Berry Global has opened the doors to its ‘Circular Innovation and Training Centre’ in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
“Utilising state-of-the-art film characterisation and performance testing technology, this new 12,000 square foot centre will accelerate the development of Bmore Circular Solutions across ultra-high-performance films through the use of recycled content, material downgauging, and more,” a company spokesperson told Sustainable Plastics.
Berry’s Bmore range includes products featuring recycled content, renewable content, design for recyclability, reduced carbon footprint, as well as refill/reuse solutions.
The new centre will spur the development of lighter weight stretch films, requiring less material and energy to produce and thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and plastic waste.
The Tulsa facility will use characterisation and performance testing technology to measure properties ana behaviours of stretch films including weight, elongation, tear resistance, pre-stretch ration, film memory, and many others.
“Berry’s new centre will also foster a collaborative space for training to help our customers unpack complexities and understand what’s possible for the films market,” the company’s spokesperson said.
Distributors will be able to join educational and trainings sessions, covering topics like Stretch Film 101 and Wrapping Dynamics and Optimisation, amongst others.
“Now more than ever, the ability to access premium films with tailored performance and circularity benefits is crucial for our distributors, as they strive to meet the evolving sustainability demands of consumers and the market at large,” said Phil Stolz, EVP & General Manager for Flexibles at Berry. “This new centre represents a significant investment in education, technology, and sustainability to help our customers unpack complexities and understand what’s possible for the flexible packaging market.”
Around 12 to 15 billion pounds (5,400 to 6,800 tonnes) of flexible packaging and films are used in the United States every year, for products ranging from pallet wrap to e-commerce mailers, boat wrap, food packaging, shrink wrap, lawn and garden bags, and hay bale wrap. However, only an estimated 5% of flexible films are recycled each year, with the rest being landfilled, incinerated, or released into the environment.