News
PACK-NEWS number 168 – January/2012
NEWSLETTER FROM THE BRAZILIAN PACKAGING
ASSOCIATION FOR THE FOREIGN MARKETS
“What´s going on at ABRE”
ABRE signs Sector´s Agreement
In the end of November, ABRE signed with the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) a Sector´s Agreement that seeks to promote the employment of the technical symbols of selective discard in packaging and identification of materials. The agreement was signed between the President of the Association, Maurício Groke, and the Minister of Environment, Izabella Teixeira, in the headquarters of Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), in Brasília. On this occasion it was also thrown officially the Production Plan and Sustainable Consumption of the MMA.
The Agreement is based on the Guidelines Book of Environmental Labeling, developed by the Environment and Sustainability Committee of ABRE that brings the definitions on the different kinds of environmental labeling, the definition of the technical symbols and the forms of use of each one in the packaging labels. According to the document, the technical symbol has a functional nature in order to identify the materials and to guide its destiny.
The agreement seeks to increase the number of companies that use the symbol of selective discard in the packages of products, replacing the “anti littering” symbol, that had the objective of teaching people how to discharge garbage correctly. It also seeks to educate the consumer on your role. It is worth to point out that the use of common symbols favors the communication campaigns and education, as well as the consumer's understanding and his participation in the appropriate discard.
ABRE will act close among its members to look for partners to promote the implementation of the Sector´s Agreement. The goal is to have, each year, at least 1,000 products using the symbols.
Partnership Mozambique and Brazil
ABRE assumed a commitment with IPEX - Institute for Promotion of Exports of Mozambique of contributing for the formation of an Information Center in Packaging, in the Portuguese language, that foments the development of the local industry and assist the needs of the agriculture and other industries producers of consumption goods. "The focus is the economical and social development of the country", explains Luciana Pellegrino, Executive Director of ABRE.
The Information Center will supply information that guarantees efficiency and larger competitiveness to the market according to the export market demands in packaging, commercialization, labeling, transport and distribution. ABRE is collecting with other Institutes and Associations in Brazil publications related to packaging that will be sent to Maputo. In recognition of the donation, ABRE will publish in its website the donated material as well as the name of donors.
Edible oil recycling
began a unique campaign in the city of São Paulo: incentive the consumers to change used edible oil by biodegradable soap. The exchange can be made in mobile places part of the program “Soya Recicla”. The discard of used edible oil in the sinks is not recommended and can cause problems to the plumbing system as well as contamination to the environment. The best practice is to discard this oil together with organic garbage or send it to recycling.
The objective of the “Soya Recicla Program”, a partnership of Bunge and Instituto Triangulo, is to promote the importance of edible oil recycling. In the last five years, more than 700 thousand liters of vegetable oil were transformed in biodegradable soap or biodiesel, creating a sustainable cycle. The program counts with 1,000 places to collect the oil.
New webpage on packaging
With the purpose of strength the brand and offer the market important information about packaging, the Brazilian Jofer Embalagens launched its new webpage that also reflects the new corporate changes in the company. The new webpage also gives the opportunity to subscribe the company´s newsletter. To see the changes go to .
Ups and downs in paintings
The results of the trade in the sector of paintings and varnishes in 2011 confirmed the expectations of the Paintings and Varnishes Union of the Estate of São Paulo (Sitivesp) that forecasted a favorable year. According to a study, imports totalized
US$ 307,123 million against US$ 264.654 million of 2010, an increase of more than 16%. External sales achieved US$ 191.848 million compared to US$ 161.218 million of 2010, registering an increase of almost 19%. The valorization of Real compared to Dollar helped the increase of imports, replacing part of the national production and contributing to a decrease in jobs creation.
In terms of volumes, both import and export had increased. There were imported in 2011, 49,156 tones against 46,052 tones of paintings and varnishes in 2010, that represents an increase of 7%. The average price went from US$ 5.75 to US$ 6.25. Exports achieved 57,717 tones against 54,689 tones the year before, an increase superior to 5.5%. The average price was also raised and changed from US$ 2.95 to US$ 3.32/kg.
But it is in the Mercosul trade that there are the biggest differences of evolution. To the participants countries, there were exported in 2011, US$ 99.938 million against US$ 78.958 million in 2010, an increase of more than 26%. Exports of paintings and varnishes in this region represented, in 2011, about 52% of the target of companies, against 49% in 2010 and 43% in 2009. However, imports of Mercosul countries last year were 10% less than the year before: US$ 9.747 million and US$ 10.727 million, respectively. In 2011, for each US$ 10.00 of import it was exported US$ 6.25. In 2010 this value was US$ 6.09 and in 2009 was US$ 6.35.
Plastics in crises
According to a research conducted by Abiplast (Brazilian Plastic Industry), the sector suffered a fall of 1.5% in its physical production in 2011, going of 6 million tons, in 2010, to 5.9 million last year. The study still shows an increase of 2% in the exports of the transformed plastics, while the imports increased 20%.
Sector´s leaders point the increase in raw material prices as the main responsible for the performance of the industry in 2011. The loss of competitiveness, in domestic and external markets, is another great concern. The study of Abiplast shows that the deficit in the trade balance of the sector increased three times from 2008 to 2011 and increased 40% in 2011 in relation to 2010, jumping from US$ 1.36 billion to US$ 1.89 billion.
Tetra Pak I – green cap
recently announced the increase in the supply of “green caps”. All the screw caps StreamCap used in its aseptic carton packs will be produced with a plastic made of sugar cane, a 100% renewable raw material. The initiative is part of the company´s strategy to offer clients and consumers innovations that adds value with competitive costs, functionality and environmental performance. To achieve this objective, the company also absorbed the production costs generated by the different raw material. The idea is to make the green plastic a reality in the daily life of Brazilians.
Tetra Pak II – recycling movement
participated in the launch of “National Movement for Carton Pack Recycling”, in São Paulo, in the last week of January for the occasion of the anniversary of the city. As part of the program, all the garbage generated during the event was collected and donated to a collector´s cooperative. The slogan of the campaign is “Carton Pack is not garbage. Recycle with us” and it invites consumers to separate their garbage.
Green liner project
To offer to the users of pressure sensitive labels a sustainable alternative, allied with a program of reverse logistics, the Brazilian companies , and joined efforts in the Green Liner Project. It was officially launched in Label Summit, in May of 2011 and now they are concluding the life cycle analyses of the product. With strategic focus in all stages of sustainability, the Project was idealized in a way to take into account since the initial production of the liner and of the pressure sensitive material, until the moment of its return to recycling. It also assists the foundations of the PNRS - National Police of Solid Residues, because it reduces the volume of residues and presents a solution to its recycling, considering the shared responsibility of all parts of the production chain.
The appropriate destination of liners was always a challenge to manufacturers and users of pressure sensitive labels. The solution was the development of a sustainable product, in a BOPP film, whose properties facilitate its recycling. The discard liner of BOPP can be used for the production of a new plastic product, that can be a new front label or even a new liner. This process makes possible to the pressure sensitive label user to close the cycle of the use of the product (cradle to the cradle).
The life cycle analyses of the product evidenced Green Liner environmental advantages, mainly in what refers to the reduction of emission of effect gases it stews and of solid residues, in comparison with the traditional solutions of market. The companies that stick to the project will have guaranteed the traceability and the quantification of the generated environmental benefits, allowing measuring the earnings in the goals of the partners companies.
The participant companies of the project are Colacril, biggest manufacturer of pressure sensitive in Latin America; Vitopel that intends to transform Green Liner in Vitopaper®, a synthetic paper done of several types of recycled plastics, with a 100% Brazilian technology; and Braskem, company leader in Americas in thermoplastics resins production. Braskem has as strategic vision to become to global leader in maintainable chemistry, up to 2020, innovating for best to serve the people.
Written by LILIAM BENZI
Phone +55 11 4412-0813
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