The Environmental Packaging Awards, now in their second year, celebrate innovations and individuals making significant strides in sustainability within the packaging industry.

This story explores recent innovations making produce packaging more eco-friendly. But first, let's take a broader look at the produce packaging market.

The brand currently includes blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Vidre+ is revolutionizing the supply chain seamlessly without any reorganization of current operating practices, by making every existing type of fresh produce packaging and label functional and adaptable into a smart version with adjustable protection against the negative effects of ethylene.

Ossid, a ProMach brand, is a leading manufacturer of sustainable, efficient tray packaging, flow wrapping, thermoforming fill seal, industrial scale and labeling machinery for the food, e-commerce and medical device industries.

Avantium’s PEF (polyethylene furanoate) is a 100% plant-based, fully recyclable polymer and offers a renewable and circular packaging solution for Royal Vezet’s salad bowls.

A-B-C Packaging’s compact Model 72AN palletizer can occupy from 10% to 30% less floor space than conventional low-level palletizers. 

Company’s solutions for palletizing and stretch wrapping will be on display at the trade show, which will take place March 18-20 in Philadelphia.

New rackable pallet supports heavy loads, provides load stability and features unique design qualities to streamline operations.

The first product under the TOMA™ brand – and its underlying mindset – is a palletizing solution featuring the most advanced interface on the market, bringing together industrial robustness and user-friendliness with collaborative robotics.

The Preview Week event, Nov. 2-6, will kick-off with a webinar, Helpful Hints for Navigating PACK EXPO Connects, on Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. CT. It will provide tips and tricks for using the platform and offer Q&A with attendees to help them make the most out of their PACK EXPO Connects experience.

Tubular cable conveyors can adapt to packaging needs while reducing product damage, energy use, noise and maintenance.

The complete EOL system is designed to eliminate bottlenecks and increase bar packaging efficiency.

The stainless steel, wash down system is 5 ft long end-to-end.

The Top Wrap and Top Close labelers offer two high-quality and resource-saving solutions for the closing of fresh produce trays with labels.

In addition to its vast portfolio of conveyance solutions, Sentry manufactures a wide array of packaging equipment, including case and bulk palletizing, de-palletizing, and robotic systems. 

As the packaging process becomes increasingly automated, a key area of focus for suppliers has been conveyors. One challenge is hygiene. Several companies are taking steps to mitigate this issue.

Although the CIP process is very effective, streamlining its automation and simplifying the process for all of a facility’s tubular drag conveyors has been a priority for leading innovators in the industry.

A variety of conveyor technologies were implemented to smoothly transport beverage cans between different processing machines in the line. 

Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor, announced that it is actively preparing for COVID-19 vaccine distribution to employees and has medical capabilities at its U.S. plants. Meatpacking workers were among the groups hit hardest by the new coronavirus last year.

The egg brand is using the redesign to celebrate spring and attract more customers.

Novel packaging solutions are driving a projected expansion of 4.3% from 2020-2028.

The plan includes four core strategies intended to create better earnings for groups involved in the meat and poultry supply chain.

Created by PKG Brand Design, the new brand logo connects directly to the Bumble Bee company heritage.

Sustainable retail packaging solution replaces expanded polystyrene on processor production lines.

Part of the company’s GeoPack range of sustainability-minded products, the protein tray has been officially designated as biodegradable in industrial compost settings.

Rotibag's innovative features include an integrated handle, making it ideal for hot grab-and-go items like rotisserie chicken and other prepared foods, while its fog-resistant packaging ensures product visibility.

The fully servo-driven HQ Series counting & dispensing machines are designed to provide 100% accuracy for primary or secondary packaging of candy, confectionary and chocolate as well as non-food products.

Based on the company’s “Test Before You Invest” program, the center enables companies to test their products on inspection systems.

AV Print Inspector offers whole-label inspection, including image matching, code reading and color detection, at speeds up to 80 meters/minute.

Loma Systems designed and engineered the X5 SideShoot X-ray machine specifically for the inspection of taller food products.

Two new x-ray inspection systems – the X12 and the X32 – as well as the latest ProdX software will be on exhibit for the first time. 

The tortillas are made without preservatives but have a shelf life of six months thanks to their protective carbon dioxide and nitrogen atmospheres – provided that the thermoformed packaging is absolutely airtight.

Company’s PCS700-IOT performs high-speed pressure and gas measurement for carbonated, nitrogen-dosed and hot-filled beverages to detect leaks and optimize the process.

The company’s CV35 ‘combination’ system, which integrates a checkweigher with vision inspection, detects and rejects under- and overweight packages to ensure that legal weight requirements are met and to reduce product giveaway.

The SXM2 Series X-Ray Inspection Systems are equipped with high-precision dual energy sensors and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE which allow processing of two overlapping images in one inspection.

X-ray inspection systems are pivotal to modern quality control, utilizing advanced generators and sensors to automatically detect foreign objects in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and industrial products.

Around half the sheetfed offset presses Heidelberg sells go to packaging customers, and the folding carton market is a strategic growth segment for Heidelberg.

In a recent video, Domino, a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions, caught up with Label King to learn more about the company, their vetting process for adding digital printing, and the impact digital has had on their business. 

The strategic investment includes recruitment, new processing and production equipment, refits to its sites in New Zealand and the creation of a dedicated corrugated studio at the company’s UK headquarters.

The X350 is designed with large ink tanks, each holding 2L of CMYK ink, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing the need for frequent refills.

In this article, Domino’s Ben Ginesi offers his perspective on how digital corrugated printing stacks up against flexographic and lithographic printing.

The interdisciplinary expert jury of the German Design Council awarded IQJET in the category "Excellence in Business to Business: Machines & Engineering" with the Gold German Innovation Award.

In this interview, Inovar’s Bill Kral explains how digital printing has evolved, why some brand managers are still reluctant to switch to digital printing, and why many who have made the leap are reaping rewards.

Working with RM Machinery, Colbert purchased an RMGT 1060TP-LX 10-CC-LD+UV. The unique configuration of the press allows for multiple colors, coatings and cold foil enhancement inline.

New Mid-Web flexo press without solvents for flexible packaging is suitable for indirect food contact, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, shrink sleeve and in-mold labels, and can also be configured for folding cartons and paperboard.

Acquisition adds significant capabilities to the Inovar platform, which includes industry-leading pressure sensitive, roll-fed, and RFID label capabilities.

This investment sets Catapult apart as the only printer in the US with this specification of Nilpeter press.

The Versatex Printbar leverages the architecture of two print banks, each equipped with six Xaar Nitrox printheads, to achieve up to three different laydown effects in a single pass and with one varnish.

Companies like Digimarc, Wipak, Inovar and Domino are demonstrating how advancements in coding, marking and printing are facilitating recycling efforts, lowering costs for brand managers, making it easier to hire qualified equipment operators, and more.