AB Sugar, one of the leading sugar suppliers in the world, has announced plans to make all its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, biodegradable or compostable by 2030.

The move is part of company’s ‘Global Mind, Local Champions’ sustainability strategy, which also includes reducing end-to-end water and CO2 footprint by 30%.

It has also implemented a circular economy model through which outputs from the sugar-making process are turned into co-products like bioethanol and animal feed.

AB Sugar group chief executive Mark Carr said: “Our ambitious 2030 commitments are an industry first and the next step in our journey to becoming the world’s leading sustainable sugar business.

“Working across all 10 operational markets our ‘Global Mind, Local Champions’ sustainability framework will help us lessen our footprint and to grow a sustainable future for those around us.”

Pharmaceutical outsourcing services provider PCI Pharma Services (PCI) has launched a new contained packaging facility at its newly-acquired site near Dublin, Ireland.

The investment is said to be in line with PCI’s strategy to offer improved outsourced pharmaceutical packaging services and to meet the regulatory standards for specialised medicines.

The company manufactures potent molecules at its contained manufacturing facility in Wales, UK.

PCI Pharma Services president and CEO Bill Mitchell said: “The recent acquisition of Millmount Healthcare and further investment in this newest specialised facility adds considerable capacity and capability to our global supply network, enabling us to meet our customers’ ever-changing and evolving needs in many different geographies.

Global glass and plastic packaging manufacturer Bormioli Pharma has unveiled its new dual-chamber packaging system called AccuRec.
Bormioli Pharma said that the system will help address the issue of unstable drug formulations.

AccuRec has been designed to improve the patient experience with easier, simplified drug reconstitution.

It features two separate chambers, where pre-dosed solvent and drug powder can be stored separately, with the system releasing the powder into the solvent at the time of dosing.

Bormioli Pharma Business Development manager Anna Malori said: “We are very excited by the potential AccuRec offers to stakeholders across healthcare, from payers to patients.

Singapore’s first zero-waste grocery store, Unpackt, is to open at the beginning of May with the aim of making packaging-free shopping more accessible.
Customers visiting the store will be able to buy goods without any packaging and will be encouraged to bring their own containers.

Dried food and cleaning supplies will be available in self-serve gravity bins that contribute to cutting down food waste and will go on sale first. If successful, Unpackt plans to introduce fresh fruit and vegetables. The lack of packaging means prices will be lower than in regular supermarkets.

Shoppers can donate clean containers to the store, which is running a recycling scheme allowing customers who do not have a packaging of their own to buy a reusable one.

Co-founders Florence Tay and Jess Lam have set up the store as a social enterprise with the view of spreading the zero-waste message in Singapore.

Denmark-based toy manufacturer The Lego Group has announced plans to phase out single-use disposable plastics and to shift to 100% sustainable packaging by 2025.

The company will aim to use recycled or sustainably sourced, bio-based materials for all plastic-based packaging.

Lego Group environmental responsibility vice-president Tim Brooks said: “To support our company mission, we have a Planet Promise and we have pledged to play our part in protecting the planet for future generations.

“Using sustainable packaging is an important part of fulfilling that promise. By bringing forward our ambition or sustainable packaging, we are also acknowledging the need to find better packaging solutions sooner. We’ve made good progress in the past three years, and there is still work to do.”

US-based packaging solutions provider ProAmpac has unveiled its new flexible packaging products for the pet food industry.

ProAmpac’s packaging products portfolio includes Pro-Dura Classic, which has been designed for packing dry food, and Pro Dura Premium, offering a smooth exterior finish, and the Pro Dura Mini, created for small portions of pet food.

The company also developed Quadflex, which is suitable for dry food, as well as treats and features seals on four sides.

On the other hand, ProAmpac’s Pro-Pouch offers flat or stand-up pouches suitable for wet and dry food products, while No. 2 Pouch is a Pro-Pouch that has been produced using recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with three-side seal options, as well as reclose zipper options.

Irish supermarket chain SuperValu has become the first in Ireland to introduce fully compostable and biodegradable produce bags as the fight against plastic pollution continues.

The move is part of the retailer’s wider plan to make 100% of SuperValu’s own brand fresh produce packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
The chain is committing to eliminating, reducing and replacing conventional plastics while preserving the safety and quality of the food, and is working in partnership with stores in a bid to raise awareness of how to tackle plastic pollution.

Within this framework, SuperValu will replace its plastic bags with compostable produce bags, which can be used to purchase loose food and vegetable.
The grocery retailer is currently trialling the bags in 70 of its stores with a view to introducing them across its entire network in the coming months.

SuperValu said that its compostable bags are breathable in order to help preserve the products inside, and can be thrown in the brown compostable bin for disposal.

Norwegian supermarkets are set to gradually reduce the use of plastic packaging in their fruit and vegetable sections in a bid to cut down on plastic waste.

According to Norwegian media outlet VG, several companies in the country have pledged to help safeguard the environment by developing more sustainable packaging.

The decision followed the recovery of a whale washed up on a beach in Bergen, which had around 30 plastic bags in its stomach, prompting an immediate response from the retail industry.

“Something changed with people’s feelings after the tragic story with the whale near Bergen. We can see it in the feedback from our customers. Everyone is now concerned about plastic, not just those who have always been environmentalists,” supermarket chain Kiwi director and communication officer Jan Paul Bjørkøy and Kristine Arvin told VG.

Norway has one of the most efficient bottle deposit schemes in Europe that has boosted bottle recycling rates by 97%.