PPG invests in Poland and Netherlands facilities to expand capacity

US-based paint and speciality material supplier PPG is investing in two of its plants in the Netherlands and Poland to increase their capacity for manufacturing coatings.

The investments will help the company meet increasing demand for aluminium and steel cans coatings in the beverage, food, and personal care markets.

PPG will invest in its facility in Tiel, Netherlands, to increase its capacity for producing PPG INNOVEL non-bisphenol A (BPA) internal coatings by 30%. These coatings are used for beverage cans.

The project is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

The Tiel plant will also double its capacity for producing PPG iSENSE external coatings. This expansion will be completed by the end of this year.

PPG will invest in its facility in Cieszyn, Poland, to double its capacity for producing the PPG NUTRISHIELD line of non-BPA internal food can coatings.

Expansion work at the Cieszyn site is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

The company has not disclosed the financial details of the expansion investments.

Burger King plans to remove PFAS from food packaging

The parent company of fast-food retailer Burger King has revealed plans to stop using perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in its food packaging.

Restaurant Brands International CEO Jose Cils first shared the plans during a shareholder meeting.

Mr Cils’ statement is thought to have followed a health advocate investor letter urging Burger King to issue a formal commitment to stop using PFAS chemicals.

Customers who contacted Burger King’s customer service staff were informed that the fast-food chain aims to eliminate the chemicals from its packaging by the end of this year.

According to a large number of studies, the chemicals have been associated with various health issues, including high cholesterol, kidney cancer, liver problems, and low birth weight.

Last year, Burger King was one of six restaurant chains whose food packaging was tested by advocacy groups Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and Toxic-Free Future.

The test results showed the company had used food packaging treated with PFAS for its Whopper wrappers.

Klabin partners with SOSA to drive sustainability in paper industry

Global open innovation company SOSA has partnered with Brazilian packaging paper producer and exporter Klabin to encourage sustainability innovation in the paper industry.

The partnership will be facilitated through SOSA’s collaboration with Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI).

Through the CNI, SOSA will launch a four-month corporate challenge programme to help identify, define and tackle the sustainability challenges faced by Klabin in Brazil and Latin America.

During the programme, Klabin’s cross-functional business units will benefit from open innovation activities and access to global advanced technology companies and systems.

The business units will develop proofs of concept for their sustainability solutions as part of strategic partnerships.

Corona achieves worldwide net-zero plastic footprint

Beer brand Corona has achieved a net-zero plastic footprint worldwide, marking a milestone in its long-term efforts to combat marine plastic pollution.

The achievement implies that the company’s rate of plastic released into the environment is much lower than the rate of plastic it recovers.

The brand’s global operations were recently subject to an in-depth external evaluation by climate solutions provider South Pole against the 3R Initiative’s Corporate Plastic Stewardship Guidelines.

The process evaluated Corona’s use of plastics in all its brands’ products and distribution logistics programmes.

The brand’s mitigation activities, including its investment in Mexico Recicla, were also calculated using Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Standard.

Waitrose pledges to use more Prevented Ocean Plastic for packaging

British supermarket chain Waitrose has pledged to use more Prevented Ocean Plastic (POP) in its own-label packaging as part of its ongoing commitments to sustainability.

The company, a subsidiary of high-end retailer John Lewis, plans to reuse plastic packaging that is discarded at high-risk coastal areas before it ends up in the ocean.

Produced by Bantam Materials International, POP packaging is supplied to Waitrose by its suppliers, including Sharpak Aylesham, Berry Gardens, and M&H Plastics.

The company plans to use more than 100 tonnes of POP this year, the equivalent of saving almost four million plastic bottles from the ocean.

It is currently using POP across a range of its own label packaging, including fruit, vegetables, family, and health products. Other product lines are expected to adopt the packaging in the near future.

Waitrose will be the UK’s first supermarket to use POP in packaging for 13 lines across its ready meal range, which is scheduled to launch later this year.

Zydus Cadila fights counterfeit drugs with new packaging feature

Indian pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila has introduced a new feature in its drug packaging to help fight counterfeit products.

The company has integrated a new IT-enabled scratch code created by Hyperlink Infosystem.

The scratch code is printed under a concealed scratchable surface, which will help customers verify products by entering the code on the pack.

The Zydus Verify App connects the code and provides the brand name to authenticate the product. The app is available in both the Google Play Store and Apple Store.

Zydus Cadila initially plans to implement the technology in its products Remdac (Remdesivir) and Virafin Inj (Pegylated Interpheron Alpha 2b).