Pregis®, a global leader in protective packaging, mailing & bagging, and flexible packaging solutions, introduces Pregis EasyPack® Strata, a high-speed on-demand paper system designed to produce structured paper pads for enhanced void fill, light cushioning and full cushioning packing applications. The system expands the Pregis on-demand paper portfolio with a solution built to meet the pace, variability and throughput demands of modern fulfillment operations. Strata forms structured paper pads that optimize space within the box, enabling more uniform packing and reducing unnecessary material use. In enhanced void fill applications, these pads maintain a more consistent form than traditional void fill, improving material efficiency. The system also supports higher productivity in fast-paced packing environments, delivering dispensing speeds of up to 60 inches per second. “Fulfillment operations need packaging systems that will keep up with throughput demands without adding complexity,” explains Joey Phister, President of Protective Products at Pregis. “EasyPack Strata was developed to give operators the ability to adjust protection levels in real time, improving throughput, reducing waste and creating a faster, more intuitive packing process.”

ePac is excited to announce the creation of their newest location in Ghana. ePac Ghana is now taking orders and will have all orders fulfilled by ePac UK Silverstone while the Ghana location is being built. “We are fortunate to have a partner in Ghana with all the qualifications we look for when opening a new ePac location. Victor brings a multitude of talents to ePac, cares deeply about the community, and is committed to helping local brands grow. This is precisely ePac’s mission across the globe”, commented Jack Knott, ePac’s CEO.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Standards Board on Tuesday voted unanimously against adding synthetic compostable materials as compost feedstocks to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. That list in part stipulates which substances can be used in organic crops or processed organic products. The board determined that the broad classes of materials it was evaluating did not meet necessity, environmental and human health, and sustainable agriculture criteria for the National List. But going forward, the group said it’s open to evaluating individual substances, as some showed potential to meet those criteria. It would also consider allowing broader classes of substances with more restricted use patterns, such as for fruit stickers or collection bags. Many composters are screening out compostable polymers altogether, Lewis said, to avoid contamination from other plastic lookalikes diverted by confused consumers. “We are not hearing them asking for more compostable polymers. We are hearing them ask for less contamination in the food waste they accept,” said Lewis, the vice chair of NOSB’s crops subcommittee. NOSB’s decisions on what’s allowed in organic compost hold particular weight in California. Under a 2021 law aimed at tightening “compostable” labeling, the item would have to be an allowable agricultural organic input, as defined by NOP. That requirement was set to take effect Jan. 1 of this year, but CalRecycle granted an extension to June 30, 2027.