In a recent press release, DS Smith announced that it has replaced more than one billion pieces of plastic, 16 months in advance of its 2025 target.

The press release states that "since 2020, we have replaced over 1 billion everyday plastic items from supermarket shelves, including fruit and vegetable punnets, plastic carriers, and shrink wrap found on soft drink bottles."

The press release also states that "The target extends across DS Smith's operations in 27 countries across Europe and North America, working towards the shared, circular, objective to design out waste and keep materials in use for longer. Certain markets stand out, having reduced or avoided the most amount of plastic through supply of fiber-based alternatives:

1. The UK leads the way, having replaced over 274 million pieces of plastic.
2. France follows, having replaced more than 260 million pieces.
3. Germany is in third place after replacing over 153 million pieces."

In a recent article from The Philly Voice, it states that a Philadelphia area Coke bottler forgoes plastic bottle carriers in favor of recyclable cardboard.

The article states that "Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages has begun packaging its multipack bottled beverages in recyclable paperboard carriers, and they are starting to appear on store shelves, the company announced Wednesday. The company has a production facility and distribution center in Philadelphia and serves restaurants, stores and retailers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The paper-based packaging that Liberty Coca-Cola is using was developed by WestRock, a provider of sustainable paper and packaging solutions. The equipment to implement new technology was installed at the Philadelphia plant earlier this year. The carriers are now being used for the packaging of Coca-Cola products sold in multipacks of 12-ounce and 16.9-ounce bottles."

In a recent press release, Amcor Capsules recently announced that it is preparing to launch ESSENTIELLE, a plastic free foil made of aluminum and paper in October, 2024.

The press release states that "The ESSENTIELLE foil is created using paper made in Europe, a material that has a lower carbon impact than other solutions made of plastic on the market. Indeed, by replacing plastic by paper the carbon footprint of this product is 31%* lower compared to standard complex foils.

In addition, ESSENTIELLE contains approximately 60% aluminium, a recyclable material. The recyclability of aluminium is attested by the TREE assessment tool by CITEO, when combined with glass recycling in France. Aluminium also retains the product's aesthetic properties. It fits the bottle perfectly and can be customized according to market requirements.

A key element of this innovation is that Amcor Capsules guarantees that its customers bottling and packaging process, as well as its productivity is unchanged. And, as the world's biggest producer of Champagne, with production lines capable of handling more than 12,000 bottles per hour; productivity is a top priority for Moët & Chandon."

We will keep you apprised of further developments.