While innovation and new/upgraded technology are always key themes, similar to most exhibitions of late, the main theme was sustainable innovation, with exhibitors touting their sustainable/eco-friendly machinery and initiatives.

For example, Cimbria’s new SEA.IQ Optical Sorter is designed to recognise all defects and imperfections. It features cameras with integrated RGB, NIR and SWIR or UV working multifrequency to match multiple data collected during thousands of scans per second.

Goglio introduced a coffee capsule equipped with a degassing valve. This design makes it possible to immediately package fresh coffee without having to wait for the degassing process, which reduces storage times and preserves the aroma of the coffee. The capsule is also available in a 100% compostable version to meet the regulations being discussed in Italy and Europe, and is already certified as industrially compostable.

Mikafi, a Swiss startup, launched its electric tabletop roasting machine at Host Milan. The founders believe that in a world where sustainability, personalisation, and quality experiences are becoming more important, coffee roasting must be ‘rethought’. Designed for the HoReCa market, and in partnership with Thermoplan, the MikafiOne is a fully automated roasting system that uses AI and IoT that offers pre-programmed roast profiles – so non-baristas or inexperienced roasters can use it – as well as customisable roast profiles. “Anyone can roast the coffee, you do not need a roast master and it frees up the barista, said co-founder and CPO, Claudio Vögtli. He shared that the MikafiOne roasts 1 kilo of coffee, which enables businesses to offer a special roast daily in addition to their standard coffee assortment.

Caffe Vergnano was highlighting its ‘Women in Coffee’, which is the company’s women-focused sustainability initiative developed by CEO Carolina Vergnano. Launched in 2018 in collaboration with the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA), the initiative is aimed at supporting women working in small coffee plantations. The initial project in 2019 focused on the Dominican Republic, followed by Honduras beginning in 2020. This year’s project is a further evolution of the Honduras initiative, which will provide equipment for the library (that was built between 2021 and 2022) and a cafeteria. Proceeds from the Women in Coffee items – all pink – that are sold online and in WIC Cafés around the world, contribute to the project. For more information or to purchase items, visit caffevergnano.com.

After being decimated during the pandemic as stay-at-home orders were implemented globally, the office coffee service (OCS) industry is making a comeback this year. At Host Milan, OCS machine manufacturers exhibited a range of products that are stylish, fully automated, offer high quality beverages, and, most importantly, are durable, easy to use and easy to maintain. Bravilor Bonamat, Rancillo and Bunn were just a few of the companies that showcased the latest in OCS technology.

The 44th edition of Host Milan will be held at fieramilano from 17 to 21 October 2025.

• Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: vanessa@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

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Jim Pittas, president & CEO, PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies), said “Pack Expo Las Vegas (‘PELV’) was the largest since its inception” with more than 32,000 attendees and over 2,300 exhibitors spanning more than one million square feet of exhibit space. PMMI executives said the show had reached maximum capacity despite continued interest from companies wanting to exhibit as the new West Hall was occupied with a different exhibition.

Pack Expo – whether in Las Vegas or Chicago – is the premier trade show in the United States annually to observe the latest packaging and processing solutions in action, with suppliers showcasing diverse innovations for more than 40 vertical markets. According to PMMI, industry growth remains steady at 3.4 percent with the total size of the market in the U.S. reaching $10.2 billion.

Sustainability and automation were the major themes of PELV. A new Sustainability Central area served as an interactive resource to learn about design, materials, manufacturing, recovery, logistics, and data. At the accompanying Sustainability Stage, presenters spoke on a range of packaging sustainability topics, advising attendees how to make their brands more environmentally friendly. The Pack Expo Green Program – which identifies exhibiting companies that provide sustainable solutions via new materials, technology, or strategies such as sustainable processes and machines, renewable and biodegradable packaging, source reduction and lightweighting, recyclable and recycled-content materials, or innovations that reduce carbon footprint – returned to PELV.

At a media briefing on the opening day of Pack Expo Las Vegas, Pierre Pienaar, president of the World Packaging Organisation, which facilitates solutions to global challenges in all areas of packaging, said that the packaging industry is “at a crossroads where the future of packaging is in our hands. “Decisions need to be made that will alter the course and map the path for future generations.” He believes that the reduction of food waste can be achieved through the better use of packaging and awareness.

Pienaar noted that the material types that we use “have and will change the landscape, having a direct impact on sustainability.” He added that the technology that we design and implement, will “map the course of energy reduction that we will follow over the next 10-20 years.” Furthermore, the “innovation of new ideas in packaging will make the difference in creating a successful and sustainable circular economy. We need to empower consumers with the ability to lead their lives in a more environmentally positive way.”

In an exclusive conversation with T&CTJ, Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI, said that labour and manufacturing challenges have fuelled innovation because many technologies – primarily in automation – have been adapting to close gaps in availability and skills. Additionally, the area of remote access continues to gain strength. “Remote access is not new,” he explained, “it’s been around but companies didn’t take advantage of it because of cyber security concerns. Covid forced them to look. Covid was a catalyser and once companies started using it, they realised they can utilise remote access technologies in multiple areas.”

Izquierdo noted that there are still supply chain challenges, but they are not as bad as in 2021 and 2022. “A lot of orders in 2023 are from 2022 but they were delayed because of supply chain issues that have finally been resolved (such as the delays with electronic components),” he explained, noting that wait times have improved significantly but they will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

“E-commerce exploded during Covid. We’re finding significant demand for packaging and fulfillment machinery at the warehouse level because of companies doing to direct to consumer,” said Izquierdo. “When sending direct to consumer, there is a mix of different products so the box will have different varieties in it and they will need to be packed into smaller boxes. This is happening at the warehouse, not the manufacturing plant so now warehouses need case sealing equipment, labelling equipment, etc. All this requires different types of equipment in warehouse.”

Pack Expo Las Vegas offered 100+ educational sessions organised into five different areas (Innovation Stage, Processing Innovation Stage, The Forum, etc). Topics ranged from robotics, automation, AI, and sustainability, to advances in food and beverage processing, digitalisation, cybersecurity, integration of cobots into manufacturing, to the benefits, ROI, and points of consideration for companies switching to reusables.

One sustainability session, ‘Sustainability — What Does it Mean in Packaging Materials?’, focused on the trends and developments specific to food packaging. The presenter, Gregg Poffenbarger, business unit director, materials at the Multivac Group, noted how methane gas is 80 times worse for the environment than CO2. He then listed several holistic approaches to mitigating waste that included reducing plastic content in favour of paperboard and formable papers as well as smaller packages. “With smaller packages, there is portion control so there is less food waste and less packaging water going into landfills.”

PELV also raised $30,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping the nation’s first responders, military heroes, injured veterans, homeless veterans, and their families. For over 20 years, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has honoured the late FDNY (Fire Department of New York) firefighter Stephen Siller’s legacy by supporting the heroes who continue to risk life and limb in the line of duty.

“With our show opening on 9/11, we could not think of a better way to honour the lives lost during that tragedy than to support an organization like Tunnel to Towers that keeps the legacy of those heroes alive by providing support to the first responders, military heroes, and veterans who are with us today,” said Pittas. “We’re grateful to all who donated and showed their support.”

Pack Expo International will take place 3-6 November 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. — Vanessa L Facenda

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According to a survey conducted by Future Market Insights (FMI), cost remains a significant hurdle preventing smaller brands from investing in sustainable packaging, while packaging suppliers and converters face eroding margins due to high material prices. That said, FMI estimates that the market for sustainable packaging will cross the US$500 billion annual mark by 2030, driven by manufacturer, consumer, and regulatory demands. Within the next decade, sustainable packaging will no longer be a choice, but a necessity says the firm.

On 28 March, FMI hosted a virtual roundtable, “Making Sustainable Packaging Commercially Viable,” with three experts weighing in on the challenges that are holding back greater adoption at a faster rate.

“Sustainability is no longer marketing jargon or a buzzword anymore,” explained Ismail Sutaria, chief research analyst at FMI, noting that “businesses are rapidly developing and using packaging materials that not only increase the life cycle inventory, but also reduce the ecological footprint.” He notes that the significant momentum gained by the concept of the circular economy has grabbed the attention of numerous packaging giants as well as governments, responding to the realities of packaging waste and its impact on the environment.

Sutaria sees successful sustainable packaging as balancing several key attributes: low carbon footprint, lightweight, environmentally friendly, fully circular, higher rates of recycling, and perhaps most importantly to packaged food and beverage producers, better shelf life for the products themselves.

Missing currently from the advances in the sector, despite continuous innovations in materials and substrates, and a growing number of consumer product rollouts, are a high degree of adoption; to achieve a successful sustainable packaging eco-system, widespread commercialisation is required. To their credit, the food and, in particular, beverage industries are the global leaders in adopting sustainable packaging.

While sustainable packaging designs for any given product can save certain costs—reduced shipping weights for example—the cost of switching from a previous format can be quite expensive. Sustainable packaging can only be commercially viable through mass scale adoption, Sutaria stresses.

An interesting wrinkle, he notes, is that consumer perception of recyclability doesn’t always align with the actual carbon impact of packaging. Production of PET beverage containers, for example, might be lower in greenhouse gas impact, but aluminium cans have the edge in recycling rates.

In terms of consumer shopping behavior, Millennials are by far the most aggressive generation to date when it comes to preferring companies with “purpose,” such as reducing pollution or waste, and have the highest interest in choosing products with eco-friendly, sustainable packaging.

In short, Sutaria says that the higher perceived costs (led by the inability to pass on costs to consumer and the higher cost of sustainable materials), combined with inadequate recycling infrastructure and complex government regulations, are all deterrents to mass scale adoption of sustainable packaging. Collaboration across regions in regard to tracing, waste collection, and sorting and recycling systems is the missing key in what’s limiting the success of sustainable packaging and in achieving circularity

Robert Flores, VP of sustainability at Berry Global, Inc., an Indiana, USA-based manufacturer of plastic packaging products at over 265 regional facilities worldwide and 56 years of experience, said his firm sees the future of plastics moving to recycling and renewable. Mechanically recycled plastic can achieve significant energy use savings versus production of virgin plastics, says Flores, while the production of bio-plastics from renewable resources such as crops rather than fossil fuels could potentially move that process toward net-zero carbon emissions. Lightweighting—reducing the amount of plastic used in redesigned packaging—shrinks not only carbon footprints but also customer cost while improving circularity, he adds.

Tristan Kaye, commercial director of Notpla Limited, founded in 2014, explained that his firm focuses on single-use packaging in the consumer space, challenging long-standing conventions about packaging. The East London-based startup has rapidly developed an innovative portfolio of advanced, all-natural packaging products made from seaweed and plants that are naturally biodegradable and home-compostable. Some are entirely edible and impart no flavour, such as beverage “blobs” or dissolvable instant coffee sachets. Kaye said, however, Nopla is particularly focused on industrialising and scaling its seaweed-based coating as an alternative to plastic inner liners on fiber-based packaging, allowing the entire package to be composted. Other uses are in earlier stages of R&D.

Kaye noted that some other newer biodegradable products, such as PHA, PLA and PBAT are actually seeing prices increase due to changing EU classification standards. “In the EU, there is now a common definition around single-use plastic,” said Kaye, the two key aspects being it must be a natural polymer and not chemically modified. As such, Kaye said that PHA and similar products are now being classified as plastics in the EU. “So even though as we scale as a business and we’re trying to bring our costs down, we also see that other materials are getting more expensive through the role of regulation,” he noted.

• E Edward ‘Ted’ Hoyt has more than two decades of experience as a trade magazine editor and freelance writer, authoring many articles in the premium coffee, spirits and cigar industries, among others.

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It is vital for the packaging and processing industries to come together and share innovations, connect with colleagues, hear from experts and see machinery-in-action — and Pack Expo International 2022 is the most efficient and effective way to do it all, offering solutions for over 40 vertical markets. No other event this year will showcase entire production line solutions and offer attendees everything needed to compete in a changing marketplace.

New at Pack Expo International
• Pack to the Future Exhibit: Go Pack to the Future in an interactive exhibit new to Pack Expo International. Pack to the Future celebrates the role of packaging and processing through history and the impact it is poised to have on our future.

This curated exhibit includes historical equipment, materials and photographs spanning 250 years, journeying through the evolution of packaging and processing, and highlighting how the industry developed alongside civilization. This exhibit will be in the West Building at booth W20001.

The Pack to the Future Stage will provide thought-provoking sessions on groundbreaking industry advancements and features free presentations by industry experts on advances in pharmaceutical and cannabis packaging, wireless factory automation, sustainable alternatives, smart packaging, artificial intelligence and more! The Pack to the Future stage will be in the West Building at booth W20025.

• The Processing Zone: It’s back and better than ever! The Processing Zone returns to Pack Expo in 2022 with the widest variety of food and beverage processing equipment. In today’s manufacturing environment, processing and packaging are integrated systems, making it critical to bring both solutions under one roof. Start your search for front-of-the-line solutions such as homogenizing, heat treating, forming/sizing and coating in The Processing Zone.

Attendees will discover solutions to increase efficiency, achieve total system integration and ensure safety. Visit The Processing Zone in the Lakeside Center at PACK EXPO International 2022! The Processing Zone will be located at booths LU7000-LU7799.

New in 2022, the Processing Innovation Stage (booth LU7130), will focus on the latest food and beverage processing breakthroughs. Conveniently located in the Processing Zone, no additional registration is required for attendees to take a break from the show floor and learn something new.

• Pack Match: This complimentary consultation makes its Pack Expo International debut, providing attendees personalized, one-on-one guidance to locate targeted solutions. Whether an emerging brand or a well-established household name, Pack Match Advisors are available for 30-minute virtual consultations to connect attendees with the right suppliers. Attendees complete an online form to indicate their challenges and ensure they are matched with the appropriate industry expert to use the service. Once the match is made, attendees schedule a virtual meeting with their assigned Pack Match Advisor to receive non-biased guidance and recommended exhibitors to suit their business needs. Meetings will begin approximately three weeks prior to the show. Assigned on a first come-first serve basis, meeting spots are limited.

• Pack Challenge: A new packaging competition at Pack Expo International brings six high school teams together for a head-to-head machine-building competition. PMMI will provide a build to print snack filler machine kit, designed specifically for this competition, along with an assembly (flight manual) to the qualifying teams. Each team will assemble the snack filler to the specifications at Pack Expo International and have the flexibility to be creative with add-ons. The winning school will be awarded USD $5,000 with an additional $2,000 split between individual team members. The other five teams in attendance will receive $1,000 for participating in the event. After the event, the teams will take the machines back to their school, providing future students the opportunity for hands-on experience.

• Industry Meets: The Industry Meets at Pack Expo with targeted mini-industry events hosted by a record number of association partners as part of the Partner Plus Program. In addition, Association Partner thought leaders will present the latest industry trends on the Industry Speaks stage throughout the show.

• The Logistics Pavilion: A new pavilion a Pack Expo International, logistics is a crucial part of the product journey from manufacturer to consumer — and among the top five searches on the Pack Expo website. With the boom in e-commerce, The Logistics Pavilion will be the place to find targeted solutions related to the supply chain, including warehousing, fulfillment, distribution logistics services and transportation providers. Located in the North Building.

Free Show Floor Education
• The Forum at Pack Expo: Take advantage of free, unique, interactive learning sessions throughout Pack Expo International. The Forum at Pack Expo will feature 45-minute sessions, open to all attendees, on the latest industry trends. Sessions will be interactive, including activities, small group discussions and Q&A sessions. Located in the North Hall at booth N4543.
• The Innovation Stages: On the show floor, the three Innovation Stages present free 30-minute seminars on breakthrough technologies and techniques focused on a wide range of industry-specific solutions. Innovation stages are located in the North Hall at booths N4560, N4580, N4585.
• See also the Processing Innovation Stage, the Pack to the Future Stage and Industry Speaks Stage mentioned above. These are all free to attendees and conveniently located on the show floor.

Returning Pavilions at the 2022 Show
• The Package Printing Pavilion: This area in the South Building features digital printing and converting, labeling, coding and marking technologies.
• The Containers and Materials Pavilion: Big trends such as sustainability, recyclability, e-commerce and consumer convenience have loomed large in recent years in this pavilion. Located in the West Building, it is a prime destination for companies looking to refresh a brand, launch new products, broaden appeal and attract attention.
• Pack Expo International attendees can network with peers, gain specialized insights and rest their feet at the Candy Bar Lounge, hosted by The National Confectioners Association (NCA), and sponsored by Syntegon Packaging Technology, LLC. The lounge offers a place for casual networking and idea sharing. Located within the Confectionery Pavilion in the South Building.
• The Reusable Packaging Pavilion: This pavilion, sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association, showcases sustainable packaging solutions to help reduce waste, cut costs and gain supply chain efficiency. Explore reusable transport packaging products and services and see innovative reuse solutions from over 30 exhibitors. Sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association, this pavilion will be located in Upper Lakeside at booths LU6700 – LU6999.
• PMMI U Workforce Development Pavilion: Located in the West Hall Concourse, this is Pack Expo International’s one-stop-shop for resources to strengthen your current workforce and grow the existing workforce. Learn about PMMI U offerings, including popular training workshops. Schools will present mechatronics, packaging and processing offerings, and you can meet students interested in careers in the industry.
• Association Partner Pavilion: This pavilion houses leading associations dedicated to advancing the packaging and processing industry, offering significant resources, insights and expertise all in one central location within the North Hall at booths N4510 – N5101.

Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) Networking Event
PPWLN serves to recruit, retain and advance women’s careers in packaging and processing. Each Pack Expo, the PPWLN hosts a networking event addressing a timely issue facing women in the industry.

The annual PPWLN breakfast will take place Tuesday, 25 October, 7:30-9:00 am, in Room, S-100 at McCormick Place. Hear from keynote speaker Dawn Hudson, former Chief Marketing Officer at the National Football League and former president and CEO of Pepsi Cola North America, who has led an impressive career spanning high-level posts in media, retail, consumer goods, consulting, and healthcare at some of the biggest corporations in the world.

Pack Expo Green
The Pack Expo Green Program is the commitment of Pack Expo and all its partners, vendors and exhibitors working together to create a more sustainable world. Find below information and resources to aid and advance your company’s unique sustainability goals.

Reusable Packaging Learning Center
Learn the latest trends and benefits of reusable packaging, in the Lakeside Upper Building, booth LU6737. Discover how implementing a reusable packaging system can improve material handling performance, reduce operating costs, create new economic values, and lower environmental impacts in your supply chain.

The Emerging Brands Summit, organised by PMMI Media Group, will launch at this year’s show and will be a one-day event featuring educational content and tabletop exhibits. This new program is aimed at founders and leaders of startup manufacturing companies looking to scale their brand to larger production through either in-house facility build out or outsourced relationships with contract manufacturers and packagers. Exhibitors will include packaging machinery, packaging materials, processing equipment, and contract manufacturing and packaging.

Visit packexpointernational.com to register, search suppliers and for more information.

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The 2021 State of the Industry US Packaging Machinery reports that packaging machinery production total shipments in the United States increased 14.7% between 2015 and 2020, with a packaging order backlog increase of 22.3%. According to PMMI, the seven areas currently impacting the packaging machinery market range from technology to sustainability to e-commerce, and include:

Automation and Robotics

To achieve higher efficiency and productivity, more packaging machinery companies are embracing automation in their packaging lines and leveraging smart manufacturing – such as machine vision – to do so. The robotics sector is also a rapidly growing one within the packaging machinery market, with the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, and expanding IoT environment. In this age of Covid, ‘cobots’, or collaborative robots are designed to be safer for humans to work in close proximity. (The cover story in our upcoming November 2021 issue discusses the expansion of automation and robotics within the packaging machinery market.)

IIOT and Wireless Connectivity

The Industrial internet of things (IIoT) continues to impact the product lifecycle in the packaging industry including design, operation, maintenance, and supply chain. Per the report, the progress of conventional wireless network in smart manufacturing had lagged due to its inability to maintain stable connections and latencies, but innovations that perform better than other wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are emerging.

Cybersecurity

Ransomware attacks on major F&B and retail companies such as Cadbury and Target, and JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, highlight the vulnerability of the critical infrastructure of manufacturers across the industrial supply chain to increasing levels of cyber-attacks. (The ransomware story in our October 2021 issue – Ransomware is Rampant: Is Your F&B Business Safe? – offers details measures companies can take to protect themselves against cyber-attacks.)

Sustainability and Flexible Packaging

Many food brands have invested in packaging innovations and have implemented sustainability initiatives in their production and packaging lines due to consumer demand. However, the PMMI report points out that machine modifications or adjustments are often needed to achieve sustainable packaging goals. The challenges CPGs face when moving to more sustainable packaging provide opportunities for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to explore applications with customers:

• Secondary packaging machines such as conveyors must be able to handle material reduction strategies, including lightweight corrugated.
• Machines need to run different style boxes to accommodate sustainability strategies, such as using the right size box. Case packers with a smaller footprint can help achieve sustainability goals through reduction in energy usage.
• A more efficient process of unpacking the contents of a pallet and repacking them into different sizes or variety packs is needed, with a focus on reducing material usage.

Furthermore, the flexible packaging industry is innovating to meet sustainable and recyclable packaging demands by creating compostable or sustainable components such as films and pouch closures.

Sustainability is a key area of coverage within T&CTJ, including sustainable packaging. Sustainable packaging and technology articles this year alone can be found in the February issue, Sustainable Packaging Remains a Top Priority for Consumers and Brands Alike; the April issue, Digitalisation: The Missing Piece in the Sustainability Puzzle; and in the June issue, How Sustainability Trends are Impacting Single Serve [Packaging].

Material Innovations

Many food and beverage brands – especially coffee and tea brands – are increasingly using recyclable board-based packaging, compostable packaging, and 100% recycled paper packaging. Some companies have even pledged long-term research commitment in packaging material innovation. (The article in our September 2021 issue – Compostable Packaging for Coffee & Tea: How Viable is It? – discusses the pros and cons of compostable packaging.)

Waste Reduction Legislation

In June 2020, US representatives introduced the Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act. If passed, the act will guide the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a plastic waste reduction and recycling program to improve the global competitiveness of the US recycling industry. The act further aims to reduce plastic waste and encourage research into and technologies for recycling infrastructure.

E-Commerce

And, of course, e-commerce has become an increasingly important factor in the industry (across many industries!). For example, sales of coffee and tea products purchased online surged during the pandemic and remain strong. Package design must maximize packing space, and there is a trend for e-commerce packaging to use more pouches and easily packable trays, and less glass.

The report notes that the shift in purchasing habits will continue to drive demand for packaging machinery as e-commerce requires increased touchpoints to reach the customer, increased packaging, and supply chain challenges.

• Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: vanessa@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

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“We aim to forge partnerships throughout the supply chain that will benefit our customers and the industry while advancing innovation” said Rebecca Casey, senior vice president of Marketing and Strategy at TC Transcontinental Packaging.

“We are excited about the TME partnership as we have a shared customer-centric vision and are driven by common values of innovation, teamwork and performance. We are poised to deliver impactful solutions that will drive efficiency in roaster’s organizations and help developing new products, allowing them to remain ahead of the curve.”

This partnership leverages both companies’ in-depth knowledge of the coffee market to provide innovative solutions from crop-to-cup that will contribute to their customers’ success. TME SpA has been serving coffee market leaders across the globe with highly customized, flexible and efficient equipment solutions. While TC Transcontinental Packaging offers high-performing films, bags and sustainable structures. The collaboration between the two companies allows to dynamically address coffee roasters’ needs for the wholesale and retail markets from club size packages to single serve solutions.

“The partnership with TC Transcontinental Packaging is a step in supporting our expansion to the North and Latin American regional markets”, added Claudia Merli, president and CEO at TME Packaging Solution.

“We want the market to know that we are committed to creating advanced equipment that is inventive, flexible, and built to satisfy production needs, and backed by a dedicated, in-market customer service and technical support team to ensure timely, attentive and proactive service.”

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The launch will be supported by a targeted media, social, digital, OOH, print and in-store campaigns, which will go live from 1 March 2020.

Marcus Swift, commercial director for UCC Coffee UK and Ireland, said: “We know today’s coffee consumer desires more than just a caffeine fix, they want full-bodied flavours and formats to suit their needs, at an affordable price point. Our refreshed range certainly delivers this, and we’re excited to unveil it in grocery stores across the UK.

“Aligning to the consumer trend for convenience and quality evident within the category, the coffee bags sector is now worth £6.8m and is growing at an impressive +46.5%. With sustainability becoming more and more important in customers’ purchase decisions, we’re also pleased to now offer fully compostable coffee bags and sachets. It’s set to be a great year for Lyons and we’re confident in bringing new growth to the Roast & Ground coffee category with our new and improved range.”

Lyons said it is working towards a sustainable future alongside TIPA. All of Lyons’ coffee bags and sachets are certified as fully industrially compostable and if local recycling allows, the packaging can be added to food recycling or green waste bins.

The new-look Lyons products will be available in stores from 1 March 2020.

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After several rounds of input from the consortium, the open consultation on the guideline drafts is finished and will be launched in spring 2020.

As a consortium of companies and associations representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging, Ceflex aims to establish a collecting, sorting and reprocessing infrastructure throughout Europe by 2025.

“Sustainable packaging needs to be easily recyclable and processable at the same time,” said Matthias Klauser, project leader and sustainability expert at Syntegon Technology.

“With our long-standing expertise we can help to pave the way to a circular economy that leaves room for production efficiency.”

Together with some of Ceflex’s industry partners, Syntegon Technology is developing the design guideline for flexible packaging as part of a circular economy roadmap for the whole value chain.

“With the guidelines, Ceflex aims to offer a widely recognised guidance on flexible packaging materials,” Klauser said. “We want to support Ceflex in reconciling sustainability and efficiency requirements, since not every sustainable packaging material is easy to process in an efficient manner.”

Depending on the material, processes such as sealing might take longer, affecting output and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Klauser explained: “We see considerable potential for instance in mono-polyolefines and other monomaterials. At the same time, packaging and processing equipment providers will need to adapt their technologies to facilitate implementation of the guidelines. This includes making new materials processable on existing equipment, as well as developing new machine technologies that are suited for all kinds of materials today and in the future.”

Circular economy – the origins

The concept of a circular economy dates back to the mid-1960s, when American economists were looking for possibilities to use resources in a more sustainable way. As opposed to linear economies where products are made and then disposed of, circular systems try to restore products, components, or materials by reusing, repairing or even recycling them.

The concept has evolved ever since, with the European Commission first issuing a circular economy manifesto in 2012, then successfully implementing a Circular Economy Action plan with 54 measures in 2018. The latter saw the adoption of ambitious initiatives, including a directive to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. However, the transition to a circular economy not only requires policy makers to provide the framework. It also relies on the support of key industry players, from material producers to flexible packaging converters, packaging equipment manufacturers, brand owners and sorting and recycling companies.

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Driftaway Coffee’s new sustainability initiatives aim towards coffee sustainability helping both people in coffee and the planet at large. The company is launching compostable packaging, carbon-neutral operations and a new video series called Coffee Stories that include sourcing transparency information as part of Driftaway being a signatory of the Transparency Pledge.

This is building on existing transparency and sustainability initiatives like the Farmer Feedback and the Bean for Bean programs which have been running at Driftaway since 2017. These programs share ratings and reviews with coffee farmers all over the world and contribute 5 cents per pound roasted to World Coffee Research (WCR).

Compostable Packaging
Driftaway says it is the first subscription roaster to have all elements of its packaging be plastic-free and commercially compostable. This includes the pouch, label, postcards and other inserts, and the mailer.

“We spend a lot of time considering each element in the packaging, and making every element compostable. If one of the elements was not, then it would end up in landfill, and we did not want that,” said Suyog Mody, co-founder of Driftaway Coffee. Only the poly mailer supplied by the post office is made of plastic. “It’s not perfect, but it is a huge step in the right direction” said Mody.

Carbon-neutral shipping and operations
Driftaway is carbon-neutral in its shipping and operations. With a footprint of 71 metric tons in Q1-Q3 2019, Driftaway is offsetting its emissions by contributing to the preservation of Alto Mayo forest in Peru where local communities are being trained to convert to coffee farmers and eco-entrepreneurs.

“It’s a cause that we strongly believe in. Our goal is to measure and reduce our emissions as much as we can, and purchase offsets for what we do emit,” said Anu Menon, co-founder of Driftaway Coffee. As an eCommerce operation, over 70% of Driftaway’s emissions are from air shipping and they are working on switching to 100% ground shipping.

Coffee Stories & transparency pledge
Coffee Stories is a behind-the-scenes series of videos with Driftaway green buying, roasting and QC team members that tell the origin to roasting story of each coffee.

“We source and roast 52 coffees in a year, and there is a ton of hard work involved not just on our end, but all over the supply chain,” said Mody. “Roasters get a large share of the credit from consumers when it comes to a cup of coffee. With Coffee Stories, we want to share with all coffee consumers all that we know about each of our coffees and to level the field a little bit in favour of the coffee farmers.” Coffee Stories includes information that is shared with Transparency Pledge that includes 50+ of the world’s leading coffee roasters, with a goal towards defining a better price for specialty coffee.

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About Driftaway Coffee
Driftaway Coffee is a sustainability-focused coffee roaster, offering subscriptions and coffee gifts in an environmentally and socially conscious manner. Founded in 2014 and living at the intersection of coffee and technology, Driftaway Coffee roasts coffee in Red Hook, Brooklyn, shipping to customers all over the world at home and delivers freshly roasted coffee that matches a consumers taste. Please visit driftaway.coffee for more information.

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The new Portland Coffee Roasters logo has shifted from a thin and delicate serif font on a cream background to a bold typeset in black on gold.

“Our original packaging featuring coffee seedlings was subtle and never really stood out,” said Mark Stell, Portland Coffee Roasters’ founder and managing partner. “We updated our packaging to be bright and youthful, while telling the story of who we are and what we stand for.”

Portland Coffee Roasters continues to be committed to building and strengthening sustainable coffee communities with everyone involved in the coffee chain. The new packaging features a warm, gold background with inviting illustrations that symbolize the global community the company serves. Hand-drawn doodles by Taylor Engel and Klay Arsenault depict the people who create the coffee experience, from the coffee grower, to the roaster, to the barista.

“The doodle concept represents who we are as a company,” said Stell. “Doodles are fun and approachable; they are a genuine expression of human nature and creativity. The doodle theme of our new packaging meshes perfectly with the culture and personality of Portland Coffee Roasters – understated, accessible and unpretentious.”

The packaging for the product line includes 12-ounce bags heat sealed and nitrogen flushed with a zip closure for maximum freshness; five-pound bags also heat sealed; single-serve cups, which feature two grams more coffee per cup than average single-serve cups; and portion packs designed to maintain freshness and produce consistent results with drip coffee machines.

The new packaging supports Portland Coffee Roasters’ belief that when someone buys a bag of its coffee, they are supporting a global community that respects people, philosophy, environment and craftsmanship. For more information, visit the new website at PortlandCoffeeRoasters.com

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Farrer’s new single portion coffee bags – similar to teabags – are designed to give consumers specialty coffee without having to deal with cafetières or brewing equipment. All users have to do is pop a coffee bag into the cup add freshly boiled water, leave for roughly three minutes then stir, squeeze and then dispose of the used coffee bag.

Retailing at £3.95 for 15 bags, Farrer’s coffee bags are available in two varieties:

• A Colombian single origin coffee sourced from the Huila region, which brews a wonderfully bright and fruity cup, with hints of toffee apple and blackcurrant, with a dark chocolate finish.
• Decaf, from a single origin source in Brazil, with rich peanut and chocolate notes, medium body and low acidity.

Dave Walsh,  general manager at Farrer’s, based in Kendal UK, said: “We’ve been working to get the taste profiles for both of these products right for just over six months. Experimented with using different materials for the bags, changing the weight of coffee used, with different grinds to maximise flavour and delivery.

“A good coffee needs to infuse the water as it brews, so we’ve come up trumps delivering flavour with both our Colombian and Decaf bags. We think you’ll agree they deliver a great cup of coffee and all you need is a kettle.”

To find out more about Farrer’s teas and coffees or to buy direct visit: http://farrerscoffee.co.uk

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The RecycleMe system was developed by Detpak, a manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions for the food service industry, and involves the sale, collection and recycling of its new recyclable coffee cups.

Contrary to common belief, around 99% of takeaway cups are currently unrecyclable, which means that over 7 million cups are taken to landfill every day in the UK alone.

The RecycleMe system is tackling this problem by providing an affordable, sustainable alternative for commercial businesses. Detpak sells the cups directly to its partner businesses across the UK, and when used, the cups are collected by Shredall SDS Group, Detpak’s primary recycling partner in the UK for this service. Shredall then transports the cups to a recycling processing facility, at which point the cups are transformed into usable paper which is then reused in other products.

“Shredall Recycling have thousands of collection points around the UK and are supporting the establishment of additional collection points for RecycleMe cups”, said Nik Williams, group managing director.

“Currently less than 1% of takeaway cups are recycled and unlike many other initiatives, the RecycleMe System is designed to provide a guarantee and transparency of the recycling process.”

The system is already available in Australia and New Zealand, with RecycleMe customers in the UK already including Taylor St Baristas (9 London sites), Caravan (6 London sites), Prufrock (Holborn) and Colonna & Smalls (Bath).

Detpak’s RecycleMe marketing manager Felicity Parker said it provides a true end to end solution for takeaway cups and lids: “Our RecycleMe cups have a next generation lining to allow cups to be recycled.

“Importantly, we’ve ensured the collection and recycling logistics of this system, thanks to the right industry partnerships, such as with Shredall Recycling.”

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The Iced Flat White is the brand’s first beverage to come in an aluminium can and is a notable departure from the bright, colourful cartons of other Jimmy’s flavours. The aluminium can was chosen for its serious eco credentials as it will not degrade irrespective of the number of times it has been through the recycling process, therefore having an unlimited lifespan.

The decision to launch the Iced Flat White in an infinitely recyclable format followed the news that only 9% of all plastic is ever recycled which further prompted the brand to pledge becoming entirely plastic free by 2020.

As the brand’s co-founder Suzie Cregan said: “We’ve always championed sustainability with our paper cartons and by switching to bio-caps (made using energy from sustainably sourced sugar cane), therefore opting for cans which can easily be recycled in to the same format again and again was the logical next step.

“Being based on the south coast of England, the ocean and the environment is a big part of who we are and what we do, and we want to look after that,and we know our customers do.”

Inside the slick black and gold can is a smooth flat white made with a line-up of just five ingredients including ethically sourced and Rainforest Alliance accredited Arabica beans, semi-skimmed milk and a touch of unrefined demerara sugar. The Flat White Extra Shot the strongest Jimmy’s Iced Coffee beverage yet.

Suzie’s co-founder and brother Jim Cregan said: “With Flat White fast becoming the nation’s coffee of choice, we knew we wanted to make a stronger iced coffee to meet that demand.

“Our tasting development started with us adding an espresso to our current Original. It was epic. So, to now have the recipe refined into a super smooth Iced Flat White, with an extra kick, all wrapped up in infinitely recyclable packaging is really exciting.”

The Flat White Extra Shot is available to purchase in Whole Foods and select high street retailers, with an RRP £1.85.

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ACMA, which in 2019 celebrates 95 years in the business, is a Coesia company that specialises in the design, construction and marketing of machines and systems for the packaging of consumer packaged goods, with significant experience in the tea sector. In this context, ACMA’s know-how not only encompasses the specific area of packaging technologies but extends right along the supply chain, taking in the various phases connected with the production and consumption of the beverage: from the cultivation of the tea plant to the process of drying and producing the product, and through to subsequent marketing and consumption phase, which differs according to the reference market.

Knowledge, Sustainability and Innovation

During the event, the world of tea and the time-honoured culture with which it is associated were represented within the Knowledge section. In a dedicated area, guests were able to enjoy an exhibition of innumerable types of tea and objects connected with the consumption of this beverage in various countries, from Japan to England, and from China and India to Morocco. A highly sensory experience based on sounds and smells as well as aesthetics.

Meanwhile, the materials used in the packaging of tea were the focal point of the sustainability section, which involved specialist suppliers. Companies that took part in the event included Terranova and Glatfelter, both involved in the manufacturing and processing of filter papers; Interfil and Zwirnerei, which specialise in the production of tea bag threads; Polypack, which produces tags and envelopes; Cartotecnica Naldi, whose core business is the manufacturing of cardboard boxes and Rockwell Automation, which supplies systems for controlling and optimising the consumption of machines.

ACMA proposes solutions that work with sustainable materials in order to guarantee the utmost attention to environmental protection.

As well as external suppliers, lots of attention was also focused on the technology partnerships with some Coesia companies. These were explored in the Innovation section. Collaboration with the other group companies is complementary and strategic for the development of customised and complex projects.

Tea Days was attended by Atlantic Zeiser, which displayed its latest applications in inline and offline digital printing, designed for track and trace solutions. Flexlink, a company specialised in the creation of product handling systems, exhibited an application based on collaborative robots – cobots – for the palletisation of boxes of tea and two types of conveyor belts. Emmeci, specialised in the creation of boxes for “premium” sectors, presented solutions to enrich our current range of secondary tea packaging products.

ACMA’s tea portfolio

In the exhibition area customers were able to see the different models that make up ACMA’s portfolio of solutions dedicated to tea. The first machine on display was the TM 320, designed to pack single chamber tea bags and presented in the comprehensive over-wrapping configuration, thus representing a complete solution. The TE 500 F stood out for its top-level performance (it can reach 500 ppm) with heat-sealed double chamber tea bags, displayed in “complete line” mode for the secondary packaging of the bags in pouches. Finally, there was also the TD 300, a mid-speed machine (300 ppm) for the creation of double chamber tea bags, produced without the use of metal staples or glue.

This underlines the important influence that ACMA has had in the development and integration of technology over the last 95 years. Technological innovation that is always in step with the times and the needs of the market.

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The parties signed an agreement on 11 July, effecting the transfer of the entire packaging technology business and its 6,100 associates in 15 countries. The purchase price and other details of the purchase agreement have not been disclosed.

Dr Stefan König, president of Robert Bosch Packaging Technology GmbH, said: “My colleagues and I in executive management regard this new partnership with CVC as a huge opportunity for our future success. Just under two years ago, we completely modified our strategy. It now includes working on a completely new range of smart and sustainable process and packaging technologies. This will allow us to offer our customers even more attractive product solutions and services in the future.” 

Dr Stefan Hartung, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of the supervisory board Robert Bosch Packaging Technology GmbH, said: “With its experience in growing companies over the long term, its broad industrial expertise, and its viable strategy for taking the division forward, CVC was the right choice for us. For Packaging Technology and all its associates, our aim was to find a reliable new owner with a long-term approach, under whose leadership the business can develop successfully. We have achieved just that.”

Bosch announced a year ago that it was looking for a buyer for its packaging technology business. The company is giving increasing attention to mobility and connectivity over the Internet of Things. It is focusing its existing resources on areas of future importance, such as shaping the transformation process and preparing for further digitalization. Bosch firmly believes that the Packaging Technology division’s competitiveness, and thus also its future viability, can be further enhanced through this new partnership, and that significant stimuli for growth can be created.

Dr Alexander Dibelius, managing partner of CVC, said: “Bosch Packaging Technology is a strong company in an attractive market with long-term growth prospects. [It] has an excellent reputation for quality and innovation, a broad product range, a global footprint, and experienced associates. Together with the management team, we will work to take the business forward in the years ahead, and to make it even more competitive.”

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Founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany in 1886, the Bosch Group is a global supplier of technology and services. The company generated sales of €78.5 billion (USD$88.3bn) in 2018. For more information, visit: www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com or www.bosch-press.com.

CVC is a private equity and investment advisory firm. Founded in 1981, CVC today has a network of 24 offices and over 500 employees throughout Europe, Asia and the US. To date, CVC has secured commitments of over USD$123 billion from some of the world’s leading institutional investors across its private equity and credit strategies. For further information about CVC please visit: www.cvc.com.

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“We are thrilled to have our innovations recognised at the PAC Canadian Leadership Awards,” said Alex Hayden, senior vice president, R&D, innovation and sustainability, TC Transcontinental Packaging.

“Our focus is to develop packaging solutions that meet our customers’ needs and are ahead of market trends. We collaborate with partners from across the plastic value chain and make sure to use a circular approach in every step of our product design, from sourcing to end-of-life. We are poised to continue developing industry leading sustainable packaging and to increase the amount of recycled plastics in our portfolio.”

The Harney & Sons Fine Teas and Les Aliments Jardi packages are both 100% recyclable, multilayer barrier stand-up pouches. They hit all notes: 100% recycle ready for in-store drop off, EVOH barrier for product preservation, seal strength, and durability. The challenge with barrier films from a sustainability perspective is that it is not easily broken down and recycled, therefore hindering its reuse and contribution to positive environmental change. Dow’s Retain resin technology provides the solution to this concern by compatibilising the barrier, thus allowing for a multilayer film to be fully recyclable and attain sustainability goals.

Additionally, TC Transcontinental Packaging won a Silver award in the Sustainabiltiy Category with its and Les Aliments Jardi package, a Silver award in the Rebrand, Food & Beverage category for its Diamond Brand Shelled Walnuts pouch as well as a Silver award in the Rebrand, Non Food category for its Golfgreen Nitrogrow pouch from Canadian Tire.

The 2019 PAC Canadian Leadership Awards celebrate craftmanship in brand package design and innovation with a vision to showcase the power of packaging.

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Morin will take over from Brian Reid, who has been with the corporation for over 25 years. Moving forward, Mr. Reid will dedicate his time exclusively to his role of president of TC Transcontinental Printing, Canada’s largest printer, a position he has held for more than 10 years.

As president of TC Transcontinental Packaging, Mr. Morin will have full profit and loss (P&L) responsibility and provide strategic and thought leadership to the sector’s operations and plants around the world. He will be in charge of establishing long-term goals and strategies as well as executing business plans, aiming for further efficiency and profit maximisation. In support of the corporation’s vision, Mr. Morin will be responsible for overseeing the expansion of the packaging business in all its markets through organic sales growth and acquisitions, as well as managing investments by ensuring that proposed capital expenditures are in line with the strategy.

“We are very pleased to welcome Thomas Morin as president of TC Transcontinental Packaging at a time where our company has already established itself as a North American leader in flexible packaging after only five years in this space,” said François Olivier.

“Mr. Morin has a solid track record developing, implementing, harmonising and managing merging businesses, overseeing complex manufacturing operations with multiple sites in different geographic locations. As we are poised to continue expanding our packaging business, Mr. Morin’s extensive knowledge of the packaging industry and leadership will be key assets for our organisation.”

Mr. Morin brings more than 23 years of global packaging experience, the past 13 years spent managing $1B+ businesses for which he had full P&L responsibility, and overseeing a workforce comprised of thousands of employees located in dozens of factories around the world. Most recently, he served as vice president of south east Asia for Amcor Flexible Packaging Asia Pacific in Singapore, a position he has held for the past two years.

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In need of a small print run and requiring follow-on flexibility to change print on future runs without incurring plate costs, digital was the perfect solution for the online brand.

To create the packaging, a standard die-cut 0427 postal box was used, and an internal fitting was designed for the box to hold the various components. The box was printed 4-colour CMYK inside and one-colour black outside with sealer varnish to the outside print.

“The presentation box is for a subscription box and a gift box we are in the process of setting up,” said Love Leaf Tea’s founder, Melanie Ieronymides. “The folk at Durham Box are great to work with and the use of digital print in this case is perfect for the application and the packaging looks so cool.”

Durham Box’s digital capability is based on a Wonderjet WD200, a 2000mm, single pass, high speed digital printer with dryer and coater inline. It can handle a wide variety of corrugated sheets, from the thinnest microflute, through to standard doublewall board. It prints in the standard CMYK range, using water-based dye inks. This, together with a Zünd BHS150 digital cutter has enables the firm to service the needs of a wide range of customers from a number of different sectors.

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The research team from the University of Milan will be able to apply their experience and knowledge in the field of packaging for the food industry. Spreafico has provided a platform to develop the study: a fully automated machine that has been designed and built in its plant in Calolziocorte, Lecco, and has been configured to fully meet the requirements of the university research team. Spreafico Automation will gain extensive knowledge of self-protected capsules and their behavior according to type and different use conditions. In practice, this means they will be able to better orient the customer, with a deeper knowledge than other competitors.

The project, which started in the summer of 2018, looks at self-protected capsules – those that do not need an exterior packaging but already have a barrier that ensures the product’s shelf life, and are commonly used in a wide variety of systems in the market, such as Nespresso machines and the foodservice industry.

This research project will look at the plastic materials used for making the capsule, the gas mixtures employed for the vacuum inside the capsule, the type and features of the packaging machines that are used and, finally, the quality of the ground coffee, that in its different varieties might possess characteristics which produce a notable impact on the behavior of the system/capsule. The preliminary phase has included a comparative analysis of the different capsule types currently on the market, examining the layers of the plastic structures employed, the evolution of the packaging gases and the interaction of the complex system coffee-capsule-environment in time, to understand the sensory and qualitative changes of coffee.

The aim is to be able to define how the interactions of all of these elements affect the quality of the finished product, so as to be aware of and create the conditions for an optimal capsule packaging which guarantees the fragrance of the coffee produced but also a shelf life that is as long as possible.

The project will also look at how to optimise not only the filling and packaging phases, but also the composition and preparation of the capsule, and the potential environmental impacts of these explorations.

Capsules are the coffee sector with the biggest growth, it shows an exponential increase in sales every year throughout the western world, registering an 18.8% increase in value and 20% in volume on the Italian market alone.

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The pouch took home the Gold award for Sustainability for a second year in a row, as well as the Gold award for Packaging Excellence and the Silver award for Technical Innovation. The new flexible loose tea pouch is one of the first-in-market, 100% recyclable, multilayer barrier stand-up pouch. It was designed to meet Harney & Sons’ commitment to sustainability while still protecting the flavor and the freshness of the product.

“These awards pay tribute to our promise of creating value for our customers and developing innovative solutions that meet their evolving needs. They also celebrate our commitment to sustainability as we strive to design products that take into consideration the environmental impacts of the product during its entire life-cycle, said Todd Addison, vice president, business development at TC Transcontinental Packaging.

“We salute Harney & Sons for driving this important initiative and thank them for trusting us in this entire process. It is a great honour to be recognised by our industry colleagues for, once again, setting the bar high in packaging innovation and sustainability.”

Developed in collaboration with Dow and Charter NEX Films, the Harney & Sons Master Tea Blenders pouch is 100% recycle ready for in-store drop off and uses an EVOH barrier for product preservation, seal strength, and durability. Fine tea packaging requires a multilayer, co-extruded package to protect the product’s natural oils that give tea leaves a smooth flavor and finish. EVOH delivers outstanding barrier to gases, organic vapors and moisture, preventing deterioration of the product and extending its shelf life. The challenge with barrier films from a sustainability perspective is that it is not easily broken down and recycled, therefore hindering its reuse and contribution to positive environmental change. Dow’s Retai resin technology provides the solution to this concern by compatibilising the barrier, thus allowing for a multilayer film to be fully recyclable and attain sustainability goals.

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