Pregis® Introduces Circular Innovation to PE Foam Solutions

Graphic Packaging Holding Company announced that it has published its 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report and launched a new ESG website that is interactive and designed for real-time dissemination of information. In the most recent report, Graphic Packaging outlines the many initiatives underway at the Company to further drive sustainability across operations and innovation in product development with the end consumer in mind. "We continue to advance our ESG program while delivering innovative packaging in support of the move to a more circular economy," said President and CEO, Michael Doss. "Significant progress and positive developments across all facets of our operations and with our people were accomplished over the past year. Our Diversity & Inclusion strategy continues to drive robust conversation, and we have implemented new programs to ensure continual progress. Employees are engaged as we grow as a workforce and provide new learning and development opportunities. Our efforts to limit impacts of our operations on the environment are driving results. We achieved further progress towards our environmental goals in 2020."

Finding new ways to address our environmental challenges is reliant on our ability to foster innovation to find ways of driving systemic change. To support such innovation and progress towards circularity, Huhtamaki, a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world, donated €600,000 to fund the development and piloting of a river waste collector, invented by the Finnish cleantech start-up RiverRecycle. The collector is an integral part of RiverRecycle’s solution to solve marine waste, one of the biggest global challenges of today. With Huhtamaki’s support, a prototype waste collector was built and tested in Finland. This was then transported to and assembled in Mumbai, where it is now operational and where it will be collecting waste from the Mithi River for the next 12 months. “We believe in protecting food, people and the planet. We also believe that cooperation across the value chain with key stakeholders is needed to address global sustainability challenges, for example such as in this case marine plastics. If we want to drive systemic change, we not only need to support the development and commercialization of innovation that can help stop waste from getting into the oceans, but we also need the monetization of waste and incentivization of local communities to improve their waste management practices,” says Thomasine Kamerling, Executive Vice President Sustainability and Communications at Huhtamaki.

In alignment with Inteplast Group’s sustainability goals, the BOPP Films business unit has received ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) PLUS certification at the following facilities: Gray Court, SC; Lolita, TX; and Morristown, TN. Inteplast BOPP Films can now produce and supply ISCC-certified materials that are attributed via a mass balance approach.** This makes the company one of the first North American BOPP film manufacturers to hold the ISCC PLUS designation. Paul Marquard, general manager and vice president of BOPP Films, said that the ISCC PLUS certification and its mass balance approach fortifies circular economic development in the 21st century, making waste a restorative resource. “Inteplast BOPP Films is committed to embracing the principles of a circular economy, which will shape our operational procedures and product innovation. With our ISCC PLUS certification, we are equipped to provide cutting-edge recycling solutions that align with the objectives of packaging converters and consumer product companies,” Marquard explained. “Ultimately, our certified materials contribute to a significant reduction in the utilization of fossil-based virgin plastics within packaging.”