Intertape Polymer Group Inc. published its 2019 annual sustainability report, titled “We Package, We Protect & We Sustain”. The report provides an overview of the Company’s sustainability progress in 2019 and highlights IPG's sustainability opportunities in the years ahead. The report was prepared with reference to certain Global Reporting Initiative (“GRI”) standards with details provided in the index section of the report. “Sustainability is a core pillar of our long-term strategy and we believe it is a key component to meeting the needs of our stakeholders as well as the growth of our business,” said Greg Yull, President and CEO of IPG. “While this year’s report is published as society is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our approach to sustainability is a long-term initiative that requires consistent and continuous support. In fact, the ingrained culture of health and safety within our daily operations at the plant level underpinned our ability to maintain ongoing operations in the face of the pandemic.”

Although many companies have publicly toned down their sustainability messaging, they’re still investing in sustainability initiatives — especially for packaging — according to a report that Bain & Co. released Thursday. Losing momentum on sustainability would be “a serious strategic miscalculation” for paper and packaging, especially as regulation is “now shaping economics at scale,” it says. Despite curbing some external messaging, numerous businesses are still prioritizing sustainability behind the scenes. Sustainability also is a leading purchasing criterion for packaging customers, with 59% of the 125 respondents to a 2025 survey saying they would switch suppliers within three years if their sustainability metrics weren’t being met.

Colbert Packaging announces its new robotic solution for product palletization operations. Designed for fully automated and integrated labeling, orientation and palletization, the new customized system is expected to streamline the current manual processes. Colbert partnered with RōBEX, an industrial robot integration provider, to assess operational challenges and identify a solution. The RōBEX team, with expertise in automotive, aerospace, food and beverage, and palletizing, worked alongside the Colbert team to design the new system. Developing this system was a complex task, given Colbert’s diverse needs. The solution needed the capability to pick and palletize multiple case variations and pallet configurations. Colbert also needed to manage multiple tier sheets and pallet types. RōBEX’s extensive expertise and innovative design approach led to the creation of a unique End-of-Arm Tool (EOAT) that proficiently handles all requirements. The RōBEX solution included a design blueprint, integration plan and meticulous cycle time calculations before final implementation.