Cogitel (Altea Packaging Group) première entreprise certifiée ISO 22000

Fin Novembre 2008, Cogitel (Altea Packaging Group) vient d’être certifiée conformément à la norme ISO 22000 version 2005, par l’organisme AFAQ-ASCERT International. Elle devient ainsi la première et l’unique entreprise du secteur de l’emballage flexible en Afrique du Nord à détenir une telle certification.

Comme le souligne Monia Ben Amor, Responsable Qualité de Cogitel, l’entreprise s’était engagée depuis 2007 dans une démarche d’hygiène pour apporter à ses clients l’assurance de la sécurité des denrées alimentaires. Cette démarche consiste à mettre en place les bonnes pratiques d’hygiène, à appliquer l’analyse HACCP du processus de production et, ainsi, à établir toutes les mesures de maîtrise des dangers physiques, chimiques et microbiologiques dans les emballages en contact direct avec les aliments.

Nadia Zeghal Marrakchi, Directrice Générale de Cogitel, souligne le fait que cette démarche est le fruit d’un travail de longue haleine et l’œuvre de tous dans l’entreprise. La Qualité ne doit pas être vue comme une contrainte mais doit faire partie du quotidien de chacun. C’est ainsi que Cogitel a été là encore l’une des toutes premières entreprises certifiées ISO9001, dès 1998. Depuis, et avec un développement régulier de l’export, Cogitel a régulièrement amélioré son système au fil des audits clients tout en renforçant ses investissements industriels.

Moncef Marrakchi, Vice-Président pour l’Industrie et la Recherche & Développement du Groupe Altea Packaging, auquel appartient Cogitel, confirme que cette démarche sera étendue à l’ensemble des sites du Groupe avec un objectif très court terme pour Roland Emballages en France.

A propos d’Altea Packaging :

Altea Packaging est le leader de l’emballage flexible de la région MENA avec une présence industrielle en Europe. Avec une capacité installée de plus de 40 mille tonnes par an, plus de 700 collaborateurs et 7 unités industrielles du Maroc à l’Egypte en passant par la France et bien sûr la Tunisie, berceau du Groupe et noyau de son développement, un savoir-faire rivalisant avec les plus grands groupes internationaux du secteur, Altea Packaging est l’unique acteur à offrir un service de proximité aux multinationales présentes sur l’ensemble de la région et aux entreprises souhaitant un service de qualité par un fournisseur fiable disposant d’une longue expérience du secteur.

A propos de Cogitel :
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Cogitel, SA au capital de 10.5 MD, créée en 1984, est le leader de l’emballage flexible en Tunisie avec un chiffre d’affaires dépassant les 30 MD en 2008. Elle emploie plus de 160 personnes sur un site d’environ 7 hectares situé dans la zone industrielle de Sidi Salah, Sfax. Elle est certifiée ISO 9001-2000 et ISO 22000. Cogitel réalise des emballages destinés au conditionnement d'une vaste gamme de produits, essentiellement biscuits, yaourts, thé & café, chocolat & confiserie, pâtes & couscous, détergents & cosmétiques…et dispose d’un large savoir-faire intégrant le Cogimix, les Sleeves, la banderole pelable, les films haute cadence, les étiquettes IML etc

Source : Communiqué de Presse Altea Packaging

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High Visibility Packaging Demand to Exceed 33 Billion Units in 2012

According to a new study from The Freedonia Group, US demand for high visibility packaging, including clamshell, blister and other types, is expected to increase four percent annually to $8.5 billion in 2012, representing nearly 34 billion units and creating a market for 1.1 billion pounds of plastic resins. Gains will be driven by favorable advances in consumer spending along with the growing influence of mass market retailers, which tend to favour blister packs, clamshells and other high visibility containers for their theft and tamper deterrence and ability to effectively showcase products. Further growth will be limited by the rising volume of offshore production and packaging of such products as toys, games, sporting goods, hardware and electronics.

"Biodegradable" is one of Packaging's Most Misused Terms

Via Packaging Digest

If I were to select the single most misused and misunderstood word used today in the packaging arena, I would have to say “biodegradable.” There is no better example of the latest hype than a stroll through the aisles of PACK EXPO International 2008. After polling vendors about biodegradability claims and what data substantiates these claims, it seems that the term, “biodegradable” should raise a greenwash warning flag, especially when applied to fossil fuel-based plastics.

Like the term “renewable,” there is a sense that use of the term, “biodegradable” communicates something inherently environmentally virtuous. Why so? Nature biodegrades some things pretty well: leaves, people and other bio-based materials—all current carbohydrates that microorganisms have evolved to recognize and eat as food, leaving behind nutrients, minerals and evolving heat and carbon dioxide. The situation is very different when we talk about synthetic, fossil fuel-based polymers that microbes don't necessarily recognize as food. Despite this, “biodegradable” is perceived as a positive word to consumers and there is widespread belief that “biodegradable” means that something disappears, according to an American Chemistry Council survey.

Even if we successfully engineer fossil fuel-based polymers to be truly biodegradable within a timeframe that is meaningful to consumers and composters, I still question the environmental benefit of taking a 100 million-year-old fossil fuel-based polymer that is non-renewable and adding it to a landfill to biodegrade. We live on a planet that is so oversaturated with respect to carbon that the last thing we need is to add more fossil carbon to the system. What we need to do is recognize plastics as a valuable material resource, and then collect and recover plastics much like they do in Europe.

We do an abysmal job of collecting and recovering plastic packaging in the U.S. According to the U.S. EPA, we currently landfill 90 percent of all fossil-fuel-based plastic packaging. Perhaps biodegradation is perceived as a benefit because there is a general misperception that it solves over-dependence on landfills. But this misperception comes from a widespread misunderstanding of landfills, compounded by the lack of a coherent, national strategy for post-consumer materials management. One of the most significant misperceptions is that landfills are big compost piles. They aren't.

Today, landfills are built and lined with heavy-gauge plastic to prevent any leaching of contaminants into the ground water. Once it's filled, a landfill is capped to prevent any moisture from entering.

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Landfills are designed to entomb things, not to encourage biodegradation. Even if something is inherently biodegradable, such as paper, the moisture, oxygen and microbial conditions for biodegradation don't readily exist in a landfill. We find newspapers in them from decades ago that are still intact.

The exception to this general rule is wet organic materials, like food and yard trimmings, which comprise about 25 percent of all U.S. municipal solid waste. These materials do have a tendency to biodegrade in landfills, but in the oxygen-deprived conditions of a landfill, they emit methane, a gas with 23 times more greenhouse gas potency than carbon dioxide.

If we are going to encourage biodegradability in materials, we need composting facilities as a recovery system designed to manage the problem.

We would get significant environmental benefits if we removed readily biodegradable materials out of landfills. And we need to collect and recover valuable fossil-fuel-based materials, because they're nonrenewable, and our children might need them some day. This speaks to the need for a broad national strategy for materials recovery encompassing all materials, be it polymer recycling or an infrastructure for composting. As it stands, we're capitalizing on a lack of understanding by touting claims that don't hold up, given the reality of our infrastructure.

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Québec : Attention aux sacs non récupérables !

En conférence de presse, le maire de la Ville de Rimouski, M. Éric Forest, le préfet de la MRC de Rimouski-Neigette, M. Gilbert Pigeon, et le directeur des opérations de l'entreprise Récupération de la Péninsule inc., M. Stéphane Gauthier, ont fait état d'une importante problématique reliée à la présence de sacs non recyclables dans les matières récupérées. Depuis quelque temps, de nouveaux types de sacs ont fait leur apparition dans plusieurs commerces de la région. Les sacs identifiés par les mots OXOBIODÉGRADABLE, OXODÉGRADABLE, BIODÉGRADABLE OU COMPOSTABLE NE SONT PAS RÉCUPÉRABLES ET DOIVENT ÊTRE JETÉS DANS LE BAC À DÉCHETS SEULEMENT.

Lire la suite du communiqué de presse
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Sustainable Packaging Summit: April 8-10, 2009 • Chicago, IL

"Designers, end users, and others involved with consumer goods packaging agree that one of the most significant aspects of today’s “sustainability” approach is the way the different environmental aspects of packaging are intertwined."

Bill Franklin, Director ,Franklin Associates Division of Eastern Research Group

Click here to download a brochure

Packaging professionals and companies are already facing the challenge of taking practical steps to delivering more environmentally friendly and socially responsible packaging solutions.

Three-Day Industry Forum Focusing on How Your Organization Can Achieve Their Goals in Terms of Using Resources In A More Sustainable Approach, Maintain Low Production Costs, Meet Customer Expectations, and Reduce Waste.

Tir groupé de récompenses pour les créations de Dragon Rouge

Dizzy, le tout dernier né de Yoplait, la nouvelle bouteille écologique Valvert et la gamme splendides de Carte Noire ont reçu respectivement un oscar de l’innovation de l’hebdomadaire LSA (catégorie ultra frais) et un oscar de l’emballage (consommation boissons), un oscar de l’emballage en environnement produit grand public et enfin un Pentaward de bronze en catégorie Food. Quatre prix qui viennent couronner une véritable démarche d’innovation de la part de ces marques en étroite collaboration avec Dragon Rouge.

En effet Dizzy, une boisson pétillante, rafraîchissante lactée et lancée au rayon frais en octobre dernier, est le fruit d’un travail entre Yoplait et l’agence à partir d’une nouvelle méthodologie sur l’innovation que propose Dragon Rouge. Dizzy qui cible les jeunes adultes se présente dans un packaging et un univers de marque au décor polysensoriel et psychédélique pour se démarquer et exister sur un segment extrêmement encombré.

Valvert, eau minérale naturelle et respectueuse de l’environnement, véhicule désormais haut et fort les valeurs écologiques de la marque en s’appuyant sur :

• Un nouvel habillage graphique qui emmène le consommateur dans une nature brute et mystérieuse,
• La démarche de la marque explicitée sur sept dos d’étiquettes différentes et imprimés avec des encres à base végétale,
• Un nouveau volume bouteille utilisant un plastique recyclé.
  

Quant à Carte Noire, que Dragon Rouge accompagne depuis de nombreuses années, elle réaffirme son leadership du marché de café arabica moulu en élargissant son offre avec une gamme de produits et un univers global de marque qui constituent son approche unique du glamour.

Ces prix sont la démonstration qu’investir dans l’innovation pour les marques est aujourd’hui non seulement payant mais incontournable afin de reprendre la parole et se redonner un temps d’avance dans un environnement économique fragile. Quatre prix qui récompensent d’une certaine manière le travail de Dragon Rouge Nova et de ses équipes, puisque avant tout Dizzy et Les Splendides résultent de cette nouvelle méthodologie d’innovation.

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PakBec : Happy Holidays !

Sony déclare la mort du Clamshell

L’initiative d’Amazon "Frustration-Free Packaging" fait des émules.

Sony Declares Death to the Clamshell: Sony Electronics will soon be changing its products packaging in order to make it more user-friendly as well as environmentally responsible.

"We've heard the voice of customers who are frustrated with the so-called "clamshell" packages used for many consumer electronics products like headphones and portable music players that hang on racks in the large discount stores and other retailers."

10 Ways to Improve Your Package Design

Via Beauty Packaging

1. Understand the Consumer

We design packages for consumers, not for the boss, the legislator or the trade. To find out what the consumer likes or wants, first of all, think of yourself. What would you like? A pack that’s easy to open, a back panel that’s easy to read, a brand you trust, a clear product denomination, a pack easy to hold in your hands and easy to dispose of or recycle? It is not more complicated. Forget buzzwords like insight or focus groups, just use your own intelligence and common sense. With this, you will get at least 80% right and that is more than enough to achieve great packaging.

2. Understand the Meaning of Simplicity

The person who best formulated this was Coco Chanel some 80 years ago when she coined the now famous phrase: “Always reduce, never add,” and the architect Mies van der Rohe, who coined the often repeated, but seldom followed phrase: “Less is more!” Enough said. There is no doubt too much (useless) information on today’s packages.

3. Understand Positioning

Call it what you like: genetic code, DNA, spirit, core value, brand essence, big idea or the like, a package design must strengthen the idea behind a brand (or product). There must be a synergy effect. A package design is always part of something bigger (see below) and has therefore to be in line with the idea mentioned above. And the idea must be big and simple.

4. Understand Hierarchy

There is always something that is more important. It is very rare that two things matter the same, especially in package design. The responsible person for a package, be it the marketing director, the big boss or the technical director, must be able to make a hierarchy list for those who develop the package design to follow. This is very seldom done and therefore the final result becomes “a little of everything,” which is equal to bad packaging.

5. Understand Legislation

This is the area where things often “go wrong” as we do not differentiate between a must (i.e., a legislative decision) and a guideline or rule or best practice. Furthermore, a law can be interpreted in more than one way. For instance, does the front panel on a carton mean only the front or also the side panels? It all depends on at which angle you hold the pack. In order to not fall into the trap of printing “almost everything,” which means small illegible text, ask yourself obvious questions like: Does the consumer really need this information? Does this information help to sell more? Is the information understood?

6. Understand Material

Have you ever held a can of juice in one hand and a carton pack fresh from the fridge in the other? Well, do it once and you will understand why the aluminum or steel can feels colder. One of the first decisions to make when developing a new package is which material or material combination should be chosen to best express the uniqueness of the product inside. It is just common sense that carton packages with transparent windows have today become very popular as most consumers want to see what they buy.

7. Understand Layout

There is a deep-rooted syndrome among most marketing people. It is called “the upper left-hand corner syndrome” as marketing executives believe that a package is seen as a book and that one has to start “up left” with the corporate brand. Nothing could be more wrong. A package can have any layout. It is the product idea that dictates the layout and visual impact that should be achieved.

8. Understand Ecology

Today we are “bombarded” with nutritional messages often too complicated to be understood by the average consumer. At the same time, we learn about global warming, the dangers of CO2 and the depletion of the ozone layer. Would it not be a good idea to use the packages to educate the consumers about ecology (not only recycling) and how we all, by changing our life style, could participate to make this Earth an even better place?

9. Understand Economy

Economy, when it comes to package design, is to not only look at the retail package. In order to understand what a great package design does to promote a product and make it a great success, one has to see the total picture. Only then can one decide where to spend the money. The total picture is a matter of total communication, including retail package, display carton and point-of-sale material, shipping carton, advertising (print, television, etc.) to make the product stand out and be remembered through a great package design.For instance, a thin, corrugated shipper needs a strong, rigid, retail package and vice versa. A great and interesting point-of-sale unit can work wonders even with a rather simple retail package. Before starting a package design project, decide where to put your money!

10. Understand Total Packaging

Until this day, when I am writing these lines, after more than 40 years in package design, I have never been at a meeting where all of the following responsible persons were present: project leader (usually a brand or product manager), package designer, technical packaging engineer, advertising account executive (or even better, the creative director), legal advisor. As mentioned above, total packaging is both a marketing and technical issue. It is a matter of retail package, display unit and shipper, as well as taking the key decision up-front as to what the main visuals should be (form, colors, logotype, etc.) to be communicated through all packaging and media.

To do this is not an easy task. I therefore often say: Do not wish it were easier, wish it were better!

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Oxo-biodegradable : Greenwashing? Absolument!

Le National Advertising Division (NAD), un organisme chargé d’évaluer la véracité de la publicité aux États-Unis vient de recommander à GP Plastics Corp, le producteur de sacs oxo-biodégradables, de modifier ou de cesser de diffuser certaines fausses affirmations concernant leurs produits.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) recently recommended that GP Plastics Corp., the maker of PolyGreen® plastic bags for the newspaper industry, modify or discontinue certain advertising claims for its PolyGreen plastic bags.

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From the N.A.D.’s decision:

• The N.A.D. recommended that the advertiser discontinue its claim that the PolyGreen plastic bags are “100% oxo-biodegradable.” In addition, because the claims of “biodegradability” were not adequately substantiated by competent and reliable evidence, N.A.D. recommended that GP Plastics modify its advertising to avoid conveying the message that PolyGreen bags will completely or rapidly biodegrade in landfills.
• N.A.D. further recommended that the advertiser discontinue claims such as “eco-friendly” and “environmentally friendly” as well as the promise of a “green tomorrow” and “saving the planet” as these broad claims promise far reaching environmental benefits that overstate the evidence with respect to the degradation of the plastic bags.
• Finally because there was no testing of the PolyGreen plastic bags or evidence demonstrating that product is compatible with the traditional plastic bag recycling stream, N.A.D. recommended that the advertiser discontinue its recyclable claims.

Ci-dessous un article intéressant publié sur le blog du New York Times concernant leur décision de renoncer aux sacs oxo-biodégradables pour la distribution de leurs journaux.

The plastic PolyGreen newspaper bags that The New York Times had planned to switch to next year should not be advertised as “eco-friendly,” according to a recommendation (summarized here) from the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Various environmentally-friendly claims by GP Plastics, the maker and advertisers of the PolyGreen bags, had been challenged by the Mexico Plastic Company, a rival maker of newspaper bags. These include the claim that the bags are “oxo-biodegradable,” a term defined by the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Institute as “conventional plastics … to which is added a proprietary mixture that accelerates the breakdown of the chemical structure of the plastic.” (A longer explanation is here.)

The Times said today that it would not use the bags until more research was done.

“Until further analysis can be conducted and verified, we have decided not to move to an oxo-biodegradable bag,” said Abbe Serphos, a Times spokeswoman, in an e-mail message. “We will continue to assess all options and to utilize our current bag, which is fully recyclable and made from a high percentage of recycled plastic.”

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Freshness Label : Garantir la fraîcheur des aliments

Le concept n’est pas nouveau (ici, ici et là), mais l’idée de lui faire prendre la forme d’un sablier est originale.

The Asian designer Naoki Hirota found an effective solution how to insure customers of buying spoilt food in supermrkets. He designed a special fresh label which changes its colour depending on expiry date.

Once the meat (or other perishable product) is past it’s due, the label will have turned from white to blue, making the item unscannable. The label has one layer of info for the food with the barcode, and another on top with special ink reactive to ammonia.

The ink is made of non-toxic, safe pigment of purple cabbages.

PGBC answers recyclers on its Reverte™ oxo-biodegradable PET plastic bottle

Planet Green Bottle Corporation (PGBC) is a provider on a proprietary, non-vegetable-based additive trademarked Reverte™ (Oxobioplast) which when added to the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin used in the manufacture of PET plastic bottles creates an end-product, plastic bottle which will oxo-biodegrade in 5 to 15 years as opposed to the 1,000 years, or perhaps forever, lifespan of a standard PET plastic bottle as we know it.

The PGBC oxo-biodegradable PET plastic bottle can be thrown into a municipal recycling “blue box” because it is compatible with all current recycling streams for PET plastic bottles.

With the recycling rate of PET plastic bottles in North America at only 23.5% and not likely to change much in the foreseeable future, interest recently has turned to so-called “end of life” solutions as an alternative.

Oxo-biodegradability is therefore an insurance policy against buying a PET plastic bottle and finding that your discarded bottle is one of the 3 out of 4 PET plastic bottles that goes to landfill or is littered. At least your bottle will not last forever to pollute the environment for future generations.

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Planet Green is sponsoring the “First Annual Oxo-Biodegradable PET Plastic Bottle Symposium” on December 17th and 18th in Toronto.

Nick Havercroft, Chairman of Planet Green stated:

"Retailers and consumers are becoming more educated and sophisticated about plastic. There are approximately 200 billion PET plastic bottles used per year globally. If 75% do not get into the recycling stream, that means 150 billion PET plastic bottles annually are discarded somewhere in our eco-system. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that an ingredient was added to the resin at time of manufacture that makes that bottle disappear in 5 to 15 years rather than never? Our proprietary ‘Oxo-Bio Reverte™’ logo on a bottler’s label will attract the most caring consumer that is likely a pro-recycling enthusiast. We are recycling enthusiasts but we have designed an insurance policy on the 150 billion PET plastic bottles annually not yet being recycled. We currently have grocery chains and brand beverage bottlers stepping up to the plate to be early adopters in order to get a first mover advantage. We believe a consumer movement to buy our oxo-biodegradable plastic bottles will follow shortly thereafter".

Patrick Rooney, Director of Corporate Development stated:

"Unfortunately, the un-informed have equated biodegradability with corn and/or vegetable-based “plastic” bottles. These PLA-based bottles and additives are not friendly to PET plastic recycling streams therefore oxo-biodegradability gets tarred with the brush of contamination of recycled PET plastic bottles. PLA-based bottles must be collected separately for inclusion in a program of commercial composting. Planet Green’s additive is designed to be compatible with PET plastic, making it totally recycling and “blue box” friendly. Our “Oxo-Bio Reverte™” conscious consumers will lead the way to higher recycling rates!”

Le tournant vert de Dell : Éliminer 20 million de lb d’emballage

Après HP, Dell vient de lancer une nouvelle initiative qui permettra d’économiser plus de 8 millions de dollars pour les quatre prochaines années et d'éliminer 20 millions de livres de matériaux d’emballage préservant par le fait même 150 000 arbres.

Over the next four years, these packaging improvements will reduce desktop and laptop packaging materials by approximately 10 percent worldwide, increase sustainable content in cushioning and corrugate packaging by 40 percent and ensure that 75 percent of packaging components are themselves curbside recyclable. The improvements will help save more than $8.1 million and eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging material, the equivalent of preserving more than 150,000 trees. Dell’s new packaging designs are generating a lot of interest by our customers and by the media, including recent articles in Business Week & Bloomberg.

SLB™ Technology: Fourteen-Day Shelf Life for Fresh-Cut Fruit & Vegetables

Hefestus is launching its solution for fresh-cut fruit and vegetable packaging at Fruit Logistic, Berlin, February 4-6, 2009.

The company will exhibit its SLB™ Technology which enables manufacturers to pack fresh-cut fruit and vegetables and extends shelf life up to 14 days. The innovative system allows manufacturers and marketers to transport fresh-cut products to distant destinations. This can revolutionize the entire supply chain, from manufacturer to consumer via fewer returns or discards, lower cost and satisfied consumers.

Click here to see the SLB movie

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Hefestus will feature Hera, the world's fastest packaging machine can pack fresh products with SLB™ packaging (MAP) technology at a rate of 1,200 units per hour.

Hefestus also will feature a multiple packaging solution contributing to increased shelf-life (up to 21 days) for ready-to-eat pomegranates. It is the first and ultimate pomegranate technology, providing a full solution, from a whole fruit to separated arils packed in ready-to eat trays, or arils ready for extraction of juice.

Use of Nanomaterials in Food Packaging Poses Regulatory Challenges

Engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs), which contain novel properties that offer potential benefits for use in food packaging, raise new safety evaluation challenges for regulators and industry, according to a report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

The food-packaging industry, food companies and consumers all share an interest in ensuring that any possible safety questions are identified and are carefully evaluated and resolved before marketing packaging materials that contain ENMs, according to the report authored by former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy official Michael R. Taylor.

The PEN-GMA report, Assuring the Safety of Nanomaterials in Food Packaging: The Regulatory Process and Key Issues, was a result of an effort by experts from government, industry and the public interest community to examine the path of a number of hypothetical nanotechnology food packaging applications through the current regulatory system. The regulatory system for food packaging is scientifically rigorous and extraordinarily complex, both legally and scientifically. This first-of-its-kind analysis provides a better understanding of the potential regulatory issues on the horizon for nanotechnology-enabled packaging – an advantage for industry, consumers and regulatory agencies such as FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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“The system is not widely understood and legitimate questions have been raised about how it would apply to nanoscale substances used in food packaging,” says Taylor, who is currently a research professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. “Those companies developing ENMs for use in packaging will need to work closely with FDA and EPA to make sure the questions identified in this report concerning potential risks are answered.”
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Consumer acceptance of the use of nanomaterials in food packaging is very important and will be greatly dependent on the demonstrated benefits and safety of the new packaging products, according to PEN Director David Rejeski.
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“The benefits of using nanomaterials in the next generation of food packaging are nothing short of amazing, but we have to make sure these materials will not pose any harm down the line,” Rejeski says.
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Nanotechnology has the potential to reshape the food packaging industry in the decades ahead and these product scenarios will help set a roadmap toward both regulatory and consumer acceptance successes.

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“Clearly, nanotechnology offers tremendous opportunities for innovative developments in food packaging that can benefit both consumers and industry. However, before these packaging innovations can be brought to market, we must ensure that the food-packaging industry, through working closely with government, understands the regulatory framework currently in place along with its many requirements,” says Robert Brackett, GMA’s chief science officer.

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Source

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Emballages éco-conçus: innovant, écologique et économique

Via Breizpack

Barquette "absorbante" : un emballage actif en toute simplicité


Si les produits traditionnels restent très appréciés des consommateurs, ils présentent néanmoins pour certains des inconvénients plutôt fàcheux : les exsudats, ces liquides provenant de la fabrication ou de la maturation du produit. Pour être naturels, ils n'en sont pas moins peu valorisants pour le produit, d'où une nécessité de les piéger, les absorber, les masquer…

Habituellement, c'est le couple "barquette + sachet" ou "barquette + buvard" qui est alors utilisé. Solution contraignante, peu écologique et souvent… inesthétique également !

CGL Pack a proposé pour le Bleu Laqueuille une solution radicalement différente et complètement innovante : ne pas ajouter d' "accessoire". C'est la barquette seule qui remplit les fonctions de support et d'absorption, et ce en toute transparence : un ingénieux système d'alvéole est moulé au fond de la barquette lors de sa fabrication : ces "creux" vont ainsi piéger tout liquide mis à leur contact, avec la même capacité d'absorption qu'un buvard.

Simple à mettre en œuvre, écologique car mono-matériau, cette barquette très fonctionnelle est aussi tout simplement…. économique !

Un emballage "éco" pour des salades "bio"




Qui pense encore que : "Les emballages des produits bio sont tristes", ou que :"L'éco-conception, encore une contrainte pour les emballages" ?

Pack Alim, une jeune entreprise des Pays de la Loire, s'est chargée de démontrer le contraire à l'aide d'un emballage très spécifique : une barquette carton doublée d'une barquette plastique, séparables.

L'utilisation de ces deux matériaux permet d'optimiser les quantités globales d'emballage nécessaires à la fabrication d'une barquette :

• Le carton permet d'apporter la résistance mécanique et de réduire au minimum le plastique utilisé.
• Le plastique est présent en quantité juste nécessaire pour apporter l'étanchéité et la possibilité d'utiliser une atmosphère protectrice, pour une conservation optimum du produit.
  

Le résultat : une barquette moderne et gaie, offrant une grande surface de communication et intégrant pleinement les concepts du développement durable.
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Sacs oxo-biodégradables: Maux de tête aux centres de tri

De plus en plus de voix commencent à s’élever au Québec pour dénoncer les problèmes que suscitent les sacs oxo-biodégradables et leur véritable valeur ajoutée environnementale.

Voici le dernier en date, intitulé : « Maux de tête aux centres de tri » et publié dans le Journal La tribune (Sherbrooke)

Une nouvelle génération de sacs de plastique distribués par des entreprises voulant se donner bonne conscience donne des maux de tête aux centres de tri du Québec.

En effet, depuis peu, des compagnies comme Publi-sac et Familiprix utilisent des sacs oxo-biodégradable pour emballer leurs produits. S'ils sont écologiques parce qu'ils se décomposent plus rapidement dans les sites d'enfouissement, ils causent toutefois de sérieux problèmes aux recycleurs.

«Ils ne peuvent pas être recyclés. Lorsqu'on les incorpore au mélange, ils causent un effritement du produit fini. Nous ne pouvons pas nous permettre d'avoir un extrant de cette qualité, surtout dans le contexte actuel», a affirmé le directeur des opérations du centre de tri de Gaudreau, Réal Fortin.

Le président de Gesterra, Robert Béliveau, affirme qu'il y a une prolifération massive de l'usage de ces sacs depuis le mois de septembre dû à une offensive de l'industrie qui fait la promotion de ses qualités environnementales. On estime qu'à l'heure actuelle 50 % des sacs de plastique recueillis par l'entremise de la cueillette sont de type oxo-biodégradable.

La position de RECYC-Québec est catégorique en ce qui a trait à l'utilisation de sacs oxo-biodégrables, ils sont incompatibles avec les filières de compostage et de recyclage et contribuent à augmenter l'enfouissement, ce qui entre en conflit avec la politique gouvernementale. La dégradation de ces sacs est également ralentie par sa situation dans le site d'enfouissement et contribue à la production de gaz à effet de serre.

«Nous prônons la réduction à la source, l'utilisation de sacs réutilisables ou l'utilisation de sacs récupérables. Il n'y a pas vraiment davantage à utiliser les sacs oxo-biodégradables», a indiqué le porte-parole de RECYC-Québec, Richard Goulet.

L'industrie du plastique a également tenté d'améliorer la situation en créant une certification spéciale pour les sacs recyclables, ce qui devrait faciliter la prise de décision des consommateurs lorsque vient le temps de recycler un sac.

RECYC-Québec, tout comme l'industrie du plastique, n'a pas de pouvoir de réglementation. Il incombera au prochain gouvernement du Québec de statuer sur la légalité de ces nouveaux sacs «verts».

«C'est déjà assez compliqué pour nos citoyens de savoir ce qu'ils peuvent recycler. L'apparition de ces sacs est une vraie épine dans le pied», a reconnu M. Béliveau, précisant qu'il fallait absolument écarter tout ce qui porte la mention «epi» des bacs de recyclage.

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Vous pouvez consulter ici le dossier sur les plastiques oxo-biodégradables

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France : La taxation des sacs plastique définitivement enterrée

Les députés français ont sonné jeudi le glas de la taxation des sacs en plastique non biodégradables malgré une nouvelle - et vaine - tentative du centriste Charles de Courson de relancer ce dossier.

Soutenu par quelques élus UMP et socialistes, le député du Nouveau centre avait à nouveau déposé un amendement en ce sens adopté par la commission des Finances de l'Assemblée nationale dans le cadre de l'examen du projet de loi de finances rectificative ("collectif budgétaire") pour 2008. Il proposait d'instaurer une taxe de 0,12 euro sur chaque "sac en matière plastique à bretelle présenté en rouleau ou en liasse" afin de protéger l'environnement. Mais le ministre du Budget, Eric Woerth, s'y est opposé. "Il faut laisser à la profession le temps de faire le ménage", a-t-il déclaré. "Les grandes surfaces ont déjà beaucoup réduit la distribution de sacs en plastique."

Charles de Courson expliquait dans son texte que cette taxe avait pour objet "d'encourager le développement des sacs renouvelables et biodégradables, plus appropriés au regard des objectifs de protection de l'environnement". Il avait déjà déposé un amendement identique en octobre dans le cadre du projet de loi de finances pour 2009. L'amendement avait été adopté par la commission des Finances mais avait été rejeté en séance à la demande du gouvernement. Le Sénat avait adopté mardi un amendement identique en commission puis en séance. Mais le gouvernement avait demandé un second vote et l'avait finalement fait rejeter.

BILAN ÉCOLOGIQUE CONTESTÉ

L'initiative avait agacé la grande distribution, qui s'est insurgée contre une nouvelle taxation du consommateur. Jérôme Bédier, président de la Fédération du commerce et de la distribution, avait rappelé que les grandes enseignes de la distribution étaient engagées depuis quatre ans dans une vaste opération pour réduire la distribution des sacs en plastique aux caisses, qui a permis selon lui une réduction de l'ordre de 80%.

Pour lui, l'amendement de Charles de Courson était le résultat d'un "lobbying" de ceux qui veulent défendre la solution des sacs biodégradables fabriqués à partir de produits alimentaires, dont le bilan écologique serait contestable.

Le Centre national d'information indépendante sur les déchets (CNIID) souligne pour sa part que la fabrication de ces bioplastiques pose le même problème que les biocarburants : comme ils sont fabriqués à partir de produits agricoles, leur production entre en compétition avec les aliments.

Le CNIID recommande l'interdiction pure et simple des sacs plastique et le développement de solutions alternatives comme les sacs en papier ou en tissu, comme cela existe déjà dans de nombreux pays, dont les Etats-Unis.

L'association française pour le développement des bioplastiques a fait valoir de son côté que les bioplastiques "ont fait la preuve de leur intérêt environnemental, notamment dans le cadre des sacs de caisse et des sacs fruits et légumes".
Un sac plastique met en moyenne 400 ans à se dégrader.

Source

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Mondi Corrugated Packaging: "intelligent box"

Après la boîte intelligente Hide-Pack d’emballage Krupack, Mondi, le plus important fournisseur d’emballage en carton ondulé, flexible et de sacs en papiers au Royaume-Uni propose son "Intelligent Box".

Mondi Corrugated Packaging has developed a process to add RFID labels to corrugated boxes to enable effective scanning, tracking and reception of packs.

The firm said its "intelligent box" would reduce the need for a labour-intensive tag application process by using a high-speed manufacturing system to add RFID labels in large volumes.

The use of RFID, rather than traditional barcodes, would enable companies to scan entire pallets for quicker redistribution of products.

"The intelligent boxes will provide round-the-clock access to live information about product availability and location. This will make stocktaking and warehouse management quicker and more accurate," added Robinson.
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GREENBOX: Innovative, Reusable, Recyclable and Fully Sustainable

GREENBOX benefits the pharmaceutical and life science industries in several ways, for example:

• No spoilage: In the past, shipping temperature-sensitive goods internationally, cross-country or even to outlying or rural areas has resulted in enormous amounts of product spoilage. Because GREENBOX maintains a consistent temperature for up to five days, the risk of spoilage is now virtually non-existent.
• Any-day shipping: The majority of temperature-sensitive goods are shipped overnight express due to limited thermal protection with current shipping technology. Because GREENBOX maintains temperature for up to five days, customers can ship road freight – even on Fridays – typically resulting in a 65 percent reduction in shipping and distribution expenses.
• Greater payload efficiency: GREENBOX offers twice the payload space over competitors because of its innovative and streamlined thermal management system – nanotechnology combined with optimal amounts of phase change material.
• Reduction in distribution-related expenses: Customers can save up to 65 percent on distribution-related expenses due to GREENBOX’s unique, reusable design. In contrast with typical single-use systems, GREENBOX can be reused again and again, with current customers experiencing up to 50 times of reuse.
• Instant-pack protocol: GREENBOX features an instant-pack protocol – a simple five-step process allowing customers the ability to pack payload at its specified temperature without thermal shock.
• The first reusable shipper: Because of the resilient nature of GREENBOX customers can use one box up to 50 times, making it the industry’s first reusable thermal shipper. In the United States (and soon in Europe), reclamation centres gather used GREENBOXes, then inspect, clean and re-certify them for re-use.
• Sustainability: GREENBOX’s innovative materials used are also 100 percent recyclable. When the bright green, hard plastic outer shell and Thermal-LokTM insulating panels reach the end of their lives they are ground down and made into new shells and panels. In addition, GREENBOX features biodegradable, non-petroleum, non-toxic phase change materials.
• Meets “green” initiatives: Many of today’s leading pharmaceutical companies employ green initiatives and GREENBOX is a perfect fit. It’s the industry’s first and only completely sustainable thermal packaging system, created with 100 percent recyclable, organic-based, non-toxic and fully biodegradable components.
  
  

Case study – Walmart’s New Pharma Packaging Survives High Temperatures and Cuts Costs

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Emballage de luxe : à quand le tournant vert?

Cette semaine, j’ai rédigé un post sur « Les Cachemires » de Lise Watier vantant leur pochette en tricot pailletées : luxueux et réutilisable. Malheureusement, je me suis sans doute trop vite enthousiasmé à l’idée de remplacer les tristes emballages ordinaires en plastiques et cartons par un emballage « cadeau » réutilisable.

Voici les deux commentaires laissés, suite à la publication de ce post :

Intéressant, mais est-ce que le produit est directement vendu dans la pochette en tricot ou il est emballé dans un étui en carton.

Effectivement le produit dans sa pochette en tricot est emballé dans un étui carton, de surcroît non recyclable car laminé par un foil aluminium...pas très écolo tout ca!

Ce qui m’amène à me demander : Comment l’industrie des cosmétiques et de la parfumerie pourrait-elle ignorer indéfiniment la vague verte qui submerge tous les produits de consommation emballés. Ne doit-elle pas également se positionner à l’avant-garde et ce d’autant plus que les grandes marques du secteur sont aujourd’hui fortement concurrencées par une autre déferlante, celle de la «Cosméto Bio et Naturelle »? Et ce qui est vrai pour l’industrie des cosmétiques et de la parfumerie l’est également pour l’ensemble de l’industrie du luxe.

Au début de l’année, WWF a publié une étude intitulé "Deeper luxury" afin de sensibiliser les grandes marques internationales du luxe aux stratégies socialement responsables. Avec ce rapport, WWF met en avant les nouvelles attentes des consommateurs, qui souhaitent que les marques adoptent une attitude éco-responsable. « Nous appelons l’industrie du luxe à donner naissance à une nouvelle définition du luxe, avec des valeurs plus profondes vouées à l’excellence sociale et environnementale », commente Anthony Kleanthous, conseiller politique de WWF-UK et co-rédacteur du rapport.

Récemment, lors du dernier Luxe Pack qui a eu lieu à Monaco, le développement durable et d’éco-conception étaient à l’honneur, témoignant ainsi que ces questions commencent à recevoir un certain écho dans ce secteur.

Il y a quelques jours, je donnais un exemple d’un emballage original et écologique pour le parfum lulu©, de Lulu Castagnette. Cet exemple démontre bien comme il est possible d’innover, d’être éco-responsable en faisant preuve d’audace tout en demeurant un produit haut de gamme.

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Plastiques oxo-biodégradables : la désinformation continue…

Voici un extrait d’un article intitulé : Plastic problem all wrapped up? publié aujourd’hui dans le journal The National (Dubaï Émirats arabes unis, Moyen-Orient) :

(...) Producers of biodegradable bags made from maize or wheat starch argue that oxo-biodegradable bags should not be called biodegradable, as they do not compost as quickly as their products. The Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (OPA), the chair of which is Symphony Environmental Technologies’ chief scientist, agrees that it is unacceptable to have plastic fragments in the soil. However, it argues that by this stage the oxo-biodegradable bag no longer has the properties of plastic and will be “bio-assimilated”, meaning that it will become part of the environment just like “straw, leaves and twigs”. Mr Pryce adds that a fragmented bag will take up less room in a landfill and will have spilt any organic matter that may have been placed inside it. Significantly, the OPA maintains that “oxo-biodegradability is not a disposal option” but aims mainly to address the plastic litter problem. “The main benefit of oxo-biodegradable [bags] is not for plastic waste that gets into landfill, but for plastic waste which gets into the environment, where it will accumulate for many decades.” Other degradable plastics, such as those with a starch base, have their own drawbacks. They cannot be recycled like their oxo-biodegradable counterparts, and when they degrade they emit methane (...)

A lire ou à relire:

Québec : Les sacs oxo-biodégradables ne sont pas recyclables

Plastique Oxo-biodégradable : miracle ou miroir aux alouettes ?

Congrès Pack Vision : Échanges houleux entre les Pro Bioplastiques et les Pro plastiques Oxo- biodégradables

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« Les Cachemires » de Lise Watier : Un emballage luxueux et réutilisable

Depuis le début octobre, Lise Watier Cosmétiques a lancé une collection de maquillages qui répond au doux nom évocateur de « Cachemires ». Pour emballer ces couleurs chaleureuses et veloutées, quoi de mieux que de proposer une pochette en tricot pailletées, en cachemire, cela va de soit.

Une façon pour la compagnie québécoise de cosmétiques de montrer son envie de chouchouter ses clientes en leur offrant un petit accessoire qui rappelle le luxe et la douceur de cette matière noble qu’est le cachemire, tout en se démarquant des tristes emballages ordinaires en plastiques et cartons. Cet emballage précieux peut être réutilisé par la cliente pour devenir une jolie pochette pour protéger son Ipod ou son téléphone cellulaire.

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CERAMIS®-PLA : Silicon oxide-coated compostable barrier film

Alcan Packaging Food Americas offers food and packaged good brand owners sustainable, high-barrier packaging solutions with Ceramis-PLA biodegradable barrier films.

Made from the annually renewable resource corn starch, Ceramis polyactic acid (PLA) structures are fully biodegradable and compostable to meet the market's increasing demand for environmentally responsible packaging. Alcan Packaging also ensures this innovative film delivers outstanding performance features. A silicon oxide (SiOx) nanocoating combines high barrier protection against oxygen, water vapor and other gases with superior optical clarity and high gloss. Ceramis also offers excellent machinability on established converting equipment to help processors maintain peak productivity.

Applications for Ceramis biodegradable barrier films include fresh food, dairy, snacks, pet food and shelf-stable food, as well as household, personal care and industrial products.

Ceramis-PLA films are certified by DIN CERTCO and entitled to the Compostability Logo mark. They comply with US standard ASTM D 6400:1999 and are in conformity with European standard DIN EN 13432:2000-12.

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Québec : Les sacs oxo-biodégradables ne sont pas recyclables

Le débat sur la recyclabilité des sacs oxo-biodégradables gagne le Québec. Cette semaine, Claude Thibodeau du Journal hebdomadaire local « La Nouvelle » d'Arthabaska et Victoriaville (Québec) a publié deux articles sur les fameux sacs oxo-biodégradables. On y souligne que ces derniers ne sont pas recyclables, induisent la confusion dans les centres de tri et par conséquent contaminent la chaîne de recyclage.

"Gesterra lance un appel aux citoyens : tous les sacs de plastiques oxo-biodégradables, portant la mention EPI, ne sont pas recyclables, même s’ils en arborent l’inscription, et doivent être placés dans les bacs gris voués à
l’enfouissement. "

"Le directeur général de Gesterra, Robert Béliveau, se dit convaincu que les gens veulent bien faire. «Dans les industries et les commerces, le souci de l’environnement, le côté vert, existe, ce qui a conduit à une campagne énorme pour les sacs oxo-biodégradables. Mais une règlementation est nécessaire. Il faut résoudre le problème à la base», a-t-il mentionné."

Vous pouvez voir ici l’extrait vidéo, dans lequel Karine Moreau, agente aux communications chez Gaudreau Environnement explique le problème et invite les citoyens à placer dans les bacs gris tous les sacs de plastique où figure la mention EPI.

" Ces nouveaux sacs oxo-biodégradables ne doivent pas se retrouver dans le bac vert, même si le symbole du recyclage y apparaît. Ces sacs deviennent des contaminants dans la fabrication de nouveaux produits." ------

En France, ces questions font déjà l’objet d’un vif débat entre pro oxo et pro Bio plastiques. Par ailleurs je reprends ici cet extrait d’un commentaire qui m’avait été laissé sur la recyclabilité des oxo-biodégradables :

"Expliquer que les polyoléfines additivées (oxo-biodégradables) peuvent être "recyclées" est un non sens. Par essence ces matériaux, une fois exposés à l'oxygène, à la chaleur et aux UV sont dégradés en matériaux très petits souvent invisibles à l'œil nu...comment les ramasser? à la pincette? Par ailleurs les produits de la dégradation n'ont plus les propriétés physico-chimiques des matériaux d'origine...impossible de les faire "refondre" pour en extruder de nouveaux produits (Impossible de faire du neuf avec du vieux)."

La réponse des pro-oxo ne devrait pas tarder à arriver, et ce d’autant plus qu’ils misent beaucoup sur le marché Québécois et plus largement Canadien…Affaire à suivre.

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Vous pouvez consulter ici le dossier sur les plastiques oxo-biodégradables

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Position Paper : LCA of Bioplastics

European Bioplastics recently released a "Position Paper on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bioplastics" outlining the opportunities and needs of the analytical tool. The paper addresses the careful and knowledgeable use of it and calls for the involvement of the industry. Bioplastics are designed on sustainability criteria thus aiming to improve environmental performance. It is of vital importance that the reliable instrument LCA is guiding the market and technology development of bioplastics and not obstructing it.

Topics such as sustainable development, fossil and natural resources availability, global climate change and waste reduction are more and more dominating political and industrial agendas. Therefore, the relevance of the environmental performance of processes, products and services in decision-making is rapidly growing and LCA results are increasingly being considered as a key input. For that reason European Bioplastics has taken the opportunity to outline its position on LCA.

Bioplastics are based on different raw materials, produced and processed using diverse technologies, tailored to various applications and recovered or disposed of through multiple waste management systems. Consequently the results from LCAs are complex too and do not allow simple conclusions. The environmental performance of bioplastics can only be assessed case by case.

LCA has been used by the industry in order to optimise processes and the environmental performance of products for years. The optimisation potential of bioplastics is huge. Hence projections for improvements can be made and should be included in LCA.

• LCA provides data to allow better informed decisions, but as it is a complex tool it needs careful and knowledgeable use.
• The optimisation potential for bioplastics is huge. This potential should be included in the LCA, otherwise it becomes a tool which tends to hinder innovation.
• ”Newcomers” are often scrutinized, while existing materials are often much less questioned. This should be more balanced in LCAs
• Comparative product LCAs should ensure that only products with the same function are compared
• Renewable carbon accounting should form part of an LCA
• Bioplastics offer new recovery and final disposal options. LCA can help to evaluate these new options
• LCA is an analytical tool, not a communication tool

Packaging of the week: Dri-FreshTM Resolve

3 years in development, Dri-FreshTM Resolve is the ultimate meat presentation surface. Uniquely constructed with proprietary technology, this fully bio-degradable, bio-compostable absorbent meat pad completely eliminates surface discolouration for red meats. Ideal for display counters or meat packs, these pads will compost in less than 60 days.

• Certified to the European compostability standard EN:13432 and certified with full food contact approval conducted by RAPRA.
• Cellulosic materials derived from FSC sources complete with non-GM bio-polymeric layer and constructed using proprietary equipment without the need for glues.
• Unique highly developed absorbent presentation surface providing exceptional 'meat saver' properties and surface moisture control.
• Slit Rolls or cut pads / shapes available with a range of absorbencies from 800cc to 5000cc to suit your requirements.

Packagers should go green to keep profits in the black

Food packaging companies must implement sustainable environmental strategies or risk income falls of more than 30% by 2013 and nearly 50% by 2018, warns a new study from the environmental think-tank World Resources Institute and management consulting firm AT Kearney.

Their join report entitled Rattling Supply Chains: The Effect of Environmental Trends on Input Costs to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry is claimed to be the first to calculate the financial impacts of environmental challenges facing the sector and to recommend solutions.

Speaking exclusively to FoodProductionDaily.com, Daniel Mahler, partner with AT Kearney said: “For the first time we can put a price tag on broad sustainability challenges surrounding resource scarcity and the impact of climate change affecting the consumer packaging goods sector.”

Commodity prices

Food packaging firms are in the front line, he continued. “They are enormously at risk, more than other consumer goods companies, because they are dependent on commodity prices and water throughout the supply chain.”

Although key commodity prices are now declining after two years of growth, the long-term upward trend will resume, according to the report. It identifies four drivers that will lead to what the authors term ecological inflation or ecoflation resulting in higher costs for packaging companies. Those include: Climate change policy, water scarcity, deforestation and biofuels.

These factors will drive a rises in cereal commodities of between 6 to 13%, says the report.

While governments have a responsibility to tackle these challenges, there’s much packaging companies can do now to minimize the impact on their profits, said Mahler. “This report demands a fundament rethink (of the way companies operate). Some are companies have made changes already….but the response should be transformational and structural rather than technical.”

Over specification

Mahler advised companies to focus on three areas: The dangers of over specification, efficient sourcing and energy efficiency. Packing companies should avoid over specifying their products and look for green innovation, he said. Sourcing policy, concentrating on local supply rather than global networks, together with distribution policy could also help to minimize the impact of ecoflation. Finally, more effort should be made ensure energy efficiency through the use of better techniques and new technology such as solar panels, he said.

The report also advises companies to prioritize the risks by ranking environmental challenges according to their current and future potential impact on costs, revenues and reputation.

“Winning companies will anticipate this changing landscape. The companies will collaborate with suppliers and other stakeholders and make environmental sustainability a key business principal,” said Mahler.

Source: Food Production Daily

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Splitpack : un emballage innovant et éco-conçu

Altran Pr[i]me présente le produit éco-conçu Splitpack à l’occasion de la semaine de la réduction des déchets.

Le projet est né d’un constat : le carton utilisé dans les emballages de liquides alimentaires frais est un carton blanchi pelliculé de plastique et recouvert d’encres. Ce produit est donc un hybride typique, au mieux sous-cyclable. Il s’agit donc de dissocier le carton et le PET, donc de dissocier la fonction structurelle et l’étanchéité. SplitPack prend aussi le parti de s’affranchir du bouchon. Cela permet donc non seulement de rendre chaque matière recyclable indépendamment mais aussi de fournir bon nombre de nouveaux avantages.

Inspiré par la philosophie du "Cradle to Cradle", Altran Pr[i]me a imaginé un produit qui dissocie la fonction structurelle (le carton) de la fonction étanchéité (le plastique). Splitpack est ainsi composé d’éléments mono-matière facilement séparables et 100% recyclable. Il ne fait pas intervenir de filière de production ou de recyclage spécifique. De plus, cette architecture innovante permet de s’affranchir de colle, d’encres et de bouchon. Splitpack possède ainsi une empreinte écologique 3 à 4 fois inférieure à un pack classique, en conservant une valeur ajoutée équivalente.

Au-delà de l’application aux emballages de liquide frais, il est apparu que le système de fermeture étanche et la dissociation des fonctions structure et étanchéité pouvait s’appliquer à d’autres secteurs et à d’autres applications. Ainsi on peut imaginer l’application à l’emballage de compost ou de terreau, ou encore l’emballage d’échantillons de parfum, l’emballage cosmétique etc...

Labellisé par l’Observeur du Design 2009, il est exposé à la Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie jusqu’au au 9 mars 2009, événement organisé par l’APCI.

Source : Pixel Creation et Obdesigner

A lire aussi :
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GreenBottle : An innovative eco-friendly milk jugs

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Bioplastic coating from Iggesund

Iggesund Paperboard has received its first order for bioplastic-coated paperboard. This means Invercote can now be supplied with a barrier that is biodegradable and is also made from a renewable source. Uses include food packaging and drinking cups.

“This development is largely market driven but is also well in line with the Holmen Group’s overall environmental approach,” explains Ola Buhrman, product manager for Iggesund Paperboard’s plastic-coated and laminated products. "There is a clear demand for barrier materials that are biodegradable and can be composted."

For the past couple of years Iggesund has been performing trials using bioplastics as a barrier material. The company has also done an inventory and evaluation of the materials available on the market. The bioplastic coating is done at the company’s paperboard finishing department at Strömsbruk. The most common barrier material in paperboard packaging is polyethylene (PE), a plastic which is neither bio-based nor biodegradable. The bioplastic that Iggesund is now using is biodegradable and meets the European standard EN 13432 for compostability.

"Unfortunately, replacing ordinary PE with bioplastic is not a simple matter – the new materials place higher demands on both production technology and equipment," Buhrman says.

Current prices for bioplastics are significantly higher than the cost of PE but are expected to fall when availability increases as more and larger production facilities start up.

"It’s very clear that this development is being driven by the market’s demand for greater environmental awareness, and that customers are prepared to pay more for a biodegradable material," says Buhrman.

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