Ahlstrom promotes plastic-free packaging by offering innovative paper tape solutions

Asahi Breweries, Ltd., one of the largest Japanese beer companies headquartered in Tokyo, announced that it will be the first user1 of CanCollar® Eco Plus technology in the Japanese market as it rolls out a market test with its Asahi Super Dry brands in October 2021. Made from WestRock’s PEFC-certified CarrierKote® paperboard, CanCollar® Eco Plus packaging is recyclable and comes from sustainably managed forests. The innovative can clip design uses no glue and significantly less material than a fully enclosed box. According to Asahi, using this packaging enables the paper surface to be reduced by 77 percent for 6-can 350 ml packs and 81 percent for 6-can 500 ml packs, compared to the 6-can pack materials used in the past. Furthermore, the weight of paper used can be reduced by 65 percent for 6-can 350 ml packs and 73 percent for 6-can 500 ml packs.

Novolex®, an industry leader in packaging choice, innovation and sustainability, announced it has acquired the business of B&H Bag Company, a leading manufacturer of paper bags and other products. The B&H business will be a part of the Novolex Duro Bag® business, strengthening Duro‘s customer service through increased production capacity. The family-owned company has one manufacturing plant, located outside of Houston, Texas. “We are pleased to welcome the B&H team into the Novolex family,” said Stan Bikulege, Chairman and CEO of Novolex. “B&H brings a strong line of products and a tradition of customer service excellence that we are proud to add to our organization. The talented and dedicated B&H team will be a great addition to our Duro Bag business.”

Following “The Easy Way”, Flint Group Flexographic Products expands its product range with a further inherent flat top dot flexo plate, which provides significant fluting reduction on various corrugated boards from fine to rough flute. Holding the finest highlights, the nyloflex® FTC Digital plate offers outstanding print quality - sharp and defined elements with precisely reproduced text and codes, inviting printers to push the boundaries of print resolution in corrugated postprint. Furthermore, the new flexo plate features excellent ink transfer, resulting in very smooth solids with even ink laydown, which allows for high and consistent print quality on a variety of substrates. “With a continuing trend for lower quality liners due to cost reasons, however, uncompromised requirements for quality printing, printers, retailers and brand owners demand good quality in corrugated postprint, both for superior liners and more challenging materials,” says Dr. Eva Freudenthaler, Vice President Technology, Flint Group Flexographic Products. “With the development of nyloflex® FTC plate, we therefore had two focal points with regard to print quality - to reduce the fluting effect across many different liner qualities and to further enhance the quality of fine highlight screens in corrugated postprint - while at the same time keeping it simple for the pre-press operation by providing a plate that can be processed like any normal digital printing plate.” Click Read More below for additional detail.