Packaging Annual

Environmental Sustainability Drives New Developments

By Richard Stewart

The packaging industry is in the midst of a revolution being driven by increased demands for environmentally friendlier and sustainable packaging alternatives. As a result, the plastics industry is being directly affected in many ways. New developments in materials and processes have led to lighter containers and reduced packaging, improved recyclability, faster production cycles, and innovative new uses of renewable bio-based resins.

Sustainable Packaging

Cal Dooley, President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), observes: “More than ever before, many of our trading partners are asking their suppliers to comply with newly adopted environmentally friendly policies designed to reduce the “environmental footprint” of their companies and their supply chain. From reductions in packaging and water usage to energy efficiency, these policies have challenged the food, beverage and consumer household goods industry to apply its creativity and innovation for the common good.”

Deloitte Consulting LLP conducted a study in 2007 for the GMA on environmental sustainability, finding that sustainability is rapidly becoming a requirement for consumer businesses. The industry's large environmental footprint and unique dependencies on agricultural inputs, water, and packaging make sustainability a critical strategic issue that consumer packaged goods companies must address proactively.

Retailing giant Wal-Mart, which expects to cut overall packaging 5% by 2013, officially began using its “packaging scorecard” to rate suppliers on their progress toward developing sustainable packaging on Feb. 1. The retailer has made it clear to suppliers that they are expected to help it attain company-wide sustainability goals to reduce waste and sell sustainable products.

The scorecard evaluates the sustainability of product packaging based on several key metrics, including greenhouse gas emissions, product-to-package ratio, space utilization, innovation, the amount of renewable energy used in production of packaging, and emissions related to the distance packaging materials are transported.

“When we launched the scorecard for supplier input in 2007, we knew that we were going to work on the metrics behind the scenes, and we will continue to work with members of our Packaging Sustainable Value Network to refine those metrics,” relates Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar, director of packaging at Wal-Mart's Sam's Club chain. “We are in a unique position to drive positive change in the area of packaging by working with our suppliers.”

Refocusing Awards Criteria

The DuPont Packaging Awards, the packaging industry's longest running, independently judged global innovation awards program, has added a special emphasis on sustainability for 2008. This year the 20 th DuPont Awards program will honor materials, processing, technology, and service achievements in packaging that demonstrate progress toward sustainability, while also meeting market requirements for enhanced performance such as improved freshness, convenience, and shelf appeal, according to the call-for-entries announcement.

DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers recently announced plans to collaborate with Plantic Technologies Ltd., an Australian company specializing in starch-based biopolymers, to develop and sell renewably sourced resins and sheet materials. Based on an annually renewable feedstock from specialized (hybrid) corn, the new materials will target packaging for cosmetics, personal care, and food. DuPont will also market and distribute Plantic's starch-based resins and sheet products for trays and rigid packaging applications in North America under the DuPont™ Biomax® family of products.

Forecast Good for Plastics

U.S demand for plastic containers, bags, and pouches is expected to increase steadily, supplanting paperboard, metal, glass counterparts, reports the Freedonia Group in an industry study (July 2007) of flexible and rigid food containers. Plastic food container demand is expected to grow 6.3% annually to U.S. $4.5 billion in 2011. Cost and performance advantages will drive opportunities for bags and pouches, the study relates. Freedonia also predicts that demand for high visibility packaging, including clamshell, blister, and other types, will increase 5.1% annually through 2010.

Sealed Air Corp., the best known for its Bubble Wrap®, was honored with an AmeriStar Award in the 2007 competition sponsored by the Institute of Packaging Professionals for foam trays made with NatureWorks® PLA polymer. The Cryovac® NatureTRAY™, designed for packaging of meat, fish, and produce, along with a new absorbent NaturePAD, also a PLA product, are designed to handle the robust demands of automated in-plant packaging. They meet Sealed Air's ongoing commitment to sustainable packaging alternatives, notes the company. The PLA tray is said to be equivalent to traditional polystyrene foam trays and is compostable in industrial compost facilities.

NatureWorks reports that more than 100 brands and retailers in the U.S. , Europe , and Asia currently offer product innovations made from its PLA material, from flexible and rigid fresh food packaging, and beverage packaging to a broad range of non-packaging products. NatureWorks is jointly owned by Cargill, Inc., an agribusiness leader and major corn producer, and Teijin Ltd. of Japan , which acquired 50% ownership in October 2007.

EcoStar™ HS 1000, a PET-based eco-friendly recyclable material that can be heat-sealed with existing machinery and tools was introduced recently by Placon Corp., a design and thermoformed packaging company in Madison , Wisconsin . HS 1000 is said to be a cost-effective alternative to PVC and provides numerous advantages over other materials, says Placon. Its sealing efficiency reportedly provides energy savings of 8% to 10% by reducing the duty cycle on RF machines. HS 1000 is also said to be easier to weld and offers 100% fiber tear on the blister-to-card seal while allowing better plastic-to-plastic welding and easy sealing on aqueous-based cards.

More Flexible Packaging

Development of diverse and innovative flexible packaging remains strong, according to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA). Flexible packaging converters and suppliers are combining improvements in manufacturing, materials, graphics, and printing to produce outstanding packages that work with the product, the FPA observed in an announcement of the 2007 winners of the group's 2007 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards. Products once packaged in jars and cans have made the switch to flexible packaging.

Among the winners was the Cryovac® Flavour Mark™ shelf-stable, flexible retort pouch, which is said to provide more consistent flavor and texture than food packaged in #10 cans. The Cryovac pouch also won a WorldStar 2007 Award in the annual competition of the World Packaging Organization and an AmeriStar Award in the annual competition of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IPP). Made of high-performance, multi-layer, coextruded film, the pouches are designed to withstand thermal processing (250° F/121° C) after packaging to achieve shelf stability.

Benefits of the Flavour Mark pouches compared with cans include lower material costs, more efficient storage, safer handling, more efficient labor, and lower waste disposal costs, notes the manufacturer. One roll of the film can form enough pouches to package the equivalent of 1,600 #10 cans and occupies only three cubic feet of storage space. An equivalent number of cans would require about 265 cubic feet of space, adds Cryovac.

Freedonia researchers expect U.S. converted flexible packaging demand to grow 4.2% annually through 2011. Gains will be driven by advantages over rigid packaging and developments in breathable and self-venting films as well as resealable features, Freedonia reports in an industry study (November 2007). Pouches will be the fastest growing type of flexible packaging, while bags will remain the largest segment, says the study. Steady gains are forecast for flexible bulk packaging, of which 63% will be plastic, mostly low density polyethylene.

Improved Lidding Films

Toray Plastics America has developed solvent-free polyester LumiLid® lidding films, using Toray's proprietary extrusion coating technology, for frozen and refrigerated food applications. The process does not require organic solvents. Odorous and potentially harmful solvents are eliminated from food applications with the heat-sealable, transparent film product. The new films are said to seal cleanly and securely, even on pleated corners, to APET, APET-coated board, CPET, PP, HDPE, and HIPS. LumiLid films can be used for microwaveable and dual-ovenable applications, says Toray.

Another recent introduction from Toray Plastics is a line of FDA-approved cast polypropylene (CPP) film for retort pouch and lidding applications. CPP ZK100 film for retort pouch constructions is said to offer exceptional clarity and low haze in a non-whitening film that is resistant to stress cracking. For retort lidding, CPP CF9501 sealant film creates a secure, easy-to-peel lamination for use on PP containers. Both new films are said to withstand temperatures up to 275° F/135°C for fast sterilization. They also exhibit good heat-seal strength and impact strength, Toray reports.

Oxygen Scavenging Film

Oxygen scavenging and oxygen absorbing films offer greater protection for food products than ever before, according to Cryovac Sealed Air. Polymer-based oxygen absorbing film is coextruded as a packaging layer and is activated on the processor's packaging line by a patented UV light process. Cryovac® OS films are said to remove oxygen 10% to 20% faster than earlier products. With faster scavenging, packaged products retain their high quality longer by slowing microbial growth and oxidative deterioration of flavors, color, and nutrients.

Oxygen scavenging technology is featured in a lightweight 46-ounce PET bottle for Hunt's Ketchup, which won the IPP competition's 3M Sustainable Packaging Award as well as an AmeriStar Award in the Food category. ConAgra Foods adopted Constar International's new DiamondClear™ oxygen scavenger technology for the clear, squeezable bottle. The new bottle is said to make the ketchup look and taste better and is compatible with current recycling practices. PET containers with DiamondClear are a sustainable alternative to glass packaging.

The DiamondClear material is an active oxygen scavenger that is blended directly into PET in a monolayer structure. The technology was a replacement for multi-layer PET with EVOH, a passive barrier material, explains Constar. The FDA-approved DiamondClear facilitates lightweighting of a package through a combination of factors. Its high capacity for scavenging oxygen allows for thinner walls without appreciable loss of barrier or risk of delamination. For the Hunt's bottle, these factors provided a weight reduction of nearly 12%, a significant sustainability gain, adds Constar.

Lightweighting Water Bottles

Cott Corporation, a global producer of retailer brand soft drinks, is investing in new blow molding and water bottling equipment manufactured by Sidel Group to produce lightweight water bottles at lower cost. The new bottles are expected to minimize environmental impacts in a variety of ways, including reduced energy consumption and material use, reports Cott. Sidel's combined expertise in lightweight bottle design and packaging solutions played a role in the development, which will enhance Cott's ability to compete in the large and growing bottled water market, the bottler noted.

In another lightweighting success story, overall weight was reduced by 20% in a PP container developed by Graham Packaging for Canadian food processor and marketer CanGro Foods. The container incorporates a wider mouth and an innovative three-part closure system from Bapco Closures, Ltd. in the UK . For a secure vacuum seal, the closure system incorporates a welded-in foil membrane, which the consumer removes using a pull ring. The container is resealed with a screw-on overcap, enabling peeling and sealing to occur on different surfaces for better resealing.

Borealis, the Austrian producer of advanced polyolefin plastics, recently launched an injection molding PP grade which targets high-quality packaging. Bormod™ BJ368MO was formulated for lightweight properties, high productivity, and sturdy performance. The grade is based on proprietary Borealis Nucleation Technology, which enables PP to solidify quickly in the mold for faster cycle times. Productivity gains of up to 20% have been reported, notes Borealis. Other benefits are said to include material savings and weight reduction of 10% to 20%. Target applications include consumer food containers for refrigerated salads, margarines, and fresh and frozen dairy products.

Nanoclay Adds Benefits

Nanotechnology has seeped into packaging, producing improvements in film strength and barrier properties. Techmer PM, a major producer of color and additive masterbatches, reports dramatic gains from the addition of nanoclay particles to polyamide film. With 2% loading, a 2-mil film's tensile strength was shown to increase 46%, while elongation increased 38%, with only minor effects on the film's clarity, optical transmission, and haze characteristics, reports Techmer PM.

Research has shown that 2% nanoclay loading can improve the gas-barrier properties of nylon films by about 40%, the company says, noting that it is currently working to quantify the performance of nanoclay films in terms of oxygen and water-vapor permeability, and chemical resistance. The company expects that higher levels of nanoclay will substantially improve the barrier properties of polyamide films, with a tradeoff in optical clarity.

U.S. military research has also shown benefits of nanocomposites in high-barrier polymer films for military ration packaging. Packaging technology based on non-foil, high-barrier, polymeric material is needed to produce environmentally friendly packaging that protects food from oxygen, water vapor, microbial, and insect penetration while decreasing current packaging limitations caused by a foil-based packaging system, according to Christopher Thellen, R&D Engineer at the U.S. Army Soldier Center in Natick, Massachusetts.

Thellen reports that nanoclay/polymer formulations were melt processed into films and characterized for barrier, mechanical, thermal, and biodegradation properties. Multilayer nanocomposites packaging based on nylon MXD6 technology has shown to provide an oxygen barrier that meets the U.S. Army's specification for ready-to-eat meal bags at low to mid-level RH environments, he notes. The high-barrier packaging is based on co-extrusion of a five-layer polymeric structure. EVOH nanocomposites sandwiched within a polyolefin are thought to be a candidate for non-retortable and retortable food pouches.

New Colors in Packaging

Masterbatch specialist Ampacet Corp. has introduced the first amber masterbatches for PET injection blow molded pharmaceutical bottles as an alternative to buying pre-colored PET. The two new grades enable processors to add color during processing. The masterbatches incorporate Ampacet's Formula X™ PET technology, which requires no predrying and provides other productivity benefits. Both amber products meet the strict regulatory requirements set for pharma bottles, including lightfastness, UV protection, clarity, color, and extractability, relates Ampacet.

Brilliance, transparency, sparkle, and shine are some of the effects achieved with special pigments recently introduced by Swiss effects specialist Ciba. The effects, offered in a variety of shades, are part of the Xymara line. Transparent effects make packaging more attractive and eye-catching and are in demand for items such as cosmetics and perfumes, Ciba notes, however products packaged in transparent materials are especially prone to discoloration and spoilage through the harmful effects of light. The new effects are designed to create visual appeal while protecting the contents.

New colors and effects specifically developed for containers made using high levels of post-consumer recycled ( PCR ) polyolefin resin have been introduced by Clariant Masterbatches as part of the ENIGMA™ family of special effects. The company relates that since recycled polyolefin tends to have an overall grayish cast and can be inconsistent from lot to lot, the new color systems are sure to make a difference to package designers using any level of PCR , up to 100%. Clariant describes the new colors as a translucent blue with a large pearlescent fleck; a warm, incendiary red pearl; and a natural, yet vibrant green pearl.

Another recent introduction in the ENIGMA family is the High Contrast series of color combinations, which pairs warm colors with cool, aggressive with recessive, and complimentary colors. They include a cool bright green iridescent pearl over an opaque deep red base, as well as others such as violet on green, copper on blue, and gold on silver. Volume II of the ENIGMA Reference Chip Guide is now available fromClariant ColorWorks™ centers.

Clariant has also developed RENOL®-natur color masterbatches and CESA®-natur additive masterbatches colorants and additives, which are based on natural materials, mainly plants. Biodegradable and compostable, the products were developed specifically for use with biopolymers and starch-based resins. CESA®-extend, designed to rebuild polymers on the molecular level, can be used to increase the melt strength of PLA , recycled PET, and other condensation polymers so that they can be used in an ever-broader range of applications, including foamed packaging.

New custom-formulated concentrates from Teknor Color Company have been introduced for cosmetic and beauty aid packaging. ColorMorph™ concentrates are designed to achieve dramatic color-shift effects. Made possible by new types of raw materials and innovations in manufacture, the concentrates yield far more distinct color shifts as the viewing angle changes than are available with conventional “color-variable” concentrates, says Teknor. Examples are shifts from gold to bright red and transparent to opaque. Other innovative colors from Teknor include MetaLustre™ color concentrates, which provide the luxurious metallic look in demand for health and beauty aid packaging.

Milliken Chemical has introduced Millad® NX8000, a new clarifier, and a line of ClearTint® colorants for clarified polypropylene. When used in combination with NX8000, the colorants create colored clear PP with the best clarity and lowest haze on the market, claims Milliken. The clarifier enables clear PP's to be substituted for higher cost clear plastics and glass in packaging, the company adds. PP clarified with the NX8000 can be used in applications such as food contact without imparting taste or odor into the product.

Innovations in Machinery

Stick packaging has arrived in the North American market as the result of a deal between KHL Engineered Packaging Solutions and Aranow Packaging Machinery, the Spanish manufacturer of high-speed equipment and film used to produce the innovative packets. First introduced in Asia and Europe, the flexible stick pack offers a “better, faster, and cheaper solution” to packaging single-use products such as condiments, jellies, personal care products, touch-up paint, detergent and many others, says KHL.

The stick pack, which incorporates a top and bottom seal and a fin seal along the back, provides an attractive, consumer-friendly package coupled with high-speed production capabilities and up to 40% in film savings, the company relates. Aranow manufactures stick pack machinery with up to 18 lanes for packet forming, filling, and sealing, with a capacity of up to 77,000 stick packs per hour. Four machine models are available, based on the type of product to be packaged.

Paper Machinery Corp. offers container forming machines specifically engineered to form pre-printed plastic, two-piece convolute cups and containers. Barrier Plus™ plastic cups and containers are high-quality alternatives to decorated thermoformed and injection molded containers. Containers are formed from die-cut plastic sidewall blanks and web-fed plastic bottom stock. Several models are offered, based on package size, annual volume, and line speed. A new model has been announced for non-round containers.

A high-performance injection molding system for production of PET bottle preforms has been developed by Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. The company has demonstrated the HyPET package with a 96-cavity mold, producing a 12.1 gram, 500 ml water bottle preform in a 5.5 second cycles. That represents a 15% reduction in cycle times for the same preform prior to the introduction of the new system, says Husky. The new HyPET package is the result of refinements to the entire preform system, including mold, robot, injection unit, clamp, and auxiliary equipment.

Another recent introduction from Husky is the HyPAC machine with an in-mold labeling (IML) system that was demonstrated in a workcell that achieved 2.9 second cycle times running a 250 gram rectangular container in a four-cavity mold. The workcell integrated a Müller mold and in-mold labeling robotics, Borealis BJ356MO 100 MFR block copolymer polypropylene, and orange peel labels. The HyPAC-based IML system has shown 10% lower part weight and 10% faster cycle times than the current industry standard, Husky reports.

[SIDEBAR – WITH 2 PHOTOS: Tree Top 64-oz.tif and Martinellis 10oz bottle.tif]

Bottle Innovation Earns Awards

Graham Packaging was the recipient of two 2007 World Packaging Organization WorldStar Awards for two blow molded PET beverage containers. One was for a rectangular 64-ounce/ 1.9-liter hot fill juice bottle, which increased store shelf utilization by over 25% compared to a round container. The shape also reduced secondary packaging, shipping, and storage costs. Top load improvement of more than 35% resulted in a significant material savings, too, says Graham.

The other award was for a redesigned and improved PET version of a 10-ounce apple-shaped glass bottle, which is called the first successfully implemented liquid nitrogen-dosed, hot-fill, narrow-neck beverage bottle. The WPO judges characterized the bottle as “a breakthrough for an industry seeking panel-less, lightweight, hot-fill bottles, and it broadened the scope for design options permitting replication of an apple-shaped bottle, formerly in glass.”

[SIDEBAR – WITH PHOTO: Instapak Quick RT Foam]

Instant Packaging Protection

An innovative product from Sealed Air Corp. is Instapak Quick® RT (room temperature) Foam Packaging, which won a 2007 Polyurethane Innovation Award from the American Chemistry Council. The product creates a protective cushion of foam around an object within minutes of mixing a liquid PU foam resin and a liquid initiator inside an internal pouch. The pouch is placed inside a box or container, the product to be packaged is placed on top of it, and the foam quickly expands and solidifies around it to form custom-fit protective packaging.

[SIDEBAR

Eco-friendly Grocery Bag

Hilex Poly Company, a leading manufacturer of plastic bag and film products, has introduced a fully degradable, recyclable HDPE T-shirt bag. The Hilex Environmentally Degradable ( HED ) bag is designed to degrade in about eight weeks when exposed to oxygen. Heat, sunlight and stress can accelerate the process, says Hilex, noting that an environmentally safe additive promotes the degradability of the bag. After decomposition, microbes digest the fragments, leaving only natural by-products, with no heavy metals or methane gas emissions, explains the company. Water-based inks are used rather than commonly used solvent inks. The HED bag can also be recycled and the plastic reused in Hilex Poly's “Bag 2 Bag” program.