This week’s industry update features some industry leaders, some M&A and a lot of new product developments.

Mark Andy extends digital shrink sleeve capability

Mark Andy is to unveil a proprietary and industry unique recipe for ‘true digital hybrid shrink sleeve production’ for its Digital Series HD platform. Full Story

Mondi invests €30m on corrugated plant with focus on automotive

Mondi Corrugated Packaging has announced a €30m investment at its Ansbach facility in Germany for heavy duty corrugated with a focus on the automotive sector. Full Story

Jool Invest AB has become a co-investor in Zanders Paper.

The Swedish investment company has interests mainly within the paper, wood products and finance industries. This includes Lessebo Paper, Ess-Enn Timber and Tibro Sågverk. Full Story

Amcor – Bemis merger looms closer

At a recent meeting of Bemis shareholders, almost 76% voted in favor of the merger between Amcor and Bemis. The strategic agreement was first announced last year, stating the intention of Amcor acquiring Bemis in a $6.8 billion USD all stock combination. Full Story

Avery Dennison opens first slitting and distribution center in East India

Avery Dennison has officially opened its first slitting and distribution center in East India, close to Kolkota, marking the company’s 4th distribution center in India. Full Story

Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) publishes life cycle assessment report on flexible packaging

The FPA report, A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World, has looked to highlight the sustainability benefits of flexible packaging. FPA commissioned PTIS to provide a holistic view on the sustainability benefits that flexible packaging offers and provide foresight into future sustainability implications for flexible packaging. Full Story

Henkel and Ampacet develop recyclable black bottle

Henkel has developed, in collaboration with masterbatch producer Ampacet, a black plastics package that is fully recyclable and does not use carbon black colour. This, say the companies, enables used bottles to be integrated back into the value chain. Full Story

Avery Dennison introduces four new labelling constructions using rPET liners

Avery Dennison has followed up its launch of recycled PET (rPET) liners with the addition of four labelling constructions for the European market.

The four labelling materials not only use a liner with more than 30 per cent recycled PET bottle content, but they are also part of the Dutch company’s CleanFlake and ClearCut portfolios, which target sustainability gains. Full Story

Nicelabel launched new partner program

NiceLabel said it has designed the program to help channel partners meet customer demand for the digital transformation of on-demand label printing.
The launch of the program is driven by the evolution of the labeling software industry, characterized by an increased demand from customers for streamlined, more agile and efficient ways of managing their labeling requirements. Full Story

PureCycle Technologies partners with Milliken, Nestlé to accelerate plastics recycling

PureCycle Technologies has partnered with global industrial manufacturer, Milliken & Company, and the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé, as it moves forward with plans to open its first plant to restore used polypropylene (PP) plastic to ‘virgin-like’ quality with a patented recycling method. Full Story

Arconvert launches H+Opacity for wine labels

Arconvert has launched a new range of self-adhesive papers with H+Opacity technology, specially designed to preserve the label’s initial opacity and maintain a premium brand image after ice bucket immersion. Full Story

Amcor launches Ultra Recyclable Film

Amcor has launched AmLite Ultra Recyclable, which is recyclable in existing polyolefin recycling streams – its first packaging product based on the breakthrough, high-barrier OPP platform revealed in October 2018. Thanks to high barrier properties for oxygen and moisture, the new laminate is suitable for ambient products with demanding barrier requirements, such as coffee and personal care sachets. Full Story

EuPc (European Plastics Converters) Digital platform available to Europe’s plastics converting industry

During February and March 2019, the platform was successfully tested by a selected number of companies in Europe, and after the final tune up and adjustments, it is now available in six EU countries: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, hence covering close to 50% of the recycled polymers used in Europe. Additional EU countries will follow in May and June to cover the entire EU by summer 2019. Full Story

Other News:

Lintec launches easy-to-apply bubble-free labelstocks

Tekni-Plex to buy three flexible packaging sites

Private equity firm Blackstone acquires Essel Propack