Injection moulding machinery maker Arburg will present its new Allrounder Trend electric machines for HDPE screw cap production at the Allpack 2026 trade fair in Jakarta, 20-23 October. The company is targeting Indonesia's packaging sector, where it says manufacturers still largely rely on imported screw caps.
Why this mattersArburg is targeting Indonesian closure moulders that still import screw caps, offering a machine cycle of 24 caps in seven seconds.
- Allpack 2026 trade fair runs 20-23 October in Jakarta, Indonesia
- Allrounder Trend 1800 e can produce 24 HDPE screw caps in seven seconds
- Allrounder Trend range spans four machine sizes with clamping forces of 500 to 2,000 kN
- Arburg has operated in Indonesia since 1993 and had a wholly owned subsidiary since 2006
- Machine uses Arburg's Gestica lite control system and can be fitted with robotic automation
- Indonesia is implementing an extended producer responsibility scheme with gradual rollout
Finnish company Innomost has developed Suberinno Suberin, a barrier material derived from birch bark suberin, aimed at replacing fossil-based coatings in fibre-based packaging. The material targets moisture, grease and oxygen barrier properties for food and non-food paper and board packs. Innomost currently produces the material at its Kokkola, Finland facility and plans to build an industrial-scale plant within two to three years.
Why this mattersA commercially scalable bio-based multi-barrier coating could let paper and board packaging displace plastic laminates while meeting PPWR recyclability requirements.
- Innomost sources birch bark from an existing side stream of the Nordic forest industry.
- The product is marketed as Suberinno Suberin.
- It can provide moisture, grease and oxygen barrier properties in a single material.
- Production currently takes place at Innomost's facility in Kokkola, Finland.
- Innomost plans to build an industrial plant and scale production within two to three years.
- University of Oulu is separately developing suberin coatings with UPM and Metsä Board.
Avantium has signed a capacity reservation agreement with Klöckner Pentaplast covering future volumes of Avantium's plant-based PEF polymer, branded releaf, for thermoformed food packaging such as trays and lidding films. The agreement gives kp access to volumes from planned industrial-scale PEF plants to be built by licensees of Avantium's technology, subject to the material meeting technical, regulatory and commercial requirements. No production volumes, prices or binding delivery commitments were disclosed.
Why this mattersReserved volumes from a converter with 27 plants give PEF a demand anchor, though supply depends on licensee plants that have yet to be built.
- Avantium and Klöckner Pentaplast announced the capacity reservation agreement on 14 September 2026
- The agreement covers future releaf (PEF) volumes from prospective industrial-scale plants to be built and operated by licensees of Avantium's technology
- Access to volumes is subject to the material meeting technical, regulatory and commercial requirements
- Target applications are thermoformed food trays, lidding films and flow-wrap structures across Europe
- releaf is made from FDCA, Avantium's flagship molecule, and is positioned on oxygen and carbon dioxide barrier performance
- kp was founded in 1965 and has 27 plants in 16 countries with about 5,000 employees
Plastic Energy has transferred its stake in the TotalEnergies Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling (TEPEAR) facility in Grandpuits, France, giving TotalEnergies full ownership. The plant will keep operating at industrial scale using Plastic Energy's proprietary TAC pyrolysis technology, with the divestment forming part of Plastic Energy's restructuring under returning CEO Carlos Monreal to focus on its Spanish plants and partnerships.
Why this mattersConsolidation of chemical recycling assets under oil majors signals technology licensors retreating from capital-heavy plant ownership toward asset-light licensing models.
- Plastic Energy transferred its stake in the TEPEAR facility in Grandpuits, France, to TotalEnergies.
- TotalEnergies now holds full ownership of TEPEAR.
- The plant continues to use Plastic Energy's proprietary TAC chemical recycling technology.
- Carlos Monreal, Plastic Energy founder, has returned as CEO and is leading a restructuring around core operations.
- Plastic Energy will continue operating chemical recycling plants in Almeria and Seville, Spain.
- Plastic Energy produced its first batch of pyrolysis oil, Tacoil, last year at a joint venture facility with Sabic.
Print inspection technology maker AVT and press manufacturer Mark Andy have announced a strategic technical and commercial alliance to jointly develop automation solutions for label and packaging converters. The partnership will launch two joint innovations at the Loupe Americas trade show in Chicago on 15-17 September 2026: a closed-loop register control system for Mark Andy's Performance and HD Series presses, and an integration of AVT inspection data into Mark Andy's MA ProWorx business intelligence platform.
Why this mattersCombining press engineering with inline inspection data signals a shift toward tighter automation and data integration in label converting, raising the bar for rival press and inspection suppliers.
- AVT and Mark Andy announced a strategic technical and commercial alliance on print automation.
- The alliance debuts at Loupe Americas, Chicago, 15-17 September 2026.
- The first innovation is a closed-loop register control system for Mark Andy Performance and HD Series presses.
- The system brings invisible varnish and coating layers into the register control envelope.
- The second innovation integrates AVT press data into the MA ProWorx platform via a new business intelligence module.
- The solution will be demonstrated live on Mark Andy P9 and HD Series presses in a hybrid flexo/digital configuration.
Thais Fagury has taken over as president of Abralatas, the Brazilian aluminium beverage can association, after almost two decades in metal packaging including Abeaço, Prolata Reciclagem and ABRE's fiscal council. In an interview she set her short-term priority as making reverse logistics work across the whole chain under Brazil's National Solid Waste Policy, alongside extending cans into beverage categories that are under-developed in Brazil.
Why this mattersNew association leadership points to a push to extend cans into under-served beverage categories and to shape Brazilian reverse-logistics and low-carbon policy affecting metal packaging.
- Thais Fagury becomes president of the Associação Brasileira da Lata de Alumínio (Abralatas)
- She previously led Abeaço and Prolata Reciclagem and sat on ABRE's fiscal council, with almost two decades in metal packaging
- She is a food engineer specialising in packaging life cycles
- Short-term priority is more effective reverse logistics under Brazil's National Solid Waste Policy, with responsibility shared across can makers, fillers, retail, government, consumers and waste-picker cooperatives
- She identifies ready-to-drink coffee and single-serve chocolate drinks as can categories not yet fully developed in Brazil
- Canned water and ready-to-drink cocktails have already taken share in categories previously held by glass and PET
Specialty coatings supplier Stahl has launched its Senoprint metallic coatings portfolio worldwide, consolidating its previously North America-focused LustreCoat range under one global brand. The coatings offer silver and gold metallic finishes applied in-line during printing as an alternative to foil stamping, targeted at premium packaging and labelling. Stahl will present the range at LOUPE Americas 2026 in Chicago on 15-17 September 2026.
Why this mattersA recyclable in-line alternative to foil stamping could cut converters' decoration costs and support compliance with the EU's incoming PPWR recyclability requirements.
- Senoprint builds on Stahl's LustreCoat range, previously sold mainly in North America.
- Portfolio includes silver and gold metallic finishes, applicable via sheetfed, screen, flexographic and narrow-web printing.
- Available in UV-based and water-based formulations designed for de-inking and paper-recycling compatibility.
- Stahl will present Senoprint at LOUPE Americas 2026 in Chicago, 15-17 September 2026.
- Paul Grzebielucha is Group Director Packaging Coatings at Stahl.
Amcor and Chinese premium pet food brand Ge Wu An have launched the Li Kou pet food cup, an inverted-cup wet pet food pack combining a polypropylene cup, top lidding film and bottom seal film. The companies say it is the first commercial deployment of this packaging format in China, developed over more than a year through Amcor's Catalyst customer collaboration platform. The design aims to replace traditional pull-ring cans, simplifying serving and reducing packaging weight.
Why this mattersA commercially deployed lightweight alternative to metal pet food cans could accelerate flexible packaging's inroads into a category still dominated by rigid formats.
- Li Kou is described as the first commercial deployment of an inverted-cup packaging format in China.
- The pack combines a polypropylene cup body, top lidding film and bottom seal film.
- Design allows peel, invert, tear and lift to release wet pet food in one piece.
- The format is positioned as a lighter alternative to traditional aluminium cans.
- Amcor and Ge Wu An developed the product jointly for more than a year via Amcor's Catalyst innovation platform.
- Ge Wu An is a premium pet food brand of Jianmo Biotechnology Co., Ltd., focused on wet pet food in China.
Tetra Pak presented Factory OS, a platform combining artificial intelligence with industrial automation, data analysis and real-time monitoring of production lines, at ForoMX 2026 in Mexico. It also set out results from its Advanced Agreements service contracts, reporting an average 9% improvement in overall equipment effectiveness, an 11% reduction in operating costs and a 94% contract renewal rate. Studies the company presented at the event put the OEE advantage of highly automated food and beverage plants at up to 20% over less automated facilities.
Why this mattersAutomation and AI-linked service contracts give equipment suppliers a route to recurring revenue and deeper customer lock-in beyond machine sales.
- Higher automation can lift overall equipment effectiveness by up to 20% versus lower-technology plants, per Tetra Pak studies.
- Product waste can be reduced by up to 45% and packaging line downtime by up to 20% with higher automation.
- Tetra Pak Factory OS combines artificial intelligence, industrial automation, data analysis and real-time monitoring.
- Tetra Pak reports an average 9% improvement in OEE and an 11% reduction in operating costs under its Advanced Agreements model.
- The Advanced Agreements model has a 94% contract renewal rate.
- The platform was presented at ForoMX 2026 in Mexico.
Smurfit Westrock published results on 3 September from a study of consumer sorting of bag-in-box packaging (plastic bladder vs cardboard) at recycling sites in four European countries. France recorded the lowest separation rate at 67 percent, against 97 percent in Germany, 93 percent in Belgium and 87 percent in Sweden. The company attributes the French shortfall to collection systems that do not require cardboard-plastic separation, while producer responsibility body Citeo-Adelphe launched a sorting awareness campaign in December 2025.
Why this mattersLow sorting rates in France risk sending recyclable bag-in-box material to incineration, complicating compliance with the EU's 2030 PPWR recyclability requirements.
- Smurfit Westrock unveiled the study results on 3 September
- France's bag-in-box separation rate stands at 67 percent, the lowest of four countries studied
- Germany recorded a 97 percent separation rate, the highest among the countries studied
- Belgium recorded 93 percent separation and Sweden 87 percent
- At the Antwerp, Belgium site, 77 percent of collected bag-in-boxes came from the wine market
- Citeo-Adelphe launched a sorting awareness campaign in France in December 2025
Mexican beverage maker Grupo Jumex and Tetra Pak presented Jumex Nectar on 20 August 2026, a no-added-sugar nectar range in mango, apple and peach flavours, free of front-of-pack warning labels. It is the third such product the two companies have co-developed, following Unico Fresco in 2008 and Jumexito in 2024, and is packaged in Tetra Pak cartons.
Why this mattersCarton suppliers are positioning clean-label, sugar-reduction reformulation as a growth driver as Mexican brand owners respond to warning-label regulation and health-conscious demand.
- Jumex Nectar launched 20 August 2026 in mango, apple and peach flavours
- Product is free of added sugar and front-of-pack warning seals
- Third joint Jumex-Tetra Pak sugar-free product, after Unico Fresco (2008) and Jumexito (2024)
- 80% of Jumex products are packaged in Tetra Pak carton, per CMO Sergio Spinola
- 41% of consumers surveyed view carton packaging as the most environmentally friendly option, per Tetra Pak Mexico
The Flexible Film Recycling Alliance (FFRA), part of the Plastics Industry Association, began two commercial plastic film recycling pilots in California on 1 July, running through 30 November. One pilot in Sacramento uses 1-800-GOT-JUNK?'s commercial service routes for small and medium generators, while a second in Ontario/Inland Empire tests collection from large warehouse generators via Shorr Packaging's logistics network. Both use standardised "Rack n' Pack" collection systems, with material baled at regional aggregation sites before shipment to recycling markets; FFRA plans to use the results to design future programmes.
Why this mattersReliable data on commercial film capture rates and bale quality could help address the capacity and economics constraints that have recently closed US film recycling plants.
- Collection began 1 July 2026 and runs through 30 November 2026.
- FFRA operates under the Plastics Industry Association.
- The Sacramento pilot uses 1-800-GOT-JUNK?'s commercial routes for small and medium generators.
- The Ontario/Inland Empire pilot uses Shorr Packaging's warehouse logistics network for large generators.
- Both pilots use standardised 'Rack n' Pack' film collection systems to separate polyethylene at source.
- WM closed its Natura PCR plant in Texas last year, and a major Minnesota film recycling plant closed in 2024 before restarting under new ownership.
