Rigid Ruminations – From Paper to Plastic and Metals (digitalputput.net)

Total packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in February decreased two percent compared to February 2020. They were up one percent when compared to the same two months of 2020. The operating rate was 84.5 percent, essentially flat (-0.2 pts.) from February 2020 and up 0.6 points year-to-date. Mill inventories at the end of February increased 4,000 short tons from the previous month and were up 14,000 short tons compared to February 2020.

Pregis has invested in a new 1960 square meter (21,000 square foot) customer experience facility in Europe designed to provide a holistic solutions approach to protective packaging challenges and reduce costly waste incurred by damaged products. The new Pregis innovation headquarters, called the Pregis IQ, is located in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It will open in April as a customer demonstration and training facility designed to optimize packaging methods.

As one of the policies under the EU Green Deal, the European Commission in November 2022 proposed a new regulation on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR) that will repeal the present directive (PPWD). One of the objectives is to make all packaging in the EU market recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030. But already now recyclable packaging is being encouraged through the implementation of eco-modulated fees in the different national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes. Sign up for the webinar at: https://triowor.webinargeek.com/how-to-ensure-recyclability-in-your-value-chain Key takeaways: After watching this webinar, you will have the latest updates regarding recyclability in the coming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and you will be aware of the standards that are being developed by request from the European Commission to support the regulation. You will also understand the difference between “design for recycling” and “recyclable” and know the coming steps in the legislation process and how it might affect your business. You will have seen concrete examples of adjustments made in flexible plastic packaging to meet coming EU legislation as well as requirements from national EPR schemes.