RETAL – Donation of customised film for coronavirus masks
Retal donates customised film and expertise to the innovative Robotikos Mokykla to help create over 70,000 masks for healthcare professionals on the frontline of the coronavirus. Retal Baltic General Manager Vikorija Jureviciute responded to an online shout-out from the non-profit organisation, which provides technical education for children. “I saw an article where Robotikos described their need for films to create PPE masks for people in at-risk jobs during coronavirus in Lithuania. I knew we could help as we are film experts! I contacted them straight away to offer our films and design and production expertise. My team was so motivated to help, it has been a very positive experience.” Robotikos has coordinated volunteers for cutting the masks with lasers as well as to provide safe collection and delivery to the ambulance workers and medical staff that need them. Viktorija and her team’s quick response saw regular production of its PET and rPET films and preforms slightly delayed over one weekend while they tested various options to create the best possible film for the masks. Viktorija adds, “More people than ever before are needing to use PPE masks; not only those in hospitals but increasingly those in production of essential food and beverages too. Retal is delighted to be able to offer our skills and resources to this crucial protection of key workers, and I personally am grateful to Robotikos for managing this important project.” (April 15, 2020)
At Retal Baltic in Klaipeda, one of the largest production sites of plastic packaging manufacturer Retal, general manager Viktorija Jureviciute has striven to maintain the production of HDPE closures and rPET films for the food and beverage industry – products considered part of the essential industrial supply chain.
Then, an online shout-out from Robotikos Mokykla, or Robotics School, a non-profit organisation that provides innovative technical education for children, who was looking for potential local partners caught Jureviciute’s eye.
“With a few production changes, we could offer exactly what the front-line workers needed. Even though this pandemic has been an incredibly busy and challenging time for everyone, our team really pulled together to produce the film required – everyone was really motivated to help.”
The Retal Baltic production team first assessed its current film production to see how it could be adjusted to meet the performance for the masks. A few trials were carried out to decide which thickness would be suitable, with a one-layer film with anti-block additives chosen as it offers the clearest view. “We tested our GPET film too, but APET was already good enough and allowed for a peel-off cover if needed,” said Viktorija.
With the wholehearted support of the production teams and by slightly adapting its normal production over the weekend, Retal swung into action.
“We've been able to produce enough of the right film for 70,000 masks, which we've happily donated to Robotics School,” said Jureviciute.
The Robotics School team is coordinating volunteers for cutting the masks with lasers as well as their collection and delivery; libraries are 3D-printing the frames used with the Retal film masks for medical workers.
The film PPE masks are being distributed to ambulance workers, medical services staff and hospitals, as well as increasingly to production staff in industrial companies. With more people than ever before needing to use reliable PPE masks in order to continue to perform their work safely, Retal is delighted to be able to offer the necessary skills and resources, said Jureviciute.
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Global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL is conscious of its important role in sustainable development and closing the loop. Its latest media campaign focuses on ways in which it can harness its sphere of influence and promote a circular economy, with an article and video published on Forbes.
The company’s approach includes responsible and sustainable solutions already implemented across many of the group's multinational sites, such as purchasing up to 100% renewable energy, installing solar panels, and investing in the latest CAD technology to support its design-for-recycling approach to R&D.
A crucial message in the article and video is RETAL's assertion that valuing plastic waste is imperative in establishing and maintaining a closed loop. RETAL Sustainability Director Emmanuel Duffaut adds, “We have developed the capacity and expertise to produce preforms from up to 100 per cent recycled PET, and we are continuously working towards creating innovative design-for-recycling solutions that use light-weighting and tethered closures. This campaign is a great way to add visibility to our commitment to a circular economy.”
That visibility is already being felt by many of RETAL's multinational food and beverage brand customers, who value its strict CSR standards that are active across its facilities, bringing reliability and continuity for household name product packaging.
A representative from a global beverage brand customer agrees, “It’s great to see how RETAL is actively working on this important topic and trying to shed some light on the value that plastic has, focusing on the fact this material is not bad per se and it has indeed a lower CO2 footprint than the other primary packaging in the market (cans, glass).”
Norway's Telemark Springwater adds, “I read the article last week. Very good!”
PETcore Europe, the association that represents the complete PET value chain across Europe, also praised the campaign. PETcore’s management team member Sebastian Lemp says, “RETAL's transparent approach to address and overcome recycling challenges to move forward in a circular economy is exemplary. PET is not just any material; it is one of the most sustainable and circular materials, with a low environmental impact due to its lightweight, low CO2 emissions and high recycling rates. PET packaging helps keep food safe and decrease food waste due to longer shelf life and transportability.
If packaging is properly designed and collection/sorting schemes are optimised, as stated in the video, PET can be the ultimate star of the circular economy. At PETcore Europe we are working together with our around 100 members from the entire PET packaging value chain to overcome the mentioned challenges and push PET recycling up to 100%. Used PET packaging has to be valorised instead of ending up in the environment. It is PETcore Europe's objective to make this happen and we support our member RETAL in this endeavour towards a circular economy.”
RETAL would like to thank our valued customers for their positive response to our latest campaign, and are delighted to see how many stakeholders are just as committed to creating a supporting a circular economy that is sustainable for companies, consumers and the environment.
Creating reliable, responsible preforms and closures drives RETAL’s cooperation with beverage brands around the world. Collaborating with many of the world’s leading FMCG brands keeps RETAL leading the way when it comes to cost-effective, high volume PET and rPET preforms, closures and films, with its deep understanding of the latest regulations and trends allowing this packaging solutions company to consistently bring quality and flexibility to its customers.
RETAL cooperates with Spendrups Bryggeri AB, the largest and most well-known independent family-owned Swedish brewery, which produces, imports, and distributes alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages across Sweden’s unique drinks’ industry. Established in 1897, Spendrups is managed by the fourth-generation of the founding family and is ‘convinced that a proactive approach to sustainability is crucial’; an approach that RETAL is proud to share.
Since 2005, Spendrups has been a valued partner to RETAL, thanks to its provision of preforms and closures for its best-selling Loka carbonated water brand, which is the market leader in carbonated water in Sweden, and the world-recognised Heineken beer, which it license brews. RETAL supplies three preform sizes and one type of closure to Spendrups, providing packaging solutions for both beer, water and soda for this ISO 14001 company.
RETAL Sales Director Rimvydas Bazinys works closely with Spendrups’ Purchaser Bjorn Deborg to ensure that the solutions created meet the strict requirements of this Stockholmbased Group. Bazinys explains how the companies started their mutually-beneficial relationship,
saying, “Working with Bjorn and the Spendrups team is a very positive experience as they have an interesting, open company culture and they are very progressive in terms of sustainability. The infrastructure and Swedish mindset around collection and recycling is so strong, it’s an inspiration. It shows what is possible with the right circumstances.”
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Ensuring the circularity of plastics - all plastics - is key to the future of the industry.
And rightly so. We are all consumers as well as employees, we are parents, friends, children. We want to do the right thing wherever possible within our sphere of influence, from what we chose to spend our money on at lunchtime to where we go on holiday. One of the quickest, most satisfying ways to visually show how important sustainability is to us is in the products that we buy, particularly the products that other people will be aware that we've bought.
FMCG brands that use bio-based packaging are up year on year, with a recent study [1] stating that bio-based packaging was valued at USD4.65bn in 2019. Leading brands are keen to align themselves with the positive media of bio-based packaging, with smaller brands using it to connect with Millennials and differentiate themselves on crowded supermarket shelves [2].
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Trusted partners enable development over and above what individual companies can do alone. With the right support, service and communication, partners across the supply chain are hugely valued and much appreciated.
For global packaging producer RETAL, finding and maintaining trusted partners is crucial to its ongoing success, with its network of suppliers able to work together with its account managers to deliver exactly what customers need, when they need it.
A recent investment in new production lines from SACMI at RETAL Baltic and a sister company is the latest development in an evolving, long-standing relationship between RETAL and the respected machinery supplier.
SACMI is an international leader in industrial plant engineering, offering a varied portfolio of machines and complete plants for industries including packaging. Headquartered in Imola, Italy, and with over 4500 employees at 80 sites worldwide, SACMI prides itself on ‘putting customer satisfaction first’.
That promise is evident in the cooperation between RETAL and SACMI. As a supplier of machines for the manufacture of plastic closures, SACMI was aware of RETAL’s positive reputation and portfolio of preforms, closures and films, initially supplying the company with two lines in 1999.
SACMI key account manager Riccardo Rubini explains, “At that time, RETAL was only using injection technology and SACMI installed only compression technology. There were a number of challenges in terms of performance and maintenance of lines, so it’s fair to say that RETAL was not properly advised; it was a 50/50 issue. Although I wasn’t part of the SACMI team that worked with RETAL then, I’ve been determined to rectify the issue and show how our production lines can reliably deliver exactly what the company needs in terms of closures.”
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Effective internal communications for a global company brings many advantages but can be hard to implement and maintain. With various stakeholders and their differing needs, creating an engaging communications strategy is an opportunity for commercial and organisational goals to be met. Global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL shares how developing its intranet has been both more difficult and more rewarding than it expected.
For traditional manufacturing companies, the understanding of what effective communications are and why they’re necessary can be the first hurdle in developing a communications strategy. Different stakeholders can see the value of communications in opposite terms, with the ROI hard to quantify, especially in the short term. Yet the cost of poor internal communications may only be seen when it’s too late, so proposing, agreeing to, and, crucially, getting the budget for, a corporate intranet is the first hurdle.
Reducing dependence on single-use plastics is an important element in creating and maintaining a sustainable economy that crucially cuts the levels of plastic in our oceans. So what if we committed to giving up throwing away plastic for Lent and beyond?
According to a Smithers report, global plastic packaging consumption was projected at 58.6 million tonnes in 2019 and is forecast to grow during 2019-24 at an annual rate of 3.5%, to 69.8 million tonnes.
The stark truth is that plastic packaging is the lightest, cheapest, most effective, most convenient packaging, for food and beverages especially. Consumers still want convenience.
The main issue that surrounds the plastic packaging industry is the continued creation and maintenance of a joined-up collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure of used plastic packaging, allowing more recycled PET into the packaging value chain and drastically reducing the industry's need for virgin material.
RETAL's Sustainability Director Emmanuel Duffaut said: “From consumers to packaging producers, we all want to reduce our negative impact on the environment, and we all have a sphere of influence from which we can make a difference. By responsibly using plastic and committing to putting it into the correct recycling bin after use, consumers can make a huge difference as it keeps the plastic in the value chain.”
Giving up wasting and throwing away plastic packaging for Lent means consumers can be part of the circular economy, giving their plastic packaging a valuable second (and third, and fourth, and fifth...) life.
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Making a personal sacrifice is considered by many to be a key part of Lent. Social media is awash with people promising to go without something they love or value to be part of the Lent conversation.
Where it used to be about perhaps chocolate or alcohol, one popular hashtag seems to promise that giving up plastic for Lent will put them on the virtuous side of life. And of course, reducing our dependence on single use plastics is an important element in creating and maintaining a sustainable economy that crucially cuts plastic in our oceans.
But could we make a more tangible difference if we committed to giving up wasting plastic for Lent? What if we committed to giving up throwing away plastic for Lent and beyond?
According to a Smithers report, global plastic packaging consumption was projected at 58.6 million tons in 2019 and is forecast to grow during 2019-24 at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent, to 69.8 million tons.
The stark truth is that plastic packaging is the lightest, cheapest, most effective, most convenient packaging, for food and beverages especially. Consumers still want convenience.
The main issue that surrounds the plastic packaging industry is the continued creation and maintenance of a joined-up collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure of used plastic packaging, allowing more recycled PET into the packaging value chain and drastically reducing the industry's need for virgin material.
RETAL's Sustainability Director Emmanuel Duffaut says, “From consumers to packaging producers, we all want to reduce our negative impact on the environment, and we all have a sphere of influence from which we can make a difference. By responsibly using plastic and committing to putting it into the correct recycling bin after use, consumers can make a huge difference as it keeps the plastic in the value chain.”
Giving up wasting and throwing away plastic packaging for Lent means consumers can be part of the circular economy, giving their plastic packaging a valuable second (and third, and fourth, and fifth...) life.
Read the article in Manufacturing Journal
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Plastic packaging has a sustainable future. Delivering effective, circular packaging solutions that are both convenient for consumers and don’t negatively impact the planet is a challenge packaging manufacturers and global food and beverage brands are stepping up to.