Glass group wants to double recycling

The goal for recycling of glass packaging should be roughly double what it is now, according to the new annual report from theGlass Packaging Institute(GPI).

“North American 2011 Glass Packaging Outlook” sets forth a goal of doubling the recycling rate for glass bottles and jars from 28% in 2008. Doing so, the report says, would allow glass packaging suppliers to increase the amount of recycled glass in their products to 50%, which would greatly improve the carbon footprint of glass packaging. According to the report, using 50% recycled glass, or cullet, would save enough energy to power 21,978 homes for one year and remove 181,550 tons of waste from landfills every month.

The report also broke down the use of glass for packaging: Beer bottles, at 59% of all glass containers, was the leader, followed by food (18%), non-alcoholic beverages (8%), wine (6%) and liquor (4%). It named wine as the segment with the most growth, but noted that glass container shipments were down 4.8% from January to October 2010 against the same period last year. Production of glass containers also decreased 6.1% in that same timeframe.

On a more positive note, the GPI also noted that a recent telephone poll conducted on its behalf showed glass packaging has some powerful positives among consumers:

•    Most Americans (91%) believe glass best preserves the shelf life of alcoholic beverages.

•    Consumers think plastic bottles (82%) and aluminum or metal cans (54%) are more likely to leach or seep chemicals than glass bottles or jars (7%).

•    A majority of American consumers (69%) believe glass containers are safest to use in a microwave.

•    Consumers know glass is best for preserving the shelf life of products (76.1%) compared to plastic (6.2%) or metal (17.7%).

50% of food packagers plan to buy equipment

Half of the food manufacturers in a recent survey by PMMI say they plan to make packaging machinery purchases in 2011.

The survey, “Trends and Advances in Food Packaging 2010,” claims to include 20 of the top 75 food packaging companies, representing 53% of the packaged food industry’s revenue. Among the 50% of respondents who said they planned to buy packaging machinery, 34% said they planned to buy more than last year, and 40% said they planned to buy about the same.

End users’ priorities for packaging equipment include multifunctionality, ease of use, adaptability and energy efficiency. A senior engineer for a food manufacturer interviewed for the study said, “Flexible changeover, versatility to retrofit for changing up the line and multipurpose equipment that meets several needs are what we envision in the next generation of packaging equipment.” F&BP

For a copy of “Trends and Advances in Food Packaging 2010,” e-mailPaula Feldman,PMMI’s director of research and surveys, or call 703-243-8555.



BRIEFS

HeatGenie, a self-heating container system, recently completed its first collaborative testing of its heater technology with a commercial food brand. The brand, a category leader, funded characterization studies conducted by the HeatGenie technical team in its R&D facility in Austin, Texas.

Rich Ryan, chief operating officer of conveyor supplierDorner Manufacturing,has been elected to the board of directors of PMMI.

Pro Mach Inc., a diversified supplier of packaging machinery, has acquiredShuttleworth Inc., a conveyor automation and product handling machinery manufacturer based in Huntington, Ind. Shuttleworth, with facilities in Belgium and Malaysia, will become a division of Pro Mach’s End of Line Business Unit.

Adept Technology Inc.has acquired InMoTx, a Danish provider of inspecting, sorting, grading and other packaging equipment.

Epson Robots, a provider of SCARA robot technology, has opened a new office in São Paulo, Brazil.

Label supplierCenveo Inc. has acquiredGilbreth Packaging Solutions, Croydon, Pa., a supplier of full body shrink sleeves and tamper-evident neck bands.

Z Automation, a supplier of case-packers and other end-of-line equipment, has opened a new sales office in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.

Adam Mulder has joinedSpee-Dee Packaging Machinery, a supplier of dry filling equipment, as sales administrator.

RMT Robotics,a Cimcorp Oy company, has been awarded a contract to supply a large-scale robotic case picking solution for a major North American beer distributor.

Rigid packaging distributorTricorBraunhas acquiredPenn Bottle and Supply Co., another rigid packaging distributor, based in Philadelphia.

Flexible packaging supplierPlastic Packaging Technologieshas been purchased by privately held Mid Oaks Investments LLC, Buffalo Grove, Ill., for an undisclosed amount.

Contract manufacturer and packagerPower Packaginghas named Kevin Bauer company president. He replaces Geoff Campbell, who retired at the end of 2010.