No.7+8 2022 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 25 . 07 . 22 PETplanet is read in more than 140 countries MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S IN THE AMER ICAS, AS IA, EUROPE AND AL L AROUND THE PLANET MARKETsurvey Suppliers of compressors Page 28 Page 10 LABELLING Page 20 Page 22
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No.7+8 2022 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 25 . 07 . 22 PETplanet is read in more than 140 countries MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S IN THE AMER ICAS, AS IA, EUROPE AND AL L AROUND THE PLANET MARKETsurvey Suppliers of compressors Page 28 Page 10 LABELLING Page 20 Page 22
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imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Hubweg 15 74939 Zuzenhausen, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 info@petpla.net EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Anthony Withers WikiPETia. info petplanet@petpla.net MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann hirschmann@petpla.net Johann Lange-Brock lange-brock@petpla.net phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur | exprim.de Matthias Gaumann READER SERVICES Till Kretner reader@petpla.net PRINT Chroma Druck Eine Unternehmung der Limberg-Druck GmbH Danziger Platz 6 67059 Ludwigshafen, Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ subscription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net Dear readers, PETpoint at Drinktec is just around the corner. After five years, we are looking forward to seeing and talking to you in person once again. The last few years have shown that nothing can replace face-to-face meetings, no matter how sophisticated the latest technology is. Drinktec’s hall lay-out has changed significantly, having switched from between the west and east entrances with its very long central axis to an area between the north and east entrances. This makes it more compact within a small hall plan, as well as the distances being shorter. The supporting programme reflects the four main themes of the fair: consumer world and production design, sustainable production and packaging, digital solutions and transformation and water and water management. There will be presentations from companies from the PET sector including Agr, Serac and Industrial Plastics Steinfurth Ltd. As a result of the restructuring, PETpoint can now be found in halls C4 and C5. Eighty exhibitors (as of July) are looking forward to taking part in PETpoint. You will find us at stand 136 in hall C5 at the entrance to C4. A glass of water, fresh coffee or home-made draught beer will be waiting for you. Yours Alexander Büchler A lively hustle and bustle at the PETplanet booth during Drinktec 2017 - this year you will find us in hall C5 - stand 136
PETcontents 4 PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 07+08/2022 Page 32 EDITOUR 10 Innovation, recycling, recyclability 12 Re-introduction of returnable PET bottles in Austria - Mineral water bottler Vöslauer expands its product range with a state-of-the-art 1 l returnable PET bottle 14 Where caps go under the knife - Tethered caps require complex cutting geometries 19 Strong in mid-range clamping forces and side-entry moulds LABELLING 20 Easy to sort & recycle bottle sleeves - Britvic switches to low-density polyolefin partial sleeve 21 Labelling products MARKET SURVEY 28 Suppliers of compressors TRADE SHOW PREVIEW 22 Drinktec part 2 30 Fast and flexible response - From concept to the filled and capped bottle 32 Regenerative PET packaging solutions 34 Continuous developments 36 Fast turnaround and advanced metrology - Existing equipment can be adapted to the demands of rPET 37 Quality wins the market - Solution for a digital factory 38 Higher productivity, less energy consumption - New PET Line 3000 live on stage EVENT REVIEW 40 Propak Asia 2022 - Extended in-person event after pandemic-related postponement 42 Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2022, part 1 44 Plastics Recycling Latam - Reflecting the interest in recycling plastics in Latin America BUYER’S GUIDE 48 Get listed! INSIDE TRACK 3 Editorial 4 Contents 6 News 46 PET bottles for beverage + liquid food 47 Patents 54 Outer Planet Page 19 Page 20 LABELLING
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PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net Romania prepares for deposit return system Romania is on a rapidly approaching deadline to launch its deposit return system in October 2022 (in accordance with Government Decision 1074/2021), to align with the targets of the European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive and to tackle beverage container pollution. The Single-Use Plastics Directive requires member states to separately collect 77% of single-use plastic bottles with caps and lids by 2025, with an ultimate target of 90% by 2029. In October 2021, the Romanian government approved a decision regulating the deposit return system for single-use primary packaging, according to which consumers will pay a RON 0.50 (USD 0.11) deposit when they buy beverages from retailers. Consumers will receive their deposit back when they bring the empty beverage containers to one of the return points for recycling. Romania’s deposit return system will cover single-use beverage packaging in glass, plastic or metal, with volumes between 0.1 and 3 l. Reverse vending technology company for deposit return systems, Tomra, opened an office in Romania in 2021 and has a national service network ready to support stakeholders who will operate the return points. The first machines were installed in Romania starting in 2012 to support a voluntary project and since then have collected more than half a billion (571 million) plastic bottles, 63 million aluminium cans and 34 million glass bottles. Deposit return systems have already proven to be highly efficient: for example, the European average collection rate for plastic beverage bottles in countries without a deposit is 47%, whereas European countries with deposit systems collect 94% of eligible plastic beverage bottles. A number of states or countries have committed to update existing deposit return systems or develop new systems. www.tomra.com Circularix and Macquarie Group to build and operate PET recycling plants across U.S. HPC Industries LLC and Macquarie Group’s Commodities and Global Markets group have formed a joint venture to produce rPET. Under the name Circularix, the venture’s plans include building and operating five recycling facilities across the U.S. with a total annual production capacity of more than 275 million pounds of rPET resin. The first facility, located in Hatfield, PA, is expected to be operational by December 2022. Leon Farahnik is Chairman and CEO of Circularix. Alex Delnik, former CEO and founder of Verdeco Recycling, will serve as President and Chief Operating Officer. In addition to its investment as a partner in the joint venture, Macquarie is assisting Circularix with project debt, equipment finance, FX hedging and other risk management solutions to support its future growth. “Consumer brands are struggling to meet their sustainability goals as current rPET supply is unable to scale as needed,” Farahnik said. “Our move into rPET production is the beginning of a major and much-needed capacity expansion in the United States, and we are excited to continue playing an important role in the plastics recycling industry by uniting our experience with Macquarie’s.” Macquarie is a leading provider of risk management, market access and capital and financing solutions to the petrochemicals industry and has played a leading role in environmental product markets, sustainable infrastructure and the waste sector around the world for more than 15 years. Macquarie formed its Sustainable Waste Solutions team in 2020 to provide finance and growth capital solutions to clients in the waste sector, with a focus on helping facilitate the transition to a circular economy. www.macquarie.com
7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net Ara Partners acquires Petainer Ara Partners, a private equity firm that specialises in industrial decarbonisation investments, announced that it has acquired Petainer Ltd., a UK-based, global producer of sustainabilityfocused beverage packaging solutions. Petainer was acquired by Ara in partnership with Petainer management and affiliates of Next Wave Partners LLP. Petainer, which is led by CEO Hugh Ross, is a technical and innovation leader in the development and manufacture of sustainable, high-performance PET packaging solutions for blue chip customers in the soft drinks, beer, water and other CPG sectors. The company has particular strengths in refPET (multiple-use, refillable bottles), rPET (recycled PET) and circular applications. Mr Ross stated: “Ara’s ownership will significantly enhance Petainer’s ability to invest in expansion alongside our multi-national customers as these customers implement their global sustainability and circularity strategies.” Petainer offers a wide range of sustainable PET packaging solutions which allow its customers to reduce their carbon footprint. It has over 35 years of experience designing and manufacturing highquality, cost-efficient products with circularity as a core principle. It operates eight sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia to serve customers globally. www.petainer.com www.arapartners.com Otto Hofstetter India: investment in domestic market Otto Hofstetter India is expanding its Indian office and production site. In response to the growing interest in high-quality moulds for food packaging in the Indian market, the daughter company of the Swiss mould manufacturer Otto Hofstetter AG is in the process of building a bigger and state-of-the-art production facility in Bangalore. A few days ago, Otto Hofstetter, CEO, and Stefan Zatti, CSO, visited the new site for the official laying of the foundation stone with a blessing ceremony by a priest. Otto Hofstetter India is looking forward to the new office and to further increasing our production of moulds in India and exclusively for the domestic Indian market with new infrastructure. www.otto-hofstetter.swiss Miguel Torres Chile switch to Packamama’s rPET wine bottles Miguel Torres Chi le, a wine company at the forefront of taking climate action to help reduce wine’s carbon footprint and member of International Wineries for Climate Action, has become the latest brand owner to adopt Packamama’s ecoflat wine bottles. Newly launched in Sweden’s alcohol monopoly, Systembolaget, the introduction of eco-flat wine bottles for Río Claro Organic Carmenère is part of a collaboration with Miguel Torres Chiles’ Swedish importers, The Wine & Spirits Collective. The goal is to further forward the sustainability credentials of the brand and appeal to a younger generation of climate-conscious consumers, unlocked through switching the packaging to Packamama’s lower carbon bottles. Systembolaget, like other Nordic monopolies, has long encouraged wine in PET as it is a lightweight, lower carbon footprint packaging material. Packamama’s bottles go further, being made from 100% rPET to put pre-existing material back to good use while reducing carbon emissions even more than PET alone. Río Claro is the third wine brand to launch in Systembolaget in ecoflat bottles, following their first introduction in May 2020. www.packamama.com Follow us on LinkedIn
8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net New name and logo for PET producers’ European Trade Association The Committee of PET Manufacturers in Europe (CPME), has announced its rebrand: PET Europe – Producers’ Association. The non-profit trade association represents PET resin producers and was founded in 2010. The new name and logo will strengthen awareness of the institutional role of the association and its geographical horizon of activity. It is intended to build PET’s equity and reputation, starting from sustainability and the circular economy. Chairman of PET Europe Antonello Ciotti said: “PET is a crucial material in our economies and society. Economic, flexible and light-weight, PET helps to prevent food waste and save energy. As a fully recyclable polymer, PET also contribute to the circular economy. By 2030, 9 out of 10 PET bottles will be collected for recycling in Europe, up from 6 out of 10 today.” “The rebranding is the most visible sign of our development and growth. As a trade association, PET Europe addresses the issues impacting our industry, raising them with EU institutions and international organisations. PET Europe is an active member of Petcore Europe, our valuechain association.” “The strength and lightweight features of PET allows more product to be delivered with less packaging, less weight and less fuel for transport. This is important for beverage packaging as it makes the bottles safe for on-the-go and sports use. PET is a remarkably energy-efficient packaging material, with life cycle analysis consistently showing an environmental impact that compares favourably to glass, aluminium and other beverage container materials.” www.pet-europe.org Repetco wins Retina Eco SME award for innovation and sustainability in recycling of multilayer PET plastic Repetco has picked up the SME award ‘for innovation and sustainability’, in the second edition of the Retina Eco Awards, held in collaboration with Capgemini. This award has recognised the technology developed by the company for a problem that, until now, remained unsolved: the recycling of multilayer PET plastic, very present in food packaging and one of the most difficult materials to recycle. In addition, the construction of the first industrial-scale plant in the world for the recycling of this type of plastic has given added value to the award, since its operating dynamics will be based on avoiding the use of chemicals, reducing emissions, and favouring the circular economy thanks to the recovery of raw materials. F.l.t.r.: H.M. The Queen of Spain; Rafael Sanchez-Castillo Lodares, founder and CEO of Repetco; and the Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain, Teresa Ribera Rafael Sánchez-Castillo Lodares, founder and CEO of Repetco, highlighted the problem facing the recycling of PET plastics: every year in Europe, 1.3 million tons of these plastics are buried in landfill or incinerated. “This happens because they cannot be recycled, but Repetco’s technology is going to make this possible for the first time.” The ceremony was presided over by H.M. The Queen of Spain and was also attended by the Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain Teresa Ribera. Ms. Ribera, who closed the event with a speech highlighting the value of the awardwinning projects, stressed the importance of combining the intelligent use of resources, taking advantage of the technologies available, but “without forgetting the context in which these technologies are useful”. For their part, the director of Retina, Jaime García Cantero, and the CEO of Capgemini, Luis Abad, also wanted to highlight the relevance of the projects in the fight against climate change and in their commitment to sustainability. “Our commitment to these awards is environmental and planetary, but without losing sight of the other two, because the ecological transition that we live has to be fair, diverse and inclusive, leaving no one behind,” added García Cantero. www.repetco.com
9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net ENERGY COSTS reduced by 15 %? UNLIMITED life time ! MAINTENANCE COSTS reduced by 50 %? Drinktec Munich Hall 5 / Stand 520 Messe München, 12-16 Sep. 2022 www.afcompressors.com sales@afcompressors.com YES! AF Compressors can provide sustainable and long life 8 bar & 10 baroil free air compressors! Can AF Compressors also supply 8 bar & 10 bar, oil free air compressors? AF COMPRESSORS
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 10 Innovation, recycling, recyclabilityby Ruari McCallion Paccor (Mansfield) UK Ltd was founded as Closures Ltd, just over 20 years ago. In 2018, it was acquired by Lindsay Goldberg Vogel, the European arm of USA investment company Lindsay Goldberg. The Mansfield plant’s speciality is caps, focused very much on the dairy industry. Milk and dairy is highly commoditised so there is always a challenge to profitability. Paccor has risen to the challenge of commoditisation in the dairy industry by investing in automation and in producing a cap that is the leader in the UK dairy industry. Paccor is also investing in recyclability and environmental sustainability, of products and processes. Ruari McCallion, PETplanet Insider’s Editor-at-Large, visited Paccor (Mansfield) UK Ltd and spoke to Managing Director Steve Naylor and Nick Hill, plant manager. Interview with Paccor (Mansfield) UK Ltd, March 2022 We met: Mr Steve Naylor, Managing Director Mr Nick Hill, Plant Manager Paccor has two sites in the UK. One in Mansfield, near Nottingham, in England’s East Midlands and another further north, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, which is one of only two Centres for Development and Innovation across the whole organisation. The other is in Germany, at Paccor Packaging GmbH, in Düsseldorf. Paccor has manufacturing and/or sales presence in 18 countries across the world, including North America and SE Asia. Paccor (Mansfield) UK Ltd traces its history back 20 years. It was founded by Peter Acres and Anthony Jurkiw as Closures Ltd, with a 10-year entrepreneurial view to build up the company and then sell it on to others with the resources to take it further. After a period in another private equity company’s ownership, the company in the UK and across the world is now owned by Lindsay Goldberg Vogel, the European arm of USA investment company Lindsay Goldberg. The Mansfield plant is totally dedicated to manufacturing caps and it is focused very much on the dairy industry, which is highly commoditised and thus presents constant challenges to profitability. While other competitors have opted to shift their focuses elsewhere, Paccor is meeting the commercial challenge by investing in automation and constantly striving to drive out waste. Its strategy has led to it becoming the leading supplier of caps to the dairy industry, including suppliers of specialist products such as Cravendale, a filtered milk with a long shelf life. “Our product is a bit more specialist,” said Steve Naylor, Head of Sales UK and Ireland. His responsibility includes both Paccor (Mansfield) UK Ltd and Paccor UK Ltd, the Chesterle-Street facility. “There are only two players producing these caps so it is a very restricted supply chain. The previous owners used to say that, if Paccor stopped supplying for a week, it would make the national news. There aren’t many businesses in the country that would do that.” The reason is that dairies would still keep producing, as would the cows and the bottle manufacturers would be able to keep sending their products to the dairies, too, but if the supply of high-performing caps, essential for the freshness and integrity of a basic food like milk, was unavailable, the supply and sale of it to supermarkets would have to stop. “There’s been a lot of discussion about milk in the press, as you know. There always is because the farmers are always complaining that bottled water is more expensive than milk, that the bottled water suppliers get paid more and people still buy it,” Steve said. “There’s this commodity aspect, where the retailers treat it as a commodity.” The Cravendale filtered milk product, which is made by Arla, is aimed at a more premium market. The bottle is slightly thicker, Tour Sponsors: Part of the production floor of Paccor’s Mansfield plant, which specialises in the production of closures made of recycled PE
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 11 the handle is different and so is the cap but it is still made by Paccor. It is designed to present a different image, to differentiate it from the everyday milk and so to maintain a more stable price point, in contrast to the highly competitive, commoditised range of full, semi-skimmed and skimmed. The milk bottle caps are made from HDPE, with an increasing proportion of recyclate. They are twopiece, featuring a liner inside to provide a complete seal. As well as the caps, the Mansfield facility also makes some cream pots, primarily from PP. The primary user of PET in Paccor’s UK operations is the Chester-le-Street factory. As Steve Naylor covers both we were able to discuss themes and issues the two sites have in common. Almost above effective and efficient processes is recycling and waste reduction. The pots the Mansfield site produces for cream and other specialist dairy products are PP, rather than PE. “Polypropylene is used purely to give rigidity to the pot,” said Steve Naylor. “We are challenging ourselves to compete and to give the market what it wants, which is less and less plastic. We are at the limit of our injection ratios and we need to be able to easily inject it, with a very high melt flow and to mould it.” Along with the need to use less material is the drive to make products recyclable. Steve acknowledges the difficulties and we discussed the solutions Paccor is implementing. “Recycled materials in general are now key. There is a huge push from the public and from retailers to look at what are the best options. It isn’t straightforward, though. If you take products that are made from thin polymers, so thin gauge, things like a polythene bag, where it’s very difficult or more challenging to recycle, or where you may have laminated structures, such as with cartons, it’s more difficult to replay the polymer because you’ve got such a thin layer,” he said. “What F.l.t.r.: Nic Hill, Plant Manager, Paccor (Mansfield) Ltd and Steve Naylor, Managing Director, Paccor UK
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 12 we try to do is to embrace it from outset. When we buy new equipment or start new projects, is much better to get it right from the very start of that project, rather than try and introduce it later. It’s rarely as efficient as a bolt on as it is as an integrated process.” “Our new rHDPE line has been set up from day one to mould, assemble and pack all in one stream,” said Nick Hill, Plant Manager. In February 2022, Paccor announced that the Mansfield production team are now able to offer caps with a minimum 30% rHDPE. That proportion is important; any less and the products would be subject to the Plastic Package tax, which will be levied at £200/t (EUR240/t). Paccor expects to see the minimum percentage rise in future, along with the tax on noncompliance. It is ahead of the game by, in fact, being able to offer 40% rHDPE content already, with a cast-iron guarantee of 30% minimum. At the same time, it is reducing the amount of material needed for each cap, thus achieving a double benefit. “It’s like everything when it’s first introduced, because there isn’t the availability, then it has to be set at a level that’s realistic for industry. Once the availability is there, investments then be made in in the kerbside collections and everything else,” Steve continued. “The same applies to reprocessing. There should be no issue for people to use progressively more material and the more that you have going through the system, the more there will be investment in recycling and the material quality consequently improves.” The Mansfield site is now producing around 45 million rHDPE caps a week. It has been able to get there after an extensive development programme that included the testing of various extrusion nozzle diameters and cutter holder profiles, getting the pellet size and head pressures right, to ensure the right cap, full cap or flush. “The biggest investments have been in changed part. We have invested in new nozzle diameters, in hoppers and a new central blender, to ensure that we have a constant distribution of material,” said Nick. Improved accuracy in the setup of the machinery enabled Paccor to deliver consistent forming of the caps, without any impact on filling at customers’ premises. It is estimated that the inclusion of rHDPE at these levels reduces the company’s use of virgin material by more than 1,000 t/a and will save an estimated 1,300 t of CO2 annually. Wastage has been target for several years already and they may have reached the point where the investment to drive down further would be difficult to recoup. “We think we are at about 2.5%,” said Nick. “We don’t actually have the facility to catch and put back into the process. The challenge is that, while it may be, say, a certain amount nominally is being lost, if you’re having to spend half that amount upfront, plus the monitoring and paperwork, it becomes difficult to achieve ROI in a reasonable time.” After the conversation in the boardroom, I was taken on a tour of the production floor by Nick, with a particular focus on the rHDPE lines. One thing caught my eye: different bags for packing the caps. Some of Paccor’s customers like to have their caps delivered packed as tightly as possible but some like to have them ‘air packed’. The split seemed to be about equal but it illustrated that, despite its dominant market position, Paccor is still committed to meeting customers’ own special needs. www.paccor.com Paccor’s Mansfield plant uses a range of machinery to produce closures, including this Sacmi CVS 2000. Its closures are made using either virgin or recycled PE.
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EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 14 Mineral water bottler Vöslauer expands its product range with a state-of-the-art 1 litre returnable PET bottle Re-introduction of returnable PET bottles in Austria April 2022 We met: CEOs Ms Birgit Aichinger and Mr Herbert Schlossnikl In less than 30 minutes we reached Bad Vöslau, about 35 km from Vienna: our first stop in Austria as part of our European Roadshow 2022. South of Vienna, on the edge of the Vienna Woods, arises the Bad Vöslau healing spring, known throughout Austria. The certified Vöslauer mineral water rises at a depth of 660m and has been used for 100 years not only as drinking water but also as a thermal spring for cures. Tour Sponsors: An idyllic panorama of mountains and vineyards presents itself to us as we arrive at the gates of the plant for the official press conference with politicians, entrepreneurs, and environmental organisations. It is an important day for the PET industry in Austria. After 13 years, the 1 l PET returnable bottle is reintroduced by Vöslauer Mineralwasser GmbH. During the press conference, the Minister for the Environment and Climate Protection, Ms Leonore Gewessler, and Executive Director of Greenpeace in Austria Mr Alexander Egit, paid great respect to this important decision to reintroduce a returnable PET bottle on the market. Vöslauer, which already had a twoway deposit rPET bottle on the market 19 years ago, is pleased that the time is now ripe again for a resource-saving, sustainable PET bottle that is all about progress. “Consumer behaviour has changed. Climate and environmental protection have become an important factor in purchasing decisions. Around 80% of Austrians would like to see more reusable containers on supermarket shelves. Currently, there are reusable glass containers, but not a single reusable PET product on the Austrian market, and we are now changing that,” explains Birgit Aichinger. She continues: “The main advantage of the returnable PET bottle is, firstly, the carbon footprint. The PET returnable bottle saves 30% CO2 compared to the existing deposit containers. Compared to glass, the PET returnable bottle is 90% lighter at 55 g. It is stable and unbreakable, which is a great advantage in handling, logistics and for the end consumers. The new 1 l PET bottle can do up to 12 cycles, saving 80% of material. That’s 400 t of material per year! It is made from PET monomer material and contains 30% rPET at market launch. This share is to increase steadily, the label is made out of 100% recycable material too,” summarises Aichinger. F.l.t.r.: Editor Heike Fischer and CEO Herbert Schlossnikl present Vöslauer’s new 1 l PET returnable bottle. The 1 l returnable PET bottles produced by Alpla are washed in a caustic solution at 58 °C in a Krones washing line. Up to 22,000bph run through the line. by Heike Fischer
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 15 In general, more than 1.6 billion plastic bottles from various suppliers and 800 million beverage cans are put on the market in Austria every year. The amount of disposable plastic beverage bottles has doubled within 20 years, and there is still a need for optimisation in disposal and recycling. Reusable bottles, which are taken back, washed and refilled, are a resource-saving and climate-friendly alternative. “Now we are taking what we see as the logical next step and bringing a new, modern generation of reusable products to Austria’s supermarket shelves. As a pioneer in the industry, we have now launched a returnable PET bottle as an Austrian company. The 1 l PET reusable solution replaces our previous 9x1 l rPET two-way deposit bottle. Returnable PET is the ecologically sensible addition to our existing range, especially to returnable glass. This is because we rely on 100% rPET in the one-way sector and on glass and PET containers in the returnable sector,” stated Herbert Schlossnikl. Schlossnikl continues: “The first impulse came in 2003 with the introduction of the PET two-refund bottle. This resulted from the declining demand for the 1 l glass bottle, which was around 15% per year. When demand for the glass bottle recovered in 2014, we launched the first 100% rPET bottle in 2018. Since 2020, our entire PET product range consists only of recycled bottles. Furthermore, we are CO2-neutral as a company and with our products. This means that compared to 2005, 50% of CO2 emissions have been reduced through our own efforts and 50% have been offset through high-quality climate protection projects. By 2030, we want to reduce our CO2 emissions by a further 28% compared to 2019,” Schlossnikl closed. With best wishes for the future, despite all the current difficulties, we leave this impressive company with the new 1 l returnable PET bottle in our luggage and thank for the hospitality! www.voeslauer.com 0$'( ,1 ,1',$ 0$'( ,1 ,1',$ ZZZ VK\DPSODVWLF FRP VDOHV#VK\DPSODVWLF FRP F.l.t.r.: At the ceremony: Alfred Hudler, Director at Ottakringer Getränke AG, Herbert Schlossnikl, CEO Production and Technology at Vöslau, Leonore Gewessler, Minister for Climate and Environment Protection, Birgit Aichinger, CEO Marketing, Sales and Finance at Vöslauer, and Alexander Egit, Director of Greenpeace Austria Convenient & light: The 1 l returnable PET bottle weighs 55g and is thus 90% lighter than the returnable glass bottle.
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 16 Tethered caps require complex cutting geometries Where caps go under the knife by Gabriele Kosmehl As part of the Brückner Group’s Pre-K press conference in Freilassing, Bavaria, we met Beat Rupp, CEO of Packsys Global. Their machines are essential when it comes to implementing the EU Directive on tethered caps. June 09, 2022 We met: Beat Rupp, CEO Packsys Global Along with complete systems for extruded tubes and laminate tubes, automatic hot embossing solutions and packaging solutions for a wide range of containers, rotary slitting and folding machines for plastic caps are designed in Rüti, near Zurich in Switzerland. The latter have become a particular focus of attention because of the tethered caps directive; from July 2024, a total of 255 billion closures p.a. in the EU must be designed in such a way that they stay attached to single-use containers even under a breakaway force of 25 Newtons. This requires complex cutting geometries that are not only horizontal but also vertical and diagonal and extremely precise. This is the specialist field of Packsys Global AG. Great effort has gone into this issue over the last three years, and customers can now be offered the SmarTether, ExperTether and CapCompass solutions (see box). These are distinctive in that they can be used on all common neck styles, including GME 30.40 (26mm). “All requirements can be met purely through adjustments in the slitting,” explains Beat Rupp. “For our customers, this means that existing systems can be retrofitted.” The precise alignment of the cutter is more relevant than ever. “Previously, caps were cut above a take-off ring; today different elements and levels are needed to produce the various tethered cap variants,” says Rupp. At present, it’s impossible to predict which cap variants will catch on. “Ultimately, it will be the solutions that are the simplest to replicate and that are easily understood by consumers,” Rupp assumes. While all compression moulded caps have to be cut, injection moulded caps can either be cut or the band supports can be integrated into the moulding process. Slitted designs have the advantage that the process creates only minimal gaps. The cap application process is more stable due to the better mechanical alignment. In addition, slitting has the advantage of offering a better visibility after first opening due to a wider drop zone, a clear advantage for the end consumer. “Eventually, every variation will be on the market, including hybrid solutions combining both technologies” says Rupp. He’s delighted about a new customer group that Packsys could win over: “Tethered caps are an issue not only for PET bottles but also for drinks cartons. Gable-top cartons need an oriented cut to ensure that pouring isn’t hampered by the cap. Here, our CapCompass can be combined with TE-band cutting,” explains Beat Rupp. After two challenging years of pandemic, the company is on the verge of an upturn in the drinks machinery field thanks to the high demand for tethered cap solutions. Tour Sponsors: The new Packsys Global headquarter in Rüti, Switzerland Beat Rupp and Gabriele Kosmehl at the company headquarters of the Brückner Group in Siegsdorf
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 17 It all started with the laminate tube Tethered caps weren’t on anyone’s mind when Packsys was founded in 1969 by Karl Mägerle. Under the name KMK Maschinen AG, the company produced systems for laminate and extruded tubes. To stay abreast of various takeovers and the growing product portfolio in the field of packaging machinery – including the cap cutting machinery field in the early 2000s, – the company was renamed Packsys Global in 2004. Further mergers, for example with Combitool AG in 2020 and Texa AG and Madag Printing Systems in 2021, have enabled further portfolio growth. These mergers have also been reflected in a new company headquarters. To bring all the companies under one roof, a new 15,000m2 building has been constructed just 500m from the previous headquarters in Rüti, Switzerland, with residence taken up in October 2021. Beat Rupp explains the thought process behind the mergers: “Packsys is a classic line and solution provider. Previously, a customer had to contact different companies at different sites with different contact partners; now it’s all much simpler. Behind the scenes, we bundle our technologies under one roof, but the customer only needs to speak to one contact to find a complete solution.” In Switzerland, Packsys has 230 employees; with its employees in India, China, USA and Japan, the number rises to over 300. “Short-term thinking is no good in engineering” In 2011, the Swiss company Packsys Global was taken over by the Brückner Group, which also owns Brückner Maschinenbau, Brückner Servtec and Kiefel Technologies. Beat Rupp considers the position in a holding company an advantage for Packsys: “The focus of the holding is on strategic issues such as sustainability and digitalisation, from which we at Packsys can benefit. At the same time, we maintain a great deal of independence to manage Packsys in line with our vision for it.” Beat Rupp has left the company some years ago, but his professional path has brought him back to Packsys, most recently in 2019 as CEO. The management and owners of the Brückner Group have played their part in this too. “Short-term thinking is no good in an engineering and technology environment, and sometimes some stamina is needed,” says Rupp. “The owners, the Brückner family, decide quickly and think long-term. This gives us planning security.” In 2021, the baton was passed from company founder Gernot Brückner, now 85, to his son Moritz, who is continuing the family business in the same spirit. Taking responsibility At the end of our conversation, Beat Rupp tells us about a project close to his heart. ‘Buy Food with Plastic’ is a charity initiative addressing the problems of hunger and plastic pollution in rural parts of developing countries, where collected PET bottles can be used as currency to pay for meals. Packsys supports them financially and organisationally. Detailed information on Buy Food with Plastic can be found on page 54. www.packsysglobal.com SmarTether A choice and combination of multiple horizontal, together with several vertical knives, allows slitting with either a randomly positioned hinge or a lasso styled tether. SmarTether was designed mainly for the changeover from standard to tethered applications. Single cut as well as tethered multi cut with diagonal and vertical cuts can be combined with the same tooling. ExperTether ExperTether is designed for multiple slitting lines on both the horizontal and vertical axes. The spindles are fully and accurately synchronised to the slitting knives, located at the outside of the rotating slitting turret. The slit line pattern on mandrel matches to the knife pattern. A continuous and accurate slitting process support is ensured, identical as known from standard TE band slitting. CapCompass technology Simultaneous spindle movements allow accurate positioning of the plastic closure before slitting process starts. Optimised machine kinematics, paired with sequential knife penetration, provide gentle closure handling and make it therefore suitable for gable top package closures or thin wall and light weight closures. After opening, the closure will flip away to a non-disturbing position. CapCompass orientation technology can be used with both SmarTether and ExperTether to achieve the customer’s desired tethering style. Interview on the go: Packsys CEO Beat Rupp was available for an interview on the journey from the Kiefel site in Freilassing, Bavaria, to the Brückner Group head office in Siegsdorf. Tethered cap slitting example
www.moretto.com f o l l ow us BOTTLE TO BOTTLE RECOVERY MOISTURE CONTENT CONTROL PROCESS CONSISTENCY EXTREME BLENDING FLEXIBILITY MAKING THE DIFFERENCE ON PET. Hall C5 - Stand 234 Hall 11 Stand H56 Stand H66
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 19 Strong in mid-range clamping forces and side-entry moulds Just in time for the top autumn trade fairs, Otto Systems is presenting its new preform production system “PET-Series” with 160 t and 240 t clamping forces. Otto Hofstetter AG is offering its proven cavity lock technology in side-entry moulds. We met: Mr Stefan Zatti, CEO Otto Systems AG; Mr Beda Grob, CTO Otto Systems AG; Mr Markus Feldmann, Head of Sales PET Otto Hofstetter AG The machine basis for the new PET-Series of Otto Systems – the independent consulting and engineering company under the umbrella of Otto Hofstet ter Holding – is developed jointly with BMB; Otto Hofstetter suppl ies the moulds and the complete handling system with three cooling stations is built and supplied by Otto Systems. Ot to Systems further combines all components, resulting in a highly integrated preform production system. Two special features shine out alongside the many small highlights in the series. Although it is a side-entry system, some of the existing top entry moulds can be used on both platforms with minor adjustments. A greater tie bar distance compared to the standards makes this possible. The second highlight is the electric clamping unit with an optimised five-point double toggle characteristic. Because the toggle moves outwards – differently to conventional constructions – as well as due to smart central force transmission a minimal platen deflection and stable parallelism can be ensured. This patented and over a decade proven clamping concept guarantees reduced wear and an extended mould service life. The toggle can also be supplied with extended arms. This allows the production of very large opening strokes for preforms up to 400mm in length and makes the system one of the few highly integrated machines suitable for large water container preforms. For Otto Systems, the obvious trend towards highly flexible smaller systems is clear. One reason is the ever-increasing number of individual designs which requires smaller production lots. Small mould configurations for large preforms and wide mouth applications are therefore an excel lent match for market requirements. On the other hand, more compact moulds for smal l preforms and a high efficiency in the performance of the PET-Ser ies enable an impressive output for moulds up to 96 cavities. For production with fast cycles (e.g. drinks preforms), Otto Systems offers the high efficient Shot Pot for the plastification. For production with high shot weights and low cycle times (e.g. water containers), the so called Time Safe Unit (plasticising with a side piston for the hold pressure) is ideal. The Otto Hofstetter moulds are impressive in their low maintenance requirements. Shot numbers of 12 to 14 million are more the norm than the exception before first maintenance is required. And this competitive advantage is no longer restricted to top-entry moulds. Now, Otto Hofstetter is offering its low-maintenance construction for sideentry moulds too. The trend towards smaller neck geometries on drinks bottles is also leading ultimately to smaller moulds or the same size moulds but with more cavities on the mould. At the autumn trade fairs, Otto Hofstetter will also present moulds with again reduced pitch. www.otto-systems.com www.otto-hofstetter.swiss Tour Sponsors: PET-Series 160 3100-SP-100 by Otto Systems 96 cavity side-entry PET mould Feldmann: We’ve spent the last two years intensively pushing side-entry moulds. This speed of development is only possible in family companies, where a problem identifi ed today already has a solution tomorrow. Zatti: Top-entry moulds can also run with minor adjustments on the PET-Series from Otto Systems. This usually reduces the investment costs for the overall system.
LABELLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net 20 Britvic switches to low-density polyolefi n partial sleeve Easy to sort & recycle bottle sleeves Leading branded soft drinks business Britvic is continuing to increase the sustainability of its packaging thanks to bottle sleeves that are now easier to sort and recycle. needed. All sleeves will now be made from low-density polyolefin material, EcoFloat from CCL. The low-density polyolefin EcoFloat sleeves are claimed to be fully compatible with current PET recycling technologies, mainly the sink/float process. Here the sleeve automatically detaches from the PET bottle. The heavier bottle sinks to the bottom of the basin while the lighter sleeve material and caps float to the top – ensuring an efficient separation of materials. This leads to high quality recycled PET flakes that qualify for re-use as foodgrade packaging – closing the loop on PET bottles. The low density of the polyolefin sleeve materials also comes with other benefits, states CCL: These sleeves are lighter than a comparable PET sleeve material, helping to cut carbon emissions for transport and throughout the whole supply chain. LABELLING Challenge: transparency At this stage of development, EcoFloat material is less transparent than PET material due to its low-density, floatable properties. This was the main challenge for CCL when Britvic decided to switch from PET to EcoFloat material. Both sleeve designs, Lipton Ice Tea and Drench, have clear areas that are part of the packaging appearance. CCL worked on alternative lacquers to improve clarity and found a satisfactory solution for the customer, supporting Britvic on its ongoing journey to increase the sustainability and recyclability of its packaging and contribute to a circular economy. www.ccllabel.com Having already redesigned its bottles to save more than 4,000 t of plastic so far and introduced a minimum of 30% recycled plastic across the majority of its plastic bottle portfolio, the next step Britvic is aiming for is the sleeves. Nearly all of the company‘s bottle range previously used PET sleeves – either partial sleeves which only cover half the bottle, like Lipton Ice Tea, or full-body sleeves, like Drench. Working in partnership with CCL, Britvic has now moved all bottles to a partial sleeve, reducing the volume of plastic AGRINTL.COM • +1.724.482.2163 VISIT OUR BOOTH AT THESE SHOWS: drinktec Sep 12–16 Munich C5.121 K 2022 Oct 19–26 Düsseldorf 11C40 The right tools and expertise to help with your rPET goals! Agr is uniquely positioned to support your venture into rPET bottle manufacturing with a powerful combination of Process Control tools, Process Consultants, and decades of industry experience.
21 LABELLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net Label waste as raw material for building insulation UPM Raflatac, Inosence Polyol Oy and Finnfoam have built a collaboration model that intends to improve resource efficiency. The PET plastic label liner waste collected through UPM Raflatac RafCycle recycling service forms a waste stream which is difficult to recycle. Now this label liner waste can be processed into a raw material in a process developed by Inosence Polyol, which thermal insulation manufacturer Finnfoam then uses as a raw material for polyisocyanurate or FF-PIR insulation. About 80 per cent of the backing materials for self-adhesive labels are paper and there are established processes for recycling them. The remaining 20 per cent are PET-based films with an extremely thin layer of silicone applied to the plastic. These fractions are difficult to separate, and therefore these PET plastic backing films have in the past ended up being mainly incinerated. Juha Virmavirta, Director, RafCycle Solutions, UPM Raflatac, sees the advantages of the solution in the fact that the recycled raw material is made into an insulator, e.g., a durable product that binds carbon for decades. UPM Raflatac collects PET-based film waste from its customers and end users. Inosence Polyol Oy utilises the waste collected for the production of polyol. UPM Raflatac’s material flow guarantees a steady supply of raw materials for the production of polyol. www.upmrafl atac.com Label-less bottle reduces carbon footprint by 21% Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP) and Danone have launched a 100% recyclable bottle for the Villavicencio water brand made exclusively for the Argentinean market. The label-less bottle is made from 100% recycled content and has a reduced carbon footprint of 21% compared to the previous bottle. “Over the last two years, we have worked closely to produce a bottle that ful ly represents the Villavicencio brand, keeping the same visual elements. We used top-quality materials, helping to ensure the safety of the container and the consumer in the process, while we manufacture a bottle that, with the help of the consumer, wi l l become another bottle once recycled,” said Juan Cazes, general manager of Amcor Rigid Packaging Argentina. PET bottles can be easily recycled with mechanical or chemical recycling in most markets, even when that container uses a label. Removing the label, such as in the Villavicencio design, provides a greater opportunity to increase yields of recycled PET resin. Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal-care and other products, has committed to making all its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. www.amcor.com LABELLING Labelling products
22 TRADE SHOW PREVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 07+08/22 www.petpla.net Petainer Hall C5 – Booth 259 TRADE SHOWpreview Drinktec 2022 – Grow with the Flow ‘Grow with the Flow’ is the main theme of the upcoming Drinktec, which will take place from September 12-16, 2022, in Munich. In a digital event as part of the Drinktec online roadshow, Petra Westphal, exhibition director of the trade fair, and Richard Clemens, Managing Director Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association Process Plant and Equipment Association (VDMA) provided information on the status quo of planning and the focal points of the trade fair. The organisers are expecting 1,200 exhibitors from more than 170 countries and visitors from almost all parts of the world. The desire for personal explanations is high and so are the expectations of both the exhibitors and the visitors. The major challenges in mechanical engineering - bottlenecks in the procurement of materials and price increases for goods and transport costs - will certainly provide topics for discussion. The four hot topics that are in particular focus at the trade fair are sustainable packaging + products, digital transformation + solutions, consumer world + product design and water and water management already offer solutions to existing or emerging problems. Visitors with an affinity for PET will have plenty to discover throughout the fair but are particularly recommended to take a stroll through PETpoint, which is located in all of Hall C5 and in part of Hall C4. The PETplanet team can be found at Hall C5, Booth 136. www.drinktec.com From refillable bottles to Hybrid kegs Petainer will be showcasing its range of sustainable PET packaging solutions. In bulk beverage dispensing, the company shows off its most advanced keg to date, the one-way Hybrid Keg as well as the refillable PET water cooler bottle. In PET bottles, Petainer puts refillable bottles at the forefront, showcasing its market leading refillable bottle range, and detailing our bespoke bottle process. For customers with a focus on the circular economy, the team on site will talk them through the new Petainer IR flake, the company’s own processed rPET solution. With this, customers can access rPET to close the loop. In single use bottles, Petainer will present an extensive range of standard range items as well as bespoke solutions. www.petainer.com Bottling machines & equipment The Promec Group with the Promec, Blowtec and Melegari Technology brands, offers a range of machines and equipment for bottling, beverage & food, both as a diversification of products and sectors. Promec will be highlighting its solutions for the rinsing and sterilisation of all types of containers – also in the Ultraclean and aseptic sectors. It also manufactures filling lines for containers from 5 - 20 l. The Blowtec division will highlight its expertise in designing and constructing machines (linear blow moulding machines) to produce all types of PET containers. Melegari Technology is specialised in isobaric fillers, gravity fillers, volumetric fillers with flow meters, hot fill filling machines, combi machinery (blow moulding / filling) as well as mixers and saturators. The constantly updated range of products is dedicated to the filling and packaging of products in various industrial sectors such as water, soft drinks, beer, fruit juices, sports drinks, alcoholic beverages, oils and sauces, fresh and ESL milk and much more. www.promec-srl.com www.promecblowtec.com www.melegaritechnology.com/ Promec Group Hall A6 – Booth 330 Clear PET bottles and preforms made from virgin PET and rPET
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