising the learning process in Ukrainian higher education institutions due to the war, students from 12 institutions located in six Ukrainian cities participated in the contest of scientific student works “Golden Chestnut 2022”. They submitted 24 student scientific works on current issues of the packaging industry in five nominations to the competition. All of them were carefully considered (for known reasons – online) by the competition committee consisting of Valerii Kryvoshei, Ph.D. (chairman), Eugeny Bondar (GORACIO Branding
Agency), Vladyslav Kolesnik (Univest Marketing Company LLC), Regina Sirotenko (Club Packagers), Volodymyr Slabyi (Ukrainian Ecological Packaging Coalition), Oleksandr Sokolskyi, Dr. (National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”) and Veronika Khalaydzhi, Ph.D. (IAC “Upakovka”). After discussion of scientific works, the contest committee determined the winners.
Mariia Yurko, a student of the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts, took the first place in the nomination “Packaging Design and Design”, for the competitive work “Sugarmons”
(supervisor: Olha Hanotska, Ph.D.).
The second place was taken by Diana Vyshnevska, a student of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, for the competitive work “Packaging for a Natural Energy Drink Miffi” (supervisor: Oksana Chuieva, Ph.D.).
A student of Khmelnytskyi National University, Olesia Paitel was awarded the third place for the competitive work “Tea Ceremony” (supervisor: Anatolii Karmalita, Dr.).
In the nomination “Technologies and equipment for the manufacture of packaging materials and packaging” the first place was taken by Yulia Borysenko,
National University of Civil Defence of Ukraine (Kharkiv)
National Aerospace University named after M.Ye. Zhukovsky ‘Kharkiv Aviation Institute’
National University of Food Technologies (Kyiv)
Vinnytsia National Agrarian University
National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
Lviv Polytechnic National University
Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts
Khmelnytskyi National University
Ukrainian Academy of Printing (Lviv)
Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts
Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics
Figure.
Sumy National Agrarian University
a student of the National University of Civil Defence of Ukraine, and Anna Avtujevych, a student of the National Aerospace University named after M.Ye. Zhukovsky ‘Kharkiv Aviation Institute’, for the competitive work “PETbottle Model” (supervisor: Volodymyr Koloskov, Ph.D., Hanna Koloskova, Ph.D.). A student of the National University of Food Technologies Olha Stepanova took the second place for the competitive work “Development of design and technology of manufacturing cardboard consumer packaging for cups with yogurt” (supervisor: Nataliya Kulyk, Ph.D.).
In the nomination “Packaging Technologies and Packaging Equipment” the first place was taken by Davyd Bahdasarian, Taras Butyk and Serhii Shevchenko, the students of the National University of Food Technologies, for the competitive work “Applied Aspects of Quantification of Mechatronic Dosing and
Filling Systems of Packaging Machines” (supervisor: Liudmyla KryvopliasVolodina, Dr.). The second place was taken by Yaroslav Voitiuk and Yelyzaveta Melanich, the students of the National University of Food Technologies, for the competitive work “Creation and research of a mechatronic module for dosing liquid food products with a pneumatic hose seal” (supervisor: Mykola Iakymchuk, Dr.).
The third place was awarded to Yurii Mykhailiv, a student of the Ukrainian Academy of Printing, for the competitive work “Packaging Technologies and Packaging Equipment” (supervisor: Serhii Ternytskyi, Ph.D.)
Anastasiia Slobodianiuk, a student of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University, won in the nomination “Waste Recycling Technologies and Ecology” with the competitive work “Prospect for the development of the packaging processing process in Ukraine” (supervisor: Yana Palamarenko, Ph.D.).
I am writing this article immediately after the completion of the scientific-practical student conference following the results of the “Golden Chestnut 2022” contest, which took place on November 15, 2022. Like last year, but now because of the russian invasion, the organizers held it online. The conference was attended by more than 50 students, teachers and specialists of the packaging industry. And I am just delighted with everything that happened this morning, and first of all our students - the winners of the contest, who not only performed wonderful and useful scientific works, but also meaningfully and successfully reported on their results. The conference was opened with an introductory speech by Veronika Khalaydzhi, Ph.D., President of the Club Packagers, who also became its moderator. The conference participants were greeted by representatives of conference partners Elena Turzhanska,
director of the representative office of Windm ller & H lscher in Ukraine, Tetyana Vlasova, Director of Marketing Department of Univest Marketing Company LLC, and Olexander Dyshlevyy, Key Account Manager of Dow Europe GmbH.
The reports of the winners of the competitions were informative, and bright presentations helped to reveal the essence and show the possibility of practical application. All reports touched upon the issues of solving problems of packaging materials development, packaging design, technologies and packaging equipment as well as the problems of recycling packaging waste in Ukraine. Their importance and significance was demonstrated by a large number of questions from those present and heated discussions. Even more: the conference participants stated that this year’s scientific works are of practical
www.upakjour.com.ua
importance as never before and some of them can already be considered for implementation at the enterprises of the industry. As, for example, the development of cardboard packaging by Olha Stepanova that interested Tetyana Vlasova from Univest Marketing Company LLC.
At the end of the event, the organizers reported that all the winners of the contest “Golden Chestnut” were awarded with diplomas of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and medals “Winner of the “Golden Chestnut 2022” contest, and their leaders with certificates of the Club Packagers. Each speaker at the conference will receive a collection of abstracts, which can also be found on the website www.upakjour.com.ua. The partners of the conference: Dow Europe GmbH, Windm ller & H lscher and Univest Marketing Company LLC also received the organizes’ gratitude.
By the way, the honorary president of the Club Packagers, editor-in-chief of the “Packaging” magazine Valerii Kryvoshei in his closing speech invited Diana Vyshnevska, Yurii Mykhailiv, Davyd Bahdasarian and Yaroslav Voitiuk to print the results of their research on the pages of the first issue of the “Packaging” magazine 2023. In conclusion, Valerii Kryvoshei thanked the participants of the conference, members of the jury, its partners and organizers, wished success and assured everyone that today the powerful work of every Ukrainian in his workplace adds to the overall victory in the war against rashists. On behalf of the organizers, he invited all those present to participate in information events of the Club Packagers, in particular in the competition of scientific student works “Golden Chestnut 2023”.
Iveta Krauja, Packaging Association of Latvia
From 11 to 14 October 2022 WPO (World Packaging Organization) held a series of events in Tokyo, including the second Board Meeting of the year, a meeting of the working groups of the organization, the participation in the “Modern Global Trends in Packaging Development” conference and the Tokyo Pack 2022 exhibition. “We are very excited to have these meetings here in Tokyo, not only because it is a great opportunity to visit such an important packaging exhibition and participate in the conference, but also because Tokyo is where WPO was founded 54 years ago”, said Pierre Pienaar (Australia), WPO President on arrival.
The first day of WPO was about the meeting of the working groups on sustainable development, marketing and education, which united in a hybrid format. Their leaders Henky Wibawa (Indonesia), Luciana Pellegrino (Brazil) and Nerida Kelton (Australia) reported on work that has been done since the last meeting in May 2022 in D sseldorf (Germany). Everyone had a chance of presenting the important projects: about the educational programs within the framework of seminars in some countries especially focusing on education and training in the field of packaging; the sustainable development measures aimed at reducing food losses; the marketing and communication tools that stimulate the development of packaging technologies and promote international trade. All of them are aimed at supporting packaging companies and professional organizations in different regions of the world and facilitating the exchange of experience. The members of the working
groups expressed the need to continue their mission to inform about what is happening in the packaging world, and most importantly, to maintain a strong connection with the global packaging community.
This was the 108th meeting since 1968, this time it brought together representatives of associations from 21 WPO member countries. This meeting, like all recent ones, was held under the motto “Towing a better quality of life through better packaging for more people”. As Pierre Pienaar, WPO President noted at the beginning of the meeting, the packaging industry should be guided by decisions that will pave the way for innovative developments for future generations. Among them are the new material types that we use they will change the landscape having a direct impact on sustainability, the new technology will map the course of energy reduction that we will follow over the next 10 to
20 years, the innovation of new ideas in packaging that will influence the creation of successful and sustainable cyclical technologies in packaging production. It is important that the people that use the packaging, the demands that we place on the industry along with knowledge and the necessary education will make the difference for a successful future. The program of the meeting included issues related to the activities of WPO, the consideration of which began with information about the previous meeting
in May in Milan (Italy). Then there was a speech by Pierre Pienaar, WPO President. WPO General Secretary Dr. Johannes Bergmair (Austria) reported on WPO’s financial activities in 2022 and the budget for 2023, and their leaders Henky Wibawa, Luciana Pellegrino and Nerida Kelton reported on work of the working groups on sustainability, marketing and education. Soha Atallah (Lebanon) reported on the results of one of the main WPO events the WorldStar 2022 competition and a preparation for the WorldStar 2023 competition. By the way, the marketing group has already sent to all WPO members a “Packaging Trends” report, prepared according to the results of the WorldStar 2022 competition. At the end, the place and time of future the WPO Board Meeting were determined. The next one will take place in D sseldorf on May 5–7, 2023, followed by South Africa (November 20–24, 2023), India (2024), Argentina (2024) and Italy (2025).
From the speech of Pierre Pienaar, WPO President
“Let me start by reminding all of us that we continue to focus on the goals set a few years ago: reduce food and packaging waste, increase packaging education, and increase our global exposure.
The COVID pandemic has had a negative impact on packaging companies. Concerns about the hygiene and safety of reusable packaging have temporarily suspended the promotion of the packaging industry towards a sustainable, cyclical product supply chain. After the
pandemic, packaging companies will have to change sustainable development goals, which include increased hygiene, normalization of e-commerce, and product value accounting. Thus, we face a double challenge in the packaging industry. First we focus on the production of safe, reliable, reusable or recyclable packaging. Second, last but not least, we need to focus on ensuring that local governments cooperate with us as manufacturers of packaging materials and packaging producers and recyclers to create a reliable, successful recycling infrastructure that can handle all fantastically exciting innovations in ecofriendly packaging.
Packaging training is key to our future success. The number of webinars, conferences, congresses held together by WPO members is impressive. It has given WPO considerable popularity around the world and also attracted experts to share knowledge with the packaging community. Over the past five months, we have covered more than 15,000 people around the world.
Our organization continues to grow. Since November 2021, Oman has joined WPO. United Arab Emirates and Canada. Vietnam, Ivory Coast and Egypt are considering joining WPO. We have intensified the WorldStar international competition. The last competition was attended by 440 packaging samples from 37 countries. It is 30 % more than in previous years. There are new categories. We have presented a new website that allows you to make a direct request and payment to WPO, which saves money and time for WPO and participants.
WPO must continue to develop new strategies to bring the best packaging innovations in different countries.”
From the letter of the Club Packagers
Unfortunately, the representative of the Club Packagers of Ukraine was not present at the WPO Board Meeting for good reason. But the president of the Ukrainian Association Veronika Khalaydzhi sent a letter to the WPO Board Meeting which was read by WPO General Secretary Dr. Johannes Bergmair. Below are excerpts from this letter.
“... I want to thank the Associations of the countries of Latvia, Finland, Hungary, Japan and Korea for the funds they donated to our association. It is very important for us. Now we can pay salaries to employees and have funds for our activities...”
“... Our association works all the time and helps Ukrainian packaging companies. Since the beginning of the war, we have published five issues of the “Packaging” magazine in electronic form in Ukrainian and English. On September 26–28 in Poznan, Poland, at the TAROPAK exhibit with the help of our Polish colleges, we organized a collective stand of Ukrainian companies. On October 26 we are holding a webinar “Ukrainian Packers Add to the Victory”, where company members of our association will talk about their work while the war. We have ready collected works for the Golden Chestnut competition of student scientific packaging works, the competition jury is working, the winners will make reports at the conference in this November...”
“... Once again, thank you all for your support and help. Ukraine will win and we will participate in the reconstruction of our country.”
All WPO Board members present at the meeting listened to this information with great attention and respect for the work of the Club Packagers in such hard times, and Pierre Pienaar, WPO President said in his speech: “We all continue to follow the news from Ukraine with sadness and disappointment and we are embarrassed by the suffering of the Ukrainian people at the hands of the russian military. WPO supports all citizens of Ukraine, especially those involved in the packaging industry.
I reach out to the global packaging community to unite in spreading the call to end hostilities in this region experiencing the devastating conflict. It is critical that russia ends hostilities in Ukraine immediately and re-opens the door to dialogue and diplomacy with immediate effect. Most importantly, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine is to be respected, requiring immediate withdrawal of all troops and all military activity. WPO stands for open, respect-filled dialogue that result in development with benefit for all and peace in all regions where the integrity of all citizens is supported and upheld.”
The “Modern global trends in packaging” conference was organized by the Japan Packaging Institute. It has become something much more than just an exchange of knowledge. It was a special opportunity to tell the audience that packaging is necessary and that the world
cannot do without it. In his speech at the conference Pierre Pienaar, WPO President said: “Packaging is not a problem. This is part of the solution. But we, as humans, have to do our part of work. This also means that we need to move from linear to circular technologies in the economy. And we need not only government actions, but also individuals.” The conference was also attended by Nerida Kelton, Johannes Bergmair, Luciana Pellegrino, Soha Atallah and Pattra Maneesin, General Secretary of the Asian Packaging Federation.
At the Tokyo Pack 2022 exhibition, there were summarized the results of the competition for the best packaging in Japan. The winners of the competition received Japan Star awards, as well as the right to display the Good Packaging mark.
At Tokyo Pack 2022, the World Packaging Organization had its own institutional stand, where it presented its projects, focusing on education, sustainability and reduction of food and packaging waste. The exhibition also served as an opportunity to promote the global WorldStar, best Packaging Competition organized by WPO, which attracts more and more packaging companies from all over the world every year.
From November 29 to December 1, 2022, the international food technology exhibition Warsaw Food Tech 2022 was held in Warsaw, in which the Club Packagers of Ukraine took part at the invitation of the Polish Chamber of Packaging. The exhibition brought together 43 companies that manufacture equipment for food industry enterprises.
Everyone knows what an important place food products occupy in a person’s life. Their production involves the use of various equipment – both for the processing of agricultural products and for the production of food and beverages. There are various mixing and dosing devices, equipment for food processing and production. Special attention was given to companies that develop and manufacture robotic complex units and lines. The conference “Automation of production processes as an important element of optimizing the cost of food products” was devoted to these problems at the exhibition. Representatives of the companies Hert, Mysak Group, Vemag Polska and others shared their developments.
On November 30, the conference “Food Packaging” was held at the exhibition, organized by the Polish Chamber of Packaging. Maciej Na cz from Santander Bank opened the conference with a meaningful report on the state and development of packaging markets for food products, who outlined the main directions of implementing innovative projects in packaging processes for food industry enterprises. The Club Packagers of Ukraine presented the report “What kind of packaging do we need” at the conference, which was delivered by Valerii Kryvoshei, editor-in-chief of the “Packaging” magazine. The main idea of his speech was that any packaging has the right to life if it protects products from damage and loss and is safe for people, products and the environment. Regarding the pollution of the environment by packaging waste,
it was stated that it is not the packaging that pollutes, but the person who throws away the packaging waste, neglecting the relevant rules for handling it. Andrzej Kornacki from Futamura, Krzysztof Niczyporuk from Druk Serwis 24 and Konrad Nowakowski from the PIOIRO association also gave interesting presentations at the conference.
The highlight of Food Tech Surprisingly, an unexpected event on the first day of the exhibition at its opening was the award ceremony of the “Packaging” magazine in connection with the release of the 150th issue. First, Andrzej Kornacki, on behalf of the Polish Chamber of Packaging, spoke about the work of IAC “Upakovka” and the Club Packagers in the last nine months during the “rashist” invasion. About conferences, contests, support of Ukrainian packaging companies and, of course, about the preparation and release of five issues of the “Packaging” magazine, one of which became the 150th. Then Iva Werbynska from the Czech Republic, representing the European (EPIC) and the world (WPO) packaging associations, spoke. On behalf of the leaders of these associations and to mark the release of the 150th issue of the “Packaging” magazine, Iva Werbynska presented Veronika Khalaydzhi and Valerii Kryvoshei from WPO and EPIC with a Certificate of appreciation for Ukraine with thanks for many years of fruitful informational work. These certificates are a sign of the purposeful work of the thousands of authors, editorial board and members of the editorial board. They inspire us to new achievements, contributing to the overall Victory of Ukraine.
