Company uses an Amcor 100-percent-recycled-content PET bottle without labels in Argentina.

Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP) says it has worked with consumer products company Danone to launch what it calls a 100-percent-recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for the Villavicencio water brand in Argentina.

The new label-less bottle is made from 100-percent-recycled content and has a carbon footprint reduced by 21 percent compared with the previous bottle.

“As long-time partners, we are excited to support Danone’s mission to have a positive impact on the environment and our health,” says Juan Cazes, general manager of ARP Argentina. “Over the last two years, we have worked closely to produce a bottle that fully represents the Villavicencio brand, keeping the same visual elements. We used top-quality materials, helping to ensure the safety of the container and the consumer in the process, while we manufacture a bottle that, with the help of the consumer, will become another bottle once recycled.”

Switzerland-based Amcor, which describes itself as a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal-care and other products, says it has committed to making all its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

“Partnering with Danone, a global food and beverage company dedicated to inspiring a healthier world through food, was a natural step,” states the firm.

The Villavicencio bottle can be recycled several times over, “helping to support a more circular economy,” says ARP. Much of the brand’s packaging is made from PET, which it calls “easily recycled with mechanical or chemical recycling in most markets, even when that container uses a label.” Removing the label, like in the new Villavicencio design, provides an even greater opportunity to increase yields of recycled PET resin, ARP says.

“As one of our flagship brands in Argentina, Villavicencio upholds the ideals that we are all connected to nature,” says Pablo Colombo, Danone procurement director. “If the environment is healthy, we are too. So, in addition to serving our customers with high-quality products, we must do the same for our planet. The alliance with Amcor has allowed us to take another step in our commitment to sustainability, creating a bottle that, in addition to being 100 percent recyclable, has a lower carbon footprint.”

Firefighting equipment firm says its infrared systems can detect and identify sparks and embers in material stockpiles.

Germany-based fire prevention and firefighting equipment company Fagus-GreCon has issued a white paper recommending its infrared detectors as a tactic to suppress fires in recycling facilities before they become major incidents.

In its 15-page white paper, the company says that spark and ember detection systems already are installed on hundreds of recycling facilities across the world (Fagus-GreCon says 300,000 of its detectors are deployed globally), but “there are hundreds more that could benefit from their use.”

States Fagus-GreCon, “Using infrared sensors to detect the kinetic energy irradiated from sparks, embers, and hot particles, the presence of ignition sources can be detected within the recycling process.”

The firm lists several locations within a plant where such sensors can be helpful, including “outfeed from conveyors, trommels, and dryers; transfer points between mechanical conveyors; [and] ducting in dust extraction systems.”

Such detectors, says Fagus-GreCon “can identify a single spark or ember, allowing for mitigatory action to be initiated before a fire can take hold.”

As to the scale of the problem, Fagus-GreCon says in the United Kingdom alone, the National Fire Chiefs

Council (NFCC) reported more than 4,300 waste or recycling facility fires between 2001 and 2013. More than three-quarters of these, says the firm, “were on regulated sites [where] permitting regimes were in place specific to the waste operations and installations.”

In the report, Fagus-GreCon notes lithium-ion batteries “continue to present a challenge in extinguishing or suppressing the [fire] risk they pose.” GreCon says it has experience designing systems to identify where a detected ignition source or fire results from a battery in a thermal runaway condition, and it has worked with operators “to de-risk the downstream processes and storage areas.”

The Fagus-GreCon white paper can be downloaded from this web page.

The company plans to reduce plastic packaging by 25 percent per product by 2030.

Mattel Inc., El Segundo, California, has 2021 Citizenship Report, which provides a progress update on Mattel’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and established goals. 

Mattel’s ESG strategy and goals are organized into three pillars: Sustainable Design and Development; Responsible Sourcing and Production; and Thriving and Inclusive Communities. The company says the pillars represent the ESG areas where the company believes it can have the greatest impact.  

“At Mattel, our aim is to contribute to a more diverse, equitable, inclusive and sustainable future,” says Ynon Kreiz, chairperson and CEO of Mattel. “The progress across our ESG strategy and goals, and our new goal announced today, reflects our ongoing commitment to corporate citizenship and our purpose to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. I would like to thank all the teams across Mattel and our external stakeholders for their partnership on this important journey.”  

One of its new goals is to reduce plastic packaging by 25 percent. With its new packaging goal, Mattel is focused on reducing plastic materials from product packaging, including polybags, window sheets and blister packs as part of its packaging strategy and reduction approach.  

Mattel says it aims to develop innovative products and experiences that are better for the world by integrating sustainable materials with principles of product stewardship and circular design. In this pillar the company says it has:  

exceeded its goal to maintain 95 percent recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified content in the paper and wood fiber used in its products and packaging, reaching 97.9 percent in 2021 as validated by the Rainforest Alliance;  

recognized by the FSC with a 2021 Leadership Award for excellence in the use of FSC-certified products and commitment to responsible forest management;  

Increased the amount of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in most window cartons and blister packs from 25 percent in 2020 to 30 percent in 2021;  

launched Mattel PlayBack, a toy takeback program in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the UK, designed to recover and reuse valuable materials from old Mattel toys; and,  

progressed its goal to achieve 100 percent recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in products and packaging by 2030 with several new products made from more sustainable materials and other initiatives.

Mattel says it aims to optimize resource use in operations to reduce environmental effects and promote ethical sourcing practices and worker health and safety throughout the supply chain. In this pillar the company says it  has:  

Accelerated progress toward Mattel’s goal to reduce Scope One and Two Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions by 50 percent by 2030 reporting an 8 percent reduction in absolute Scope One and Two GHG emissions versus the 2019 baseline year. The GHG emissions data disclosed in the 2021 Citizenship Report has been verified by an independent third-party verification body, SCS Global Services;  

Advanced toward its goal to achieve zero manufacturing waste by 2030. The company conducted two on-site waste characterization audits at its manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico, and its distribution center in San Bernardino, California, which informed the creation of a new Mattel Waste Management Standard;  

The company achieved a 79 percent waste diversion rate in 2021; and,  

Established the Mattel Responsible Sourcing Working Group, a cross-functional team of internal experts to support Responsible Sourcing and Production, and to promote ethical sourcing practices and worker health and safety throughout Mattel’s supply chain, in 2021.  

Mattel aims to make a positive social impact through purposeful play and by supporting diverse, equitable and inclusive communities where we live, work and play. In this pillar the company has:  

progressed toward its global diversity, equity & inclusion goals of increasing representation of women and ethnically diverse talent, and achieved 100 percent base pay equity by gender globally and by ethnicity in the U.S.; and,

received the following notable recognitions for its workplace culture: Forbes World’s Best Employers of 2021; Forbes Best Employers for Women 2021; Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators 2021; Great Place to Work-Certified 2021; Newsweek Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces for 2021; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality 2021; and 2021 Time Most Influential Companies.  

“We are proud of the progress we have made in the past year toward our ESG goals and recognize that there is much more to be accomplished," says Pamela Gill-Alabaster, senior vice president of sustainability and social impact for Mattel. "Our new plastic packaging goal responds to increasing global attention on single-use plastic packaging waste and addresses changing consumer preferences. Our teams strive to continue to innovate with principles of circular design and product stewardship to develop products and packaging that are better for our planet.” 

The two will use UBQ for a cost-competitive thermoplastic elastomer.

UBQ Materials, a climate tech developer of advanced materials made from unsorted household waste based in Tel Aviv, Israel, announced that it is partnering with Teknor Apex Company, a thermoplastics compounder based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The two plan to include UBQ in its latest line of sustainable thermoplastic elastomers (TPE).  

UBQ is a sustainable plastic substitute converted entirely from unsorted municipal solid waste, including all organics that have been diverted from landfills. UBQ is a novel worldwide patented material that has already been adopted by leading industry brands and enterprises for manufacturing durable products with reduced environmental footprints.   

The company says this partnership marks the first time UBQ will be used in TPE compounds, a rubber-like material used across industries. As the preferred material for applications requiring flexibility in the consumer products, automotive, industrial and building and construction industries, TPEs combine the performance of thermoset rubber with the processability of a thermoplastic and can be recycled. Teknor Apex’s TPE production offerings are as diverse as the industries they serve, consisting of formulations specifically designed to meet market requirements for physical and thermal performance.  

In the race to meet market demand for environmentally conscious materials, the TPE market is embracing new sustainable options. Customized TPE solutions provide the right balance of performance, manufacturability and economics, and introducing sustainable content increases the complexity.  

Over the past year, Teknor Apex and UBQ have developed a series of TPEs incorporating various levels of UBQ and high-quality postconsumer recycled raw materials, diverting plastics from landfills and creating greater circularity within the polymers supply chain.   

“Incorporating UBQ into our TPEs, we are introducing the market to a new TPE option that is both cost-competitive and better for the planet,” says Jonathan Plisco, new business development manager of Teknor Apex. “Many customers are looking for more sustainable options that meet both the functional and financial requirements of a competitive marketplace. Manufacturers can become a part of the waste solution by incorporating sustainable materials that divert waste and preserve finite natural resources.”   

The company is joining with Li Industries to sort end-of-life batteries more efficiently.

Call2Recycle, an Atlanta-based battery recycler, has announced a partnership with Li Industries, a battery recycling technology startup based in Blacksburg, Virginia, to augment its battery sorting and recycling using Li Industries’ technology. The companies say the partnership will initially focus on commercializing Li Industries’ sorting technology, allowing end-of-life batteries to be more efficiently and accurately sorted by battery chemistry.

Li Industries says its sorting technology automates most of the major tasks associated with identifying battery chemistries so they can be separated for recycling. The technology is recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as a Phase II Battery Recycling Prize winner and uses machine-learning to identify the physical and chemical nuances of different types of batteries, including lithium-ion, which helps processors optimize recycling efforts. The company says this process speeds up recycling.

“One key element in optimizing the benefits of recycling is to ensure that we identify and capture as much of the used material as possible,” says Call2Recycle CEO Leo Raudys. “Li Industries’ sorting technology enables us to identify the critical materials in each battery so that we can recover as much reusable material as possible, contributing to the circular economy and keeping it in the North America[n] supply chain.”

Call2Recycle and Li Industries say they will refine their approach to lithium-ion battery processing with the commercialization of its process, expected in 2023, and Li Industries expects its upcoming sorting facility to be fully operational by the end of this year.

“We are honored to be working with America’s leading battery collection program,” says Li Industries co-founder and CEO Dr. Zheng Li. “Call2Recycle’s insights, breadth of operation and footprint will allow us to scale our technology so that we can have a truly significant impact on battery recycling in the U.S.”

Last year, Call2Recycle signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with Lithion Recycling Inc., Montreal, to provide a recycling collection and handling system for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The two companies cited "various clients within the EV sector, whether at the dealer level, manufacturing or dismantling [stage]" that can tap into the alliance's projected safety and compliance, training, container arrangement, tracking and storage capability services.