Packaging Strategies has reported on sustainable packaging tie-ins with sporting events, such as the Portland Trail Blazers' use of eco-friendly packaging and the Philadelphia Eagles' switch to bio-based bags at Lincoln Financial Field.

Chris Marshall of BOBST – a leading supplier of substrate processing, printing and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries – talks about how the regulatory environment is coaxing some firms away from plastic and toward paper.

Allpax, a ProMach brand, recently delivered a new high-speed automated pouch loading and unloading system to a customer to feed an existing bank of Allpax retorts.

Lightweight, compact, and heat-resistant retort pouches are ideal for preserving food products like baby food, ready-to-eat meals, and pet food through retort sterilization, ensuring longer shelf lives. However, there are limited recyclable options for retort pouches in the market.

Check out how new advancements are making retort equipment more efficient and packaging more eco-friendly. But let's first take a step back and take a wider look at the retort packaging scene.

The Hispack 2024 report points out that, although the challenge of sustainability is not new, it is more of a priority for companies because of regulatory changes and the greater awareness of consumers who demand more environmentally friendly packaging.

Monthly eNewsletter from Packaging Strategies provides unparalleled reporting on what is arguably the key issue facing converters and brands.

The heat resistance, aesthetics and barrier properties of recycled resins can differ from traditional films and laminates. NOVA Chemicals works with converters and brands on how to employ these new recyclable materials.

First course is designed to help industry insiders learn more about the principles of thermoformed packaging and how thermoforming can impact sustainability initiatives.

Groups receiving support range from a company launching reusable and compostable coco fiber packaging to an outfit seeking to establish a reusable, returnable wine bottle system.