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| Do something good for the environment and show it at FachPack  The more than 1,300 exhibitors (2009: 1,338) at FachPack 2010 in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 28–30 September offer a wide variety of packaging solutions. The exhibition highlight for the European packaging industry with PrintPack (packaging processing) and LogIntern (packaging logistics) is excellently prepared for the good 33,000 visitors expected (2009: 33,846).The most important special show at FachPack 2009 was devoted to "Sustainable Production and Packaging" and occupied an area of some 1,350 m². 36 exhibitors from the packaging machinery, packaging supplies production and recycling segments showed their new products for facing the challenges of climate change and scarcer resources. And because the special show provided practical information on how to implement these good ideas in their own companies, the visitors were extremely interested. Sustainable management will also remain one of the packaging industry's most important issues in the coming years, so the successful concept of the special show will be improved again in 2010. This time the presentation of sustainably produced packaging materials focuses on the users of these materials, the "branded article producers". Corporate Social Responsibility is the slogan here: Do something good for the environment and show it at FachPack! Unfortunately, there is currently no common understanding of what "sustainable packaging" actually means. For example, sustainability differs from environmental friendliness in that it focuses on the entire life cycle and not just the end product. CO2 emissions, water and energy consumption are important right from the production phase. Other aspects are the protection of natural resources, waste avoidance, recycling and optimization in the process and supply chain. Suitable standard concepts for assessing individual packaging solutions that also take into account the complexity of the subject are lacking. The system of primary, secondary and tertiary packaging, the product itself and its whole life cycle must be considered for every product. A considerable coordination effort is still required to communicate packaging sustainability to consumers in a transparent way. This also explains the great interest in the FachPack special show on "Sustainable Production and Packaging". The presentation in 2010 shows sustainably produced packages to meet the requirements of the branded articles industry. For the companies, this means grasping sustainability as an opportunity and success factor. Critical consumers are turning to traditional values. They look for climate-neutral, fair trade products manufactured without exploiting producers in the developing and emerging countries. Fans of LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) want their consumption behaviour to help to protect nature and the environment. Their lifestyle is based on credible, sustainable behaviour. Their goal is not growth at any price, but deceleration, mutual respect and a modern interpretation of classic values. This target group is prepared to accept higher prices for climate-friendly consumption. The assessment of sustainable packaging is so difficult because a wide variety of source materials are used, which makes direct comparison impossible. Glass comprises some of the most frequently found raw materials, namely sand, soda and lime, and it can be reused an unlimited number of times without loss of quality. Plastics are based on mineral oil, and on renewable raw materials to an increasing extent. However, a distinction must be made between bioplastics and biodegradable materials: polyolefines with a mineral oil basis are certainly biodegradable. They decompose into carbon and hydrogen after a long period of exposure to sunlight. Polyethylene, which is made from polyolefines, is one of the most frequently used packaging materials. On the other hand, materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) from renewable raw materials like corn starch is not biodegradable. For paper and cardboard products, certification for sustainable forestry management has been available for a long time. The aim of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) set up in 1993 is to preserve the forests and their function as living environment, source of resources and global buffer system against climate change, and promote the consumption of suitably FSC-certified wood and paper products. Attention is obviously also paid to ensuring that no substances containing heavy metal, halogenated solvents or other harmful substances are used in processes such as finishing folding boxes. Modern emission treatment plants with energy recovery and improved energy efficiency appreciably reduce environmental pollution. Studies show that print substrates with film finishes can be recycled together with conventional printed or coated materials without problems – in contrast to print substrates with laminated films, which must be separated and specially treated. The FachPack special show demonstrates how innovative concepts from the industry can achieve targeted improvements that are constructively supported by all players along the value creation chain. Products and services must manage with less and less use of resources. Improvements in efficiency are the answer to the threatened shortage of resources. Closed cycles for raw materials will be more obvious in future. The quality of the raw materials in technical and biological cycles must therefore be secured in the long term. The special show had already presented the first biodegradable shrink film for drink six-packs in 2009. The development of compostable shrink films from renewable raw materials to EN 13432 was one of the biggest challenges for plastic processors. The main problem was to find a recipe that provides reliable shrink performance and suitable surface properties for optimum sliding. Biodegradable shrink film is produced in a climate-neutral way exclusively with green power and, if requested by the customer, printed with water-based inks for catching the eye. The use of water-based inks improves the overall ecological audit of the film. Machine technology also plays a role in the sustainability audit of packaging. Substantial energy-saving potential exists in the drive systems. Software tools that combine optimized motion control for high productivity with low energy consumption and minimum waste can help here. An integrated consideration of costs concentrates on the life cycle costs, i.e. costs of design, initial operation, operation, service and maintenance. With regenerative supply equipment, engines can recover braking energy by changing to generator mode. This means that surplus energy is not converted to useless heat, but is either injected back into the grid or stored in a buffer. This drive technology also reduces the cooling requirement in control cabinets and the line loss through shorter cable lengths. The connection of up to 20 drives to a common supply reduces the cabling by up to 85 %. Reduced size and control cabinet volume substantially save resources for the manufacture of machines and plant. This process can be optimized with integrated software tools. The possibilities range from integrated energy consumption recording to integrated software control tools for cycle time analysis and energy efficiency analysis. The tools analyse every movement and every process step of the machine online. This data forms the basis for optimized motion control, which combines high productivity with low energy consumption. Branded article manufacturers who opt for modern machine technology as well as perfect packaging for protecting and presenting their products can not only cut their costs, but also influence their sustainability audit in a positive and publicity-catching way. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Construction News :: home page |