Technology

  • An industrial printing and box-making machine bears branding from EFI and Packsize.
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    Permission granted by EFI
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    Digitally printed, rightsized boxes could change the shape of e-commerce

    EFI and Packsize collaborated on a system they say checks the right boxes to boost packaging customization, which can help brands connect with consumers and improve sustainability.

    By • June 18, 2024
  • One person stands and speaks to five people seated at a metal table in an industrial setting with a Tetra Pak logo on the wall.
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    Permission granted by Tetra Pak
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    Q&A

    Tetra Pak training center expansion offers ‘golden opportunity’ for employee engagement

    Fabio Raffone, a company vice president, describes how virtual and hands-on training sessions help to build the workforce of the future while reducing turnover.

    By • May 21, 2024
  • A row of multicolored Jones Soda bottles
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    Courtesy of Jones Soda Co.
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    Augmented reality entices brands with endless off-package marketing space

    Brands such as Almond Breeze and Jones Soda have found that visuals accessed via phone cameras can engage and educate shoppers. As the technology advances, packaging will offer increasing opportunities to test this.

    By Leslie Nemo • May 20, 2024
  • A variety of different colored pouches of Dionis Goat Milk Skincare lotion.
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    Courtesy of Dionis Goat Milk Skincare
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    Packaging innovations: Bandit Wines cartons offer augmented reality, Huggies ups PCR in diaper bags

    Plus, Dionis Goat Milk Skincare lotion now comes in refill pouches and American Packaging Corp. tackles pet food pouch recyclability.

    By • May 6, 2024
  • Clemson University
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    Permission granted by Clemson University
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    Q&A

    Design and sustainability opportunities draw in next generation of packaging students

    Greg Batt, who serves as director of the packaging science program at Clemson University, also highlighted the growing role of data.

    By • April 15, 2024
  • Wide shot of a building exterior with the "Myplas" logo.
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    Permission granted by Myplas
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    Eviction threat looms as film recycler Myplas accrues $1.3M in unpaid bills

    Unexpected financial challenges occurred shortly after the company launched its highly anticipated Minnesota polyethylene film recycling operation in December, according to Peter Shippen, Myplas board chair.

    By • Updated April 15, 2024
  • A 24-pack of beverage cans sitting in a cardboard base with a fiber wrapper around them.
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    Katie Pyzyk/Serdar Akar
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    5 packaging innovation trends to watch in 2024: SPC

    AI, digital labeling and “paperization” top the movements highlighted in the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s inaugural Packaging Innovation Trends Report.

    By • April 9, 2024
  • Rows of Tide detergent bottles on a store shelf
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    P&G, Dow pursue dissolution technology for recycling rigid, flexible, multilayer plastic packaging

    The in-development technology represents neither mechanical nor advanced recycling, according to Dow. The intent is for the resulting material to be of “near-virgin quality” with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint.

    By • March 29, 2024
  • Andy Lomasky, senior director of IT for PMMI, stands at a PMMI podium on the Industry Speaks stage at Pack Expo East on March 20, 2024.
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    Maria Rachal/Serdar Akar
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    How IT and OT can team up on cybersecurity in manufacturing: PMMI

    The association and partners also highlighted post-pandemic investment in remote services at Pack Expo East.

    By • March 28, 2024
  • Sign for the US Department of Energy out-front of their headquarters the James Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C.
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    The Bold Bureau via Getty Images
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    International Paper, O-I Glass win DOE funds for industrial decarbonization

    Targeting “difficult-to-decarbonize sectors,” the Biden administration calls its 33 project awards “the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in American history.” Diageo, Eastman, Gallo Glass and ExxonMobil are also recipients.

    By • March 25, 2024
  • Holy Grail demo in Pertuis, France.
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    Permission granted by Digimarc
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    Digimarc shifts packaging watermarking strategy to reach producer responsibility organizations

    The company sees EPR laws in U.S. states as a possible catalyst for expansion of its recycling technology. It's now seeking contracts with various types of central buyers that could manage a program at scale.

    By • Feb. 28, 2024
  • An aerial view of Arglass' manufacturing facility in Valdosta, Georgia.
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    Permission granted by Arglass
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    Arglass envisions ‘maximum flexibility’ Georgia production site

    The U.S. packaging manufacturer says a forthcoming furnace could make 350 million glass containers per year. The ability for smaller production runs could make it resilient to market trends and more approachable for customers.

    By • Feb. 15, 2024
  • Exterior view of Berry Global's Circular Innovation and Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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    Courtesy of Berry Global
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    Berry invests in stretch film circularity at new innovation and training center

    “State-of-the-art” technology at the center will measure stretch film properties and behaviors, including tensile strength and force-to-load ratio.

    By • Feb. 14, 2024
  • A fiber-based tape dispenser and three rolls of tape.
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    Permission granted by Blue Lake Packaging
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    Q&A

    From Apple to plastic-free living: Blue Lake Packaging founder describes business pivot

    CEO Ying Liu describes how Blue Lake Packaging aims to expand market reach and product offerings in 2024, noting that “packaging itself can be a product” instead of simply protecting products.

    By • Feb. 5, 2024
  • A stack of unfolded, flat paperboard boxes next to one folded box.
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    Bohdan Bevz via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Paperboard Packaging Council’s new leader talks importance of listening, representation

    PPC promoted Emily Leonczyk to executive director and vice president. She plans for “feet-on-the-ground” engagement during a series of facility visits to better understand members’ changing needs.

    By • Jan. 29, 2024
  • A collection of cans, cartons, glass and plastic bottles laid out on grass
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    Nuclear_lily via Getty Images
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    The packaging industry outlook for 2024

    Serdar Akar takes a closer look at what’s in store for policymaking, producer responsibility, plastics and more.

    By Serdar Akar Staff • Jan. 23, 2024
  • Close-up shot of an industrial piece of machinery for printing.
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    Permission granted by EFI
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    Digital inkjet printing’s transformation of the packaging industry

    The technology’s uptake is expected to accelerate. Current use cases include customization to connect with consumers, and future advancements focus on AI and scannable codes. Learn more in our three-part series.

    By • Dec. 20, 2023
  • A person wearing black gloves holds a cardboard e-commerce box with QR codes and a barcode printed on the address label.
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    Sean Rayford via Getty Images
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    Serdar Akar

    Customization, AI and scannable codes seen as future opportunities for digital printing

    As the technology’s capabilities broaden, converters are “thinking in completely different ways” about packaging production and predicting it will capture some of analog printing's market share.

    By • Dec. 20, 2023
  • Industrial machinery with rolls of paper intertwined.
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    Permission granted by Georgia-Pacific
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    Serdar Akar

    Brands level up packaging with digital printing’s customization, consumer connection options

    From Taylor Swift-printed Amazon boxes to different versions of the same product, digital inkjet printing enables converters such as Fortis Solutions Group, Printpack and Tetra Pak to meet brands' evolving needs.

    By , • Dec. 13, 2023
  • Rolls of paper being printed on industrial machinery.
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    Permission granted by Georgia-Pacific
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    Serdar Akar

    ‘Revolutionary’ digital printing technology uptake expected to accelerate for packaging

    DS Smith, Georgia-Pacific, International Paper, WestRock, O-I Glass and others are among the companies innovating with this technology, which can increase precision and reduce waste.

    By , • Nov. 29, 2023
  • A close up of a recycling bin labeled in multiple languages
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    Megan Quinn/Serdar Akar
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    HDPE packaging to get digital watermarking in HolyGrail 2.0 rollout in France

    P&G, which is participating in the initiative to improve plastic recycling rates, hopes to gain insight into “any gaps in the actual chain of custody from manufacture to recycling so that we can ensure optimal circularity.”

    By • Oct. 23, 2023
  • The show floor at Pack Expo 2023 in Las Vegas.
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    Katie Pyzyk/Serdar Akar
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    Stories from Pack Expo 2023

    Catch up on all of Serdar Akar’s coverage from Las Vegas, including shifting trends and industry leaders’ insights on what’s next.

    By • Sept. 26, 2023
  • A white robot arm picks up cardboard boxes at a booth display at a conference.
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    Katie Pyzyk/Serdar Akar
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    Pack Expo 2023

    AI will revolutionize packaging, but strong controls are needed: Pack Expo speakers

    “Packaging is the hardest piece to corral” due to the complexity of the sector’s data, said Specright founder and CEO Matthew Wright.

    By • Sept. 25, 2023
  • A Chipotle worker scans an RFID tag on a box as part of a growing traceability initiative
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    RFID on packaging gains traction amid food safety and waste concerns

    A tracking system traditionally used for nonperishable items could become more common on certain types of packaging ahead of future traceability requirements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    By Leslie Nemo • Sept. 12, 2023
  • Two researchers in lab coats working in a biotechnology laboratory.
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    Katie Pyzyk/Serdar Akar
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    LanzaTech’s emissions-gobbling microbes help to create plastic packaging

    The growing biotechnology company engineers intermediate components for plastic packaging and aims to reach 300,000 metric tons of production capacity this year.

    By • Aug. 31, 2023