Consumers are now actively considering the environment alongside their individual health when buying food, according to Tetra Pak’s Index 2023. These environmentally conscious consumers labelled 'Climatarians’ are willing to alter their eating habits to protect the planet. The market for healthy foods is already well established, as consumers actively seek products that will have a positive impact on their physical wellbeing. But a significant majority now take a more holistic view: 70% say that healthy products should not harm the environment, while another 54% are willing to take responsibility for the planet and change their diet to contribute to a better world. This dual focus is reflected in the rising number of consumers consciously reducing the amount of meat they eat, known as 'flexitarians', with nearly half of all consumers saying they are reducing meat intake or excluding meat altogether.

Total Boxboard production in November decreased two percent compared to November 2019. It was down three percent when compared to the same 11 months of 2019. The boxboard operating rate was 91.3 percent, down 1.4 points from November 2019 and down 0.7 points year-to-date. Solid Bleached Boxboard production in November increased four percent compared to November 2019. It was down five percent when compared to the same 11 months of 2019. Recycled Boxboard production in November decreased four percent compared to November 2019. It was down two percent when compared to the same 11 months of 2019. Unbleached Kraft & Gypsum production in November decreased seven percent compared to November 2019. It was down two percent when compared to the same 11 months of 2019.

In summer 2021, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) launched the Generation 4 CutStar, the Speedmaster XL 106-D rotary die cutter, and a new Performance Package for in-mold label production on the Speedmaster XL 106. It is now further expanding this portfolio by entering into a worldwide distribution agreement with the Japanese company AN Corporation for the Kawahara TXS-1100 and Kawahara BMS-1100 automated postpress systems. This marks the global rollout of a pilot agreement concluded for the North America region last year. “Heidelberg is systematically investing in the growth markets of packaging and label printing. The distribution agreement for Kawahara blanking systems adds a further key production step in the workflow to the company’s label printing portfolio,” says Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberg. “In this way, we are helping our customers further automate their processes and thus make them as efficient and cost-effective as possible,” he explains. As a result, Heidelberg now offers all the technology needed for a highly efficient workflow in industrial label production – from job creation, prepress, and plate imaging all the way through to printing, die cutting, and fully automatic blank stripping.