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    Closed-loop solutions by Krones

      Sustainable approaches to plastics – with closed-loop solutions by Krones

      In which direction is the packaging market currently heading? Which political and social developments will we be faced with when it comes to the use of plastics? Obviously no-one can look into the future, particularly in turbulent times such as these, which is why we at Krones prefer to concentrate on what we do well: Developing sound strategies for a range of packaging scenarios – and using them to derive tangible solutions for our customers.

      One thing is certain: There must be a radical change in the way people treat packaging and resources – and a shift away from the wanton consumption of resources towards a closed-loop circular economy. We are firmly convinced that it is possible for PET and the other plastics materials used in packaging to have an environmentally compatible future. Why? Because we have the technologies today to make the sustainable use of these materials conceivably simple and, most importantly, profitable.

      Preforms
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      Preforms

      In the preform production process, every tenth of a second in cycle time and every tenth of a gram in weight count. And there are plenty of potentials for meaningful savings. To exploit them, two things are necessary: firstly comprehensive knowledge of the properties and the behaviour exhibited by the various preform materials, and secondly a profound insight into the production processes involved – both into preform injection-moulding and into the salient aspects governing subsequent container stretch blow-moulding. You will find both of these in the Krones Group.

      MHT AG, a company that has specialised in making PET tools for producing preforms, has been part of the Krones family since 2018. Its performatively excellent high-tech injection-moulding tools

      • image all preform designs and threads in common use;
      • are suitable for almost all machine platforms known on the market;
      • are based on an innovative hot-runner technology developed in-house.

      MHT Mold & Hotrunner Technology AG

      Individual solutions and complete factories

      Would you like to produce preforms and caps made of recycled or new material? A company of the Krones Group will assist you here as well: the Integrated Plastics Systems AG – briefly IPS. Among others, the following services are offered:

      • From engineering of systems for preform and cap production all the way to turnkey factories
      • Sustainable saving of material and energy consumption
      • Customised container design

      Integrated Plastics Systems AG

      Containers
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      Containers

      The ideal package offers persuasively attractive pluses in all situations: in the production process and at the point of sale, during transport and finally during recovery as well. Since Krones has signed up to providing holistically conceived solutions, development work on both bottle design and machine technology goes hand in hand. It is only when both these aspects supplement each other to perfection that the best solutions are arrived at – for producers, consumers and the natural environment alike.

      The packaging designers from Krones

      • advise clients on design, material, product requirements and technical implementation of packages;
      • optimise existing designs in terms of weight, haptics and line efficiency;
      • possess in-depth expertise in the ecological and economic requirements involved, such as material selection, recyclability or weight optimisation.

      A whole bandwidth of different technical solutions can be found in the Krones portfolio for the journey from the preform to the ready-for-sale product. And the innovation process embraced by Krones sees to it that these solutions grow in line with more stringent market requirements and also provide answers to the challenges of tomorrow. One element of crucial importance in this context is the enviro sustainability programme, because it makes sure that any newly developed products, and any upgrades, too, are focused on eco-efficiency and environmental compatibility right from the start.

      Product information Bottle Design

      Sustainability Programme enviro

      Contiform 3 Pro: a stretch blow-moulder series that

      • has been conceived for outstanding energy- and media-efficiency;
      • covers a wide output spectrum;
      • reliably masters a most varied range of process types – on request in one and the same machine;
      • also produces PET bottles made 100 per cent of recyclate.

      Product information Contiform 3 Pro

      Contiform 3 Speed: a high-speed stretch blow-moulder that

      • achieves a station output of up to 2,750 containers an hour;
      • produces containers for still water, CSDs, and sensitive products;
      • saves another max. 15 per cent in energy and compressed-air consumption compared to the Contiform 3 Pro.

      Product information Contiform 3 Speed

      Contipure AseptBloc: aseptic filling systems that

      • also produce and fill lightweight containers to optimum standards of quality;
      • boast an uninterrupted running time of up to 186 hours;
      • are extremely painstaking in economising on energy consumption;
      • need just one single sterilisation medium – and use this with particular efficiency.

      Product information Contipure AseptBloc

      Product information Contipure Bloc P

      Tethered caps: Be prepared now for the EU Directive 2019/204

      It will be mandatory in the EU from 2024 for non-returnable PET bottles: Tethered caps - i.e. caps that remain firmly attached to the bottle even after opening. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to switch to the new cap type. That's why we have prepared our capping technology for the new task - and also summarised all the important information about tethered caps for you in a whitepaper: From the legal situation regarding possible cap variants through to their technical feasibility in the production line.

      Downloading the whitepaper free of charge

      Secondary packaging
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      Secondary packaging

      When it comes to reducing the use of materials, we mostly think of the beverages containers first. But if we take a closer look, we can see that there is also plenty of savings potential with secondary packagings.

      Doing completely without plastics

      It is also possible without film: LitePac Top is an innovative secondary packaging from our own development. Instead of shrink film, it keeps cans and PET containers in shape with an environmentally friendly cardboard clip - and thus meets the pulse of the times in terms of sustainability and resource conservation.

      Packaging your containers without film

      The difference to many other alternative packaging types: LitePac Top can already be produced on an industrial scale today - and is thus ready for immediate use on the market. This is because the Krones Varioline can handle the most diverse types of secondary and tertiary packaging, including LitePac Top. 

      Discover the many possibilities offered by the Krones Varioline

      Consuming less plastic 

      You don't always need a new type of packaging: There's also still plenty of material to be saved in existing pack types. 

      Optimising the machines 

      The Variopac Pro packaging machine offers several options for noticeably reducing shrink-film consumption - by upgrading to reduce:

      • the film thickness by up to 25 μm.
      • the lateral film projection.
      • the film residue on the film reel.

      Optimising the packaging material

      A service for all those who use shrink films optimally:  In a film analysis, we examine and evaluate the films you have selected based on all of the relevant parameters. The results will be sent to you in a conclusive report with clear evaluation graphics – which provides you with an ideal and, above all, objective basis for making decisions during film selection. Whether material thickness, overlap or overhangs: even when it comes to recycling films, we will gladly accompany you to the limits of what is technically feasible. Benefits to you: More sustainability with lower costs! 

      Try it out right away: use the free savings calculator and send a non-binding enquiry

      Used PET bottles
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      Used PET bottles

      In a recently announced co-operation agreement, Krones and Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH are lighting the touchpaper for a strong circular economy. The shared aim is to make the benefits of plastic recycling a reality that is as achievable and profitable as possible for customers all over the world. Firstly, by offering their existing, tried-and-tested solutions for sorting and recycling technology as turnkey complete factories from a single source. And secondly by collaborating on the development of new solutions, processes and technologies to do with the sorting and treatment of waste.

      Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH

      • is one of the market leaders in the sorting systems technology
      • has about 450 employees
      • has sold already more than 350 turnkey lines and 2,000 single components worldwide
      • develops and manufactures technology for sorting all kind of different materials – this includes plastic waste, paper, cartons, household waste and commercial waste.

      Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH

      Recyclate
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      Recyclate

      Buy, drink – and that’s it? Not by a long way! From a consumer’s viewpoint, the lifespan of a PET bottle may seem short. But the bottles themselves know better. After all, they are made of a material with outstanding recycling properties. And that talent can be utilised again and again.

      So it is all the more surprising that billions of PET bottles per year are still not being re-used – meaning a gigantic raw-material source is simply lying fallow. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates the value of plastic waste unused today at 80 to 120 billion dollars a year. An enormous potential just waiting to be tapped. And that’s not all: recycling plants turn waste into new products – and can thus make a substantial contribution towards reducing the global littering problem.

      The MetaPure recycling systems

      • … recycle PET containers
        • into flakes (on request with direct downstream processing into new products).
        • in different material qualities.
        • right up to food-grade PET in line with FDA, EFSA and other certificates.
      • … recycle containers made of polyolefins (PO)
        • into flakes.
        • in the upcycling approach for high-quality re-use.
      • … are available as individual machines – or in the shape of a complete single-sourced recycling plant.

      Product information MetaPure

      Fact check: the pros and cons of plastics

      Plastic materials and sustainability – how does that fit together? Our "Plastics fact check" series on the Krones blog provides the answer.

      Doing great things together

      A strong circular economy can only be established with joint forces. For this reason, Krones joins cooperations with selected companies which complement our technologies and enhance our solutions.

      Allies in recycling

      In order to offer turnkey sorting and recycling systems from a single source, Krones and Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH entered into a cooperation partnership. An additional goal: to significantly advance the development together – from new solutions, processes, and technologies with regard to sortation and processing of waste materials.

      Cap and container as a single unit

      According to a legislative proposal of the European Commission, caps will have to remain firmly attached to PET bottles, even after opening. In a cooperation with Aptar, Krones packaging experts developed the FlipLid: a novel capping system which permanently attaches the cap to the bottle – and thereby exactly meets the requirement of the European Commission.

      EU Directive 2019/204 - what do I need to know?

      We have prepared the most important information about tethered caps for you in a free-of-charge whitepaper. 

      Inform yourself now: What you can expect in terms of tethered caps

      Attractive and functional: sustainable packaging from Krones


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