PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2020

29 PACKAGING / PALLETISING PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 05/20 www.petpla.net PACKAGING Sustainable packaging solutions How is it possible to transform the predominant mode of resource consumption into a sustainable circular economy and what options does the industrial sector have for accomplish- ing this change are the questions Krones AG are addressing. The LitePac Top secondary packages from Krones, e.g. as a cardboard clip for non-returnable PET containers or cans, re fl ect this approach. The LitePac series is produced with a lower energy consumption and less wastage than with shrink- packs, claims the company. The packaging used in LitePac Top can be produced from recycled materials, and after consump- tion be recycled again. LitePac Top can be handled using the Varioline 2M packer. The Varioline series offers fl exibility with a combination of secondary and tertiary packag- ing. In all, more than 20 differ- ent packaging combinations can be created on a single machine. By using encapsu- lated, lifetime-lubricated bear- ings, electric vacuum pumps or a drive system where the braking energy is recovered and re-used for acceleration, the Varioline is claimed to unite sustainability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Flexibility, brilliant colours and plenty of creative scope in terms of visual and haptic container design are offered by the DecoType direct-printing machine from Dekron. Direct printing enables new designs to be cost-efficiently applied to bottles within a minimised timeframe. By printing the motif directly on the container’s body, the labels, which often consist of plastics, can be dispensed with. Direct printing functions with both virgin PET and bot- tles made of recyclate. The imprinted bottles themselves can also be recycled again. And for recovering the plas- tics involved as well, Krones has a solution in its portfolio. Because the MetaPure recy- cling systems not only enable PET bottles to be recycled into food-grade PET, but also plastic packages to be recovered and even upcycled. www.krones.com