Limited-Edition SOLID BLACK Bag, Designed by Artist Megan Lewis

Doritos launched SOLID BLACK, a new multi-platform initiative designed to bolster the voices of Black innovators and creators and provide them with resources to continue driving change. Doritos will invest more than $5 million as part of the SOLID BLACK campaign and award Changemakers (members of the Black community who drive culture and give back to their communities) each $50,000 to continue this work and spotlight their stories across all Doritos' public channels. The first 1,000 people to donate $10 or more to National Urban League will receive a limited-edition Doritos SOLID BLACK bag designed by Megan Lewis, an award-winning artist from Baltimore.

Image courtesy of Frito-Lay North America

Graphic Packaging International // graphicpkg.com

New Dual Ovenable Paperseal Cook Range

Graphic Packaging International announced a third addition to its award-winning PaperSeal tray range to include a new dual-ovenable version — PaperSeal Cook — for oven- and microwave-ready chilled and frozen food applications. PaperSeal Cook reduces the amount of plastic when compared to traditional trays by up to 80% and features a one-piece continuous sealing flange to prevent leaks and ensure it through the supply chain. After use, consumers can separate the liner film from the paperboard, making the paperboard portion of the tray 100% recyclable through normal collection channels.

Image courtesy of Graphic Packaging International

NOVA Chemicals Corporation // novachem.com/barrier

New Moisture Barrier Resin Technology

NOVA Chemicals Corporation introduced its next-generation SURPASS HPs267-AB resin — a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that offers levels of moisture barrier performance for multi-layer flexible packaging. Designed for blown-film applications using NOVA Chemicals’ Advanced SCLAIRTECH technology, HPs267-AB delivers up to a 20% increase in water-vapor transmission performance in multi-layer coextruded film structures. HPs267-AB’s stiffness and heat resistance reportedly enable the acceleration of the plastics circular economy by allowing packaging engineers to design more recyclable polyethylene (PE) film structures.

Image courtesy of NOVA Chemicals Corporation

ACTEGA // actega.com

ACTEGA Launches Signite

ACTEGA, manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds for the print and packaging industry, launched Signite, an ACTEGA patented decorating solution designed to significantly reduce waste in label production. Depending on the decoration design, the technology can reportedly reduce label waste by over 50% compared to a similar footprint pressure-sensitive label by elimination the label matrix, reducing the decoration thickness to about a third of that of a typical clear pressure-sensitive label and eliminating label media plastic in non-print areas.

Image courtesy of ACTEGA

Orion // orionpackaging.com

New Rotary Tower Automatic (RTC) Stretch Wrapper with Conveyance

Orion announced the Rotary Tower Automatic (RTC) Stretch Wrapper with Conveyance for integration with 18-in. pass-height conveyors, with compact size, affordability and the option to expand with additional conveyance. The RTC is fully automatic and attaches the stretch film at the cycle start, cutting it at the end. The forklift operator simply places the pallet-load on the infeed conveyor and pulls a lanyard switch while moving away to collect the next load. This design can increase employee safety by removing them from proximity of the moving rotary arm.

Image courtesy of Orion

Epson // edlpackaging.com

SurePress L-6534VW UV Digital Label Press

Epson announced new in-line solutions for the SurePress L-6534VW UV inkjet digital label press, including the integration of a finisher, external unwinder and inspection systems. The added features bring system flexibility to label converters, allowing businesses to make a complete digital production solution ideally suited to their operation. The SurePress L-6534VW prints pressure sensitive, shrink and in-mold labels, and flexible packaging with durability at speeds up to 164 feet-per-minute (fpm). SurePress includes in-line digital varnish, a corona treater, white ink and an additional UV curing unit.

Image courtesy of Epson

August 2021 // flexpackmag.com