DESIGN AND MARKETING
z Closing the loop for school milk cups
WorldStar Award 2022 for 100 % r-PET school milk packaging
In the new year , the World Packaging Organisation has announced the winners of the WorldStar Awards 2022 . Among the winners is a joint project between Austria ’ s school milk producers and three Upper Austrian companies ( PET-MAN , Greiner Packaging , and Starlinger Viscotec ), which involved producing sustainable cups from 100 % r-PET to be filled with school milk for the state of Upper Austria .
Sustainability and a closed loop for plastics are front and center as we move into the new year . Since last spring , used school milk cups made from PET have been collected separately so that they could be recycled in a dedicated closed loop . And shortly before Christmas , this loop was closed for the first time . Used school milk cups collected before the fall were shredded , washed , recycled , and new r-PET cups were made from the material . The first crates containing freshly recycled r-PET cups have already been delivered to the school milk producers .
z Flagship project for a circular economy
The flagship project proves that a circular economy is possible in the plastics and packaging industries . And the solution has now received a WorldStar Award 2022 in light of this accomplishment . The awards have been running since 1970 and are highly coveted , with 440 submissions from 37 countries around the world vying for the World Packaging Organisation ’ s stamp of approval .
After picking up a Trigos and a Green Packaging Star Award in 2021 , the project partners are proud to have their work recognized a third time with the WorldStar Award 2022 . “ It really is great to see our efforts receive this level of acknowledgment . For us , sustainability is not just a catchphrase – it is a duty we take very seriously . Thanks to the project , as well as doing our part to advance sustainability in general , children can be taught to treat nature responsibly from a young age ,” says Manfred Stanek , CEO of Greiner Packaging . Johannes Strobl , who represents the Upper Austrian school milk producers , is also delighted , “ The feedback I have received from the school milk producers is that the schools are excited about the project . They appreciate the fact that the used r-PET cups really are made into new cups .” Starlinger Viscotec is also convinced that r-PET is the ideal choice for food packaging : “ Our vision is to have a process in place for collecting and recycling packaging made from white r-PET ,” says Herbert Hofbauer . “ After all , used cups are a valuable material .”
6 Packaging South Asia 5 February 2022