TC Transcontinental Packaging is pleased to announce the launch of IntegrititeTM 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) collation shrink film. The new packaging can be found in the AHA® Sparkling Water printed case wrap appearing on select Sam’s and BJ's Club Store shelves this Fall in Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Delaware. IntegrititeTM PCR collation shrink film includes 30% of post-consumer plastic resin transformed into a recyclable resource. “Our R&D team has crafted a collation shrink film that is itself recyclable at store drop off locations and contains PCR without sacrificing performance, strength and durability,” said Alex Hayden, Senior Vice President, R&D and Sustainability, at TC Transcontinental Packaging. “We are proud to support The Coca-Cola Company in sourcing flexible packaging with recycled content, to contribute to the establishment of a circular economy for plastics, and to meet our shared Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment signatory vision of a future whereby plastic never becomes waste.”

Smurfit Kappa has approved transformational investment plans for its Mold plant in North Wales, that will further expand capacity at the facility, make it the largest box factory in the UK and allow the company to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging. The investment in state-of-the-art equipment will reduce CO2 per tonne emissions by 15% at the plant. Commenting on the announcement, Smurfit Kappa UK and Ireland CEO, Eddie Fellows, said, “This investment in North Wales will increase our capability, flexibility and speed of response to deliver unrivalled, innovative packaging solutions to customers across the UK and Ireland. We are determined to meet the future needs of our customers in a sustainable way. It is vital that our investment has benefits for the local community and the environment.”

BeerSelect is the first brewery in Belgium to use Smurfit Kappa’s automated TopClip system. Smurfit Kappa has provided a pioneering Belgian craft brewer with an end-to-end packaging system, TopClip, the 100% paper-based replacement for shrink wrap that bundles beverage multi-packs. BeerSelect has enjoyed significant growth over the last three years and attracted considerable attention from investors and beer drinkers alike. The brewer was looking for packaging that would align with its sustainability aspirations, and an automated machine system to efficiently produce the solution in-house. Smurfit Kappa reviewed every aspect of BeerSelect’s operations and decided that the most effective solution was to build and install its Mid-Speed TopClip machine at BeerSelect’s green-field brewery. This machine has proven its worth for many small and medium-sized drinks companies as it can handle 30,000 cans per hour and is flexible enough to switch between different configurations to bundle four, six and eight packs of cans.