Novolex, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group and an industry leader in packaging choice and sustainability, announced it will acquire The Waddington Group from Newell Brands, Inc. The transaction is expected to close in approximately 60 days. Headquartered in Covington, Ky., The Waddington Group is a global manufacturer and marketer of packaging and disposables serving the foodservice, bakery, deli, produce and confectionery markets. Novolex is a leading provider of packaging solutions serving retail, grocery, food service, hospitality, institutional and industrial markets. Click Read More below for additional information.

Volpak, a Coesia company, specialized in horizontal form-fill-seal solutions for the packaging industry, and Lecta, a premier European manufacturer and distributor of specialty papers, have embarked on a collaborative project aimed at testing and validating sustainable materials for packaging applications. The partnership between Volpak and Lecta originated from a shared commitment to innovation and sustainability. With the packaging industry moving towards more environmentally friendly solutions, it is essential for manufacturers to adapt and innovate. Lecta, with its expertise in specialty papers, recognized the importance of collaborating with Volpak to ensure that these new materials can be effectively utilized on existing packaging machinery. This collaboration aims to bridge the gap between material innovation and practical application, ensuring that eco-friendly papers meet the operational requirements of modern packaging lines.

As shoppers and retailers head back to more routine day-to-day activities following the holiday chaos, one activity that is likely to continue well into February is gift returns. Returns are a routine cost of doing business for online retailers as part of a positive user experience. But the holidays offer more significant challenges regarding returns, particularly when you add more brick-and-mortar stores to the situation. The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will return about 16.5 percent of their gifts. A UPS study puts that at around 23 percent - a quarter of the gifts given over the holidays. In cases where an item still has value after being returned, it is imperative to maintain the integrity of the product during shipment. The easiest way to do that is through effective packaging.