ALDI is rolling out a new recyclable wrap packaging on two of its own-label butter lines in what it says is a UK supermarket first. The current non-recyclable packaging on its block butter will be replaced with a paper-based alternative wrap which Aldi says can be recycled at home, in a move which it says will remove more than 10-tonnes of non-recyclable packaging from circulation each year. Luke Emery, plastics and packaging director at Aldi, said, “We are committed to minimising plastic packaging at Aldi, and we are constantly exploring ways in which we can make a meaningful change to our p ..read more

Shutterstock NEW research has revealed that 64% of UK shoppers are motivated to reduce their single-use packaging when shopping for groceries. Environmental charity, City to Sea, worked with market research team, Obsurvant, to ask 2,037 UK-based respondents about their awareness and attitudes towards plastic pollution, as well as their reuse habits. The research comes as the UK prepares for a general election this year. The polling shows how the population is actively trying to transition away from plastic use, with 83% of consumers state they are ‘concerned’ about the amount of plastic t ..read more

Back row: Stephen Reyes, Steve Moffatt, Siobhan Branagan, Jan-Willem Ridt, Darren Oakes. Front row: Aaron Broadley, Dawn Pugh GLASS packaging manufacturer Beatson Clark has announced it has bolstered its sales team with two new hires and three internal promotions. Steve Moffatt has been appointed southern key account manager, while Darren Oakes takes up the role of northern key account manager. Steve has previously worked as a sales manager in the packaging industry, looking after a range of accounts in the food, pet and medical sectors. “I had heard of Beatson Clark before I decided to m ..read more

kp is on a mission to raise awareness about recyclable legal alternatives MONTHS after the UK’s ban on single-use EPS/XPS foodservice packaging, Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) said it believes there’s still work to do in educating businesses about the differences between EPS/XPS packaging and recyclable alternatives. Despite the ban, reports have revealed some customers are still unknowingly being sold packaging that is no longer legal. kp, a specialist in thermoformed trays and rigid films for form, fill and seal applications, as well as flexible barrier and stretch films, is urging the food and pa ..read more

ARDAGH Glass Packaging-Europe has entered a renewable electricity Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Sunnic Lighthouse GmbH and parent company, ENERPARC AG, in Germany. The PPA secures a longer-term solar energy supply allocation to AGP-Europe’s NextGen Furnace in Obernkirchen, Germany. Switching from 90% gas and 10% electricity towards 80% renewable electricity and 20% gas in the furnace is described as one of the key enablers of producing low-carbon glass packaging. The PPA will also secure a solar energy supply allocation to Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) facilities in Germany, which makes ..read more

Balthazar Verlet-Banide ORGANISERS of the Plastics Recycling Show Europe, which takes place at RAI Amsterdam from 19-20 June, have confirmed the full conference programme for the event. More than 60 speakers covering key issues facing the plastic recycling value chain will appear over two theatres. Newly confirmed speakers include Kris Renwick (Reckitt); Balthazar Verlet-Banide (Decathlon); Mark Roberts (Berry Global); Freek Bakker (PreZero); Bart Dautzenberg (SABIC); Yvonne van Veen (INEOS Styrolution); and Dominik Spancken (Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliabilit ..read more

DS Smith has announced a €6 Million investment in its La Chevrolière facility near Nantes in the west of France. The move has allowed the company to expand the size of the production space by 4,000 square metres and has been made in response to increasing demand for sustainable corrugated cardboard. The new equipment includes a Bobst Mastercut 2.1 die-cut machine, and a cardboard pallet production line. A new 2,500m² workshop dedicated to the production of Kaypal cardboard pallets has a capacity of 250,000 units, and a potential to produce up to 1.5 million pallets per year. The Kaypal pallet ..read more

Malcolm Waugh Frugalpac, which produces the Frugal Bottle – the world’s first paper bottle for wines and spirits, and the machines that make them – has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation. The Frugal Bottle is made from 94% recycled paperboard and was designed to decarbonise the global drinks industry. As well as being found in the wines and spirits aisles at Aldi and Sainsbury’s supermarkets, 45 brands around the world are using them in over 25 countries. Last year, Frugalpac was invited by the department for business and trade to display its Frugal Bottles during ..read more

AMCOR Capsules has announced the introduction of more than 90% recycled tin into its premium tin capsules and sparkling foils range. The firm said it continues to be at the ‘forefront of innovation’ in the wine and spirits market by introducing tin capsules with an ‘unprecedented’ level of recycled content sourced from Europe. Amcor Capsules has now established sourcing schemes that will enable the company to use recycled tin from end-of-life products, such as car radiators and batteries, ship propellers and bronze scraps from ornaments or statues. After recycling, the tin material is adapted ..read more

MACFARLANE Group has issued a trading update confirming the firm’s full-year performance expectations for 2024 are unchanged. The business will today hold its AGM, at which chair Aleen Gulvanessian will provide a trading update covering the year to date. Macfarlane said that, as ‘anticipated’, the start of 2024 has been ‘challenging’ with first quarter sales and profits below the same period in 2023. Despite this, expectations for the full year are unchanged. Sales in the first quarter were 9.5% lower than the same period in 2023 with continued weak customer demand and price deflation, while ..read more