In our latest Wrap-Up … Call for increased plastics industry recognition and more tax. Shoppers seek loose fruit. M&S and others on the paper packaging trail. British crisp packaging first. Euro sights on sustainable goal. High cost of new labelling. World’s largest plastic sorting plant. And more …
Call for increased plastics industry recognition
The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has released its election manifesto, urging the UK government to recognise the vital role of the plastics industry.
The BPF calls for greater recognition of the industry, more packaging for plastic packaging and recycling industries, and long-term support to ensure the UK remains competitive.
Call for increased plastics packaging tax
Resource management company Veolia is calling on the UK government to increase the Plastics Packaging Tax to encourage the use of recycled content in plastic packaging and support the development of domestic recycling infrastructure.
Veolia suggests raising the tax to 35% recycled content and £275 per tonne this year and gradually increasing it to 50% and £500 per tonne by 2030.
EPR deadline and compliancy confirmed
Defra has confirmed that the new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will come into force on April 1 2027 and that OPRL’s "Recycle" label is already compliant with the rules. The EPR requires all consumer packaging to display recycling instructions for consumers.
- Royal treatment: M&S is using 100% recyclable paper packaging for its early-season Jersey Royal potatoes, aiming to eliminate around one million plastic pieces from the product line in the first year.
- Rank change: Aldi has surpassed Asda to become the third largest supermarket in Britain, according to analysis by NIQ. Aldi's market share now stands at 12.2% compared to Asda's 11.7%.
- Consumers seek loose change: New research conducted by WRAP has revealed that 65% of shoppers in the UK would buy more loose fruit and vegetables if they were available.
- Flexible switch: Costco in the US is testing a switch from rigid to flexible packaging for its rotisserie chickens. The switch is expected to result in a 75% reduction in plastic use for the chicken products.
- British first: The British Crisp Co has launched the UK's first fully recyclable paper crisp packet. The packet, developed in partnership with Evopak, uses a non-toxic and marine-safe polymer called Hydropol.
- Rice paper: Walkers is significantly changing its multi-bags by introducing new paper packaging for its three varieties of Snack a Jacks five-pack rice cakes. This move is expected to reduce the use of plastic by 65 tonnes annually.
- Sharing progress: Tyrrells has announced that its sharing crisps bags will now contain 25% recycled soft plastics. A green on-pack flash will indicate the use of recycled plastic.
- Branding throwback: The new food brand from Canadian chef and restaurateur Matty Matheson has taken inspiration from 1930s product packaging. The packaging for the Matheson Food Company uses primary colours and basic forms, reflecting the early commercialisation of food products.
- Going with the flow: Chocolate brand Cox & Co has developed what it claims is the first-ever paper flow wrap chocolate packaging. The new packaging, which has a minimum shelf life of 12 months, will replace the brand's compostable plastic packaging and is expected to reduce its packaging costs by 35%.
- Circular progress: Faerch has released its “2023 Sustainability Report”. Highlights include developments in PET recycling and the expansion of its recycling plant in the Netherlands.
- Sights on Euro goal: Europe is making progress towards its goal of using 25% of its plastics from circular sources by 2030, according to a report by Plastics Europe. The report found that circular plastics currently account for 13.5% of new plastic products manufactured in the region.
- Pact together: The Canada Plastics Pact has announced the addition of six new partners, bringing the total number to over 100.
- Reusable pilot: Food delivery service provider Uber Eats, and its partner DeliverZero have expanded their reusable packaging pilot to the US West Coast. The trial allows customers to opt for reusable containers when ordering from participating suppliers.
- Costly labels: Post-Brexit labelling laws that require “Not for EU” labelling on agri-food products could cost the UK industry millions of pounds, according to a leading dairy firm boss. Also, Dairy UK, the sector’s trade body, estimates that the cost per business of changing labelling alone could be up to £500,000.
- FDA thumbs-up: Vienna-based Borealis has received approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to use specific grades of its Borcycle M mechanically recycled plastics in food-grade packaging.
- Capital gains: Hilton Food Group, a food packaging company that supplies major supermarkets, is planning further expansion and potential takeover deals after reporting a 64.2% increase in pre-tax profits in 2023.
- Ed’s the head: The British Plastics Federation's (BPF) Plastics and Flexible Packaging Group has appointed Ed Roberts, Sealed Air's Global Advocacy Leader, as its new chairman.
- Meeting film demand: Berry Global has increased its recycling capacity across three European facilities. The expansion project aims to meet the growing demand for high-performance films made with recycled content.
- World’s largest plant: Sweden has launched the “world’s largest” plastic sorting plant. It can sort 200,000 tons of plastic annually and separate 12 different types of plastic. The aim is to increase plastic recycling in Sweden by 100% and recycle up to 95% of the packaging.
- Benefits of learning: TOMRA Recycling has launched three applications that use deep learning technology to separate food-grade plastics from non-food-grade plastics. The technology combines near-infrared, visual spectrometry, and other sensors with deep learning to create the solution.
- Planting progress: Scientists in California have developed a plant-based plastic from algae that biodegrades in the environment and does not produce microplastics.
- Run of the mill: Biotech start-up PlantSea has developed a seaweed-based material that can be recycled through a standard paper mill, making it the first seaweed-based packaging to receive a “recyclable” label from the certification body OPRL.
- Barking up the right tree: A compostable bark-based material that can be used as a substitute for plastic in packaging has been developed by a start-up called Bpacks. The material can be produced using existing plastic-package manufacturing lines.
- Mean machine: Proseal will showcase its new XTRs Machine at the Farm Shop and Deli Show. The XTRs Machine, the successor to the GTR, is an all-electric sealing machine capable of sealing 30 packs per minute.
- Fresh trends: Packaging Automation has highlighted the latest trends in packaging for the fresh produce sector and the role of packaging automation in revolutionising the industry.
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