At the recent PETnology 2025 Conference, RETAL’s Regional Production Director, Dainius Staniulis, shared how the company is combining technical expertise, targeted investment, and a commitment to sustainability to lead the way in reliable, high-performance rPET packaging solutions for global food and beverage brands.
In a session titled "The Path to rPET Processing – Innovation & Solutions," Staniulis highlighted the increasing demands placed on packaging converters by recent EU regulations, including the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), both of which mandate higher thresholds for recycled content in plastic packaging.
Staniulis says, “Meeting ambitious recycled content targets in food-grade applications goes way beyond legislative box ticking. It’s a full-scale transformation in how we source, process and optimise material."
Recognising that rPET supply often varies in grade, consistency, and quality, RETAL has invested in proprietary technologies and enhanced process standards to ensure a stable and high-performing rPET offering that supports both sustainability goals and commercial competitiveness.
The presentation included insights from the importance of early detection of risks, process adaptation and standardisation, and smart use of in-house software and RETAL’s own patent-pending technology
With technical excellence, deep market knowledge, and a growing portfolio of certified rPET solutions, Staniulis’s presentation at this year’s Petnology Conference explains how RETAL continues to be a strategic partner for brands navigating the complexities of sustainable packaging legislation.
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
Global key account manager at RETAL Balkan Nedko Nedev recently recorded a presentation for the respected online event hosted by Plastics News.
The Plastics News Caps & Closures Online Event will be held on June 18, with Nedev presenting alongside other leading plastic packaging industry leaders.
With his presentation titled, ““Getting Closure – How an Evolving Product Needs Established Expertise”, Nedev touches on the trends and challenges that are currently facing the supply of closures for the packaging industry, with his insight on how RETAL solves these issues thanks to R&D, expertise and reliability.
To find out more about the event and to register, click here.
Nedev adds, “I am pleased to be a part of this event and to present how RETAL is committed to developing and sharing practical, sustainable closures and preforms for global food and beverage brands. Our teams are continually rising to the challenges of our industry and it’s great to share these solutions to this engaged audience.”
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
Two senior leaders from plastic packaging producer RETAL will be presenting at the upcoming PETnology Conference in May.
Held on 27 – 28 May in Lake Zurich, Switzerland, the PETnology Europe 2025 event, now in its 30th year, will focus on smart solutions for the sustainable future of PET packaging.
RETAL Chief Sustainability Officer Emmanuel Duffaut and Production Director Dainius Staniulis will be sharing their insight into how RETAL’s proven combination of investment, expertise, progressive approach and integration enables the company to deliver innovative solutions for global food and beverage brands.
The presentation will include details of how RETAL identifies risks and opportunities and utilises proprietary software and optimized process to deliver a competitive advantage.
Dainius Staniulis explains, “This industry-leading event is a great opportunity for us to meet with fellow packaging experts and present our understanding of how our holistic strategy is supporting our progressive position in the rPET revolution. We’re looking forward to the event and the interesting discussions that it will certainly generate.”
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
RETAL is set to showcase our latest innovations at this year’s Drinktec, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, highlighting our commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology for food-safe packaging.
We are pleased to welcome guests to our stand by offering our network complimentary tickets to Drinktec. Use the code DRI25RETAL at the Drinktec ticket shop to get free tickets, then come and visit us at Stand 360 in Hall C6.
That’s right! Our RETAL stand is number 360, and we’re promising to deliver a full 360° view of our innovative and sustainable plastic packaging solutions.
Maria Jarrar, Senior Marketing Manager, says, “Drinktec is the perfect place for us to present our complete packaging solutions, including our latest 26/22 preforms, tethered caps for various neck finishes, our patented designs, and our brand-new plastic closure especially for returnable glass bottles. Drinktec has always been a unique platform for sharing exciting developments, and this year is no exception.”
With plenty of samples and many RETAL experts on hand to answer any questions, our Stand 360 in Hall C6 will be ready to welcome you to Drinktec 2025, from 15-19 September, in Munich.
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
Renata Smataviciene, quality director of RETAL, explores challenges of defining "quality" in manufacturing and how a plastic packaging company achieves consistent quality across vast production lines.
There is no legal definition of the word ‘quality’; it gets used easily even though it’s hard to achieve. For manufacturing businesses, producing products of quality doesn’t happen by accident. It can only happen when the importance of quality is embedded into the culture.
But how can quality be embedded into the culture when there is no legal definition of what quality means? Who decides what a good quality product actually is, and how can ‘quality’ be defined across a large company with myriad departments, all contributing to a finished product?
The short answer is, with great difficulty! The longer answer, according to experienced quality director Renata Smataviciene, is somewhat more involved. Smataviciene explains how repeatedly achieving quality is a long-term, layered approach that requires clarity, tenacity and great attention to detail, as well as the careful recruitment, training and supervision of skilled people. She said: “Working in global production means that quality must underpin everything we do. It’s not a ‘one and done’ situation; we never take quality for granted and appreciate that it’s a constant process of checking, testing and learning.”
Smataviciene is the quality director for multinational plastic packaging producer RETAL in the EU and US and has responsibility for the quality of over 800 SKUs produced on over 170 state-of-the-art production lines, producing 13.41 billion preforms operated by more than 1600 skilled workers in 2023. That’s a lot of ducks to get in a row.
“We produce preforms and closures for many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands,” added Smataviciene, “so quality must come first. Our customers have very high expectations, and we have to meet those expectations every single time. This is where the definition of quality comes in, as it is crucial that we know exactly what those high expectations are. Our teams take time to clarify precisely what each customer needs; nothing is left to chance. We ask the right questions to get the information needed, then it is up to me and my team to guarantee that the quality expected is delivered.”
To achieve this, Smataviciene and her team have a sophisticated system of quality control, supported by a range of technological tools, with each RETAL location achieving the same quality assurance. She continued: “Our customers are global, so our products must meet the same quality standards for each different market; standardised quality allows for brand owners to be reassured. Our quality control is the same at each facility thanks to our detailed verification process. The fulfilment can be different depending on the product and the specific equipment, but each step is verified according to the quality and process performance required.”
The elements that can vary include the materials used, the volume of recycled material, additives, and the required weight of the preform. Smataviciene is clear that the role of sustainability in quality control is increasingly important, particularly when working with global brands that are driven to offer consumers the most responsible packaging possible. “Recycled material usage is so important now, we’re continually working with our customers and our designers to understand how best to implement progressive sustainable solutions. Sustainability must always be the focus, but through the lens of quality. Our quality never reduces, even when our weights reduce and our volumes of rPET increase. Tethered closures also bring with them new testing, new production challenges, but ultimately these are our problems to solve, which we always do. We bring solutions.”
This commitment to bringing solutions is where the culture of quality is most evident. Only with detailed and repeated feedback can a culture of quality be embedded, especially when the team is located across factories, countries and time zones. Smataviciene concluded: “A culture that expects quality has to be supportive and transparent. Sharing best practice is expected. Training is intense and visits are regular. We have to learn quickly from any non-conformities. It’s about checking and checking again, every process and every product. It’s about lists and more lists! Nothing happens by accident. We audit everything and we’re always learning.”
Read online at Interplas Insights
RETAL is proud to sponsor the Lituanica VLR youth robotics team, who recently brought home the ‘Growing FIRST’ award from the global FIRST Robotics competition, held in Houston, Texas, in April 2024.
Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST Robotics is a global nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18. With the pinnacle of its annual events the international competition, the FIRST Robotics program is suitable for schools or structured after-school activities and is supported by a network of volunteers and sponsors including over 200 Fortune 500 companies.
RETAL Purchase Director Arturas Scerbakovas, an active supporter of Lituanica VLR (Vilnius Lyceum Robotics), says, “FIRST Robotics is a fast-growing global robotics community that is focused RETAL robotics imageon helping to prepare young people in careers in STEM. It’s great fun and very high energy; it’s a brilliant way for young people to develop their technical skills in a fast environment. My daughter is in the team; she loves engineering and plans to study it at university, so I’m happy to do whatever I can to support her.”
With the Lituanica VLR team earning the ‘Growing FIRST’ award in recognition of its impressive progress, RETAL is a proud sponsor of this inspirational team that is motivating the next generation of skilled engineers.
For further information contact Maria Jarrar at media@retalgroup.com
Read online at Business Focus
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On 30 July 2024, A POLYMER INDUSTRIES LLC, trading as Orzuplast, the Uzbekistan-based industrial partner of the multinational packaging producer RETAL, has recently gained the FSSC 22000 version 6 certification for quality and food safety, the first producer in Uzbekistan to achieve this standard.
The internationally recognized FSSC 22000 version 6 certificate has been granted following a successful audit of its new production, including the development and implementation of the site. Orzuplast is now certified as a producer of food contact packaging.
Sherzod Tursunov, CEO of Orzuplast, announced, "We are proud to announce that we are the first packaging manufacturer in Uzbekistan to receive this certificate. Thanks to the high standards of our production and the training of our employees, we were able to pass all the necessary audits on the first try, without additional comments and adjustments to the production process. The certificate confirms that the implemented processes, principles and operating conditions of the entire factory, from the receipt of raw materials to the production of finished products, meet international requirements for quality and food safety. We are ready to work with VIP clients in our industry."
For further information, please contact office.manager@orzuplast.uz
Head of RETAL Service Vladislav Medvedovskiy presented at the AMI Plastic Closures Innovations (PCI) Conference on 6 June 2023.
With a technical and engaging presentation entitled “Implementation Insights: Solving Tethered Closure Challenges”, Vladislav took his turn on the stage in front of many packaging industry leaders.
Held at the World Trade Centre in Barcelona from 4-6 June, the event is widely considered to be an important date in the plastic industry calendar, and billed as ‘bringing together leaders, innovators and experts to explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in plastic closures’.
Vladislav explains, “I welcomed the chance to share my technical insight on the implementation challenges of tethered closures and how RETAL Service supports our customers in quickly and effectively solving those challenges. I shared how we made over 180 visits to customers in 2023 alone, and how we’ve seen all the possible issues with implementing tethered closures! I really enjoyed the event, especially having the chance to meet with so many fellow professionals and listen to other interesting presentations.”
The RETAL team are keen participants in plastic packaging industry conferences and events, supported by the communications team. For further information contact Maria Jarrar at media@retalgroup.com
RETAL is proud to sponsor the Lituanica VLR youth robotics team, who recently brought home the ‘Growing FIRST’ award from the global FIRST Robotics competition, held in Houston, Texas, in April 2024.
Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST Robotics is a global nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18. With the pinnacle of its annual events the international competition, the FIRST Robotics program is suitable for schools or structured after-school activities and is supported by a network of volunteers and sponsors including over 200 Fortune 500 companies.
RETAL Purchase Director Arturas Scerbakovas, an active supporter of Lituanica VLR (Vilnius Lyceum Robotics), says, “FIRST Robotics is a fast-growing global robotics community that is focused on helping to prepare young people in careers in STEM. It’s great fun and very high energy; it’s a brilliant way for young people to develop their technical skills in a fast environment. My daughter is in the team; she loves engineering and plans to study it at university, so I’m happy to do whatever I can to support her.”
With the Lituanica VLR team earning the ‘Growing FIRST’ award in recognition of its impressive progress, RETAL is a proud sponsor of this inspirational team that is motivating the next generation of skilled engineers.
For further information contact Maria Jarrar at media@retalgroup.com
The RETAL stand at this year’s BrauBeviale trade fair welcomed visitors from over 30 countries, with the RETAL and RETAL Baltic Films teams keen to highlight the latest innovative product developments.
Busy with meeting areas, filled with samples, and open to new and existing customers, the RETAL stand was a popular place at the event, which drew crowds of over 40,000 from across the beverage packaging industry.
The latest product from RETAL created great interest. The PET wine bottle for the famous Spumante sparkling wine attracted special attention, with samples of the bottle available to people interested in knowing more.
Samples were also available for a range of food and beverage segments, including finished products for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, edible oils and honey. RETAL presented complete solutions of rigid and flexible packaging for beverage and food producers, as well as tethered closures for a range of neck finishes. The tethered closure samples proved especially popular, as brands were ready to stay ahead of incoming legislation.
Senior marketing manager Maria Jarrar attended the event and is pleased to report that it offered a great opportunity to meet with customers. She says, “BrauBeviale was especially dynamic this year. We were delighted to speak with so many people at our stand, and also to walk around the event to catch up with our network. Sustainability continues to be the main topic, and we’re seeing how increased experience and expertise is bringing ever more innovative solutions. Being able to share samples and conversations showed how RETAL is continuing to make this leap forward throughout our complete packaging solutions portfolio.”
Thank you to everyone that visited the RETAL stand.
The latest RETAL Sustainability Report can be downloaded here LINK