Chocolatier and TC Transcontinental work to find sweet spot for sustainable packaging
By Robert Grace
Rebecca Casey of TC Transcontinental and Trent Thibert (bottom) of Chewters discussed efforts to add PCR to Chewters’ flexible packaging during an ANTEC® conference moderated by Conor Carlin, SPE’s vice president of sustainability.
Canadian chocolatier Chewters is partnering with TC Transcontinental Packaging to develop more sustainable flexible packaging for the former’s ChocoXO brand. Officials from both firms shared what they’ve learned in the effort at a virtual ANTEC® 2021 conference on May 6, moderated by Conor Carlin, SPE’s vice president of sustainability.
Trent Thibert joined Chewters of Vancouver in April 2020 as vice president of sales, with a focus on developing more eco-friendly packaging for ChocoXO, a premium, certified-organic chocolate with low sugar content.
Thibert approached TC Transcontinental of Montreal with the initial idea of creating compostable packaging, but the joint team soon discovered a problem with that. The wrap on the ChocoXO chocolate pieces requires a cold seal, which means that when combined with challenges in running such materials on Chewters’ high-speed equipment, compostable resins were not the right solution. So, just 90 days into the effort, Thibert and TC pivoted to post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.
Mélanie Montplaisir, TC’s marketing manager, explained in a post-presentation email that the companies could have specified compostable resins with a record of success for Chewters’ standup pouch, but believed “the consumer would be confused with having one package compostable and the other one not … With that in mind, we chose that the best option for now was to do both with PCR.”
As a result, Thibert said, ChocoXO is integrating 38 percent PCR with the goal of reaching 51 percent. The outer bag is post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with a post-consumer polyethylene (PE) sealant and FDA-accepted PCR high-density PE in the sealant core. The current 38 percent level may seem modest, he remarked, but amounts to diverting the equivalent of an estimated 1.2 million 18-ounce PET bottles from waterways, beaches and the waste stream. “It’s where we’re going to start, not where we’re going to finish,” he says.
Rebecca Casey, TC’s Chicago-based senior vice president for strategy and marketing, tag-teamed with Thibert on the presentation. She said her company tested more than 60 PCR resins for the blown film application. TC’s product development and technical services teams needed to ensure not only that the resulting film was clear and did not harbor odors or other undesirable characteristics, but would run smoothly on Chewters’ high-speed equipment, which churns out 920 pieces per minute.
There is a price premium for adding PCR to the packaging, but Thibert is confident that will not be a big hurdle when it comes to commercialization. The key is communicating to brand owners that this is “not a cost, but a marketing spend,” he said.
What’s important is to get the solution, and related messaging, right from the start. “Consumers will reward you with a lot of love if you do it right, but if they feel you are misleading them, they don’t just try to slap you on the wrist—they destroy brands. They’re unforgiving, and they don’t forget.”
Chewters, therefore, is not promoting the sustainability angle on its ChocoXO packaging yet. “We’re working behind the scenes now,” he said, with the aim of fully integrating the messaging by January.
Both Thibert and Casey are excited by the involvement of all sectors of the supply chain to find sustainable solutions, a factor driven in part by the self-imposed deadlines many consumer packaged-goods companies face for meeting eco-friendly packaging goals. “I’ve never seen this type of collaboration across the industry,” Casey said.
Thibert stressed the need to push forward on the sustainability journey, even if it initially involves baby steps. “Start small but start somewhere.”
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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