Packaging News -- interpack

Woman wearing a blue mask reaches for packaged beverages on a supermarket shelf

Photo by Imants Kaziļuns on Unsplash

Is the virus present on packaging?

After a year, we all know more about the coronavirus, but it’s still not enough. Therefore, some of us are asking whether an infection hazard is posed by packaging. The experts say that the answer is no: according to the latest findings, packaging is not a significant source of infection.

LUVE chocolate dessert with an edible spoon

Photo: ALDI NORD and ALDI SÜD

The Edible Spoon

Twice as tasty - chocolate dessert with an edible spoon. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Edible spoons made from by-products from food factories have been available on the fridge shelves at ALDI NORD and ALDI SÜD, the discount retailers, since October 2020.

Photo: McDonalds

The future of sustainable fast food packaging?

Packaging is a valuable commodity and should be reused as often as possible, or recycled expediently. Burger King and McDonald’s are starting pilot projects in line with this theme and are testing reusable Loop solutions in fast food packaging for burgers and other foods.

Two Almdudler bottles on the conveyor belt in the packaging plant

Foto: ©Almdudler / Lipiarski

Gender-inclusive language in packaging

Almdudler’s limited edition packaging, which uses gender-inclusive language with stars to include the female gender and others on their bottle (Almdudler means “alp yodeller”, and the female form is “Almdudlerin” – the limited edition packaging now includes both nouns and an asterisk) is one example that demonstrates that the role that diversity plays in packaging is equally as important...

Foto: Dimitri Houtteman //unsplash

Ensuring safe packaging for the corona vaccine

The wait for the corona vaccine has finally come to an end. BNT162b2 is the name of the first promising vaccine candidate. However, before we can start vaccinating, we need to overcome huge logistical hurdles which require suitable packaging and processes.

Baked goods and biscuits with a Christmas branch.

Foto Dr. Oetker

The Great Baking Trend

Home-made just tastes best! Your Grandma’s cakes aren’t the only ones that are best when they’re handmade. By the time the corona crisis happened, Grandma wasn’t the only one that was baking up a storm - in most kitchens, baking has now become a trend.

Woman holds a bottle in her hands over a conveyor belt. A man is sitting next to her, near the conveyor belt.

Foto: Remy Gieling, Unsplash

Green technology in machines and systems

In the 21st century, green technology will play a key role and will have a significant influence on a company’s competitive edge when implemented in machines and systems. Even the coronavirus hasn’t put a dent in the boom, as regulatory pressure remains high.

Pallet of beer cans in warehouse with man

Foto: Wade Austin Ellis, Unsplash

More beer is being consumed at home

The beer industry is suffering due to a drop in beer consumption in bars, restaurants and clubs due to the corona virus. However, beer sales recorded an uptick in retail and in the beverage markets in the first six months of 2020, which even led to bottlenecks in beer can production in parts.

Photo: Gustavo Fring von Pexels

The coronavirus crisis as an opportunity for the packaging industry?

The coronavirus pandemic changed everything, with the packaging industry also experiencing a transformation. The fact that not every consequence of the crisis was bad is demonstrated by individual examples of industry participants who were able to find opportunity in the COVID-19 situation.

Photo: Nivea/dm-drogerie markt

Filling up packaging at refill stations

In a variety of pilot projects, Henkel and Beiersdorf are testing refill stations for their products. In this way, the companies are seeking to contribute to more prudent use of resources and more recycling as well as to a closed-loop economy.

Foto: Deutsche Post AG

Multi-use Gift Packaging

It’s far too pretty to throw away! Who hasn’t thought this when they’ve been presented with beautiful, high-quality gift packaging? Even your Grandma has probably given up on ironing wrapping paper by now, but many others have a new take on handling the concept of gift packaging with special care in this modern era too.

Photo: EDEKA

The reusable packaging trend

Reusable packaging can be a resource-saving alternative to single-use packaging and is very popular with consumers. Environmental protection laws and the high demand for sustainable packaging solutions brings more and more reusable packaging into the retail market.

Foto:imgix, Unsplash

Big data in the packaging and processing industry

Companies from all industries are constantly generating more and more data that needs to be saved, analysed and processed. Big data is increasingly in demand in the packaging and processing industry too.

Green packaging with bio-based recyclable print

Photo: Metsä Board

Sustainability in to-go packaging

Our world is to become more eco-friendly, and manufacturers across all industries and segments are doing everything they can to give their products and processes a more sustainable design. This has resulted in a range of solutions, one of which is sustainable to-go packaging for baked goods.

Dr. Eckhard Ratjen is a certified IP lawyer at the firm BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT.

Foto: BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT

Trademark law interview: How do I go about protecting a form of packaging?

A fight’s afoot in the packaging sector. No question about it: manufacturers of packaging and also manufacturers of packaging machinery are brought before their competitors in courts of law at lightning speeds when it comes to competition law matters. When is it worth putting up a fight, and what should companies protect using trademarks?

Foto: Lambertz, StephanRauh

Christmas confectionery packaging

Easter and Halloween fell victim to the pandemic, so let’s let the kids make the absolute most of Christmas. Christmas confectionery packaging and the tasty treats that they contain sweeten the wait until Father Christmas finally turns up.

The Langnese Delight’s green ice cream packaging

Photo: Langnese/Unilever

Our ice cream packaging for 2020: From ice lollies to ice cream for dogs

When the temperatures rise, grab an ice cream. In the dog days of summer, when temperatures reach over 30 degrees Celsius, everyone is desperate to cool down. The wide variety of types of ice cream in the frozen aisle increases every year and the colourful world of ice cream packaging design develops to keep pace with it. We present a selection of our ice cream packaging for 2020 here.

Three bars of RITTERSPORT chocolate in green packaging with name of flavour in German.

Foto: RITTERSPORT

Trademark protection in packaging – or: Who owns the packaging?

Packaging transports brand identities – through colours, lettering, logos, images and slogans. For this precise reason, trademark protection is one of the top priorities of trademark owners when launching new products. But what, exactly, does trademark protection cover?

Woman in front of chemist’s with mask and cap, wearing a black coat and carrying a black bag

Foto: Anna Shvets, Pexels

How varnishes can protect us against viruses and bacteria

Since the outbreak of corona, we have all been washing our hands industriously to avoid catching the dangerous Covid-19 virus. But varnishes can also help protect us against viruses and bacteria on packaging. The activated ingredient in Microbe Protect special varnish contains nanosilver and is said to provide 99.99 percent protection.

Photo: www.einhorn.my

A real stunner: Menstrual hygiene products

Menstrual hygiene products: They hadn’t received much attention up until now, but sustainable packaging designs and tax relief on personal care products has pushed the subject of periods into the spotlight.

Foto: Christin Hume, unsplash

Customised beer bottles

85 years ago, beverage cans were invented in the USA and filled with Krueger Cream Ale. Today, the popular beverage packaging contains a wide range of contents, first and foremost beers, energy and soft drinks.

Foto: Deutsche Post AG

What is conveyor technology 4.0?

Order a book or a coffee machine today and have it delivered tomorrow – no problem for e-commerce. However, keeping up this fast pace requires automated intralogistics systems and modern conveyor technology 4.0.

Enjoy a barbecue without meat with the “Sensational Bratwurst” from Nestlé.

Foto: Nestlé

A Vegan Barbecue

The barbecue season has begun. The wide variety of new vegan meat substitutes, brought out in response to the trend for vegan barbecues, show that steaks and burgers don’t necessarily need to be made of meat to be tasty. Mixing and filling machines need to work with great precision when processing these complex ingredients.

Man with cap and croissants on a baking tray

Foto: Bühler

More automation in baked goods packaging

Automation continues to make great strides in baked goods packaging. Manufacturers of baked goods are making more and more investments in automated robotics in the production and packaging processes and are thus increasing their reliability along with their quality, speed, efficiency and flexibility.

Yellow SMART BEES packaging with queen bee

Foto: Nestlé

Nestlé protects bees with SMART BEES

The SMART BEES app turns this limited SMARTIES edition into a masterclass on bees. Here, children can find out all there is to know about the busy honey-foragers and support bee projects across Germany with every purchase.

Photo: Brent Keane, Pexels

Load carriers are important for ensuring supply security

There are many different types of load carriers: cases, cartons, containers, drums or pallets - they all ensure security in transportation and storage and in supplying the population with vital goods.

Foto: James Yarema, Unsplash

3D printed tablets

Pills at the push of a button. We’re not quite there yet but the future of 3D printed tablets, called printlets, looks promising. Merck, the pharmaceutical giant, wants to make paths in industrial applications for 3D printed tablets.

Foto: Kjaer Weis

Refillable cosmetics are trending

More and more frequently, consumers opt for refillable solutions that help them have a positive impact on the environment. When it comes to make-up and skincare products, the offer of refillable cosmetics is on the rise.

Photo: Melanie Streich

Beverage cans: more popular than ever