The company plans to deploy the new packaging on its Fluff & Tuff branded products later this year.
Cascades, a global packaging company based in Kingsey Falls, Quebec, has launched 100-percent-recycled plastic packaging that is also recyclable for its Cascades Fluff & Tuff toilet tissue line. The company is incorporating a recycled polyfilm for the Canadian toilet tissue brand’s packaging.
An independent firm conducted a life cycle analysis on Cascades’ polyfilm packaging, confirming that the option containing 100-percent-recycled resins reduced the impact of climate change by 76 percent compared with its virgin resin equivalent. According to a news release from Cascades, deployment of this new packaging will be completed by the end of the year.
“We had to find a packaging solution that would meet the environmental standards of Cascades products. In addition to being 100 percent or partially made of recycled fibers, with 4.5 times less water and 2.4 times less energy than the average in the North American paper industry, our products hold the industry’s most stringent recognized environmental certifications (UL-Ecologo, FSC)," says François David, vice-president, sales, marketing and innovation at Cascades Tissue Group. "It was only natural that this packaging should be eco-responsible as well. We are very proud to be the first company to develop a recycled polyfilm that is as effective as its virgin equivalent and that will certainly become an example to follow in the industry,”
Equipment companies end joint venture agreement that had included excavator marketing cooperation.
Moline, Illinois-based John Deere has announced it has agreed with Hitachi Construction Machinery to end the Deere-Hitachi joint venture (JV) manufacturing and marketing agreements. John Deere and Hitachi will enter into new license and supply agreements that will enable John Deere to continue to source, manufacture, and distribute the current lineup of Deere-branded excavators in the Americas, says that company.
In March 2020, heading into the 2020 ConExpo/Con-Agg event, a news release issued by the JV stated that visitors to the event “will notice orange Hitachi excavators side-by-side with yellow John Deere machinery. The co-branded booth is a visual representation of a one-of-a kind, three-decade long partnership that is a testament to the longstanding mutual respect and dedication of both companies.”
The 30-year alliance also was described as an “unbeatable partnership” that involved joint manufacturing facilities for construction excavators and forestry equipment, plus integrated marketing and parts distribution.
Going forward, the following changes will go into effect on Feb. 28, 2022, contingent upon regulatory approval, states John Deere:
"For many years, John Deere and Hitachi enjoyed a mutually successful partnership in the Americas," says John Stone, president of John Deere Construction & Forestry Division and Power Systems. “As we turn the page to a new chapter of Deere-designed excavators, we remain committed to supporting our customers of today and tomorrow.”
The Hitachi Construction Machinery – North America website does not yet have a press release offering details from the perspective of that business unit of Japan-based Hitachi Ltd.
Hong Kong event with recycling component will offer in-person and remote participation options.
The 2021 version of the Hong Kong Eco Expo Asia event will enable international participation via hybrid and online exhibition options, say the event’s organizers. Hong Kong itself has had few COVID-19 cases in 2021, however it is imposing 14- and 21-day quarantines on people arriving at its airport.
Eco Expo Asia 2021 has announced “Promoting green recovery for carbon neutrality” as its theme. The event is Oct. 27-30 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Some online portions of the show will run until Nov. 6.
“Following the impact of the pandemic, the trade fair industry like many others has had to adapt to the changing conditions,” remarks Judy Cheung, deputy general manager of show organizer Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.
Adds Cheung, “Online exhibition options have emerged from this, with last year’s fair taking full advantage of the new digital functions. While the additional reach provided by an online exhibition is certainly welcome, it is by no means a complete substitute for the face-to-face communication and interaction that trade fairs are so good at fostering.”
For 2021, continues Cheung, “We’re glad to offer a physical event, with the digital services to encourage international participation. Eco Expo Asia 2021 will therefore offer the best of both worlds with its new hybrid exhibition package, as well as standalone physical and online packages.”
Exhibitors will have three options at this year’s fair, including purely physical, online or a hybrid package that combines a physical booth space with the online platform. All three exhibition packages give exhibitors access to the hktdc.com [Hong Kong Trade Development Council, or HKTDC] Sourcing website, an online marketplace HKTDC says has more than 2 million registered buyers.
A feature called Click2Match, described by the organizers as a DIY matching platform, will facilitate online business meetings. “The service automatically matches exhibitors with prospective buyers using big data and AI technology,” says Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. It also has been designed to let exhibitors identify potential buyers, schedule online meetings, exchange e-business cards, conduct live chats and hold virtual meetings.
Eco Expo Asia 2021 is being jointly organized by the HKTDC and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. and co-organized by the Environment Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.
Investment ties into company’s recycled-content containerboard capacity in the nation.
Ireland-based Smurfit Kappa Group plc (SKG) has announced it is investing $22 million to expand its corrugated plant in Culiacan, Mexico. The company says the project demonstrates its “continued commitment to the Mexican market with expanded capacity, capabilities and product offerings for local customers in the fresh produce segment.”
The investment will modernize and expand the plant, SKG says, via the installation of what it calls “high-tech state-of-the-art machinery” and the construction of a new 10,900-square-meter (117,000-square-foot) building that will include a new corrugator and an automated rotary die cutter (RDC) that will be fully operational by the end of 2021.
The facility will produce corrugated boxes made with a moisture barrier that helps resist condensation. “These new offerings will also result in more sustainable operations at the facility with [the] use of paper that is 100 percent recyclable and can be reused at SKG mills,” states the company.
In Mexico, SKG also operates the Los Reyes Paper Mill. SKG invested $62 million at that facility in 2017 to install a new recycled-fiber-fed paper machine at the mill, located north of Mexico City.
That production line, known as PM6, has a production capacity of 100,000 tons of recycled-content containerboard per year. At the time, SKG said PM6 would “facilitate greater integration within the group’s converting plants and significantly increase the energy efficiency of the Los Reyes plant.”
The downstream Culiacan investment is intended to “match the fast-growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions from agriculture and fresh produce customers,” SKG says. The region is home to 40 percent of the total agricultural production for Mexico and has some of the largest producers of packaged food and beverages, adds the firm.
“Our Culiacan plant has for a long time been a significant employer in the region, and this will continue to be the case with this new investment, with a need for new operational and administrative roles, and the workforce at the plant expanding to over 300 employees,” comments Jorge Angel, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Mexico.
Juan G. Castaneda, CEO of Smurfit Kappa The Americas, says, “This investment will enable us to meet the increasing demand for innovative and sustainable packaging solutions not only in the region but also across Mexico.”
The company wants to reduce plastic use and increase its use of sustainable packaging.
Chobani, New Berlin, New York, has announced the launch of a paper cup for its yogurt products. The paper cup is part of the company’s efforts to reduce plastic use and put more sustainable packaging on shelves across America.
The container will be used with the company’s single-serve oat yogurt products. Chobani’s paper cup is 80 percent paperboard, made from responsibly sourced and renewable material. The cup has a thin plastic lining to maintain the quality of the product.
“We all have a role to play in protecting our planet,” says Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani founder and CEO. “People have been asking for a paper cup, and we welcome this challenge to start reducing our plastic use and to spark a conversation about how we can drive change together.”
The company says it will continue exploring more sustainable packaging across its portfolio that will use less plastic and more paper.
“While this paper cup is a step in the right direction, it’s just the beginning,” Ulukaya says.
Chobani says the paper cup will be available in stores at the end of 2022.