NIR Sort Project
Tony Gaukroger, Director, Colour Tone discusses why end-of-life concerns for caps and closures have been put in the ‘spotlight’ as manufacturers adopt the How2Recycle label. In August this year it was announced that the world’s largest bottled water company, Nestle has started using the How2Recycle label on its half-litre bottles for major brands in the …
Tony Gaukroger, Director, Colour Tone explains how an innovative near-infrared colourant can address end-of-life product processing concerns. The Design Council recently estimated that ‘80% of the cost of a product is set at the design stage and therefore, reducing the environmental impact of any product during the concept design is the most beneficial stage at …
The government’s announcement that it intends to explore with supermarkets the introduction of plastic free aisles where food is sold loose as part of its 25 year environmental plan demands careful consideration. If plastics packaging is removed from stores we are in real danger of losing the many benefits it provides. The general public …
‘Back to black’ – Tony Gaukroger, Director, Colour Tone Masterbatch explains why brand owners are making the switch to recyclable black plastics Black plastics have been the focus of much media attention recently, resulting in an increasing number of brand owners, retailers and packaging manufacturers switching to near-infrared (NIR) detectable black plastics to enable ‘end …
Last week the industry set 2018 as the deadline for the recycling of all black plastic packaging bottles, pots, tubs and trays. It was agreed by a cross-industry group that included major retailers, packaging manufacturers and trade associations, that a new ‘roadmap’ is to be put in place to achieve this goal. Black plastic packaging …
The need to expand the debate on near-infrared (NIR) sorting of post-consumer plastics away from just black packaging waste is one of the aims of a new EU-funded project. UK-based technical compounder Luxus is leading the two-year project called NIRSort, which also involves Nordic polymer processing partner Polykemi and global plastics manufacturer One51. The commercialisation …
Plastic material plays a major role in providing comfort, quality and safety in modern life, from extending the shelf-life of fresh produce to providing a flexible lightweight solution for many labour saving devices around the home. Heightened awareness of the pollution caused by plastics however, has led to calls recently for improved recycling measures to …
Brand owners in the personal care market are increasingly focusing on consumer demands for eco-friendly products and recyclable packaging. But with a new single-use plastics tax coming into force that demands a minimum of 30% recycled content, we should be asking where is this plastics material coming from? In 2019 personal care brands will …
Single-use plastics tax: Tony Gaukroger, Director, Colour Tone Masterbatch asks where is the 30% recycled plastics coming from? The new tax on the manufacturing and import of plastics packaging that contains less than 30% recycled plastics comes into force on the 1st April 2022. It is a measure that the government believes will ‘transform the …
Next month, gourmet dairy brand The Collective will be the first FMCG business to introduce a novel near-infrared (NIR) colourant technology developed by masterbatch and additive specialist Colour Tone, to ensure its iconic black plastic yogurt pot lids can be effectively recycled. Like most black plastics the original Collective lid featured carbon black and other …