Comprehensive Recycling Solution With Throughputs Up to 10t/hr for the Plastics Industry
MAAG Group’s recycling systems make it a strong partner for the circular economy in the plastics recycling industry.
Our expertise in downstream equipment enables us to meet the rigorous demands of the virgin polymer industry. This is why MAAG is also regarded as an important partner to the recycling industry; delivering energy efficiency, productivity and product quality. Our solutions save resources through smart design, compact construction and durability of components.
MAAG Group recycling system.
MAAG Group’s downstream equipment recycling systems help users to quickly and efficiently remove heavy contaminants such as paper, aluminum and wood to produce reusable pellets. MAAG equipment is the right choice for mechanical, chemical and advanced recycling.
MAAG Downstream Equipment recycling systems are coordinated to each other, and can be operated via our proprietary control system.
Modern recycling systems must be capable of handling feedstock of varying quality grades. With this in mind, the EX125-6 recycling pump provides precise, uniform pressure for downstream filtration and pelletizing over a wide range of feedstock inputs.
At the heart of Maag recycling systems is the Ettlinger Recycling melt filter, a continuous-running high-performance melt filter. Melt with contamination content of 16% and particle sizes up to 2.5 mm can be pumped into the filter for removal and discharge. Our ECO 1000 achieves throughputs up to 10,000 kg/h depending on filter fineness ranging from 60 µm to 1800 µm.
Both ERF and ECO series are capable of filtering almost any polymer used in recycling operations, in the production of recycled pellets, sheets and films, strips and fibers, or in the compounding industry.
All Ettlinger Recycling melt filters operate continuously, keeping the volume and pressure of the melt stream constant. This avoids increasing extruder speed, and as a result, cuts energy consumption by as much as 30%.
Comparison of extrex6 standard pump and extrex6 recycling pump: MAAG’s melt pump has been specially upgraded for processes dealing with higher contamination levels and larger particles on the recycling market.
After filtration, underwater and strand pelletizing ensures a perfect pellet shape for the recycled resin. The benefits and innovations seen in the latest PEARLO model embody Maag’s advances in underwater pelletizing founded on the decades of experience of both Gala and Automatik. The result is a highly uniform spherical pellet with low fines content.
More and more companies are looking for new ideas as to how recycling plastics can be incorporated into end products for consumers and technical components for industry. As a result, compounding is coming more into focus – provided that process stability, high availability and durability of the machines used in the compounding process can be assured.
A glance at the shelves in the supermarket is enough. Even today you can already find a large number of packagings that advertise a high recycling plastic content, and this share is set to increase even further. It is not only the large manufacturers of goods and articles for the ultimate consumer who are changing over or re-evaluating their processes, but also many other industries.
But changing over a process to enable the use of recycled materials is anything but simple. In the meantime, it has become possible to produce customized recycling plastics even for high-grade applications by adding additives, fillers or reinforcing materials such as talcum or chalk (CaCO3), glass fibers or master batch pigments. In view of the fluctuating quality of the input material, however, the know-how about material properties, wear protection and process stability is more important than ever when it comes to the compounding of recycling plastics. Only then can the property profile of the end product be maintained without compromising quality.
In this respect, raw materials based on recycled material no longer differ much from virgin material in terms of their properties. However, this does have an impact on the pumps, filters and pelletizing systems required for the compounding process. Ultimately different compositions, residual moisture contents and viscosities are the order of the day with recyclates, and various contaminants further complicate the compounding process.
To give just one example: For cost reasons, recycled material is often mixed with fillers, especially talcum or chalk. They can often account for up to 60 percent of the material. The mineral filler has a wear-enhancing effect. Furthermore, higher contamination levels and thus larger particle sizes are involved. Extremely resilient pumps and melt filters are therefore required. This makes it all the more important to have well-matched components in the entire process.
Each component combines with the next
Maag supplies complete solutions for the compounding process. Here – from melt conveying and filtration to pelletizing or grinding and drying through to the control system – all the components combine seamlessly with one another to create and efficient production process. The know-how of the entire Maag family with the product brands Automatik, Ettlinger, Gala, Maag, Reduction, Scheer Witte and Xantec goes into the process. These individual elements are brought together into one system, resulting in a complete system downstream of the extruder. The carefully combined unit with the Xantec control concept has coordinated interfaces. It ensures optimum process monitoring and can even be extended to the extruder control system and the dispensing, i.e. to the entire recycling line.
Ettlinger high performance melt filter ERF1000.
Vast system know-how
Long service lives, especially when working with recyclates and fillers, are achieved not only by innovative materials and surface know-how, but also by the way the system is operated. To achieve fast start-up and shutdown cycles of processing and compounding extruders, and minimize the load on them, the pressure of the plastic melt is generated by a gear pump. Only with a constant pressure and volume in the process can pellets of the highest quality be continuously produced.
In the Maag melt pump, on the other hand, the material is only briefly pressurized and is subject to very little shearing. The reason for this is that the Maag gear pumps operate with very high precision. Depending on the viscosity of the product, they guarantee a tolerance range of a few bar pressure variation. This is ensured by the special gearing and the special geometry of the gear wheels. The precise and stable volume flow rate reduces the extruder’s pressure demand, delivering greater efficiency and extended service life, which are highly valued attributes in the recycling industry.
The Maag melt pump was developed one step further for this industry. The extrex6 recycling version looks just like the standard model. This recycling version, however, features special tooth clearances, larger toothing gaps, and new types of bearings protected to prevent large-sized particles penetrating into their lubrication gaps, all of which allows tolerance for particles up to 4 mm in size, depending on the pump rating. In such cases there is no need even for a protective filter upstream of the pump, as a study at a European customer demonstrated over a period of several months. The pump doubled its service life, even in post-consumer recycling – the pinnacle of plastics recycling, as it is where the highest contamination levels are found.
To remove impurities and contaminants from the recycling melt stream and so achieve the desired product quality, Maag supplies the ERF and ECO Series of continuous-running high-performance melt filters. Melt flows from the outside to the inside through a permanently rotating filter drum with a large number of conical holes. The impurities contained in the melt are held back on the filter surface where they are immediately removed by a stripper, fed to the discharge system and discharged from the process. A clean filter surface is therefore available at every rotation.
Uniform pellets as a finished product
During underwater pelletizing that combines a number of advantages and innovations in the current Pearlo model, the melt reaches the die plate via a process-controlled, hydraulically actuated start-up valve, where it is forced through die holes into the cutting chamber through which process water flows. The result is a highly uniform spherical pellet. In the downline dryer, 95 per cent of the water is already separated via a pre-dewatering system, with the remaining water then being removed by means of centrifugal separation. The residual heat of the pellets ensures thermal residual drying and thus results in very low residual moisture values. The process water is then filtered and its temperature regulated in the water treatment unit before being returned to the cutting chamber.
During strand pelletizing, the plastic melt is routed to the die head. Here polymer strands are extruded via the die plate and conveyed to the cutting rotor. The exact dwell time in the cooling water is determined according to the polymer, before cylindrical pellets of the highest quality are cut.
Comparison extrex standard gear pump and extrex recycling gear pump.
From floor covering to engine compartment
The systems supplied by Maag are suitable for small pilot lines right up to processes for large throughputs of 12 – 13 tonnes per hour. The latter often run around the clock and are switched off at most once a year for revision. It is therefore all the more important that the systems work very robustly and that the need for spare parts is minimized.
In the meantime, many industries are rethinking the use of recycling materials. For example, floor coverings are usually made of compressed wood fibers, but increasingly they are also being produced with recycled plastics. – By contrast with MDF floor coverings, plastic flooring can also be installed in damp rooms. Furthermore it is possible to recycle the laminate at the end of its life and return it to the material cycle.
Another example is the production of pallets. They have to be particularly impact-resistant and strong in everyday use in order to bear the heavy loads. Recycled materials now make a valuable contribution here, too. Pallets containing recycled material have the same properties as pallets produced from virgin material.
In addition to these applications, however, there are other compounding examples in which Maag components play a role. In automobile production, for example, a material mix of PE, PP and other components is used for the lining of the engine compartment. Domestic plastic waste from the yellow bag – sorted, washed and compounded – is often used in this process. The Maag systems have also been precisely adapted to this mix of materials, so that there are only minor differences to the virgin material when it comes to reuse.
One final example for which Maag supplied a line for compounding of virgin material: Unlike the recycling applications, this involves a polymer compound for the production of films. Here, the quality of the later film surface was particularly important. No specks were to be visible caused by gels or agglomerates as residues from the compounding process. The constant-pressure filtration of elastic particles from the virgin material, with enormous, uninterrupted service lives, in combination with a melt pump and underwater pelletizing, is the optimum solution for this customer.
Conclusion
The examples show that there is now nothing to prevent the use of recycled material even for high-quality products. However, compounding processes require a great deal of know-how about materials, surfaces and the interaction of the individual systems. Only with carefully matched components, such as melt conveying, filtration, pelletizing and drying, can high-quality pellets and micropellets be produced.
Driving Circular Innovation Forward: Fashion for Good Welcomes New Partners to Its Sorting for Circularity USA Project
The Sorting for Circularity USA consortium project welcomes new partners and expands its North American geographical scope. Fashion for Good is pleased to announce the addition of lululemon as an external brand partner, joining the existing seven brand partners. We also extend a warm welcome to our new implementation partners Helpsy, United Southern Waste Material, Goodwill Industries International Inc., and its members Goodwill of Colorado, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc., Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, and Goodwill of San Francisco Bay. Additionally, Fashion for Good is pleased to recognise adidas as the project’s lead sponsor, facilitating the complete realisation of the project scope.
Fashion for Good, together with Resource Recycling Systems, launched the Sorting for Circularity USA consortium project in January 2023. The project will conduct an extensive consumer survey to map the journey of a garment from closet to end of use, and present a comprehensive snapshot of textile waste composition generated in the United States. The insights gained from this 18-month project will help to scale collection, sorting, and recycling innovations and inform decisions on necessary investments and actions.
PRE-COMPETITIVE COLLABORATION AS A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE
Within the first 6 months, the project has expanded to cover 6 key states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Colorado. Additional implementation partners have also signed on to support the fibre composition data analysis: Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, Helpsy, United Southern Waste Material, and Goodwill Industries International Inc., with its members Goodwill of Colorado, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc., Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, and Goodwill of San Francisco Bay. Resource Recycling Systems will drive the dissemination and analysis of the consumer survey together with New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management and Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, and execute the textile composition analysis using Matoha’s near infrared devices with advisory support from Circle Economy.
Demonstrating the importance of pre-competitive collaboration in tackling the industry’s biggest challenges, lululemon joins Eastman, H&M and Nordstrom as key project partners, together with Fashion for Good corporate partners adidas, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co., and Target. Adidas’ lead sponsorship ensures a deeper analysis of USA textile waste infrastructure and the identification of valuable opportunities for advancement.
“We are so excited to have the opportunity to expand the geographical scope of our Sorting for Circularity framework to encompass an extensive range of key sorting players and regions in our USA project. This allows us to have a better understanding of the global textile waste challenge, unlocking the potential of textile recycling technologies, and accelerating the transition towards a more circular and sustainable industry.” — Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good
In the USA, textile waste is the fastest-growing segment of the country’s waste stream, with 85% of discarded textiles ending up in landfills. Understanding the composition of material, volume and location of used textiles is crucial for capturing them and sorting them for the best and highest quality end use. Moreover, the range of national and regional geographies within the Sorting for Circularity project series enables for nuanced cross-country comparisons – revealing differences in the textile waste generated and infrastructure required.
“Waste is always a local problem because of high transportation costs. Achieving zero waste goals will require new ways to process garments locally rather than shipping them off to make them someone else’s problem.” — Alex Husted, CIO and co-founder of Helpsy
THE SORTING FOR CIRCULARITY PROJECT FRAMEWORK
Sorting for Circularity, a framework co-developed by Fashion for Good and Circle Economy, aims to (re)capture textile waste by unlocking the feedstock potential for recycling, expedite the implementation of game changing automated sorting technologies such as near-infrared spectroscopy and advanced textile-to-textile recycling, and drive circularity within the fashion value chain. The project builds on the success of Sorting for Circularity Europe and India, which revealed insights on material composition, volume, and location of used textiles and provided a solid foundation to accelerate textile recycling in those respective geographical locations.
“Projects like “Sorting for Circularity” are particularly important for adidas, since we are convinced that circular economy approaches require the cooperation of various companies across the entire industry. As a lead sponsor of this project, we are looking forward to working with our partners to further formulate requirements for the political framework, infrastructure and technologies for the implementation of circular solutions in the US. Together, we can create a future where textile waste is transformed into valuable resources.” — Viviane Gut, Senior Director Sustainability, adidas
hubergroup Print Solutions With UV Innovations at the IST UV Days 2023
hubergroup Print Solutions will be presenting its broad portfolio of UV inks and varnishes for offset printing at the eleventh IST UV Days in Nürtingen, Germany. On this occasion, the international printing ink specialist will also showcase some innovations: for example, the company will be presenting its recently restructured portfolio for non-absorbent substrates, which is now formulated to be sensorially neutral and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)-free. In addition, hubergroup will be holding a session called “LED rocks Coldset” together with the printing press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer, the UV equipment supplier IST Metz GmbH and the publishing house Aarauer Zeitung / CH Media on July 4. This round-table format will focus on NewV news, hubergroup’s LED UV ink series for newspaper presses.
Roland Schröder, UV Offset Product Manager at hubergroup.
On the first day of the IST UV Days, hubergroup will accordingly spotlight energy-curing web offset printing. Thanks to the further development of the UV LED lamp technology, high-quality, commercial-like print products can now also be produced on rotary presses. Together with Koenig & Bauer, Aarauer Zeitung / CH Media and IST Metz GmbH, the ink specialist will be presenting the results achieved on coldset presses within this partnership. Visitors to the in-house exhibition can thus gather impressions, examine samples, and listen to first-hand experiences.
At its stand, hubergroup will also be presenting its broad portfolio for UV sheetfed offset printing. This includes UV inks and varnishes as well as fountain solution additives that are perfectly matched and suitable for a wide range of food and non-food applications. The NewV poly (MGA) and NewV tin (MGA) ink series and the NewV lac (MGA) varnish series have recently been formulated PTFE-free to meet the requirements of major brand owners and to be prepared for future specifications in global markets. In addition, the NewV lac range no longer contains benzophenone, which is a controversial substance due to its potential carcinogenic effects. Last but not least, there is a new series for the metal packaging segment called NewV tin LED, which comprises UV inks and varnishes for LED drying.
Roland Schröder, UV Offset Product Manager at hubergroup, sums up: “We have a number of innovations in store for you and are therefore very pleased to be back at the IST UV Days. I cordially invite you all to visit us at our stand to discuss your requirements and our extensive products as well as services!”
When visiting the hubergroup stand, you can also look forward to a special treat: the printing ink specialist is giving away four vouchers for two seats each in the hubergroup box in the Löwenbräu tent at the Oktoberfest 2023. You will receive further details on-site.
Oerlikon Hrsflow: Innovative Hot Runner Solutions for Thin Wall Packaging Thin Wall Packaging Applications: Compact and Efficient With the New Stack Mold System
Designed to withstand high filling pressures, the new compact stack mold, engineered by the hot runner manufacturer Oerlikon HRSflow for thin wall packaging applications, is equipped with the new Xd nozzle series.
The innovative patent-pending solution, soon available on the market, enables fast injection and cycle times in a stable process with high part weight consistency. Moreover, assembly and maintenance are simplified and highly efficient thanks to a plug-and-play installation thus avoiding long and costly down-time. The system, which enables the use of smaller injection molding machines, fits a maximum plate thickness of 220 mm and a minimum distance of 260 mm from gate to gate of coaxial nozzles.
A demo tool equipped with this new technology is available in the Oerlikon HRSflow Test Lab. Customers can run product trials with their most challenging polymers. The Test Lab is equipped with six injection molding machines – from 50 to 1000 tons – to offer customers the possibility to de-fine the best hot runner configuration for their specific applications. The new Stack Mold has also been developed to process PCR resins and sustainable compounds according to future needs which are increasingly connected to Circular Economy.
The tool has been designed to produce a 210 ml single-serving cup in R-PP with a weight of 6.3 g and a thickness of 0.3 mm. The mosaic frame on the part walls – patented by Collomb – allows a robust structure despite the part weight reduction. The new Xd nozzle series ensures a stable injection pro-cess and the maximum productivity at a lower cost per unit. The production process of this challeng-ing application is explained clearly in this video: https://youtu.be/0u-gyFP_sT8.
For further information: www.hrsflow.com | www.oerlikon.com
Trend-Setting With Servo Systems for Worldwide Injection Mould Tooling
Servomold GmbH & Co. KG celebrates 25 successful years as a specialist for the automation of injection mould tools. The company’s roots go back to May 1998, when Bianca and Thomas Meister founded Exacon Verwaltungs GmbH in their home in the Odenwald region of Germany, offering services related to the design and development of injection moulds. Still under their management today, their company, with 28 employees, is now one of the world’s most innovative and efficient developers, manufacturers and suppliers of servo systems for injection moulding. Despite its eventful history, Servomold has remained true to its Odenwald location.
Changes point the way to today’s success
The series of changes of location and name during the past quarter of a century reflects the steady and consistent development from the sparsely equipped but highly skilled “basement child” of the early days to its current status. This was followed as early as 1999 by the development and patenting of the tunnel gate inserts, the founding of Exaflow GmbH & Co. KG and the move to larger local premises. With the change of name to i-mold GmbH & Co. KG and the next move, which was again due to the lack of space, the distribution of hot runner systems also started in 2004. Five years later, the company moved on to the historic town of Michelstadt. There, in 2011, Thomas Meister founded Servomold GmbH & Co. KG, whose products were distributed by i-mold.
2016 was finally the starting point for the construction of today’s modern and spacious company building on the outskirts of Erbach. There, 620 m² of office space including seven CAD workstations and 300 m² of hall space today offer a friendly and light-flooded working environment for the employees in development, quality assurance, sales and administration. With its own production facility and state-of-the-art machine tools, Servomold has since been supporting external partners while contributing to short delivery times.
In 2017, both parts of the company were merged into the then i-mold GmbH & Co. Servomold initially remained merely the brand name of the product line. This changed fundamentally in 2022, after it became clear to Thomas Meister that the future lay and would continue to lie in servo automation. The consequence was the change of name to Servomold GmbH & Co. KG.
Servomold focuses on servo-electric unscrewing systems and linear actuators for efficient, clean and safe injection moulding production.
Modern and continuously growing
Today Servomold is a medium-sized, continuously growing company and an internationally experienced partner of the plastics industry. The company name stands for a growing number of standardised and individual solutions for servo-electric and thus clean, space-saving realization of rotary and linear movements. The applications range from individual threads in technical plastic parts to linear slide and core pull movements to multi-cavity cap moulds. One of the consistently talented and excellently trained employees is Lucas Meister, project manager – and son of the entrepreneurial couple, who ensures continuity.
Reducing Ecological Footprint With Tosaf’s Dedicated Foaming Agents
With chemical foaming agents for thermoplastic materials and intensive advice on their selection and use, Tosaf helps users meet the urgent demand from society and legislation for greater sustainability. Foamed plastics reduce the consumption of raw materials, which can also offer cost benefits, and their insulating properties can help reduce the use of energy. Sink marks can be avoided to a large extent, minimizing rejects even if there are high demands on surface quality. At the same time, foaming has no effect on recycling behaviour. Hence, the recyclability of the plastics in the materials cycle is maintained.
Tosaf’s foaming agent portfolio includes endothermic and exothermic types with application-specific advantages for a wide range of thermoplastics. For all of them, the production of foams with uniform cell size and consistent material properties requires a great deal of experience in choosing the right foaming agent as well as in process optimization. As a leading manufacturer of additives and colors, Tosaf provides comprehensive support in matching the foaming agent to the plastics and additives used and in optimizing customer-specific foaming processes. In this way, the company helps its customers bring products to market quickly and avoid production problems.
Endothermic, exothermic or both
Endothermic agents absorb energy in the process. They are usually based on sodium bicarbonate, possibly in combination with a weak acid, e.g. citric acid. When exposed to heat, they release carbon dioxide. They are considered safe to use, are approved for food contact, and usually require relatively low temperatures for activation.
In this group, Tosaf offers three main grades that differ in terms of the amount of gas yield and foam characteristics. Accordingly, the applications range from thin-walled films and molded parts with high surface quality such as small parts for the electric and electronics industry as well as PP tapes, to XPS and XPE trays for food packaging as well as small technical parts, to large and thick-walled parts such as waste containers, pallets, and garden furniture.
Exothermic foaming agents release energy in the process and combine a high foaming effect with very good dispersibility. They are usually based on azodicarbonamide. The company also offers tailor-made solutions for the exothermic types, for example for construction foams, non-food contact products as well as sewage pipes. Also available from Tosaf are combined exothermic and endothermic foaming agents in one concentrate. These have been developed for PVC applications such as sheets, profiles and pipes.
Beyond foaming agents, Tosaf’s portfolio includes other additives that can contribute to greater sustainability, including antioxidants, moisture and odor absorbers, processing aids and chain extenders.
OFRU Solvent Recycling Systems are Awarded IECEx Certification
Innovation in Environmental Protection
OFRU, a leading global manufacturer of environmentally friendly and efficient solvent recycling systems, announces that its solvent recycling systems have successfully passed the IECEx audit.
This certification is a significant step towards even wider recognition and application of this technology, which enables waste disposal costs to be reduced by up to 96% through the reuse of soiled industrial solvents and makes an active contribution to environmental protection.
At the beginning of the press release, the IECEx certification, which confirms the high-quality standard of OFRU recycling systems, is presented. We then look at the features and benefits of the recycling systems before concluding by highlighting the positive contribution to environmental protection and emphasising the global reach of OFRU.
IECEx certification as a quality seal for OFRU recycling systems
Following a successful TÜV audit pursuant to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), OFRU has achieved the IECEx quality standard IEC/TS 60079-46. This standard specifies requirements for the design, construction, assembly, testing, inspection, marking, documenting, and assessment of equipment assemblies for use in explosive atmospheres. .The complete ASC-series of solvent recycling systems meets the quality requirements with regard to constructional safety “c” for the assembly of the unit components. The IECEx certification shows that OFRU recycling systems meet the highest international safety standards and thus build confidence among clients, investors, and employees.
Powerful and environmentally friendly recycling systems for solvents
The solvent recycling systems of the ASC- series by OFRU are based on the distillation principle, which involves separating liquid flammable solvents such as acetone, thinner, ethyl acetate, toluene, and numerous other solvents from impurities. By reusing these purified solvents, industrial companies can save significant costs in terms of disposal while reducing environmental impact.
The process of the ASC-series enables industrial companies to reduce their disposal costs by up to 96% while at the same time processing solvents in an environmentally friendly manner. The plants are used worldwide and thus significantly contribute to global environmental protection. “The recycling systems by OFRU not only enable cost savings through efficient solvent recycling, but also contribute to the sustainable use of resources”, explains an OFRU spokesperson.
The IECEx certification highlights the high technological standard OFRU implements in its distillation plants. The success of the audit illustrates the consistent implementation of safety and quality in all areas of the company and is a reflection of the recognition and reputation that OFRU enjoys worldwide. Customers, investors, media, and the public can be confident that OFRU recycling plants provide them with a safe and environmentally friendly solution for solvent reuse.
Borealis Supports Kindernothilfe in Improving the Lives of Disadvantaged Children and Their Families in Mumbai, India
Borealis announces its support of Kindernothilfe, a development cooperation and child rights organization which is working to improve the lives of some of India’s poorest people, waste pickers.
The city of Mumbai, India, produces up to 10,000 tons of garbage every day, which is mainly dumped on one of three landfill sites. Govandi is the oldest dump in Mumbai and the fifth largest in the world. It attracts thousands of unemployed people, who earn a living by picking through the waste and selling what they find. An estimated 1,300 children live around and work at the dump site. They work under the toughest conditions, and their lives are characterized by poverty, illness, malnutrition, and a lack of clean water and medical care. The children have no time for school, and the area suffers from many social problems, including violence, drugs, unemployment, sexual abuse, discrimination against women, child marriages, and child trafficking.
Borealis, through its Social Fund, supports Kindernothilfe and its long-standing local partner, Karunya Trust, in a project that aims to empower these children and their parents so they can lead a healthy life in dignity. This is achieved through a holistic program tackling all aspects that usually keep them in the vicious circle of poverty, violence, and exploitation.
Through the project, Kindernothilfe and Karunya Trust provide basic health services and daily meals, improving people’s health and their life chances. Having enough healthy food gives children the energy they need to follow their lessons in school, so they can obtain an education and professional qualifications. In turn, this will give them the chance to find a better job, such as an apprenticeship, which leads to a self-determined and more dignified life. Another major aspect of the program is the empowerment of girls and women by creating awareness about child rights and gender equality as well as assisting victims of violence and domestic abuse. Equally important is the education of households on how they can reduce the amount of waste being dumped on the landfill by pre-sorting and recycling it instead.
The project plays an important part in community life, working alongside social workers and the community authorities, as well as collaborating with government agencies, universities, colleges, schools, and volunteers. The project’s child protection committee, children’s parliament and mother’s group are all significant community pillars.
“Borealis believes that good education is key to finding a decent job that enables a self-determined and dignified life,” says Thomas Gangl, CEO Borealis. “For this reason, Education & Social Integration is one of three focus areas for the Borealis Social Fund. We are delighted to support Kindernothilfe and Karunya Trust with this important work, which changes the lives of some of India’s most disadvantaged children and their families.”
“Kindernothilfe is strongly committed to facilitating child rights and fighting exploitative child labor worldwide. We are grateful to have gained Borealis as a dedicated partner to improve the living situation of marginalized children in Mumbai during the next years, “says Gottfried Mernyi, CEO Kindernothilfe Austria.
Food Paper Packaging With Recycled Content Created by Mondi and Syntegon
Mondi and Syntegon have teamed up to develop new recyclable paper-based
packaging for dry food products.
Mondi’s EcoVantage kraft paper using recycled fibres utilised for dry food packaging for the first time.
Packaging approved for food contact by the ISEGA.
Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has partnered with Syntegon, a manufacturer of process and packaging machinery, to develop a recyclable paper packaging solution using recycled fibres for dried foods such as flour, sugar and pasta.
The packaging uses Mondi’s award-winning EcoVantage kraft paper which has been approved by ISEGA for the entire food packaging sector. EcoVantage is made from recycled and responsibly sourced fresh fibres and was previously mainly used for paper shopping bags. Mondi’s commitment to investing in research and development and its successful collaboration with industry players has enabled it to expand its application, meeting consumer’s growing demand for paper-based packaging.
Mondi supplies EcoVantage rollstock to Syntegon who then applies spot coating to create dust-tight, heat sealable packaging that eliminates contamination throughout the entire product lifecycle – from production to the consumer’s home. Syntegon’s unique technology ensures that only the minimum amount of sealing agent needed is used. The versatility of their technology ensures protection of powdered food goods and packaging strength which is recyclable in existing paper streams.
The development of these new packaging solutions illustrates a key element of Mondi Group’s MAP2030 targets – by using recycled fibres EcoVantage kraft paper prevents waste, keeps materials in circulation and is recyclable in existing paper waste streams, as evidenced by Mondi’s Recycling Lab.
Elisabeth Schwaiger, Head of R&D and Intellectual Property Flexible Packaging, Mondi, says: “Thanks to the close partnership with Syntegon and our extensive technical expertise and knowledge of paper, we can support our customers in making more sustainable choices. With high recycling rates of paper and the use of wood as a renewable material, we are delivering a packaging innovation that embraces resource efficiency, waste reduction and recyclability.”
Torsten Sauer, Director Sustainability at Syntegon, adds: “It is our goal to create sustainable packaging solutions with the minimum environmental impact possible. With paper packaging that is both recyclable and containing recycled material we are making a big step towards closing the circularity loop for primary food packaging.”
