Environmentally-compatible and child-oriented packaging

Bremen, August 2020 -Have you ever heard of International Parking Offenders’ Day (February 11), International Pillow Fight Day (first Sunday in April), International Lost Sock Day (May 9), International Hairstyle Day (April 30), National Toilet Paper Day (August 26), or International Hand-Washing Day (October 15)? The last three have been practically attributed prophetic significance this year. However, we do not want to focus our attention on these unusual days but rather on those which do actually make sense, such as National Packaging Day (June 6), whose campaigns have been postponed until next year on account of the pandemic, “Trendtag Glas”(usually in September but now likewise postponed until next year), Child Safety Day (June 10) which primarily concerns product safety and whose campaigns have been postponed until the second half of the year, or Baby Day (May 2), originating in the USA but which ensures more focused concentration on the well-being of the smallest citizens here and offers numerous tips on baby care and nutrition.

On the occasion of this year’s “National Packaging Day”, the German Packaging Institute surveyed consumers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in a social media campaign on what they regarded as essential for good packaging. This study was recently presented. The absolute top arguments concerning good packaging include the area of sustainability and environmental compatibility. “Packaging has numerous functions and meets a wide variety of requirements. Accordingly, the reasons for individuals highlighting good packaging are equally varied. Despite all of this variety, it also clearly transpires that the aspect of sustainability is of outstanding importance – for consumers and companies alike,” is the claim made by a statement on the study.

Sustainability and environmental compatibility also play a key role for Actega DS. The exploitation of natural and finite resources is increasing all over the world. The competition for increasingly scarce raw materials is on the rise. This is compounded by global environmental problems such as climate change or increasing levels of waste. The concept of sustainability is growing in importance. Conserving resources, avoiding pollutive waste, reducing emissions, optimizing processes, and saving time and money are important goals which are consistently implemented.

The goal is to develop new sustainable products and solutions which contribute to improved environmental protection.

In the light of the above and important sustainability targets such as promoting the increase in recycling rates for packaging made from aluminum, ferrous metals, paper, and glass by 2022 to 90%, for plastics to 63%, the manufacturer of the PVC- and plasticizer-free PROVALIN^® compounds for metal closures has good reason to be optimistic about the future. For unlike PVC, which may contain up to 45 percent fat-soluble plasticizers that can migrate into foods containing fats when it comes into contact with them, sealing solutions based on thermoplastic elastomere (TPE) evidence low rates of migration. With PROVALIN^® from Actega DS an innovative sealant for all types of contents, filling processes and closure processes is available, that is free of PVC, phthalates and other plasticizers perceived to give cause for concern. Within this context, one key aspect is that further restrictions on phthalate plasticizers in products came into effect July 7. As a result, this more stringent value applies in almost all products which had to date been specified for baby items and toys. DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP plasticizers exceeding the limit value of 0.1 percent individually or in total is now a criminal offense.

In celebration of Baby Day, numerous publications regularly offer more or less valuable tips on baby care and nutrition. Accordingly, the GFK market research institute was commissioned by the Aktionsforum Glasverpackung to conduct a representative online survey which established that 91.6 percent of respondents regard glass as the best packaging material for food for babies and infants. Whether juices, purées or baby food – there is a huge variety of food available for babies and infants. The standards governing safety and quality are high for baby food jars and inspections are stringent. According to the DONALD study by the Forschungsinstitut für Kinderernährung (FKE), there are more than 1,000 complementary baby food products available on the market. All in all, the study claims that 90 percent of all parents of infants aged 6-12 months rely on ready-made products, at least occasionally. And regular tests carried out by Stiftung Warentest and Ökotest consumer magazines find that they generally are good. If only there wasn’t the problem with the seal. Unfortunately, closure sealants are still not 100 percent free of PVC and plasticizers although this is exactly what should apply for our most sensitive and vulnerable consumers.

In the form of ACTGreen^® PROVALIN^®, sustainable compounds are available for jars with P/T caps into which baby food is generally filled. This dispenses entirely with PVC and all plasticizers classified as harmful or insufficiently tested. They are a combination of carefully selected thermoplastic elastomers. No pollutants migrate into food. These compounds, therefore, meet all of the requirements on safe and environmentally-friendly packaging. This compound is green to facilitate identification to ensure that they really are PVC-free seals, enabling parents to recognize that baby food in jars does not contain either PVC or plasticizers, secure in the knowledge that they have chosen the very best for their little ones.