PT Blog

For the last several years, I have reported on the progress and advantages of flexible packaging innovations that certainly have been making a significant impact, particularly in the food sector and most often at the expense of rigid plastics packaging. Still, rigid packaging is here to stay and with a focus on innovation and customization, will continue to grow. This, according to a new study from global consultancy Frost & Sullivan (U.S. office in San Antonio, Texas). Global Rigid Plastic Packaging Market, Forecast to 2022, identifies market and technology trends; drivers and restraints; market share and competitive analysis.

Prateeksha Kaul, research analyst, Frost & Sullivan, notes that while plastics have delivered many benefits, the environmental impacts associated with their production and disposal have caused serious concerns. “The market is also affected by the presence of competitive packaging options, such as flexible plastic packaging. To mitigate these risks, players will need to develop innovative packaging that conforms to current recycling and re-usability regulations but also to increasingly stringent future environmental regulations.”

A new initiative at NatureWorks will ensure that by 2020 fully 100 percent of the agricultural feedstock for Ingeo PLA-based biopolymers and Vercet performance chemicals will be certified by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification System (ISCC) to the ISCC Plus standard of best practices in agricultural production. (ISCC is a global sustainability certification system applied by more than 3300 companies in 100 countries.)

NatureWorks was the first biopolymers manufacturer to become certified to the new ISCC Plus standard in 2012, and currently it has more than 40 percent of its agricultural feedstock certified. At full capacity, more than 90 farms will be involved in the program by 2020.

The packaging landscape continues to evolve. While plastic packaging is getting a bit beat up by mainstream news and various social media posts, the packaging industry is focused on sustainability. This was especially apparent during The Packaging Conference (Las Vegas; Feb. 4-6) where sustainability was mentioned throughout almost every presentation. Let’s take a closer look at some of the trends, innovation and initiatives discussed when it comes to embracing the whole sustainable package. 

Valeria Orozco, director of sustainability at Nestlé Waters, presented the keynote where she discussed how the brand is focused on helping to achieve a more circular economy for plastic. For instance, at the end of 2018, Nestlé announced it will achieve 25 percent recycled plastic across its U.S. domestic portfolio by 2021. The company plans to continue expanding its use of recycled materials in the coming years, setting an ambitious goal of reaching 50 percent recycled plastic by 2025. But the objectives come with challenges including a lack of food grade recycled PET. In addition, Orozco says there is a need for improved standards for recyclability as well as new technology including robotics/optical sorting and other high-end equipment. Nestlé has invested in production infrastructure to blend virgin plastic with rPET in almost 25% of its factories in North America (you can read more about here). She also mentioned the company’s focus on inspiring consumers to recycle.

Next month in Indianapolis, the injection molding community, including all links in its supply chain, will gather in Indianapolis for Molding 2019. Held March 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis, Molding will offer more than 50 speakers over two-and-a-half days, offering expertise on all aspects of injection molding from the top floor to the shop floor. 

If you’ve been putting off your registration, wait no longer. This Friday, Feb. 15, is the final day to secure early-bird registration and a conference discount. 

The underlying cause of warpage is deceptively simple: variations in shrinkage. Simply put, if a part shrinks perfectly uniformly in all directions, it becomes smaller but retains the correct shape. If, however, any element of the part shrinks at a different rate than any other element, the difference creates internal stresses. If these stresses exceed the part’s structural integrity, the part will warp when it is ejected from the mold.

In general, there are four shrinkage variations: