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Article by Nampak 25 July 2011
Nampak makes an Eco Logical packaging choice for consumers
When it comes to food and beverages, Nampak, Africa’s largest packaging supplier, is well known for developing packaging that gives identity to products and contributes to the protection and prevention of product deterioration. While effective product packaging is vital, Nampak believes that if progressed with due consideration, appropriate packaging of a product can also maintain high environmental standards while preventing waste. As such, the group participates in extensive recycling initiatives and continues to invest significant resources into the development of more sustainable products so that consumers can be assured of making responsible packaging choices. This requires constant innovation from Nampak’s various divisions across the paper, plastics, metal and glass packaging substrates:
Paper
Nampak’s carton and label manufacturing operation in the Western Cape (Nampak Cartons and Labels Epping, [Status]) has aligned its purchasing strategies so that it is able to participate in the Forestry Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification, which tracks certified material through all successive stages of manufacturing and distribution, from the forest to the consumer. This better enables Nampak to meet customer requirements and to provide end-users of food products with assurance that they are making environmentally friendly choices.
Nampak’s Corrugated division has also increased the portion of recycled paper in its board and ultimately its corrugated products. The evaluation of coating materials to replace wax impregnation of board has also been undertaken, and wax has subsequently been replaced with Hydraban coating, which results in greater recyclability of used corrugated products.
In a recent advertising campaign, Nampak equated the average amount of paper and board it collects for recycling to be the equivalent weight of 44 444 large African elephants, in order to give end users a comparison.
Plastics
For plastics, Nampak Polycyclers converts the equivalent of 15 million beach buckets of recycled polyethylene into crates, refuse bins and buckets each year. Nampak’s plastics divisions also participate in the Enviromark and other initiatives driven by the South African Plastics Federation.
In terms of PET products (such as plastic water and juice bottles, [Status]) Nampak’s focus is on source reduction and reusability. The weight of Nampak’s PET two litre bottle has reduced from 68 g in 1979 to 54 g today. Further strength testing of the two litre PET bottle has confirmed that the weight can be even further reduced, and plans are in place to introduce this lower weight bottle in the near future.
In 2008/09 Nampak launched South Africa’s first multi-layer plastic bottle for long life dairy products (in conjunction with Homsek Dairy and Woolworths, [Status]) with the significant benefit being that the entire bottle, including the cap, is 100% recyclable.
Metal
For metals, investigations into light-weighting both the two-piece and three-piece food can have resulted in a further reduction in can weights produced by Nampak. Nampak R&D also continues with physical performance tests such as paneling and top-load of experimental light-weighted cans.
Over the years, Nampak has also significantly reduced the weight of the beverage can to the point where the company estimates an annual saving of metal equivalent to the weight of 400 Boeing 747’s. Currently, 70% of all beverage cans produced are also collected for recycling. This is achieved mainly through Collect-a-Can – a joint venture between Nampak and Arcelor Mittal.
Additionally, Nampak Research and Development, together with their international coatings suppliers, have developed a universal lacquer (with four variants, [Status]) to coat the inside of food cans. This universal lacquer has replaced the previous 11 different lacquer systems used, resulting in a significant benefit to the environment.
Glass
Nampak, together with other industry players and government, participated in the restructuring of the South African glass recycling supply chain, and was also a founding sponsor of the Glass Recycling Company, which aims to promote and increase the recovery rate of glass by creating awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. Roughly 26% of glass produced in South Africa is currently recycled, and the Glass Recycling Company’s target is to increase this rate to 50% by 2013.
In addition, Nampak Wiegand Glass uses 35% to 45% of cullet, which is recycled waste glass, in its manufacturing process, thus reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and raw materials used.
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Paper
Nampak’s carton and label manufacturing operation in the Western Cape (Nampak Cartons and Labels Epping, [Status]) has aligned its purchasing strategies so that it is able to participate in the Forestry Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification, which tracks certified material through all successive stages of manufacturing and distribution, from the forest to the consumer. This better enables Nampak to meet customer requirements and to provide end-users of food products with assurance that they are making environmentally friendly choices.
Nampak’s Corrugated division has also increased the portion of recycled paper in its board and ultimately its corrugated products. The evaluation of coating materials to replace wax impregnation of board has also been undertaken, and wax has subsequently been replaced with Hydraban coating, which results in greater recyclability of used corrugated products.
In a recent advertising campaign, Nampak equated the average amount of paper and board it collects for recycling to be the equivalent weight of 44 444 large African elephants, in order to give end users a comparison.
Plastics
For plastics, Nampak Polycyclers converts the equivalent of 15 million beach buckets of recycled polyethylene into crates, refuse bins and buckets each year. Nampak’s plastics divisions also participate in the Enviromark and other initiatives driven by the South African Plastics Federation.
In terms of PET products (such as plastic water and juice bottles, [Status]) Nampak’s focus is on source reduction and reusability. The weight of Nampak’s PET two litre bottle has reduced from 68 g in 1979 to 54 g today. Further strength testing of the two litre PET bottle has confirmed that the weight can be even further reduced, and plans are in place to introduce this lower weight bottle in the near future.
In 2008/09 Nampak launched South Africa’s first multi-layer plastic bottle for long life dairy products (in conjunction with Homsek Dairy and Woolworths, [Status]) with the significant benefit being that the entire bottle, including the cap, is 100% recyclable.
Metal
For metals, investigations into light-weighting both the two-piece and three-piece food can have resulted in a further reduction in can weights produced by Nampak. Nampak R&D also continues with physical performance tests such as paneling and top-load of experimental light-weighted cans.
Over the years, Nampak has also significantly reduced the weight of the beverage can to the point where the company estimates an annual saving of metal equivalent to the weight of 400 Boeing 747’s. Currently, 70% of all beverage cans produced are also collected for recycling. This is achieved mainly through Collect-a-Can – a joint venture between Nampak and Arcelor Mittal.
Additionally, Nampak Research and Development, together with their international coatings suppliers, have developed a universal lacquer (with four variants, [Status]) to coat the inside of food cans. This universal lacquer has replaced the previous 11 different lacquer systems used, resulting in a significant benefit to the environment.
Glass
Nampak, together with other industry players and government, participated in the restructuring of the South African glass recycling supply chain, and was also a founding sponsor of the Glass Recycling Company, which aims to promote and increase the recovery rate of glass by creating awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. Roughly 26% of glass produced in South Africa is currently recycled, and the Glass Recycling Company’s target is to increase this rate to 50% by 2013.
In addition, Nampak Wiegand Glass uses 35% to 45% of cullet, which is recycled waste glass, in its manufacturing process, thus reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and raw materials used.
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