Ikea switches from wooden to paper pallets

Ikea, which uses 10 million pallets to ship goods from suppliers to its 287 stores in 26 countries, will ditch wood worldwide by January, cutting transport costs by 10 percent. The new corrugated cardboard design can support loads of 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds), the same as timber, Skjelmose says. At two inches high, the paper pallets are one-third the height of wooden ones, and they’re 90 percent lighter, at 5.5 pounds. The svelte profile means Ikea can cram more goods into each shipment. The pallets, assembled onsite by most of Ikea’s 1,200 global suppliers, will be used only once before being recycled.

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Bioplastics News : Growth, Demand and Innovation

European Bioplastics report: The end of the oil age and rise of bioplastics

With 420 attendees, the 6th European Bioplastics conference in Berlin could rightly be termed a major success. This year, more than 80% of the participants came from Europe, 10% from Asia, and the better part of the remaining 10% from North and South America. Established players ranging from BASF, DSM, PolyOne, NatureWorks and Dow to Novamont, BioAmber and the World Wide Fund for Nature offered insights and information on new materials, environmental aspects and strategic market development.

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World demand for bioplastics to triple by 2015

Global demand for biodegradable and bio-based plastics will more than triple to more than 1 million metric tons in 2015, valued at $2.9 billion, according to a new market study.

Gains will be fueled by rising petroleum prices, consumer preferences for sustainable materials, improved performance of bioplastics, and the introduction of commodity plastics produced from bio-based sources.

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Researchers Make Biodegradable Plastic Bottles From Olive Skins

Soon you may be able to buy olive oil in bioplastic bottles made from a compound found in olive skins, thanks to the work of  a Spanish researcher.

Jesús Zorrilla has found a way to extract PHAs (poly-hydroxy-alcanoates) from the residues of olive skins, which in turn can be used to make plastic containers that are non-toxic and 100 percent biodegradable

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Tackling food waste in Europe and how good packaging can play a role

Corrugated of Course interviewed Andrew Parry from WRAP UK, Nina von Radowitz from Metro Group and Selina Juul from Stop Wasting Food Denmark at Combating Food Waste in the EU 2011. We asked them their thoughts on food waste in Europe and how packaging plays a role in battling the issue.

Wal-Mart Joins Amazon in Less-Wasteful Packing to Cool ‘Wrap Rage’

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) are prodding more manufacturers to change their packaging to cut waste and alleviate “wrap rage,” the frustration felt when a product is difficult to open.

The nation’s largest online store and the world’s biggest retailer have been pushing vendors, including Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) and Bluetooth headset maker Plantronics Inc. (PLT), to eliminate excessive and cumbersome packing materials, such as hard plastic clamshell casings that enclose electronics and wire ties used to secure toys to cardboard backings.

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Paksense: XpressPDF temperature monitoring label

XpressPDF™ Labels monitor time and temperature of perishable items such as food, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, biologics, and other perishable products during distribution and storage. About the size of a sugar packet, labels are flat and feature an integrated USB connection point which can be plugged directly into the USB port of a computer. Once connected, the label automatically generates a PDF data file containing complete time and temperature history including a graph and summary statistics. Simple to use and easy to interpret, XpressPDF Labels eliminate the need for reading devices and proprietary download software.

Download here the detailed product specifications.

Papier Recyclé et Sécurité Alimentaire: Migration des huiles minérales

Vous trouvez Ci-dessous la présentation que j’ai donnée aujourd’hui dans le cadre de la grande Conférence Flexographie organisée par l’Institut des communications graphiques du Québec (ICGQ, 17 novembre 2011, Montréal).

Papier Recyclé et Sécurité Alimentaire: Migration des huiles minérales

J’ai essayé de mettre un peu de rationalité dans le débat pour couper court à tous les fantasmes et surtout au sensationnalisme journalistique; Rappeler les fonctions primaires de l’emballage et exposer les contraintes liées aux solutions qu’on pourrait éventuellement proposer pour limiter les risques.

Oui, il y a migration des huiles minérales vers les aliments; Oui, il pourrait avoir un risque sur la santé humaine; Oui, il existe des solutions, des plus radicales au plus coûteuses. Mais il faut rappeler que nous ingurgitons quotidiennement de nombreux composés potentiellement toxiques, et il n’est pas démontré que les emballages doivent être davantage incriminés que d’autres sources de contamination.

Si jamais le cadre réglementaire/législateur impose des nouvelles restrictions suite à des études toxicologiques poussées, on sait que les solutions existent, mais elles ont un prix. Un prix dont le consommateur devra s’acquitter.

Recyclable coatings for paper foodservice packaging

You find enclosed my talk entitled: “Recyclable coatings for paper foodservice packaging” given at the Global Green USA Coalition for Resource Recovery, November 15th, 2011, New York, NY, USA.

Recyclable coatings for paper foodservice packaging

Papier Recyclé et Sécurité Alimentaire: Migration des huiles minérales

L’Institut des communications graphiques du Québec (ICGQ) organise le jeudi 17 Novembre 2011, une Conférence complètement flexo : Grande conférence deFlexographie. Je donnerai une conférence intitulée: Papier Recyclé et Sécurité Alimentaire: Migration des huiles minérales.

Je vais essayer de mettre un peu de rationalité dans le débat pour couper court à tous les fantasmes et surtout au sensationnalisme journalistique; Rappeler les fonctions primaires de l’emballage et exposer les contraintes liées aux solutions qu’on pourrait éventuellement proposer pour limiter les risques.

Oui,  il y a migration des huiles minérales vers les aliments; Oui, il pourrait avoir un risque sur la santé humaine; Oui, il existe des solutions, des plus radicales au plus coûteuses. Mais il faut rappeler que nous ingurgitons quotidiennement de nombreux composés potentiellement toxiques, et il n’est pas démontré que les emballages doivent être davantage incriminés que d’autres sources de contamination.

Si jamais le cadre réglementaire/législateur impose des nouvelles restrictions suite à des études toxicologiques poussées, on sait que les solutions existent, mais elles ont un prix. Un prix dont le consommateur devra s’acquitter.

Au plaisir de vous rencontrer à l’ICGQ

Special Packaging so as to raise Breat Cancer Awareness

The Danish bread company Kohberg has launched an original and creative packaging so as to support the fight against  breast cancer. The company will donate to Danish Cancer Society  part of the revenue generated from the sales of their bread buns.

With this action, Kohberg has got attract our attention!.

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Coffee chains urged to improve takeaway cup recycling

Consumer group says retailers' use of mixed materials recycling is confusing customers and leading to more landfill.

Coffee shops are failing to make it easy for customers to recycle the estimated 2.5bn takeaway cups thrown away each year in the UK, a consumer group warned on Tuesday.

The investigation by Which? found that consumers were confused by retailers' use of "mixed materials", which make recycling a headache, and urged providers to take more environmental responsibility.

More than half of the 2,471 people surveyed who buy takeaway drinks admitted that they dispose of their paper cups in the general waste bin, the research revealed.

While disposable cups are made predominantly of cardboard (about 95% by weight), they also contain about 5% polyethylene in the form of a thin coating inside the cup. David Powlson, an expert in paper recycling and principal at Poyry Management Consulting, said: "This is great for keeping your coffee warm and the cup from going soggy, but not so great when you come to realise that most UK paper mills are unable to process paper mixed with other materials."

Which? said that attempts by retailers to stem the tide of unrecycled cups varied enormously, and called on them to do more. It complained: "While all showed they try to address the recyclability of paper cups, we thought none of them go far enough."

Of the five major brands selling takeaway hot drinks in the UK, Starbucks said it is aiming to increase the number of drinks it serves in reusable cups, and also offers 25p off for customers bringing their own mug.

The bakery chain Greggs insists that disposal of cups once they have been taken out of its stores is the consumer's responsibility. Costa Coffee has slightly reduced the weight of the 140m cups it uses each year, and both Greggs and Costa point to their recycling logos as evidence of environmental responsibility.

But the investigation concludes: "Just putting a logo on the cup does not mean to say you will be able to recycle it once outside the shop … More clarity is needed for consumers on what mixed-material items can be recycled in which recycling bins or facilities. And ideally it should be made possible to recycle paper cups alongside cartons."

Which? has published a new interactive tool for consumers who are not sure about how to recycle a particular product.

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