Smurfit Westrock has launched its innovative Bag-in-Box Powergrip, a fiber-based solution designed specifically for food and beverage packaging. This product features a built-in handle, offering a sustainable alternative to high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles, two-liter, and five-liter jerrycans. According to the company, it contains 70% less plastic compared to traditional HDPE forms.
The cardboard casing of the BIB incorporates a built-in handle, enabling users to pour its contents with one hand. Remarkably, the handle is also made from cardboard. This substrate allows for various printing techniques and customization options akin to standard boxes, as confirmed by a company spokesperson. The Powergrip is adept at holding fluids, including cleaning materials, oils, and agrochemical products, as highlighted in a news release.
Manufactured at Smurfit Westrock’s Turnhout plant in Belgium, the company asserts that the Powergrip will assist customers in adhering to the plastic reduction and packaging sustainability mandates established by Europe’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Track Record
In another notable development, Reusables.com earned a U.S. patent for its tap-to-reuse food service operator system. This groundbreaking technology tracks containers without necessitating deposits or the storage of sensitive payment information.
This reusable packaging systems firm emphasizes that it is the first technology to seamlessly integrate with existing point-of-sale systems, effectively separating asset management from payment processing. Such separation enhances security, compliance, and scalability.
Notably, this system will apply a refundable charge only if consumers fail to return the container within a designated timeframe. Importantly, Reusables.com does not require upfront charges nor retains payment information, striving to make reuse a more cost-effective and convenient option for consumers compared to disposable products.
“We’ve essentially solved the integration problem that has kept reusable packaging confined to niche applications, and now we have the IP protection to scale this approach across the entire retail ecosystem,” stated co-founder and CEO Jason Hawkins in a news release. “Retailers can offer reusables without changing their operational workflows, and consumers get the convenience benefits without the friction of paying deposits or downloading additional apps.”
Foiling Fakes
In a related innovation, Germany-based lubricants provider Mannol is introducing new screw caps for its product containers, featuring visible authenticity markings to combat counterfeiting, the company reported.
Product piracy poses significant risks not only to manufacturers but also to consumer safety, with estimates suggesting that counterfeit engine oils comprise a double-digit percentage of the global market.
Mannol’s new screw caps are engineered with distinct, recognizable branding features for authenticity, including the company name, motto, and a silver finish. The cap’s top features an embossed texture with an iridescent effect that shimmers under specific lighting, a detail designed for its difficulty to replicate, according to the company.
The new caps are currently being rolled out globally and will eventually be utilized across Mannol’s entire range of product containers, encompassing engine oils, transmission oils, and industrial oils.