Global PET packaging manufacturer RETAL has signed the Circular Plastics Alliance Declaration, adding its voice to the global shift towards sustainable and circular plastic packaging, and heightened demand for firms to take the lead in their production.
Launched in December 2018 by the European Commission, the Circular Plastics Alliance advocates for the plastics industry to move to a circular economy model. The CPA’s immediate goal is to ensure that more than 10 million tonnes of recycled plastic find their way into plastic products made within the EU every year by 2025.
Yuri Khmara, a member of RETAL’s Board of Directors, stressed that strong, high-level value-chain partnerships and collaboration are key to ensuring plastic pollution is successfully addressed. “As demand for plastics packaging continues to increase, it’s hugely important that all of us in the industry take a lead in addressing the environmental issues at stake,” he said. “RETAL fully supports the CPA as a great way to ensure that the sector becomes more responsible for plastics pollution as a whole. And, as a member of the value chain that leads to that pollution, we are committed to contributing our expertise in whatever way to mitigating the issue.”
RETAL is already active in many of the areas the CPA declaration focuses on. It promotes a design-to-recycle approach, supports and advocates for PET recycling across Europe, and conducts local clean-up operations to help raise awareness, reduce the environmental impact of plastic and increase understanding of the role of an efficient circular economy. All of this is achieved through RETAL’s membership of Recyclass, PETcore and Waste Free Oceans, groups dedicated to similar aims.
With more than 20 years’ experience in PET packaging production, as well as a commitment to the long-term sustainability of the plastics industry, RETAL has the know-how and capacity to make a substantial contribution to the CPA’s aims. “If we are to stop the environmental impact of plastic, we need to take it seriously as a valuable reusable resource, not treat it as disposable waste,” Khmara added. “It’s a challenge that everyone, from manufacturers to retailers to consumers, plays a part in solving, and in signing this declaration, RETAL is voicing its commitment to making plastic circular.”
By Emmanuel Duffaut, Sustainability Director, RETAL
The common thread running through all industries is sustainability. Th edesire and the demand to design, manufacture and supply products and services that are as responsible as they are reliable.
For the packaging industry, this mega trend has the particular sense of urgency. With the perfect strom of an increasing demand for convenience matched only by the increasing understanding of our environmental footprint, all stakeholders in the packaging value chain must do all they can to deliver sustainable solutions.
Global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL develops and produces high quality packaging solutions, including PET (polyethilene terephtalate) preforms, HDPE (high-density polyethylene) closures, PET containers and films. Employing over 1500 people, operating 17 production sites in 10 countries and supplying customers in over 60 countroes worldwide, RETAL has gained its reputation for quality and flexibility thanks to continued strategic investment and an ability to deliver packaging solutions.
The first of RETAL’s clean up events took place in Cyprus, on 12 October, with over 30 volunteers removing plastic waste from the coastline to be repurposed into meaningful products.
Joining forces with international Waste Free Oceans, RETAL employees and their families collected discarded plastic waste from the Lady’s mile area coast in Limassol, highlighting the role of plastic packaging companies in the fight against plastic pollution.
The group of volunteers was bolstered by 13 members of the RETAL-sponsored Apollon Ladies’ Football Club, including vice president George Ollandos, who were delighted to join together with RETAL and WFO to show how a strong team spirit helps make challenging situations far more positive.
RETAL’s clean-up event was combined with the annual Environment & Recycling Festival in the Molos area of Limassol, with the strapline ‘Build Good Habits’ aiming to raise public awareness. Here, RETAL’s stand offered ‘Raising Awareness’ brochures, with many local people visiting the stand to discuss recycling, circular economy and future of positive plastic. Hagai Golan, RETAL Cyprus General Manager, says, “This was a true team event; bringing together RETAL people, WFO and the Apollon Ladies F.C. made for an impressive group that showed how positive action can create a ripple effect. The festival was also an excellent opportunity to show our local community what RETAL is doing to mitigate our environmental impact.”
The first of RETAL’s clean-up events has taken place in with more than 30 volunteers removing plastic waste from the coastline to be repurposed into meaningful products.
Joining forces with Waste Free Oceans, RETAL employees and their families collected discarded plastic waste from the Lady’s Mile area coast in Limassol, highlighting the role of plastic packaging companies in the fight against plastic pollution.
The group of volunteers was bolstered by 13 members of the RETAL-sponsored Apollon Ladies’ Football Club, including VP George Ollandos, who were keen to show how a strong team spirit helps make challenging situations far more positive.
Hagai Golan, RETAL Cyprus General Manager, said: “This was a true team event bringing together RETAL people, WFO and the Apollon Ladies FC and making for an impressive group that showed how positive action can create a ripple effect. The festival was also an excellent opportunity to show our local community what RETAL is doing to mitigate our environmental impact.”
RETAL’s clean-up event was combined with the annual Environment & Recycling Festival in the Molos area of Limassol, with the strapline ‘Build Good Habits’ aiming to raise public awareness. Here, RETAL’s stand offered ‘Raising Awareness’ brochures, with many local people visiting the stand to discuss recycling, circular economy and future of positive plastic.
Emmanuel Duffaut, RETAL’s Sustainability Director, added: “We are determined to be active and responsible in our role in the circular economy. By partnering with Waste Free Oceans, we are able to see how collecting visible plastic waste from our coastlines helps promote a positive second life for plastic.”
RETAL is a PET preform supplier and active member of Waste Free Oceans, which targets converters, governments, companies, and the public to inspire recovery, recycling and reuse.
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The first of RETAL’s clean up events took place in Cyprus on October 12th, with over 30 volunteers removing plastic waste from the coastline to be repurposed into meaningful products.
Joining forces with international Waste Free Oceans, RETAL employees and their families collected discarded plastic waste from the Lady’s mile area coast in Limassol, highlighting the role of plastic packaging companies in the fight against plastic pollution.
The group of volunteers was bolstered by 13 members of the RETAL-sponsored Apollon Ladies’ Football Club, including vice president George Ollandos, who were delighted to join together with RETAL and WFO to show how a strong team spirit helps make challenging situations far more positive.
RETAL’s clean-up event combined with the annual Environment & Recycling Festival in the Molos area of Limassol, with the strapline ‘Build Good Habits’ aiming to raise public awareness. Here, RETAL’s stand offered ‘Raising Awareness’ brochures, with many local people visiting the stand to discuss recycling, circular economy and future of positive plastic. Hagai Golan, RETAL Cyprus General Manager, says, “This was a true team event; bringing together RETAL people, WFO and the Apollon Ladies F.C. made for an impressive group that showed how positive action can create a ripple effect. The festival was also an excellent opportunity to show our local community what RETAL is doing to mitigate our environmental impact.”
Emmanuel Duffaut, RETAL’s sustainability director, says, “We are determined to be active and responsible in our role in the circular economy. By partnering with Waste Free Oceans, we are able to see how collecting visible plastic waste from our coastlines helps to promote a positive second life for plastic packaging and to realise the value that PET creates.”
RETAL is an active member of Waste Free Oceans, which targets converters, governments, companies, and the public, to mobilise them into recovering, recycling and reusing plastic. With over 75 members, including leading global manufacturers and household brands, Brussels-based WFO promises to ‘clean up our waters and use what’s in them wisely’, as well as lobbying policy makers for positive change and hosting events to raise awareness.
Duffaut adds, “RETAL is a global PET packaging producer with over 1500 employees worldwide; our employees want to be proud to work for RETAL. By encouraging our people to be part of the plastic packaging solution and by continually investing resources in creating plastic packaging solutions that utilise recycled PET, we can ensure we continue to deliver convenience for the consumer and sustainability for the planet.”
Check out the video from our Clean-Up.
RETAL Baltic has gained EU Funding to support the economic and professional development of its staff.
Thanks to the European Union Funds’ Investments in 2014-2020, RETAL Baltic will promote a range of valuable skills through high-level training across its production team, including ‘adaptation to economic changes, improvement of professional qualifications and the development of specific professional competencies'.
The total value of the project is EUR 538,133.88, of which EUR 269,066.94 is funded by the European Social Fund. RETAL Baltic has gained funding from the Priority 9 ‘Public Education and Enhancing the Potential of the Human Resources’ of the Operational Programme, which is due to end in August 2021.
General Manager of RETAL Baltic Viktorija Jureviciute says, “We are delighted to have gained funding to support our in-service training as we are committed to the continual development of our team, both for their personal and professional development and for the on-going enhancement of RETAL’s PET and rPET packaging solutions. We thank the European Social Fund for this valuable contribution, and we look forward to utilising the additional skills the training will bring.”
Popular in non-food and food-grade packaging for meat, fish, dairy and ready meals, black and metallized films are currently very difficult to recycle as the infrared is absorbed by the carbon instead of being reflected towards the sensor, rendering the material invisible. As part of a global circular economy strategy, RETAL Baltic is installing a state-of-the-art line to process more r-PET and PET scraps, and is gradually moving away from black masterbatch with carbon to create more circular black and metallized films that are easily recognized in standard recycling sorting facilities.
Investment in the new extrusion line at RETAL Baltic means the global plastic packaging manufacturer is continuing to provide greater volumes of rPET film, with 100% rPET films now able to be produced. Robertas Grizas, RETAL Baltic’s APET Production Development Manager, says, “We want to ensure that we are maximizing the value of plastic waste, both post-industrial and post-consumer. By investing in this new extrusion line – which can process all types of PET scrap, we can produce food-grade black and metallized rPET film that can be recognized by recycling sorting equipment as it uses an alternative to black carbon masterbatch, and we can also use up to 100% rPET flakes in its manufacture.”
As thermoformer and brand owner customers increase their demands on the sustainability credentials of their packaging, global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL is proud to move forwards alongside them. Grizas continues, “There’s no need to incinerate or send black and metallized films to landfill anymore as RETAL can effectively reprocess it back into production for food-grade packaging for global brand owners.”
The new RETAL Baltic extrusion line will further boost the company’s commitment to the circular economy by processing waste from multilayer films as well as the black and metallized films. Grizas adds, “RETAL has acquired the technology to use hard to recycle post-industrial waste that we collect from our customers. RETAL produces transparent and colored films, including black and metallized, and though there has been a tendency for thermoforming customers to prefer transparent films to colored and metallised, now RETAL can help with their post industrial waste to be processed it into food-grade films. It is crucial to keep black rPET in the plastic packaging value chain as it allows for all colours of scrap to be mixed when reprocessed into rPET and promotes its use, so RETAL is delighted to be creating more circular black rPET film.”
RETAL’s Sustainability Director Emmanuel Duffault appreciates that this latest investment is another positive step in the company’s progressive position on developing and producing more sustainable and circular plastic packaging. Duffaut says, “By investing in new technology that can efficiently process up to 100% rPET flakes and by improving the recyclability of our products using non-carbon black masterbatch, we are further illustrating our commitment to providing thermoformers and brand owners with plastic packaging that combines convenience with sustainability.”
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The key unifying theme of FachPack 2019 is of course ‘Environmentally friendly packaging’, but this covers a huge diversity of topics from across the entire packaging supply chain. We asked exhibitors about the ideas and solutions they will be presenting at the event, and which trends or developments they are most curious about.
RETAL
The RETAL Baltic team of film experts will be on hand to discuss our latest line that produces films of up to 100 per cent rPET, a great boost from our current 60 per cent rPET.
RETAL Baltic values FachPack’s strong focus on sustainability and how this core issue impacts us all.
We expect to learn more about how we can all contribute and play our role in the circular economy.
Read online version on Packaging Europe
Staying close to consumer trends is crucial for progressive packaging manufacturers. The global mega trend for greater convenience shows no sign of slowing down1, while the growing understanding for the need for sustainable solutions across FMCG brands is increasingly both a legal2 and an emotional requirement.
As consumers across age, nationality and social demographics identify with being busier and more time-poor, so too do they want to maximise their hard-earned leisure time. Consumers are exhausted! Exhausted by choice, responsibilities, demands on their time. They are constantly accessible to colleagues, bosses, friends and family through smart phones and social media. Expectations to perform are high.
Consumers' stressful on-the-go lifestyles means that they value self-care more than ever before. People are starting to appreciate that being this busy means being more stressed, with a greater understanding of the negative impact on what stress does to our wellbeing. The growing trend for taking better care of ourselves3 – both of our physical and mental health - means that there are unparalleled opportunities for wellness brands to gain brand ambassadors; consumers that identify with their values, whether that's gluten-free, dairy-free, luxurious, organic – and they're happy to shout about it.
Win, win
Balancing these seemingly contradictory trends is a fascinating element of differentiation for packaging manufacturers and their R&D teams. The goal to create desirable, sustainable plastic packaging for bottled water is in everyone's interest; consumers, legislators, packaging manufacturers and beverage brand owners all have a part to play and a dog in the fight.
The multinational team across RETAL's global manufacturing is continually looking at ways to ensure that its products are lighter and smarter, with clever ways to make sure that the PET preforms, closures and containers it creates are taking part of the responsibility on board. From integrating state-of-the-art software so physical prototyping is unnecessary, to installing huge solar panel plants on its factories, to working closely with global beverage brands to guarantee that its plastic water bottles have tethered closures that helps to avoid contaminated recycling and increase their collection due to not being lost in general waste, RETAL is working on active ways to mitigate its impact.
Read online version on Packaging Europe
Global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL publishes its first Sustainability Report that sets out its ambitious CSR strategy and action plan.
At a time when plastic packaging is in the spotlight and sustainability issues such as climate change are of great concern to our customers and stakeholders, RETAL felt crucial to bring more transparency to its sustainability action and performance.
RETAL's Sustainability Director Emmanuel Duffaut says, “We welcome the spotlight on plastic packaging as it helps to push us even further forward in our ongoing CSR effort to develop more sustainable and circular packaging; RETAL is determined to integrate CSR principles across our whole business to develop on a sustainable way”.
From sourcing renewable energy and light weighting our products, to assessing our Human rights impacts or evaluating our suppliers’ CSR performance and raising awareness on fighting plastic pollution, we know that our impact goes beyond the packaging we produce and we take a value chain approach.”
The Sustainability Report is available to download on the RETAL corporate website (link). Purposefully easy to read and accessible, the report is a wide-ranging document that clarifies RETAL's current sustainability position and its mission and expectations, addressing topics including our approach to CSR management and our action on climate change and circular economy.
Duffaut adds, “RETAL's first Sustainability Report marks our seriousness in this crucial journey and puts in place our intention to progress profitably as a responsible plastic packaging producer and partner. By openly accepting the scrutiny and opinions of our stakeholder groups, we wish to formalise a future that mitigates our environmental and social impacts of our business.”