Berry Global Group, Inc. and Glatfelter Corporation announced that the proposed merger of Berry's Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films business with Glatfelter progressed further with the creation of the Magnera brand, a global leader in the specialty materials industry. The launch of this new identity marks the next chapter in the transaction journey, emphasizing a commitment to innovation and leadership in the specialty materials industry. Magnera will leverage a broad platform of 46 global manufacturing facilities, offering its customers innovative solutions more quickly from closer locations and minimizing environmental impact. Curt Begle, President of Berry’s Health Hygiene & Specialties Division, who will lead Magnera as CEO, said, “Magnera’s purpose is to better the world with new possibilities made real. By continuously co-creating and innovating with our partners, we will develop original material solutions that make a brighter future possible. With a breadth of technologies and a passion for what we create, Magnera’s solutions will solve end-users’ problems, every day.” With a focus on innovation, operational excellence, and strategic market penetration, Magnera will have the broadest global product offering in high-growth markets for both polymer and fiber-based product applications.

Amcor and the Alliance share the belief that collaboration and collective action are critical to eliminating plastic waste. Alliance membership also aligns with Amcor’s 2025 Sustainability Pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025.This new partnership is the latest example of Amcor’s commitment to better waste management and recycling infrastructure. Ron Delia, Amcor CEO, said, “Amcor’s extensive innovation capabilities are delivering packaging designed to achieve the commitment to make all our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. But keeping waste out of the environment also requires collaboration across the global value chain for better waste management and recycling infrastructure, and to educate consumers. AEPW serves as a crucial forum for that collaborative effort across parties aligned on the need to deliver more sustainable outcomes. I am excited that Amcor is taking up this leadership role within the Alliance and we look forward to working with the other Alliance members to advance on our shared ambitions for responsible packaging.”

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.