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interpack 2023 - Food

Food

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interpack 2023 - Beverages

Beverages

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interpack 2023 - Confectionery

Confectionery

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interpack 2023 - Bakery

Bakery

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interpack 2023 - Pharmaceutics

Pharmaceutics

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interpack 2023 - Cosmetics

Cosmetics

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interpack 2023 - Non-Food

Non-Food

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interpack 2023 - Industrial Goods

Industrial Goods

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product image of two crossed stick packs.

Stick packs are being used increasingly by the pharmaceutical industry, for example for liquid medicines for oral ingestion. (Image: Volpak)

NEW!
13.03.2023

Flexible packaging for the pharmaceutical sector

Easy handling and exact dosing – this is the promise that flexible packaging also makes for the use of medicines. One example is the stick pack. Spanish mechanical engineering company Volpak now has a new line to process these packagings in their portfolio.
Cold shipping with paperfloc eco systems

The carbon neutral paperfloc eco systems keep temperature sensitive products cold and can be disposed of completely with the waste paper. (Image: easy2cool GmbH)

13.03.2023

Green shipping package for temperature sensitive products
When food, cosmetics or pharmaceutical products have to be shipped, they sometimes need constant cooling. Often, the solution is polystyrene. The Munich company easy2cool has developed a sustainable alternative. The paperfloc systems are fully recyclable.
AI inspection system for lipsticks

Is automation the end-all and be-all? (Image: Rock'n Roll Monkey/unsplash)

10.03.2023

Artificial intelligence for cosmetics packaging
During the production of lipsticks, faults in the outer appearance can occur. To detect these, SEA Vision trusts an inspection system based on AI that is self-learning and thus continues to further improve inspections. The system was developed in cooperation with ARGO Vision.
Close image of a toy robot

Is automation the end-all and be-all? (Image: Rock'n Roll Monkey/unsplash)

10.03.2023

Where does automation help in packaging?
Trend topic or permanent issue? Everybody is talking about automation. However, switching to fully automated packaging solutions is anything but a guarantee for success. Small and medium sized companies should consider several things before investing in large machinery.
Printing table and extruder for 3D printing

The system developed by the project HME 3D, a printing table (left) and an extruder (right). (Image: TH Köln / Heike Fischer)

14.02.2023

Pills are printed, not pressed
A research group has now developed a new printing technique that allows even more active and carrier substances to be 3D printed into customised drugs. Pharmaceutical polymers are printed directly, without first creating a filament.

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Biobased plastic wrap made from coffee grounds

As part of the WaysTUP! project, Aimplas has produced a plastic wrap from coffee grounds. (Image: Aimplas)

14.02.2023

Plastic wrap from coffee grounds
The project WaysTUP! is looking for new use options to maintain organic waste in circulation for longer and to use it as secondary raw materials. The Spanish centre for plastic technology Aimplas is using coffee grounds to make biobased polymers for flexible packaging.
A bottle made of bioplastic stands on top of a moss covered tree stump.

Looks like PET, but is PEF bioplastic. (Image: Avantium)

14.02.2023

Bioplastics in packaging
There is a reason why the packaging industry has been focusing for decades on the many different applications for fossil plastics. Now, companies are increasingly focussing on biobased plastics. But what are the possible applications, and what needs to be considered during the changeover?
Product photograph of three PET water bottles with stretch sleeve

CCL Label was able to reduce the thickness of their stretch sleeves to 30 micrometres. (Image: CCL Label)

14.02.2023

Thinner sleeves for more sustainability
Everyone is talking about sustainability. The way to an improved carbon footprint is to decrease the use of unnecessary material. Austrian company CCL Label, for example, were recently able to decrease the thickness of their stretch sleeves for PET bottles by one third.
Three EU flags

The European Green Deal is supposed to make Europe carbon neutral by 2050. (Image: unsplash/Alexandre Lallemand)

17.01.2023

European Green Deal – ambitious concept for carbon neutrality in Europe
The bundle of measures that makes up the Green Deal is supposed to make Europe the first carbon neutral continent. Circular economy is an important stepping stone on the way to achieving this goal. The EU Commission now has presented a suggestion for a packaging regulation which is supposed to create a new order for the European packaging market.
Sausage in a recyclable film wrapping

The new film by allvac is suitable for wrapping foods and has a high degree of recyclability. (Image: allvac Folien GmbH)

16.01.2023

Recyclable wrap for food packaging
Film wrapping can achieve an appetising presentation of foods at the PoS. For composite films, their ability to be recycled is especially relevant. allvac has achieved confirmation from the cyclos-HTP institute that their new wrapping film is 100 percent recyclable.
A person joining two pieces of a puzzle.

Business cooperations can offer added value especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. (Image: Vardan Papikyan)

16.01.2023

Added value through cooperation
In a competitive system, cooperation might not seem the way to success. But small and medium-sized enterprises especially can profit from cooperation – even in the packaging sector. This can be seen in the example of German companies Koch Pac-Systeme and Zahoransky.
Schubert opens educative training centre

By expanding their training programme, Schubert wants to counter the lack of trained professionals and offer customers individual support. (Image: Gerhard Schubert GmbH)

16.01.2023

Training to overcome the lack of skilled professionals
Within the framework of digitalisation and automation, there is a continual further development of machines. To enable staff to meet these new requirements, Schubert supports their customers with a new training concept which is also intended to combat the lack of trained professionals.
Plastic pallets by Cabka

The sustainable load carriers by Cabka were especially designed and improved for the chemical industry. (Image: Cabka)

12.12.2022

The new generation of recycled plastic pallets
For the chemical industry, plastic pallets could be a sustainable alternative when it comes to the transport and storage of products. With the help of industry feedback, Cabka has developed a sustainable generation of their plastic pallets, made from recycled material.
The words

Image: Kelly Sikkema/unsplash

12.12.2022

Eventful times for the packaging industry
Only few would have expected the direction in which the year 2022 will develop. A lot has also happened in the packaging industry. Not only has the conflict in Ukraine thrown the markets into turmoil, but new legislation is also presenting the industry with new challenges. But there are also good things to report.
Product image of the head of a vacuum suction pad

The ZP3C series vacuum pad (shown here in the version for flat work pieces) does not require tools for maintenance thanks to its two-part construction. (Image: SMC Deutschland GmbH)

12.12.2022

New vacuum pad makes maintenance possible without tools
Transport of hazardous materials poses different challenges to labels. They have to adhere to different materials and be resistant to chemicals or environmental effects. Storage and disposal of large amounts of labels can become a problem.
BC Ecobulk SX-D being emptied

When emptying the Ecobulk SX-D, the discharge pipe reaches down to the bottom and achieves near complete emptying. (Image: Schütz)

12.12.2022

Safe protection under difficult conditions
The safe transport of hazardous goods or chemicals depends on reliable containers. But sustainability should not be overlooked. The German company Schütz produces different IBC containers which are manufactured using recycled material.
A delivery van showing many different parcels with different labels stacked inside.

The number of online orders and delivered packages is growing every year, all over the world. (Image: Claudio Schwarz / Unsplash)

17.11.2022

Packaging in the times of e-commerce
Today, even your grocery shopping is delivered by mail. The changes to the way we live our everyday lives, brought about by the lasting e-commerce trend, also mean that packaging is not what it used to be. Even something as seemingly simple as a shipping box comes with a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration and improved.
A person applying a hazard label to an uneven surface

Boxlab Services takes care that hazard labels comply with legal requirements. (Image: Boxlab Services)

17.11.2022

Small print runs of labels for hazardous materials
Transport of hazardous materials poses different challenges to labels. They have to adhere to different materials and be resistant to chemicals or environmental effects. Storage and disposal of large amounts of labels can become a problem.
Extrusion system PowerCast XL by SML

The PowerCast XL is a high performance system for the manufacture of stretch films (Image: SML)

17.11.2022

PCR in film production
Mechanical engineering company SML and plastics producer Braskem have entered a cooperation and are now using recycled raw materials to produce film for a joint project. The use of PCR (post-consumer recyclates) is supposed to save resources and reduce waste.
Fog rising from a pine forest.

Bio-based adhesives may for example be produced from pine resin. (Image: Michele Purin/unsplash)

17.11.2022

Glue goes green
Quite often, consumers only take notice of it when it doesn’t work: glue. But as invisible as this little helper of packaging might be, so important is paying attention to its carbon balance, too. Improvements can be made, for example by using bio-based adhesives.
Paper cups for to-go beverages such as coffee.

When it comes to their daily coffee, many people choose the to-go option and quickly dispose of the cups afterwards. Stora Enso and Huhtamaki now want to recycle these cups. (Image: Stora Enso)

24.10.2022

A coalition for more and better cup recycling
For 2030, the EU recycling target for paper and cardboard packaging is 85 %. However, the valuable raw materials in paper cups are often lost after only a short period of use. With The Cup Collective, Stora Enso and Huhtamaki are launching an initiative to collect and recycle paper cups.
Several harvested sugar bundles lie on the ground.

Plastics can also be produced from fibre-based raw materials, for example from sugar cane. (Credit: Victoria Priessnitz/unsplash)

24.10.2022

A bioplastic for every application
Fossil plastics have a lot of advantages, but they are also said to be harmful to the environment. Bioplastics are an alternative for packaging manufacturers. They are just as versatile, but are made using renewable resources, and some are even compostable.
A person explores the touchcap bottle closure with an index finger.

Tactile nubs form on the surface of the cap as soon as the contents of the bottle are no longer fit for consumption.

24.10.2022

A closure fighting food waste
Too much food is still being thrown away around the world, even though it may still have a shelf life. Together with United Caps, a London start-up has now developed a bottle cap that provides information about the edibility of the contents beyond the best-before date.
A blue rubbish bin with a white recycling symbol

The use of recyclates begins with the correct separation of waste. (Image: Sigmund/unsplash)

24.10.2022

Use of recyclates in packaging
If there is one thing the industry agrees on, it is that more recycled raw materials must be used. In the case of plastics, this means recyclates. They are in greater demand than ever, but the supply is still relatively small. What do packaging manufacturers have to pay attention to when using them, and what has to change so that more recyclates can be used?
Drink cans and plastic bottles

There is no such thing as innately good or bad packaging, and the environmental impact should always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. (Image: Nick Fewings/unsplash)

26.09.2022

Life cycle assessments – a useful tool or greenwashing?
Plastic or paper, single use or reusable – which packaging gets the best marks in a life cycle assessment? The answer often appears to be simple, but an environmental assessment should always look at the individual case in detail, because there are benefits and drawbacks everywhere – and the results are sometimes surprising.
White smoke coming out from factory grounds

Many companies are thinking about their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. (Image: Marcin Jozwiak/ Unsplash)

26.09.2022

Reliably determining the carbon footprint of packaging machines
Companies are looking for ways to make their production and their products more sustainable. One of the important factors is the machinery which is used here. TÜV Rheinland has now certified a method by Syntegon which determines the carbon footprint of the machines produced by the company.
Bottles of Maggi condiment from 1886 to 2011

The Maggi condiment over the years. The dark bottle with the red and gold design remains unique until today. (Image: Nestlé)

25.09.2022

125 years of Maggi in Germany
Some brands seem made for eternity – and so is their respective packaging. Maggi, Swiss manufacturer of condiments, is a fixture in many modern kitchens, and in German-speaking areas every child recognises the brown bottle with its red and gold label.
The washing and racking system from KHS

The Innokeg AF-C Transversal can wash and rack returnable and one-way kegs on just one system. (Image: KHS Group)

24.09.2022

500 kegs per hour on one conveyor belt
In the early days, a keg tap was simply driven into the wooden keg with a hammer, but today modern returnable kegs are connected to tap systems. However, after use, they need to be washed and then refilled, or racked. KHS, a Dortmund-based machine manufacturer, has now developed a system that can wash and rack different types of kegs using a single conveyor belt.
Super Combi complete line for PET bottles from Sidel

With the new complete line, PET bottles in various different sizes can be filled and packaged even more quickly. (Image: Sidel)

17.08.2022

Go with the flow! With the fastest complete water filling line in the Middle East
Quality and efficiency are key production requirements for water supplier Mai Dubai. The company turned to Sidel for a new bottling system. Now, 86,000 bottles per hour are being filled by Super Combi, the fastest complete line in the Middle East region.
Bundles of empty beverage cartons

Used beverage cartons on the way to the recycling plant. Photo: FKN

17.08.2022

Benelux to recycle beverage cartons
Beverage cartons are not waste, they consist of valuable raw materials that can be recycled. Stora Enso and Tetra Pak want to build a complete recycling system for the composite cartons in Belgium and are currently assessing the project’s feasibility.
Blister pack serialisation

Serialising single doses makes it possible to track each primary package. Photo: SEA Vision

17.08.2022

Forgery-proof blister packs
There is often still the potential for counterfeiting primary packaging for medication, for example if it is separated from the secondary packaging. Now, SEA Vision and the Marchesini Group have presented a new technology for the serialisation and aggregation of blister packs. 
Close-up of the recycling symbol for polypropylene.

Many companies are switching their packaging to mono-materials like polypropylene. But what are their advantages and disadvantages? (Picture: Shutterstock/ CalypsoArt)

17.08.2022

Mono-material, a ray of hope
The industry is in pursuit of the circular economy. That is why, in the packaging industry, companies are increasingly switching to mono-materials. But what exactly does that term mean, and why are these packaging materials becoming ever more popular?