NEWS
UN report suggests alternatives to plastics to prevent pollution
UN Environment has published a report assess- ing the potential of replac- ing conventional plastics with alternative materials in certain applications. While the report says it is “neither possible nor desirable” to remove all plastics from society, consumers and policymak- ers now alternative materials could reduce the worst effects of plastics pollution – and help to “reduce our dependence” on them. “Making the switch from disposable plastic to sustainable alternatives is an investment in the long-term future of our environment,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. “The world needs to embrace solutions other than single-use, throw-
away plastic.” The report highlights a
range of frequently used plastics products – including plastic food containers – and identifies them as among the ‘main culprits’ of marine plastic litter. It outlines a range of alternative materi- als – including plant-based polymers, such as those
The UN says that adopting alternative materials could help to reduce plastic pollution – especially in the sea
derived from cellulose – that can replace single-use plastics where possible. However, it says there are situations – especially in the medical field – where plastics provide an “essen- tial use”. “But often, natural
materials and alternative technologies can be used to
break humanity’s addition to disposable plastic,” said the report. “This is particularly true for consumer products, as these represent a large amount of the plastic pollution contributing to marine litter.” Peter Kershaw, lead
author of the report, said: “The report is intended to encourage society to question our current use of plastics and consider the adoption of alternative approaches – especially for those items which can be characterised as designed for single use, such as packaging.” The report, Exploring the potential for adopting alternative materials to reduce more plastic litter, is available HERE.
http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25485/plastic_alternative.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Schur adds to portfolio with latest packaging acquisition
Schur Flexibles of Germany has acquired UNI Packag- ing, a France-based special- ist in packaging for cheese and dairy products. The company was
acquired by Lindsay Goldberg – the parent of Schur Flexibles – and will be integrated into the group in the medium term. Schur says the takeover will give it new strength in a number of areas. For instance, Schur says it will apply UNI’s expertise in pouches – a growing market
www.filmandsheet.com
segment – throughout Europe.
UNI is also an expert in digital printing for flexible packaging, says Schur. This will complete Schur’s portfolio and provide many customer segments with options for small order quantities and rapid design changes. “We will thus offer all printing technologies from rotary and flexo printing processes to offset and digital printing, so can respond to customer
requirements with maximum flexibility,” said the com- pany. Founded in 2012, Schur is
expected to increase sales to more than €500m in 2018. It has recently made other acquisitions – includ- ing Cats Flexibles Packag- ing, Hänsel Flexible Packag- ing and Nimax from the Clondalkin Group. Schur also recently appointed a new CEO, Thorsten Kühn, in April of this year. �
www.schurflexibles.com
Cosmo raises sales
India-based Cosmo Films grew sales in 2018 – though profits remained relatively flat. The company said it
realised its highest ever sales volumes in the final quarter of the year (up 14%) – due mainly to being near full capacity utilisation for a BOPP line commis- sioned in February – to post full-year sales of around US$294m. This was an increase of nearly 16%. �
www.cosmofilms.com
June 2018 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
