Marketplace case studies

Creating value for

our customers

Reclosable salad packs

Reclosable salad packs A new pre-prepared salad pack allows consumers to open and close the pack multiple times, preserving the freshness of the product and reducing food waste.

The main pack, and the salad dressing containers inside it, both feature Amcor’s reclosable lidding material. The pack also uses Amcor P-Plus® modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology which significantly extends the shelf life, helping to reduce supply chain and consumer food waste. By using Amcor P-Plus® MAP technology, the shelf life of the salad pack has been extended to between eight and ten days. The packs also have great shelf impact and are stackable to ensure maximum in-store presence.

The salad packs won the Best New Product Showcase award at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Convention and Trade Show.

Produce cartons

Amcor’s SureFresh® produce carton was awarded gold at the 2010 Packaging Council of Australia (PCA) awards. The cartons provide a more sustainable alternative to wax-dipped cartons for the packing, transporting and display of fresh produce. These printable cartons deliver better sustainability outcomes with minimal changes required to existing packing lines.

The carton provides a range of advantages; – It is fully recyclable through standard recycling streams, while wax alternatives are not.

– It utilises Amcor’s patented Xitex® high strength corrugated board to increase box strength and maintain produce protection qualities.

– It is 50% lighter than the alternative wax carton, providing raw material reduction and life cycle benefits. – It utilises water-based adhesives.

– SureFresh® is available for a range of applications, across multiple markets including fresh produce, meat and seafood.

– The carton removes the need for retailers to separate the wax-dipped boxes from the recyclable variety. This increases efficiencies and reduces the amount of product going to landfill.

Protecting medical supplies with packaging

Amcor’s specialised suture packaging technology provides vital product quality benefits and real sustainability improvements. Used to package absorbable sutures for wound closures and general surgery, Amcor’s product offers high water and oxygen barriers and alcohol-resistant properties which reduce the chance the product will be damaged and wasted during transport, storage and use. The packaging also allows low sealing temperatures to be used for sterilisation, reducing the energy requirements of the process.

The peelable design minimises handling, again reducing the possibility of product damage and wastage. Additional sustainability benefits include a five-year shelf life guarantee and a reduction in manufacturing waste from around 25% to almost 0%.

One litre PET wine bottle takes flight

One litre PET wine bottle takes flight Amcor has supplied the first one litre PET wine bottle for the North American airline industry. The lightweight PET barrier container, supplied to Société de Vin Internationale Ltée, was designed to give cost-conscious airlines a high quality option that mimics glass and has a similar shelf life while also delivering reduced fuel consumption and a cost saving over its glass predecessor. Using the PET bottles also reduces breakages and waste of the wine during transport, handling and use.

The 54 gram PET stock bottle is less than 15% of the weight of the previous 430 gram glass container. The container uses an FDA-compliant enhanced passive barrier for oxygen-sensitive products. This ultra-thin (less than 100 nanometer) material is transparent and resists cracking, abrasion and delamination. Moreover, it doesn’t degrade over time nor limit the storage time for empty bottles. The barrier coating is easily removed during the recycling process and does not contaminate the recycling stream.

The PET barrier technology is also being targeted at other markets for oxygen-sensitive products.

Cheese is wrapped up – more sustainably

Cheese is wrapped up – more sustainably La Compagnie des Fromages & Riches Monts (Bongrain Sodiaal) wanted new packaging to fit with their eco-conception approach, based on the principle of responsibility and contribution to sustainability. They chose Expeco for one of their star products, the camembert Coeur de Lion.

It was determined that replacing traditional cellophane laminate packaging for their soft cheese products with Amcor’s Expeco pack would deliver better sustainability, whilst still providing the required functionality. Amcor’s Expeco patented product provides improved control of permeability and has the capability of adapting along the cheese ripening process.

Our life cycle assessment tool (ASSET) demonstrates that, in comparison with the standard cellophane/paper packaging, the Expeco pack reduces the packaging weight and waste by around 30% and the carbon footprint (measured as Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Cradle to Factory Gate) by at least 25%.

Vote 1 – Amcor!

Instead of purchasing plastic or traditional furniture, that would then have to be discarded or stored somewhere, the Australian Government opted for single-use, recyclable furniture made from cardboard for the federal election, held in 2010.

Our Speciality Packaging Group provided 460,000 polling station ‘furniture’ items such as voting booths, voting boxes and cardboard tables for the 2010 Australian Federal Election.

12 different items were made out of 1.2 million square metres of cardboard, 90% of which was made from recycled materials.

With the little notice of the election, our operational co-workers had to design, manufacture and deliver all the items with only three month’s notice. They distributed the furniture on 4000 pallets to all corners of Australia, in time for the entire population to vote.

The project was such a success Amcor has since been asked to supply items for subsequent state elections.

Alufix® makes life easier

The Amcor Alufix® peel-off aluminium membrane is not only safer and easier to use, but also uses less material than the traditional steel lid.

Opening a can with an Amcor Alufix® lid requires only around half the strength it takes to open a standard steel ring-pull can. According to a field study, 83 per cent of people surveyed said that they preferred a peel-off membrane to a ring-pull lid, as much less strength was required to open the can and because there was no risk of injury. Furthermore, 76 per cent of the test subjects even said they would be prepared to switch to a different brand (Boettcher study, conducted with 200 people in France in May 2010).

The peel-off membrane is almost 70 per cent lighter than a steel ring-pull lid and is now available for almost all fill goods and filling processes. The market potential is therefore almost unlimited, particularly in emerging countries where many products are sold in powder form (e.g. powdered milk). The lids can be custom-printed and embossed, ensuring many brilliant ways to design an attractive shelf presentation.

Amcor has also developed a new BPA- and melamine-free membrane which allows manufacturers of baby foods to comply with the latest recommendations of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) regarding coatings used for cans.

The Amcor Alufix® peel-off membrane is proof again that food safety and convenience can definitely be reconciled, even at the highest level.

Working together for a world without waste

Amcor is leading a packaging project, funded by the UK not-for-profit Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP) organisation to reduce food waste in the supply chain, specifically by preventing the greening of potatoes, one of the largest fresh produce categories.

WRAP estimates that approximately 5 million potatoes are thrown away, untouched, by UK households each day. This avoidable waste can be reduced by using packaging to extend the life of potatoes until they are all consumed.

Working with our partners in the project, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Albert Bartlett and Sons, Greenvale AP PLC and Campden BRI, we are investigating the volume and causes of potato waste in the retail supply chain and identifying good practice for packing, storage and handling which will be shared across the industry.

The project will also study the reasons why consumers waste potatoes, exploring purchase behaviour, home storage and usage.

Low Carbon PET delivers value

Amcor Rigid Plastics (ARP) have helped their customers achieve a 17% reduction in their packaging’s greenhouse gas emissions and a 25% reduction in energy requirements.

The savings are made through the switch from glass jars to PET packaging for performance wide mouth (PWM) products. Other benefits of PET conversion include the elimination of safety concerns from glass breakage throughout production and the supply chain and lower filling costs. It also has great design flexibility and is a more ergonomic product for the consumer, making PET ideal when it meets the customer’s marketing requirements.

ARP created a cross-functional team to demonstrate the sustainability benefits of PET packaging for new and existing customers. The team used Walmart’s Sustainability score card metrics to help quantify the sustainability benefits for our customers. Based on an easy-to-understand case study that customers can use internally, the team created a sales tool that is transferable to other customers and for other glass to PET conversions.

This acknowledges Amcor’s expertise beyond bottle manufacturing and uses innovation to present PET’s competitive advantage.