PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2018

9 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 11/18 www.petpla.net Survey on recycling behaviour in the USA While traditionally the effort to increase recycling rates has focused on education and awareness, a new study among over 2,000 Americans conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Insti- tute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) suggests action by brands and govern- ment may play a significant role as well. The poll revealed two-thirds (66 %) of Americans agree that “if a product is not easy/convenient for me to recycle, I probably would not recycle it.” The poll also provides insights into ways these two sectors can better drive recycling. “Understanding what is recyclable and what is not, can be confusing,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “The easier it is for people to understand if a product is recyclable, the more likely it is to make its way to the recycling stream. This includes not only making products that are easy to recycle through design for recycling and product labeling, but making recycling convenient through collection efforts.” In addition to finding significance in the ease and convenience of recycling an item, the survey provided the following takeaways for brand owners. The vast majority of Americans would like to see manufacturers and/or retail- ers display a “Recycling Guide” label on products that would detail the parts and percentage of the product that could be recycled and how (81 %). Having this information more prominent may help Americans consider these aspects of their product when making a purchase – or it could also encourage recycling of the product or package when disposing of it. Younger Americans (aged 18-34) are more likely to consider the prod- ucts packaging than older Americans (over 34) – including whether or not the packaging can be recycled (17%/11%), what the package is made of (16%/9%) and whether the package is made from recycled materials (16%/8%). This could be an important aspect for brands target- ing the purchasing power of millennials. The survey also found government can also set an example for Americans by prioritising recyclable materials. In fact, four in fiveAmericans (80%) agree that govern- ments at all levels should prioritise the use of recyclable products/material when making purchasing decisions. Recycling is demand driven, and thus increasing the use of recy- clable materials in manufacturing is critical to the success of recycling. This is also an important takeaway for brands participating in the government procurement process. The study also found 86 % of U.S. adults agree recycling collection sites need to be more readily accessible to consumers. The survey also looked at American’s attitudes towards curbside collection programs. Detailed results are avail- able online. This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of ISRI from September 17-19, 2018 among 2,003 U.S. adults. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no esti- mate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. www.isri.org Sidel Group acquires PET Engineering On October 11, the Sidel Group concluded the acquisition of PET Engineering Srl, further expanding the company’s portfolio of packaging solutions. PET Engineering is expected to help Sidel expand its packaging offering – especially regarding the design of con- tainers for water, soft drinks, liquid dairy products and beer. Founded in 1999 and based in San Vendemiano, Italy, PET Engineering has 40 employees. An agile company with a strong name in creative packaging design, PET Engineer- ing has solid blowing process knowledge and expertise and enjoys a loyal global customer base. Their integrated approach between design, engineering and industrialisa- tion and the capacity to create a delicate balance between technical feasibility and creativity helped PET Engineering win prestigious packaging awards. www.sidel.com United Caps seeks to build new manufacturing plant in France The manufacturer of caps and closures United Caps will build a new plant in Normandy, France, in addition to the eight existing plants in Europe and the two future extensions in Malaysia and in the UK. The site chosen is located in the Valframbert Business Park of Alençon, France. United Caps is currently working with the Communauté Urbaine d’Alençon (CUA - Urban Community of Alençon) and with Orne Dével- oppement (a service of the Orne Department Council) to negotiate the purchase of 25,000m 2 of land upon which a purpose-built factory will be constructed, with a first construc- tion phase of 4,000m 2 . This project represents an investment of €12 million and is expected to employ 15 staff in two years. Benoit Henckes, CEO of United Caps states “With our ‘Close to You’ strategy, we seek to place our factories as close to our customers as possible, as shown by the two new factories that will open next year, in Malaysia and the UK. We are especially interested in building a factory in Alençon because of its proximity to customers, who will have access to our full portfolio of solutions, and will also benefit from the proximity to our R&D centre in Messia (Jura, France) if cus- tomisation or bespoke development is required. We also like the fact that the Institut Supérieur de Plasturgie d’Alençon (ISPA - Institute of Plastics and Composites) is located nearby, ensuring a source of highly skilled staff.” www.unitedcaps.com