Sidel contributes to Lesieur sustainability and flexibility vision with three Combi solutions for light-weighted rPET edible oil bottles

Between 2019 and 2021, three Sidel and Serac Combis for edible oil have been installed in the bottling facility of Lesieur in Coudekerque (North of France). The oil, sauce and condiment company can now produce light-weighted bottles and use recycled PET (rPET).

Operationally, the combination of the two technological experts for edible oil, Sidel for Blowing and Serac for Filling/Capping, has also helped Lesieur rationalise its number of bottle formats and reduce its overall changeover times as well as its energy consumption.

Founded in 1908, Lesieur produces and sells a full range of vegetable oils, sauces and condiments, with innovative products focused on several specific areas: taste, quality, nutritionand sustainability. Being part of the Avril Group, the company launched a modernisation plan forits production sites in 2015. The plant in Coudekerque, one of the largest plants in Europe in term of bottling volumes for edible oil, has benefited from a dedicated investment of 20 million euros over three years for its bottling centre.

Bottling 170 million litres per year, the historic Lesieur site was looking to improve bottle quality and reduce scheduling constraints due to separate blowing and bottling centres. In addition, the production capacity was organised around seven bottling lines, including several small, low-speed lines.

A transformation with quality, ergonomics and flexibility in mind

The transformation has been structured around the installation of three Sidel Serac Combiswith blowing, filling and capping functions, which can produce 0.5 or 1 L formats up to 2 and 3 L at speeds ranging from 15,000 bottles per hour (bph) all the way up to 30,000 bph.

“We decided to invest in an on-line blowing solution. Now, we have only five production lines, but we are able to increase our general production capacity thanks to Sidel’s high-speed solutions. There has been a very positive impact on production costs as well,” says Francis Arulraj, Project Manager at Lesieur.

With the new Combis, the heating and blowing technologies ensure consistency in bottle integrity. This technological change has improved not only quality, but also ergonomics. Sidel’s equipment takes up very little floor space; thus, it has helped the company remove conveyors and walkways and make the operators’ daily work easier. When it comes to format changeovers, not only are they easy enough to be done by the entire production team, but they also meet production and adaptability needs.

The mould changeover time, for instance, is shorter and easier, which lowers production downtime. “We have also optimised our line’s availability thanks to the support of the Sidel packaging team. By rationalising the number of bottle formats from 22 to 14, thanks to a common outer diameter, we now have a much leaner way to approach our production schedule, while still being able to propose different shapes to our customers,” states Denis Trelhu, Production Manager.

Ensuring a sustainable future with light-weighted rPET bottles

Whether transparent or opaque, PET is a material of choice when it comes to bottling edible oil,since the bottles can be formed into specific shapes. As a leading PET solution provider, Sidel has really contributed to Lesieur’s sustainability vision. “We have actually reduced the weight of our preforms. We are now able to produce bottles between 16-18 grams with up to 100% rPET,” comments Denis. Not only the packaging, but also the production line helped Lesieur pursuing the goals from its sustainable development chart. By virtue of an optimised oven and lamps, the overall electrical consumption of the blower has been lowered. Moreover, blowing pressures
have been greatly reduced, which leads to a decrease in energy consumption for the compressor fleet.

“We have developed an excellent partnership with two historic suppliers, Sidel and Serac, who have proven their expertise in the oil bottling field, while also leveraging the experience of the technicians who have been on site throughout the project. With this three-sided partnership, we are sure to take a big step forward,” concludes Christophe Lance, Plant Manager.

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Don’t forget the cleaning and paper products as you stock up with food and drinks for the festive season

Keeping friends and family safe is still a top priority

2021 is drawing to a close – and what a year it has been! As we look ahead to 2022 and what the future holds, it’s worth reminding ourselves of the journey we have been on over the past twelve months and the lessons we have learned for the future.

Cast your minds back to January. The new year began with none of the usual parties and celebrations as much of Europe was in strict lockdown due to the ongoing circulation of Covid-19. And as we progressed through the early months of the year the picture was very similar: restrictions on movement and socialising in the home; wearing masks and keeping our distance; and many schools and shops closed.

For the HORECA trade the situation was even more gloomy. Bars and restaurants in many countries were closed until the middle of the year. And while the vaccination programmes have brought greater liberty, some countries are experiencing HORECA restrictions once again as we fight a fourth wave and the new, emerging Covid variant, Omicron.

While we are all hoping that science will continue to keep one step ahead of the virus developments, many people believe that the whole business of entertainment and socialising has nevertheless changed forever. With health and hygiene top of the agenda, we are all much more aware of what we can do to minimise the spread of infection: Keep our distance from others, ensure good ventilation, and wash hands and surfaces frequently and dry them with single use towels.

People working in the catering trade and managing public venues have had to learn a whole new set of rules in order to keep staff and customers safe. It’s now standard practice to ask customers to disinfect their hands when they arrive and often to show proof of their vaccination or Covid-status. Catering staff have seen their workload increase too as they are obliged to fully disinfect seating areas between each customer and respect stricter hygiene and cleaning protocols throughout the premises.

Have you noticed that extra disinfection posts and paper towels have sprung up in public places to help people to stay safe? Public washrooms are prioritising single use towels for hand drying too as scientists have proven that they offer the most hygienic way to dry hands after a visit to the washroom. Some HORECA establishments have even disabled their electric driers because of concerns that they may circulate contaminated air in the room.

As Europe now battles with the Omicron Covid strain it’s fair to assume that these new hygiene practices are likely to be with us well into the future. Whether you are running a business and wanting to give staff and customers confidence, or just running a home and looking to keep your family and friends safe, remember the new hygiene rules and stick to them during the year ahead.

So don’t forget to add cleaning products, tissue paper and paper towels to your shopping list as you stock up with food and drinks this festive season. By taking precautions and acting responsibly we can all contribute to a happy and healthier 2022.

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PLASTICS Releases Statement on Misguided Environmental Activist Report

WASHINGTON– The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) today responded to a new report from Beyond Plastics, The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change. Common misconceptions perpetuated by biased studies such as this are addressed at ThisIsPlastics.com.

“It’s no surprise that an organization named Beyond Plastics would cherry-pick data to fit their narrative in order to raise more money for themselves and attack the work being done by nearly one million Americans in the process.

Plastic is lighter and more durable than alternatives and reduces the overall weight of products. Lighter products require less fuel to transport. That’s a fact. Reduced weight translates to a smaller environmental footprint by lowering energy use and carbon emissions. A 2020 Imperial College of London study reviewed 73 lifecycle assessments, and most showed plastic performs better than alternatives from a carbon perspective. Several of those studies found materials used as alternatives to plastic packaging – such as cotton, glass, or metal– have significantly higher CO2 impact or water usage. The same study concluded that if all plastic bottles used globally were replaced with glass, the additional resulting CO2 emissions would be equivalent to adding about 22 large coal-fired power plants.

Additionally, if plastic packaging were replaced with other materials, waste and energy consumption would double, and weight and costs would quadruple. For example, plastic baby food packaging provides small but significant environmental benefit over glass jars with impacts reduced by 14% to 27% for primary energy and 28% to 31% for global warming. When comparing plastic and glass baby food jars, plastic containers also release fewer carcinogens into the air and send fewer pollutants into waterways when compared to glass jars.

According to a study from University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability published in 2020, numerous life-cycle analyses show plastic has fewer environmental impacts than single-use glass in the majority of environmental impact categories measured. The same study argues that the increasing trend to substitute single-use plastic packaging with single-use glass-based packaging is “particularly troublesome” from a lifecycle energy and greenhouse gas perspective.”

Other Resources:

• NYT on cotton bags
• Lifecycle assessments
• Advanced recycling

Graphic from Imperial College of London study:

Solvay Launches Digital Hub for Mining Industry

Reimagined Mining Chemicals Handbook offers insights, tools and recommendations in real time

Today Solvay launched an exclusive digital knowledge hub, the Mining Chemicals Handbook, which provides 24/7 access to relevant mining chemical application information for those active in this demanding sector. This is the first such resource in the industry, underscoring Solvay’s commitment to the industry and ongoing efforts to lead and innovate.

Originally known as The Blue Book from Cytec (which Solvay acquired in 2015), this valuable resource has a long legacy. Building on that heritage, it has now been updated, digitized and expanded upon to better reflect the current challenges facing the industry, as well as the changing content consumption patterns of mine personnel in the digital era.

Solvay’s new Mining Chemicals Handbook, or MCH, delivers the company’s extensive expertise and application know-how, along with current reagent data, to each user’s desktop or handheld device. The hub also includes a range of new tools designed to help improve clients’ performance and profitability.

“Interactive features,” notes Nicolas Renaud, Solvay’s digital business transformation director, “include value calculators to explore the impact of reagent selection and operational changes on plant performance. Through the knowledge hub, Solvay will also provide current information about its field work and research, which can serve as guidance for mines facing similar challenges.”

“The launch of the new Mining Chemicals Handbook is one milestone in delivering on our broader digital ambition,” explains Martin de Saignes, executive vice president, Mining Solutions at Solvay. “We believe mining chemistry has the power to be ‘smart.’ With access to the right plant data, reagent formulation and selection have the potential to be dynamic. This means that reagents can be tailored to the ore type and processing conditions at any point in time. Tailoring reagents starts with solid foundational insights. In this sense, Solvay’s new digital hub links our know-how and ambition with our customers’ needs.”

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STADLER designs and builds new GAIA and IREN sorting plants in Asti and Parma

Altshausen, 8 December, 2021 – As the 2030 Agenda targets loom, environmental service companies are increasingly incorporating in their business plans investments in recycling facilities capable of bringing us closer to the zero waste goal by turning it into secondary raw materials that can be returned to the commercial cycle with minimal waste.

With this aim, G.A.I.A. Spa and Iren Ambiente (which holds 45% ownership of G.A.I.A. and provides environmental services to a population of more than 3 million) called on STADLER, the German company specialized in the planning, roduction and assembly of turnkey recycling and sorting plants, to design and build new recycling plants in Asti and Parma.

The requirements for the two plants were different: sorting of plastic packaging from separate collection in Asti, and sorting of plastic and paper/cardboard in Parma. STADLER’s personalized approach, capable of providing solutions even to changes requested during the construction phase, made the collaboration between the companies a success.

The new sorting plant at the Asti Waste Treatment Center
Inaugurated last October, the new plant for the sorting of plastic and metal packaging from separate waste collection plays an important role in waste management in northern Italy. The result of a 10 million euro investment, it will be able to process 50,000 tons per year of material from separate waste collection.

Flaviano Fracaro, CEO of G.A.I.A. and Technical Manager of Iren Ambiente Spa, comments: “The sorting plant is like an open-air mine, but instead of extracting raw materials from the planet, it recovers them, avoiding the dispersion of plastics in the environment or the saturation of landfills that no longer need to receive recoverable materials.”

The G.A.I.A. plant will process materials coming from the Asti basin, the Iren Group (Turin, Genoa, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia), Val d’Aosta and others who may request its ervices.

Once processed and cleaned, the materials coming from the separate collections will be delivered to the National Consortia for the recovery of packaging, which will transform them into secondary raw materials and reintroduce them into the production cycles.

The new plant is equipped with modern technologies in line with the Industry 4.0 objectives of the industrial plan, and the machines support the work of the manual sorting operators, resulting in a high quality product.

“We chose STADLER after an extensive technical and economical evaluation process,” comments Flaviano Fracaro. STADLER's experience in the sector was also decisive: “STADLER was able to design plants capable of treating different types of materials with great efficiency, and in terms of the support we received, their engineers and technicians were at our side in every phase of the project.”

The plant consists of a feeding and pre-sorting section, a mechanical and optical sorting line, a sorting cabin for manual selection of the bulky products and a storage and aling line.

A drum screen performs the first selection according to size, separating the materials into three streams. The main material stream, with sizes from 50 to 350 mm, is sent to the main sorting line, consisting of:
– 10 optical separators to sort out plastic products
– 1 wind shifter system to improve the 3D – 2D separation
– 2 magnetic separators to remove ferrous metals
– 1 eddy current separator to remove non-ferrous metals
– 1 fine screen with 20 mm mesh to sift fine residue
– 1 STT5000 ballistic separator and 1 STT2000 ballistic separator to increase the quality of plastic recirculation inside the plant
– 1 bottle piercer to recover bottles even if they are filled with liquids

All the sorted plastics are stored in reversible bunkers. This material then feeds two independent pressing lines with special balers designed for plastics.

At the end of the process, the output materials are transparent PET, colored PET, light blue PET, HDPE, PP, Mixed PE+PP, LDPE+PP film, bulky plastics (4 different products), residue, fine residue, non-ferrous metals and ferrous metals.

The project presented multiple challenges, which STADLER resolved also thanks to its extensive experience in this type of plants across the world. Pietro Navarotto, Director of STADLER Italy, explains: ” In Asti we had to design a plant with many machines and conveyors in a small existing building, taking into account also the space for maintenance. We also considered the possibility of extending the line in the future. Also, since the plant sorts multiple types of materials, we had to perform many tests to check the purity of the recycled material and the recovery rates.”

The new Iren Ambiente plant in Parma
The Parma plant, soon to be completed and inaugurated, is designed to treat two different streams of material from the separate collection of paper and plastic. It is one of the most advanced plants in Italy for sorting paper and cardboard. For this plant, STADLER designed and built two highly integrated sorting lines that achieve a very high spatial efficiency by sharing the baling system.

Flaviano Fracaro comments: “We appreciated the professional approach of STADLER’s engineers and the quick response in implementing a last-minute request on the paper sorting line. We asked for the inclusion of four NIR optical sorters and STADLER was able to do this within the tight deadline.”

The plastic sorting line, which has a capacity of 9 t/h, processes PET+HDPE+PP bottles, PE+PP film, bulky plastics, mixed plastic packaging, non-ferrous and ferrous metals, while the paper sorting line, with a capacity of 20 t/h, processes cardboard, mixed paper and deinking.

The two lines have different input areas but share the same output section and baling line. Each line consists of a feed section, a section for mechanical and optical sorting, a sorting cabin for manual sorting of bulky material and a storage and baling line.

In the plastic sorting line, once the bulky waste in the pre-sorting cabin has been removed, the industrial waste can be sent to a shredder. A big drum screen performs the first selection based on the size of the material (bulky, medium and fine).

The bulky fraction is sent directly to the sorting cabin, where operators sort it into three different fractions. The main stream, of medium sized material (50 – 380 mm), is fed to an STT5000 ballistic separator which divides the products according to their ballistic and weight characteristics into fine, 3D (heavy and/or rolling objects) and 2D (flat and light objects) fractions.

All fractions then pass through the plant where the following machines are located:

– 3 optical separators to sort the different types of plastics
– 1 wind shifter system to improve 2D – 3D separation
– 1 magnetic separator to remove ferrous metals
– 1 eddy current separator for the removal of non-ferrous metals

A movable conveyor under the first NIR optical unit of the paper line ensures great flexibility in the sorting process, while the second optical separator can work with either the positive or negative selection from the first NIR unit, optimizing paper recovery.

The paper sorting line starts with a PPK2000_6_3H ballistic separator which is specially designed to separate bulkier cardboard from lighter paper. The cardboard is sent irectly to the picking cabin while the main stream (< 300 mm) is sent to two parallel sorting lines. Each line consists of a PPK2000_6_1 ballistic separator that removes fine fractions (< 50 mm) and two 2800 mm NIR optical sorters that separate mixed and deinking paper from the main stream. The sorted material is then sent to the picking cabin for manual sorting.

Pietro Navarotto explains: “In addition to the change requested by the customer during the project’s implementation, the other difficulty was installing the paper line once the plastic line was in place. It is at times like these that the great experience of our engineers and installers makes the difference and guarantees the professionalism we are known for.”

“So far, the performance of the two plants in Parma and Asti has lived up to our expectations,” said Flaviano Fracaro. We hope that in the future they will even exceed them!”

 www.aepd.es 

SABIC committed to high-performance polymer solutions for safer, sustainable, scalable and efficient e-mobility and energy storage

SABIC’s theme at this year’s Battery Show in Stuttgart approaches the industry with a bold claim of ‘Powering Excellence in Batteries and Energy Storage’ across mobile and stationary application areas with one of the broadest offerings of thermoplastic polymers, technology focus and design expertise for battery customers. With concepts, pilot and commercial solutions on display and in key visuals, the exhibit aims to inspire the battery value chain to leverage the wide innovation potential of thermoplastic materials and help manufacturers solve major challenges in the battery space: safety, scalable manufacturing, energy efficiency and durability. Dhanendra Nagwanshi, Global Marketing Leader, EV Batteries & Electricals from SABIC Petrochemicals, and Luc Govaerts, Technology Director SABIC Specialties, share the company’s vision and strategy for the market.

What is SABIC’s perspective of the battery industry and your company’s role in addressing the challenges of a world whose demand for energy is rising steeply while facing climate change?
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, 197 countries have pledged to phase out fossil-fired energy production and become carbon neutral over the next few decades. The implementation of these ambitious goals requires a major increase in harvesting renewable energy, such as wind, solar and water power, along with significant improvements in safe and efficient energy storage solutions for use in all segments of human society. The future is electric, and SABIC is firmly committed to supporting the battery industry with our materials and design expertise to help accelerate this energy transition.

When you speak of significant improvements, which are some of the key challenges in battery design where your thermoplastic materials can make a significant difference?
One of the most critical challenges in automotive and e-mobility is to enhance the resistance of EV battery components to fire. We have all seen those few but highly publicized cases when electrical vehicles catch fire and how long it can take to put out the flames fueled by the battery packs. However, the real safety issue here is that EVs, in contrast to traditional combustion vehicles, don’t go to sleep when they’re not in use, but are normally charged over hours and unattended. The fire safety of batteries, therefore, must be maximized to prevent thermal runaway situations and the spreading of flames not just on the road, but also when charging.

From our SABIC® PP FR and STAMAX FR to NORYL NHP and VALOX FR resins, we offer a wide range of halogen-free flame retardant compounds that show unique intumescent and char-forming properties, stopping the propagation of flames in the case of a fire and eliminating the need for additional thermal blankets, such as required when using metal designs. These FR materials have an excellent fit in safe battery module housings, EV charging connectors, brackets and frames, for example. At our booth, we’re showing 12 x 12 inch test plates underscoring the superior fire shielding performance of STAMAX FR resin vs. aluminum when exposed to a flame temperature of 1,000°C over 5 minutes.

Speaking of metals, what about weight reduction?
Thermoplastics provide an inherently greater strength to weight ratio than metals, but not just on a component by component basis. More significant benefits can be derived by using their design flexibility to consolidate and create more compact battery designs by integrating features and reducing the number of individual parts. Beyond lightweighting, which is instrumental in increasing the reach of EVs, this approach can also increase the reliability and integrity of designs, save assembly steps and reduce overall manufacturing costs.

The high degree of integration possible is illustrated by an industry-first, lightweighting pHEV battery tray cover using a halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR) SABIC PP compound. Other outstanding examples are a prototype EV battery pack with key components in various SABIC polymers for part consolidation, up to 12% weight savings, integrated impact protection and excellent electrical insulation compared to existing EV aluminum battery packs; and two prototype honeycomb structures of metal plastic hybrid with NORYL GTX as well as an all-plastic battery pack side impact protection in XENOY HTX resin for significant weight and costs savings vs. metals.

Your portfolio of thermoplastic resins for the battery industry appears to be differentiated into polymers marketed as part of your Petrochemicals portfolio and advanced engineering plastics offered by your Specialties business. How will the market distinguish your offerings?
The two business units shared space at the Battery Show to show how they can complement each other and align to best meet market and customer specifications. The particular application fit of a material may depend on the particular market segment and production volume as well as on the desired design integration etc. This is where our dedicated application and design support comes into play, assisting customers in identifying the best suitable material and maximizing its benefits.

What are some of your more specific engineering plastic innovations on display for the battery market?
We are proudly introducing new NORYL NHP 6011 and 6012 resins, which combine robust flame retardancy with high impact strength and can be used in battery components. Our NORYL GTX technology, which has an excellent fit in battery top covers, corner support plates and other demanding structural parts, is also opening new opportunities as part of honeycomb laminates for superior lightweight side crash protection components of battery units, offering excellent dimensional stability and lower water absorption compared to other incumbent materials. We’re also showing selected pilot and commercial applications using advanced LNP copolymer compounds which deliver low temperature ductility, good flow, flame retardancy and laser weldability.

Two other highlights are the award winning ELCRES HTV 150 dielectric film to support the transition from conventional silicon (Si) based semiconductors to next-generation, wide-band-gap technologies based on silicon carbide (SiC) for high-efficiency EV inverter modules, and certified bio-renewable ULTEM resins with 10% lower carbon footprint compared to fossil-based incumbent materials for use in gaskets and insulation plates of high-performance industrial batteries.

Apart from materials and applications in e-mobility, how is SABIC contributing to the growing market segment of stationary energy storage?
We envision a considerable number of future stationary energy storage systems to rely on second-life former EV batteries as the circular economy of plastics evolves. Moreover, EVs themselves can serve as temporary stationary energy suppliers e.g. in remote areas or as emergency power units. In another area, our Everflow joint venture is actively working on implementing the next generation vanadium redox flow (VRF) long-duration batteries designed to help generators in power plants manage large surges in demand or balance the variable availability of power from renewable sources.

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Zeppelin Systems expands its plant engineering expertise

Zeppelin Systems expands its plant engineering expertiseZeppelin Systems is a global leader in plant engineering for handling high-quality bulk materials. With over 70 years of experience in the individual process steps and extensive know-how in handling the various raw materials, Zeppelin Systems offers reliable complete solutions. At 22 locations worldwide, the company supports its customers from plant design to implementation and provides all services from a single source. Here, innovative process concepts are just as important as smart automation solutions and a full range service that covers the entire life cycle of a plant.

With a broadly based portfolio, Zeppelin Systems serves not only a wide range of market segments
but first and foremost, diverse customer groups with its high level of expertise in plant engineering.
The company has a reputation as an expert in the handling of solid as well as liquid raw materials
and primarily covers the process steps of storing, conveying, weighing, dosing and mixing in various industries.

”Our broad portfolio offers our customers security for long-term investments. With the majority shareholding in KITZMANN, we have secured in-depth expert knowledge, especially in the field of performance materials, and can offer our customers even better plant concepts,” explains Rochus Hofmann, Managing Director of Zeppelin Systems.

The owner-managed Magdalena KITZMANN GmbH company optimally complements the portfolio
of the plant manufacturer not only through its correspondingly high-quality standards, but above all
by providing optimal support to the PVC and chemical applications market segments through the
new partnership. As a specialist for customized and process-safe complete plants, KITZMANN
stands for reproducibility along with functional and operational reliability. The 360° range of services includes engineering through to commissioning of individual components as well as manufacturing turnkey plants for liquid or solid handling.

Companies from the plastics industry, the chemical industry and the food industry regularly benefit from the individual process engineering plants – made in Germany. Originally a handicraft business, KITZMANN has developed into a plant manufacturer through continuous growth in the years following its foundation and has now been operating successfully on the market for almost 50 years.

Zeppelin Systems’ participation in the company strengthens its own market share in the field of
PVC applications. Despite the takeover, KITZMANN remains an independent company and
continues to be managed in equal parts by Dipl.-Ing.

Albrecht Gräfe and his son Dipl.-CEO Nico Gräfe. KITZMANN will continue to serve its customers from its Lengerich location. Previously active primarily in the German and neighboring European markets, Zeppelin Systems gives the company the backing it needs for global growth.

https://www.zeppelin.com/de-de/

Solvay to Supply Avio with Advanced Materials for Space Exploration

Solvay has signed a long-term agreement with Avio to supply advanced composite and adhesive materials for demanding applications in aerospace.

Solvay and Avio SpA have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of composite and adhesive materials
to be used across a range of programs including the Vega space programs, the European Space Agency’s
satellite launch vehicles designed to send payloads into low Earth orbit (LEO).

Solvay will supply Avio with ablative material, RTM resins and adhesives. Solvay has a strong legacy in the
space market and has long been a leader in ablative materials for space applications, such as nozzles and exit
cones. Solvay’s products have been used across many space launch programs over the years, thanks to their
ability to withstand the extremely high temperatures produced by the rocket motor exhaust.

Avio has over 50 years of history designing, developing, producing and integrating space launchers for placing
institutional, governmental and commercial payloads in earth orbit through its Vega rocket family.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with industry leader Avio and continue to support Vega critical
missions,” explained Carmelo Lo Faro, president of Solvay’s Materials Segment. “We are all currently seeing
renewed enthusiasm and investment in the global space race and we believe that our advanced materials will
be key enablers for space exploration, space tourism and also the launch placement of satellite constellations.
We helped put the first man on the moon and will be there for the first woman on Mars!”

“The Long Term Agreement strengthens the relationship between our companies. It also secures the supply to
AVIO of strategic products for VEGA family launchers in the upcoming years, when the demand of launchers
to place satellites into LEO orbits is expected to increase,” adds Sergio Colabucci, AVIO Procurement Director.

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PrintCYC provides important input for design for recycling guidelines

Research evaluates the impact of printing inks on the recyclability of plastic films

Printing inks have a major impact on the recyclability of plastic films, the recycling process, the quality of regranulates as well as their processability. The PrintCYC initiative started two years ago to investigate this impact more closely and drive circular economy. Today, the initiative is once again providing insights into its research work: Currently focusing on the impact of pigments on the recycling process, PrintCYC has found that standard pigments for flexo- and rotogravure printing show excellent compatibility with recycling and enable recyclates comparable to virgin film. This opens a wide range of reuse possibilities in different film and packaging applications.

The PrintCYC consortium was established in 2019 to support the transformation of printed polyolefine-based packaging films towards a circular economy by evidence-based industrial trials. Key stakeholders are leading machine manufacturers such as Brückner Maschinenbau, Erema, Kiefel and PackSYS Global, the printing ink manufacturer hubergroup Print Solutions, and Profol, one of the market leaders for PP cast films. The initiative is coordinated by Dr Annett Kaeding-Koppers, an independent packaging expert and sustainability consultant. PrintCYC is connected to converters and in continuous dialogue with brandowners, recyclers, and platforms such as Ceflex and Forum Rezyklat to discuss and share results.