Neil Farmer Neil says....
Every issue, Neil Farmer, fellow of the Institute of Packaging and all-round packaging know-all, gives us his view on the latest happenings in the industry
THE PLASTICS PACKAGING INDUSTRY IS FIGHTING BACK The plastics packaging industry has been under constant bombardment from negative media coverage for a considerable period of time. A regular flow of bad news stories had made it difficult for those involved in the sector to be anything but defensive about the performance of businesses in the packaging supply chain. It is therefore gratifying and
indeed heartening that some positive messages have been forthcoming about the plastics industry in recent months. An Environment Agency
research report, which was apparently due to be issued in 2007, but which only came to light earlier this year through a leak in a Sunday newspaper, found that a cotton shopping bag has to be re-used at least 131 times to have less environmental impact than a standard single-use plastic bag. Perhaps, after all, the plastic bag is not the environmental bête- noir it has recently been depicted to be. Then came the announcement
that Closed Loop Recycling, who recycle both PET and HDPE plastics back to food grade material, is planning to double capacity to 60,000 tonnes a year at its Dagenham plant. The plant currently sorts, granulates, washes and cleans 35,000 tonnes of recovered plastics bottles a year. The extension should be completed by spring 2012. The demand for recycled PET is
increasing in the consumer and food contact packaging sectors, particularly as the price of oil continues to rise. The announcement by London Closed Loop can only be good news for the industry. Plastic Sorting Ltd has a plant in South Wales to recycle PET bottles into food-grade plastics flake and it can only be a matter of time before more capacity follows elsewhere in the UK. The industry in Britain is leading the way in these types of initiatives and Chris Dow and all
the team at London Close Loop should be applauded for their entrepreneurial efforts.
COCA–COLA HEINZ COLLABORATION It was announced in March that Coca-Cola and Heinz have entered into a collaboration agreement for Heinz to produce PET plastic ketchup bottles made partially from plant-based materials. The key driver for this is the plant bottle, something which Coca-Cola has been pioneering since 2009. 30% of the plant bottle is made from a renewable source; the polymer is derived from sugar cane and molasses. It was initially introduced in Denmark and western Canada and is now available in at least nine major markets in a variety of Coca-Cola`s drinks, including Coca-Cola itself. Usage of the plant bottle could double this year. The announcement of the tie-up with Heinz is a great example of leading consumer goods companies working together to further develop renewable strategies as part of their total sustainability programmes. Heinz has said that the decision to use the plant bottle will help meet its environmental objective of cutting emissions and energy usage by 20% by 2015. It is great to see the plastics
packaging industry playing its part in material reductions. Nampak Plastics announced earlier in the year that it is to reduce the weight of HDPE bottles it produces. It is introducing a new design of bottle, which should provide weight savings of between 15%- 21%, dependent on the size of container. The new pack will also have enhanced design features for the handle of the bottle, to provide easier access when it is in the fridge door.
GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN PLASTICS All of these stories and events tell me one thing about the plastics sector. This is: there are many
“It is great to see the plastics packaging industry playing its part in material reductions”
good things happening and it is incumbent on those in the industry to tell the world that this is the case. The UK market for food and drink packaging is worth over £5 billion and rising. The demand for material reductions and total sustainability programmes will continue. Packaging waste reduction initiatives at local and government levels will also have a continuing impact. The demand for plastic food containers will continue to grow steadily, so everything that is being done for the use of recycled materials is of great significance. Reports say that Coca- Cola plans to convert all of its plastic bottles to the plant bottle by 2020. It has established the world`s largest bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA which will operate as a joint-venture. All of this, and the contents of the Environment Agency report, says that the plastics packaging industry is getting more things right than it is given credit for. Let`s try to ensure that the positive news is heard more widely than the negative.
Packaging Gazette 17
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