#Recycling / Circular Economy

2022-08-11

Berry Leadership Teams focus on sustainable development

As part of its stated commitments to support the move to a circular and net zero economy, a group of senior leaders from Berry Global’s worldwide operations took part in a five-day course, organised by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

The Berry Global Plastics Ambassador Program and Network was created to enable employees, customers, suppliers and communities to better understand the positive value of plastics and its potential in a circular economy. As well as its focus on plastics, a critical element of the program is also to recognise the role of sustainability in the wider business environment and to help senior personnel within the company develop and lead effective sustainable business models.

The latest course combined practical sessions and discussions with keynote addresses from a number of experts in the fields of sustainability and regenerative societies. The comprehensive event covered a wide range of topics, including the latest facts around climate change, the value of business to society, the economics of a low carbon economy and the impacts of evolving regulation and stakeholder expectations.

There were presentations on the evolution and future of manufacturing in a circular economy and the different approaches that can be taken to identify and deliver new opportunities. Practical examples and case studies of recent sustainable business achievements and product innovations were also shared.

“This was an intensive event with an inspiring series of presentations and activities that threw new light on how we can effectively manage sustainable development and the transition to a circular economy in order to create genuine sustainable prosperity,” commented Berry Global CEO Tom Salmon.

“When it comes to climate change, it is very clear that society as a whole needs to take urgent action now. For Berry, the many learnings from this course will inform and expediate our actions as part of our Impact 2025 sustainability strategy. Equally important, the course also helped to further enhance and develop personal leadership and action among the delegates, who importantly came from all parts of our business, as we continue to deliver on our sustainability commitments and targets.”

The CISL is a globally influential institute developing leadership and solutions for a sustainable economy. Its Rewiring the Economy framework shows how the economy can be ‘rewired’, through focused collaboration between business, government and finance institutions, to deliver positive outcomes for people and environment in pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Previous CISL courses for Berry have resulted in a number of significant company developments. At site level these have included the 100 million kWh energy reduction challenge, the first solar Virtual Power Purchase Agreement, a water saving project and the Waste is Gold waste reduction program.

There have also been several product-focused projects, such as the B Circular Range initiative to develop a standard range of 40 products that are refillable, recyclable and include a minimum of 30 percent PCR/bio resin and the closed loop program for the recycling of tree shelters.

Berry and Glatfelter name new nonwovens heavyweight Magnera

Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) and Glatfelter Corporation (NYSE: GLT) announced that the proposed merger of Berry's Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films (“HHNF”) business with Glatfelter progressed further today with the creation of the Magnera brand (pronounced ‘Mag-nair-uh’), a global leader in the specialty materials industry.

Geotextiles made from recycled materials: GREEN leads the way into the industry

For the industry, recycled materials are creating new opportunities in geotextile production. In the GREEN project, the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE demonstrates that recycled polypro-pylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and high-density polyeth-ylene (HDPE) can be processed into nonwovens, fibers, and membranes that meet industrial requirements. This creates opportunities for use in existing production lines and new value chains in the geotextile market.

ReHubs elects new Board of Directors to lead the next phase of ReHubs’ strategy to recycle 2.7 million tonnes of textile waste annually by 2035

ReHubs has elected its new Board of Directors, marking an important milestone as the industry alliance continues to accelerate the industrial scale-up of textile-to-textile recycling across Europe. The election took place during the ReHubs Annual Event in Brussels on June 23rd, held alongside the Textile Recycling Expo and Future Fabrics Expo. The newly elected Board combines expertise from across the textile value chain, reflecting ReHubs' collaborative approach to solving the industry’s textile waste crises.

Reju opens its first R&D Center in the U.S. in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Reju, the company specializing in textile regeneration, today announced the opening of a Research and Development (R&D) Center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, the company's first proprietary research center in North America. Located within Technip Energies' existing Advanced Materials and Catalysts research center, the lab will allow Reju to accelerate the rollout of its recycling technologies and develop its next-generation circular solutions.

DyStar releases FY2025 sustainability report, marking a new milestone towards its 2030 targets

DyStar, a leading specialty chemicals company with more than a century of expertise in product development and innovation, today announced the release of its FY2025 Sustainability Report, marking a significant milestone in its sustainability journey and reinforcing its commitment to long-term value creation.

TERIS reaches milestone: Fraunhofer consortium develops new standards for tire analysis

In the “TERIS” project, the Fraunhofer institutes ICT, IGD, and IWM—led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF—have reached a decisive milestone. For the first time, the teams aim to generate, analyse, and predict tire wear in the laboratory in a standardized and practical manner. As part of this milestone, results are now available on reference abrasion, particle analysis, tribological models, AI-based surface analysis, a test bench concept, and methods for accelerated aging and VOC detection. The tire industry, testing services, and environmental agencies will in future benefit from reliable, rapid laboratory procedures for emissions assessment.