Packaging and Converting Intelligence : All Issues

The debate surrounding potential danger facing consumers because of mineral oil migration has continued in recent months. Pira International’s UK director Nick Kernoghan discusses the threat and the dangers posed by a knee-jerk reaction. He also reveals some of the initiatives currently under development to remove the prospect of migration altogether, at its source. Sustainability, a buzzword in today’s environmentally conscious packaging world, is the aim for almost all brand owners. One of the criticisms levelled at the food and beverage industry and its packaging designers is that they encourage waste by over packaging their products. But, as Danone’s Philippe Diercxsens explains, getting the balance right between the amount of packaging needed to protect perishables and doing so in an environmental way, is not easy. On the issue of sustainability, Alan Blake, associate director of, global packaging sustainability at Procter & Gamble, discusses the company’s drive to reduce waste going to landfill by cutting the use of petroleum-derived plastics.

Eliminating the millions of tons of food thrown away every year in developed countries is one of the biggest challenges facing us in the years ahead. Experts suggest that roughly a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons a year. Food packaging designers and companies can play an important role in reducing the growing food mountain. By introducing new sizes and designs, as well as packaging materials that prolong the shelf life of perishable foods, an important step towards more sustainable food supply can be taken. Policies in many developed countries still concentrate on reducing packaging rather than throwing less food away. Packaging protects food, yet for decades it was seen as nothing but waste, a nuisance to be avoided. Nothing could be further from the truth. Packaging is a technological wunderkind that makes abundance for the masses possible. As an industry we need all the players to come together – designers, brands, packaging material suppliers, retailers and equipment manufacturers – to reaffirm the value of packaging, and once again focus on innovation.

One challenge facing all packaging and converting companies that specialise in food packaging has brought into play a key ingredient – collaboration. The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) was alerted some time back to the development of EU regulations demanding greater focus on consumer health and safety. This means the need to protect food from the risks of penetration, direct contact, evaporation and condensation extraction. Ink migration has become one of the most important areas of legislative focus for converters, packagers and printers involved in the production value chain of packaging used for food-related products. The BPIF was faced with bringing together a group of competitors, meaning its members in the Carton Special Interest Group. The group is united in its mission to understand the issues and to find solutions.

Peter Vincent, BPIF technical services adviser/BPIF cartons TAG chairman

Packaging embodies three pillars of sustainability: it provides an environmental benefit by reducing waste, it adds value to economic activity by containing and delivering products to end users, and it provides a social benefit by improving the living standards of those using the goods it delivers. A compelling reason for a rethink of how we use the word 'sustainable' in packaging is because regulators are about to become stricter. The European Commission, EU member states and the US Federal Trade Commission are poised for a crackdown on misleading environmental claims. It's time to stop talking about 'sustainable packaging' and start talking about packaging and sustainability, especially the essential contribution of packaging to the sustainability goals of smarter resource use. Let's save the 'S' word from extinction and make it truly sustainable.

Julian Carroll, managing director, EUROPEN

This issue we examine how brand owners looking to reduce their environmental impact need to go beyond individual packaging elements to find the best blend of materials and packaging processes in the context of the supply chain. We speak to Nestlé’s global head of packaging, Anne Roulin, about the challenges and the opportunities. Open innovation strategies continue to be the order of the day. Keith Allen tells us about the latest methods GlaxoSmithKline is undertaking to ensure its technology is leading the way in pharmaceutical packaging.

In the aftermath of the downturn, there has been a marked decline in M&A activity, despite many analysts predicting that struggling companies would be ripe for takeover. We look at how this could actually be the worst time to be selling a business.

Innovate is one key word of the moment and companies are joining forces and breaking down barriers to do so. In particular, Jay Gouliard of Unilever gives his golden rules for moving forward in the midst of the recession, Paul France, P&G, talks about the opportunities that digital printing and hybrid technologies offer and Hervé Bouix, The Estée Lauder Companies, discusses the importance of prioritising the packaging concept while rebranding or bringing new products into the market. Additionally, Jeff Weedman reveals the latest development of P&G’s Connect + Develop strategy.

Our new Pharmaceutical Packaging section examines the areas that are doing more than merely surviving the current economic climate. Keith Allen, GlaxoSmithKline, explains the next set of regulations to come into play next year, and how preparation is vital.

The packaging industry has taken more than a hit in the last few months; brand owners and packagers alike are feeling the pinch from all angles.

The industry’s priorities have changed from maintaining environmentally friendly products and operations to making sure we are getting value for our money.

To reflect this change in priorities, the focus for this issue is on how the industry can keep their practices both environmentally and financially viable. Betsy Cohen and Julie Phillips from Nestlé look at how we can ensure we don’t waste all our previous efforts in making packaging a green industry.

Additionally, how, in spite of this economic downturn, can brand owners make sure their packaging is fresh and effective? Vincent Ferry from Danone gives his views on combating the financial crisis through innovation and we look at L’Oreal’s approach to fresh packaging design in our cosmetics section.

Innovation continues apace in the packaging industry, in particular in the field of eco-design. But the battle to improve sustainability is fought on many fronts and looking for suppliers who are willing to work in a collaborative way towards this long-term goal is an issue that is tackled in the current issue of Packaging & Converting Intelligence (PCI).

We speak to the big brand names including, Danone, and Johnson & Johnson to uncover the ingredients that create the potent mix that results in packaging with a punch.

Wal-Mart's packaging scorecard initiative has been in operation since February, and VP of package and product innovations, Matt Kistler, tells us he is pleased with the climate of collaboration the scorecard has already bred. But, as this sustainability edition of PCI demonstrates, Wal-Mart is not alone in pushing the green agenda.

Charles Hunt, senior buying manager of Tesco, stresses the need to involve every section of the supply chain in driving waste recycling, and the importance of incentivising the end-user. We profile Tesco's rival, Sainsbury' bioplastic packaging initiative, with recyclable / compostable packaging already being used for 80% of its organic range.

Other highlights within these pages include a case study from Boots' sustainable development manager Andrew Jenkins, a focus piece on the paper and cartonboard industry's pursuit of a sustainable future, and market analysis from Peta Conn, Euromonitor International's global packaging manager.

Packaging is an integral part of the goods supply chain. It protects goods from damage, allows efficient distribution, informs the consumer and helps to promote goods in a competitive marketplace. In contemporary society, however, the demands placed on packaging and package design are rapidly increasing. Today, packaging must meet all the necessary functional and logistical requirements while reducing its environmental impact.

In this edition of Packaging & Converting Intelligence we focus on the rise of environmentally sensitive packaging. Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment, examines the impact of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. Kennert Johansson, project coordinator at SustainPack, looks at how nanotechnology is bringing true sustainability to packaging, and in a broader context, Patrick Cescau, group CEO at Unilever, explains how value-led brands are helping to drive business strategy for brandowners.

In this edition we focus on the growing importance of Asia and specifically China in the world packaging market. We take an in-depth look at what the improving retail environment and increasing levels of disposable income in Asia mean for brand owners. This is complimented by Euromonitor International, whose regional focus charts the dramatic rise of total packaging consumption of China since 1998.

In addition to the focus on Asia we also investigate the ever-evolving supply chain and how companies are look to take a more holistic view of the process. IGD examine the importance of developing collaborative logistics to facilitate a supply chain that demands less inventory and increased on-shelf availability.

We also chart the growing importance of bioplastics with opinion and thought leadership from Harald Kaeb, the chairman of European Bioplastics.

This edition is centred around 'Smart Packaging', we look at the technologies developing the packaging supply chain, Raghu Das, CEO of IDTechEx looks at chipless RFID and we talk to Wal-Mart Customer Packaging and Product Identification Manager, Bud Babcock, about the migration from barcode to RFID/EPC.

Elsewhere we look at the future of flexible packaging and address Marks & Spencer's increasing adoption of flexible packaging solutions. Coca-Cola President and CEO, E.Neville Isdell talks about the value of brand and how packaging will always be vital in the quest for brand awareness and expansion.

There is a heavy emphasis on the ever-increasing pharma packaging market and Balaji Capaloor from Frost & Sullivan discusses developing drug delivery solutions and we tackle counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical market.

In this edition we focus on brand security and counterfeiting. Timothy Trainer of the Global Property Strategy Center reviews the battle with counterfeit goods in the packaging market and Lukas Grunwald of DN Systems addresses RFID and the possibility that it not be the risk free answer to supply-chain optimisation.

Also, Philippe Roulet, Head of Global Packaging Material and Training at Nestle looks at the risk behind adopting new packaging innovations. We have a regional overview of the developing packaging market in Latin America courtesy of Peta Conn from Euromonitor and a forward look to the packaged consumer goods market of 2009 from Freedonia Group.

General Secretary of the World Packaging Organisation, Dr Carl Olsmats looks at how the packaging industry must adapt in the face of new technology, altering demographics and rapid international development. Euromonitor address the emergence of China as a major packaging force and analyse what the future holds.

Richard Dalgleish, Managing Director of 'ProCarton' the European Association of Carton Manufacturers and Cartonboard Mills, looks at the developing area of packaging form and shape. We are also provided an insight into what effect the European Commission's 'Packaging Directive' might have on the environmental options in packaging.

Ian Dent of the Packaging Federation looks at how to balance environmental concerns with financial implications in an eco-friendly environment and Phil Gunning of Amcor PET, reveals the reasons for the new-found popularity of PET bottles for beer.

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Dr Carl Olsmats of the WPO talks about the progress made in the packaging sector and about the WPO's role in this endeavour. Rich Hollander, Senior Director of Packaging Services at Pfizer, explains how the inclusion of barcodes on unit-dose blister packs can reduce medication errors.

Also on a pharmaceutical packaging theme, Sebastien Fily of Laboratoires Roche Nicholas, addresses consumer friendly packaging issues. Elsewhere, Terry Robins of Sainsubury's investigates trends in retail packaging and the consequences of growing environmental concern among customers. Also Herve Bouix of Estee Lauder, highlights the ever-more significant role that innovation plays in the cosmetics field.

As Packaging Technology International