Genera starts up ANDRITZ pulping and stock preparation systems for sustainable packaging production

When you reach for your favorite cereal in the morning, you probably don’t think much about the box it comes in. But did you know that your cereal box isn’t made of cardboard? It’s actually made of something called paperboard! Common Uses of Paperboard Packaging Food & Beverage: Examples include dry-food boxes like cereal or pasta, frozen food packages, gum packaging and snack containers.   Pharmaceutical & Healthcare: Examples include over-the-counter medicine boxes and personal care product packaging for things like toothpaste, tissues, band-aids and bars of soap.   Cosmetics & Beauty Products: Examples include packaging for hair dye, face creams and make-up.   Electronics: Examples include small electronics like tablets, phones and cords.   Consumer Goods & Household Products: Examples include boxes of envelopes, stationery and toy packaging.

Huhtamaki, a key global advanced manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions, announced plans to expand its molded fiber product manufacturing unit in the city of Hammond, Indiana, as part of its investment in Fiber Solutions. The investment, which is expected to start ramping up towards the end of 2023, will enable Huhtamaki to better serve existing and new customers in North America with a broad range of sustainable, fully recyclable and compostable, fiber-based packaging solutions, manufactured from 100% recycled North American raw material. “The investment in this new manufacturing capacity, adjacent to our existing site in Hammond represents our strong belief in the future development of the region and in the continued success of our customers – both current and new. The expansion will introduce new sustainable fiber-based products such as egg cartons and cup carriers – manufactured on state-of-the-art machinery developed by Huhtamaki – to our portfolio in the region and drive production efficiency. Our know-how in key packaging technologies and our strong track record in sustainability make us extremely well positioned to support our customers and deliver on their sustainability agendas and goals with innovative solutions”, says Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Huhtamaki. Amounting to a total investment of almost USD 100 million, the expanded facility covers circa 23,000 square meters and will be built adjacent to Huhtamaki’s existing Hammond manufacturing unit. Huhtamaki has operated in Hammond, Indiana, since 1948 and currently has approximately 140 employees. It expects to employ a further 100 new employees when fully operational.

E-commerce has forever changed the way people shop, and now recycled containerboard will change the way products are delivered. While online shopping is always popular during the holiday season, it has increased even more this year, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. With millions opting to avoid in-person shopping, research firm Forrester expects that online retail sales will grow 24 percent in the United States this holiday season, compared to a year ago. At the same time, shoppers are seeking responsibly packaged products. A report on 2020 U.S. packaging preferences from Two Sides North America Inc. showed consumers prefer paper-based packaging for its environmental attributes, such as recyclability and composability, as well as practical factors like ease of storage. The report also found that consumers are willing to pay more for a sustainably packaged product and will deliberately avoid those that aren’t. click read more below for the rest of the story