A new facility in Pennsylvania will churn out aluminum cans destined to become UBCs.

Image provided by Dreamstime.

Metal packaging firm to build plant in Pennsylvania

Poland-based Canpack intends to build a 900,000-square-foot aluminum can production facility.

July 17, 2020

The North American aluminum can market will have a new player if Poland-based Canpack S.A. follows through on plans to build a 900,000 facility near Scranton, Pennsylvania.

In Europe, Canpack does not operate melt shops to make aluminum can sheet but instead engages in downstream activities including the production of finished and printed aluminum cans, tin-plated steel cans, aerosol cans and metal closures for bottles. The company says it has 8,000 employees in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf says Canpack will redevelop a former brownfield site in Lackawanna County, which includes Scranton as its largest city. At the site, Canpack will establish “an aluminum can manufacturing facility and North American Center of Excellence,” according to a press release issued by the governor’s office.

Canpack’s commitment includes the acquisition and demolition of an existing 1 million-square-foot facility on what the governor calls a 102-acre brownfield site. There, it will establish a 900,000-square-foot aluminum can manufacturing facility and operations center that also will include “a customer experience center portraying Canpack’s R&D and lithographic capabilities.”

“Canpack is known throughout the world for its manufacturing strength, and we are thrilled that the company has chosen Pennsylvania for its entry into North America,” says Wolf. “This company is making a historic investment in Lackawanna County, creating good-paying jobs for hundreds of Pennsylvanians, putting an abandoned brownfield site into productive use, and creating additional revenue for the local community.”

“We are extremely excited to bring Canpack into the United States, the world’s largest aluminum beverage can market,” says Peter Giorgi, president and CEO of Pennsylvania-based Giorgi Global Holdings Inc., of which Canpack is a portfolio company.

“Investing in the conversion of a brownfield site to a state-of-the-art aluminum can manufacturing facility and operations center, which creates local jobs and benefits the community, is consistent with Canpack’s focus on sustainability and being a responsible corporate citizen that gives back to the local community,” says Roberto Villaquiran, CEO of Canpack.

In the sustainability section of its website, Canpack lists several recycling-related aspects of its operations, including:

the design and manufacture of fully recyclable packaging;
cooperation with suppliers to increase the share of recycled content in the raw materials the company uses;
having a goal of disposing of zero waste in landfills; and
seeking to improve recycling rates through collection of used beverage cans (UBCs) and “supporting regulators and the waste management industry, as well as running and supporting educational programs targeting packaging end users.”

Cleanology creates staff uniforms made from 7,000 plastic bottles

The uniforms were trialed in 2019 and have now been rolled out for all employees.

July 16, 2020

Posted by Kaily Cunningham

Plastics

Cleanology, London, says it has created 100 percent sustainable uniforms for its employees made of a blend of plastic bottles and organic cotton.

“We are extremely proud to be the first to introduce recycled uniforms within our industry," CEO Dominic Ponniah says. "This is just the latest drive to make Cleanology a truly sustainable business. We already operate an electric fleet and tackle portion control with our chemical-free sachets. Buying recycled, in the form of recycled uniforms, helps to close the loop even further."

Within the next year, 2,000 branded polos and 1,000 branded sweatshirts will be created. Each shirt is made up of about two bottles, while the sweatshirts use about three.

So far, Cleanology has received the Golden Service Award for sustainability twice and has also been shortlisted for the European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards.

As well as being certified to ISO 14001, Cleanology was the first in Europe to introduce portion-controlled biological cleaning sachets–saving 16,092 liters of water each year, according to the company. That cut plastic bottle use from 21,600 to 600 every year; combined with the introduction of recycled uniforms, the company says it will keep 28,000 bottles from landfills.

The company also switched to e-invoices for clients, decreasing its paper use from 2019.

Cleanology offers commercial cleaning, facilities management and support services across London and Manchester in the United Kingdom. The family business also is highly accredited and audited with ISO:14001, ISO:9001 and Safe Contractor registrations and is a member of the Green Organization for environmental innovation.

Packaging firm Mondi worked with a meat company to create a single-resin recyclable film wrap for meat products.

Photo provided by Mondi.

Glenroy, Mondi tout sustainable packaging efforts

Firms point to recycled content and new packaging concepts designed to be recyclable.

July 16, 2020

Posted by Brian Taylor

International Recycling News Plastics

Packaging firms Glenroy Inc., based in Minnesota, and Austria-based Mondi each say they are offering new forms of packaging designed to appeal to customers seeking to improve their sustainability scorecards.

Mondi says it has partnered with an Austrian meat company called Hütthaler to produce what the packaging firm calls “a fully recyclable thermoforming film made from a mono-material for their meat and sausage products.”

The film is made of a mono-material that can be fully recycled and provides a barrier to protect the food and extend its shelf life, according to Mondi. The Germany-based cyclos-HTP Institute for Recyclability and Product Responsibility has awarded this film the highest classification AAA for recyclability, adds the firm.

“We worked with Hütthaler to find a more sustainable approach that still meets the high food standards, preserves shelf life and guarantees runnability on the machines,” says Thomas Kahl, project manager for EcoSolutions at Mondi Consumer Flexibles. “The new film meets all these requirements and also helps to save disposal fees due to its recyclability.”

Minnesota-based Glenroy, which describes itself as a converter and printer of flexible packaging, has announced a sustainability initiative and an accompanying web page.

“The team at Glenroy is committed to developing products that are better for the environment and producing them in a responsible manner,” says Tom Danneker, president and CEO of Glenroy. “We are [doing] our part to reduce emissions, energy use and waste, which will continue to be one of our top priorities at Glenroy.”

The company has developed a store drop-off recyclable pouch packaging option that it says meets the requirements of the How2Recycle program. Glenroy also has introduced plastic stand-up pouches made with up to 53 percent post-consumer resin (PCR) recycled content.

Remarks Steve Nichols, Glenroy’s vice president of sales and marketing, “As a part of the flexible packaging industry, we are focused more than ever on delivering sustainable packaging solutions for our customers and retailers. Glenroy recognizes the importance of continuous improvement on how flexible packaging impacts our environment and the role it plays in the circular economy.”