Packaging

www.ceepackaging.com

Issue 9

February 2009

CEE companies still upbeat long term

Even in hard times, the Russian packaging market offers a wealth of opportunities

Hungary takes moves to combat slowdown Innovating out of crisis

News Analysis Opinion Product Developments A wards Branding Company Information Events

Ensuring freshness for any occasion The superior properties and flexibility of Borealis and Borouge polyolefins make them the advanced packaging material of choice for applications as diverse as food packaging, flexible and rigid transport packaging, healthcare, courier bags, bottles, crates, boxes, trays, large containers and pallets. Our plastics bring new ways to package food, increasing shelf life and consumer appeal, as well as dramatically cutting energy consumption. We are committed to addressing global challenges with innovative plastics solutions in infrastructure, automotive and advanced packaging. From simple everyday products that make life easier to step-changing technological developments, Borealis and Borouge are leading the way.

www.borealisgroup.com www.borouge.com

CEE PACKAGING

Central and Eastern European Packaging Tel.: +48 22 2195466, +48 502 159080, www.ceepackaging.com e. mail : [email protected]

Contents

Issue 9, February 2009

Around the region ...................................................................................4

Industry news ....................................................................................... 25

Ukrainian economy in crisis Central and Eastern Europe losing momentum CEE companies remain upbeat about longer term business outlook EBRD reduces growth forecasts across region Poland may put euro entry on hold Hungary takes moves to combat slowdown IMF intervention the best of the bad news for Latvia

Cologate Palmolive to have promotional packaging centre in Poland FSC recognises Tetra Pak for reaching 100 million certified packs BASF takes moves to combat the slowdown Labeller investing heavily in new premises and plant

Analysis ...... .......................................................................................... 29

Industry winners......................................................................................11 Awards given for medical packaging at Pharmapack Students honoured for work on polyoelefins Award for super light margarine tub

Growth of beer consumption continues in CEE region Corrugated body calls for voluntary phasing out of toxin Growing interest in modified atmosphere packaging M+A activity down in the packaging industry

Events .................................................................................................... 34 Even in hard times, the Russian packaging market offers a wealth of opportunities No sign of recession for confectionery Food event will have a strong packaging theme Thirty percent increase for Pharmapack

Company profile ................................................................................... 40 Borealis and Borouge Wrap-up Blown Film Market's Needs

Products and branding ........................................................................ 14 Serial coding used to support promotional campaign

Interest growing for lotion pump Blister packaging aids Gillette in war on theft Expert Lift cream rolled out in specialised jar System packing 150 trays per minute First order received for bioplastic coated paperboard Economic slowdown changes retail habits and offers new possibilities in packaging Board launched for high quality folding cartons Superfos innovating out of crisis Non returnable keg aimed at alcohol exporters

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Around the region

Ukrainian economy in crisis Potentially the Ukraine is one of the largest growth market s in Europe. Despite political turmoil and demographic problems it turned it s back on the bad 1990s and st arted major expansion in the new century. Unfortunately the growth that it managed to achieve is now evaporating. o a large extent the Ukrainian economy has been very much tied to the fortunes of Russia. The 1990s were a period of stagnation and very slow privatisation. However the country enjoyed a very strong boom after this period which witnessed strong growth in the sales of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals and other industries. This was a reflection of growing incomes, not only for the

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rich but also for the poor as the number of people classed to be living in poverty halved. FMCG boom The country was restructuring and the boom in FMCG sales led not only to major multinationals trying to get a large slice of this market through local acquisitions but also to packaging companies

following their western clients. These companies included Tetra Pak, CanPack and KGS amongst many others. The speed of investment was such that many Ukrainian packaging products were being exported, above all to Russia but also to Poland and Germany as well. Of special interest was the glass industry thanks to strong growth in the sales of beer, vodka, wine and other beverages.

Kiev is likely to be the most effected capit al in the CEE region by the current crisis.

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Around the region

The Ukraine has a history of glass manufacture and among those companies which took advantage of this were SaintGobain and Vetropack. Inefficient economy Nontheless like Russia many areas of the economy have remained inefficient with little leadership from the top as one political crisis has followed another. The Ukraine is now paying the price for sev-

‘ one political crisis has followed another. ..’

eral years of unsustainable, consumption fuelled growth and what the World Bank terms a 'macroeconomic policy mix that has acted pro-cyclically rather than prudently, thereby increasing the size of the necessary adjustment'. On 5 November 2008, the IMF granted a USD16.5bn arrangement as an anchor for macroeconomic stability, encouraging private investors to roll over credits provided to corporates and banks and designed to prevent the credit crunch from deepening the downturn. The fear is that foreign investors who are worried about political inertia and corruption may take their money out of the country while they still can thus cancelling out the IMF measures. International assistance The World Bank is now putting together a package of assistance to help Ukraine get through the current crisis which support key structural reforms designed to make the country more acceptable to international investors, including aid to the banking system as well as improving budgetary efficiency and make available funds for social needs. Between 2003 and 2006 the poverty rate halved over 47.2 percent to 24.5 percent. However unemployment is now increasing. Demography The Ukraine however faces yet another challenge. The country is in demographic decline as the population gets considerably older. Ironically, at the same time the average longevity for males is actually decreasing. In 1991 the country had a population of fifty three million. Today is closer to forty seven

Victor Yushchenko came to power as president of the Ukraine on the wave on the popularly backed ‘Orange Revolution’. Snce then political and economic problems have somewhat eroded the appeal of ths revolution in the minds of ordinary Ukrainians. million. Furthermore some areas of the western part of the country have amongst the highest birthrates in Europe. It is in the eastern part of the country where the population is falling the most, propelled also by emigration to Russia. There is now a birth rate of 1.1 per female and given that most children are born to women in their early to mid twenties, this birthrate is likely to drop even more

Immediate future weak. For the immediate future the Ukrainian market is likely to be very weak. The EBRD at the end of January forecast negative growth of five percent this year thus cancelling out the gains of 2008. Industrial production is also down well into double figures when compared to the beginning of last year. The country has a lot of ground to make up to make it once more the target of international investors.

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Around the region

Central and Eastern Europe losing momentum The CEE countries do not represent an exception to the general gloomy outlook for 2009 according to economists, bankers and investors who attended the Euromoney Central & Eastern European Forum in Vienna on 21 January 2009. ot long ago everyone was talking about "decoupling", the supposed ability of emerging market economies to keep growing even if other economies fell into recession. That was then. Now the "hard landing" in emerging markets may become the "second epicentre" of the global crisis and CEE looks like it may take centre stage. After years of credit excesses, few places look more vulnerable than the countries from the Baltics to the Black Sea.

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CEE´s Achilles heels Precise predictions are tenuous at the moment since the crisis is far from over. Yet most conference participants in Vienna pointed at the most obvious risks for the region: First there is the risk of a rapid slowdown in credit expansion. The huge credit expansion of the past years is turning into a problem for foreign banks as the quality of outstanding loans is deteriorating rapidly. Many of those banks are going through a process of rapid deleveraging in their home countries. The scarcity in global liquidity and global capital affects many parent banks, prohibiting them from transferring liquidity to CEE, especially to the countries with loans that exceed deposits. Thus, credit expansion in CEE is expected to be based on domestic means, i.e. domestic deposit expansion. UniCredit board member Erich Hampel said that the bank was committed to fund its subsidiaries in those countries and would continue to lend to consumers and companies. ‘Coordination is essential and a plan for CEE should be designed’ said Hampel. He called on other international banks active in the region, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and other institutions to launch a joint plan to stem the threat that funds could stop flowing and choke economic growth.

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FX mismatches A second risk, and a main reason for the growing number of defaults, is the large FX exposure of firms and households in CEE. The rapid depreciation in some of the currencies of CEE is creating problems in firm and household debt servicing. This is particularly true for the Baltics, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine. According to Analyst of Deutsche Bank foreign currency loans amount for more than 50 percent of total loans in these countries. In Latvia and Estonia this ratio is 80 percent. The Czech Republic is an exception in Not yet grey skies over W arsaw.

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that regard, according to Zdenek Tuma, Governor of the Czech National Bank: ‘Czech banks are not reliant on international funding. The main source of credit is customer deposits, the ration of loans to deposits in the Czech banking system is still well below 100 percent. Bank loans are predominantly denominated in Czech koruna and so are the customers´deposits held with domestic banks. We do not face the usual problem of emerging economies with households and firms getting credit that is sourced in foreign currencies. This is simply an outcome of the credibility that our monetary policy and relatively long period of low

Around the region

Food always sells well in an economic slowdown - especially if it is own label! inflation, as well as of nominal interest rates, has gained.’ Disappearing investor base A third risk is that of a sudden stop in capital inflows. The astonishing supply of developed government debt that is poised to flood the market over the next couple of years will surely crowd out money that could be put to work in markets such as CEE. Real estate FDI is declining fast, bank capital infusion as well, whereas new green field investments are very questionable. The countries of CEE run high current account deficits and have large exposures in foreign debts. If capital from abroad dries up, it may generate a large domestic recession. Markets are already aware of this risk, driving the interest rates of credit default swaps are a lot higher for those countries that have higher such exposure. Austria and CEE One country´s banking system looks most vulnerable. Austrian banks have dominated the surge of foreign currency loans to former regions of the Habsburg Empire. The failure of Credit Anstalt in

May 1931 brought the Great Depression´s financial crisis to Central Europe. Viennese banks may find themselves playing a similar role as the current disaster unfolds. According to the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) the total amount of outstanding loans of Austrian banks to the CEE region (including Russia and Ukraine) is USD 300 billion. This amount equals 68 percent of Austrian GDP. It also makes Austria the leader in terms of total exposure of EUbanks to CEE (20 percent), followed by Germany (15.8 percent) and Italy (15,6 percent). What will happen next? In light of all the calls for state invention and the multi-billion infrastructure programs that are proposed to boost the economy in the region we are reminded of the Frenchman Frederick Bastiat, who grimly joked 200 years ago that breaking windows might also be a good way to stimulate the economy, as glaziers will have more money to spend. The fallacy Bastiat wanted to highlight is of course that such policies ignore the loss for the homeowner who has to pay the glazier.

As Europeans consider the way forward, it is not too late for them to consider also Bastiat´s famous description of the state as "the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else." Indeed, current economic policy is full of schemes for getting something for nothing, with government bonds clearly looking like the next bubble in the making. Banks and bond markets are being reduced to mere channels for the financing of huge public sector deficits. Some argue that the government can spend without taxing at all; that it can continue to pile up debt without ever paying it off because "we owe it to ourselves." However, such pleasant dreams in the past have always been shattered by national insolvency or runaway inflation - all government expenditures must eventually be paid out of the proceeds of taxation; with inflation itself being merely a form, and a particularly vicious form, of taxation. Martin Kolmhofer is Director of CEE PORTAL(www.cee-portal.at), an Austria-based business platform for Central and Eastern Europe

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Around the region

Central and eastern european companies remain upbeat about longer term business outlook November 2008 survey, undertaken by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of leading global credit insurer Atradius shows that despite concerns about the regional economy, companies do not expect a significant deterioration of their business in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in the next three years. Over the next 12 months, only 40 percent of respondents expect a moderate impact and 30 percent a large or very large impact on their company's operations from the economic downturn in CEE. While two-thirds of companies expect some difficulties in financing their CEE operations, only 14 percent expect this to result in a reduction in their operations in the region and only 15 percent are seeking to raise additional equity finance. Sixty one percent of respondents estimate that their annual revenue from trade and investment in the region would increase by more than six percent over the next three years and 90 percent expect annual profit growth from the region over that same period. This may partly reflect companies' expectation that CEE economies will begin to rebound in 2010-11 after a difficult 2009 or that many respondents have not yet fully built the impact of the downturn into their plans. Firms already active in CEE are generally looking to diversify their presence in the region over the next three years. Although Poland will remain an important priority for companies, they are increasingly interested in the Balkans, which has lagged the Central European markets in reform and economic development but is set to narrow the gap in the coming years. The report 'Testing times - investing and trading in Central and Eastern Europe' is the outcome of a survey of 300 senior executives from companies in

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Opinions on the strength of the Polish economy were divided at this meeting of the English speaking exp atriate business owners association held in Warsaw on 11 February 2008. Economist Richard Mbewe (lef t, standing) remains positive. Photo: Marcin Tokarski Western Europe, the US and emerging markets which currently do business or plan to do business in CEE. This is the latest in a series of Atradius commissioned reports focused on informing businesses of the opportunities and risks of trade with emerging markets. As CEE populations are expected to fall sharply in the coming decades, the region is at a disadvantage to Latin America and South-East Asia, where earlier surveys revealed that companies saw growing populations as a key advantage. The negative effects of falling populations in CEE for companies may however be counterbalanced to some extent by the increasing prosperity of these markets. More encouraging, 25 percent of respondents cite the significance of changing technologies as an opportunity: CEE retains considerable scope for economic development through technological catch-up with

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advanced economies. Despite respondents overall positive assessment, a range of shortcomings in the regulatory environment were identified. Excessive or unclear bureaucracy is still a major hindrance. Other leading concerns for businesses include poor infrastructure, skills shortages, and rising wage costs. Corruption is a particular source of difficulty in Romania and Bulgaria. EU accession is generally recognized as having eased trading conditions within the new member states, although non-tariff barriers to trade with the new EU members remain an issue and trade with non-members has become more difficult. Further steps in European integration - membership in the Schengen zone of free internal borders and accession to the euro - are seen as highly important by respondents.

Around the region

EBRD reduces growth forecasts across region The EBRD reduced its 2009 economic growth forecasts, reflecting the prospects of a deepening recession in the developed world, and faster-than-expected slowing in economic activity in the final months of 2008. In its latest forecast for economic growth at the end of January 2008, the bank still expected the CEE region to avoid a blanket recession of its own. However, average growth predictions marked some stark variations.

tion within the global economy.’ He added, ‘The ability of these countries to withstand such a major external shock over the longer term will depend largely on the speed of the recovery of the global economy, the combined efforts of individual governments and International Financial Institutions, including the EBRD, to safeguard financial systems in the region, and the support of foreign banks to their eastern subsidiaries.’

Growth but only just The EBRD now expects average 2009 growth of 0.1 percent in the 30 countries where it has investments, compared with a prediction of 2.5 percent based on country forecasts made in November last year. It estimates that the region expanded by 4.8 percent in 2008, compared with the prediction of 6.3 percent made last November. Chief Economist Erik Berglof said, ‘The EBRD region is feeling the full impact of the global slowdown, mainly because of the region's increased integra-

Rebound in the mid term Despite the lower short-term growth prospects, the mid to long-term expectations call for a rebound, possibly as early as next year, Berglof noted that economic fundamentals throughout the region had strengthened over the last decade, paving the way for the revival of economic momentum once the global economic downturn had abated. Growth rates across region The EBRD expects economic growth of one percent in Russia this year, down

from the three percent predicted last November. South Eastern Europe was expected to show growth of 1.5 percent this year, down sharply from the 7.3 percent estimated for 2008. ‘Positive growth in these countries reflects still strong domestic demand, and in some cases lower levels of financial integration, but the risk of an even sharper slowdown is high,’ according to Mr Berglof. Growth in Central Europe and the Baltics is seen at 0.4 percent this year after 3.9 percent last year. Baltics, Ukraine and Hungary all down Despite predicting close to flat growth for the whole of its region, the EBRD expects economic contractions this year in Ukraine, Hungary and the three Baltic states. The Ukrainian economy is expected to shrink by five percent in 2009, Hungary by two percent, with declines of 3.5 percent, five percent and 2.5 percent seen in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, respectively.

Poland may put euro entry on hold Polish entry into the European exchange rate mechanism ERM2, where the zloty has to spend two years before being replaced by the euro, could be postponed from the planned date of May - June, 2009, if it could result in risks for the local currency or financial system, PM Donald Tusk said at the beginning of February. The Polish government had earlier hinted that the global crisis could impact the plans to adopt the euro in 2012, but they have never stated such a possibility so clearly. Tusk also said that FX interventions could now prove counter-effective, joining the views of National Bank of Poland (NBP) governor Slawomir Skrzypek and deputy PM and economy minister Waldemar Pawlak.

Donald Tusk, Polish PM

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Around the region

Hungary takes moves to combat slowdown

Ferenc Gyurcsany in parliament n 29 January 2009, Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany announced in parliament that in order to tackle the economic crisis the government plans to lower the burdens on labour by HUF1 trillion, (EUR3.5bn). This will mean lower personal income tax, employers' social security contributions and cancelling a wealth tax. This will take around HUF200bn off the burden being borne by the private sector. However this is to be paid for by increases in value added tax except for basic foodstuffs and a tax on certain assets. Government spending is also to be contained, including social and welfare spending. The Hungarian government is projecting 2.5 - three percent economic slowdown and similar inflation rate in 2009. The prognosis is in line with the latest forecasts of the central bank. The European Commission predicts a 1.6 percent fall in GDP growth for Hungary in 2009. The Hungarian government is

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expecting export volume to decline by three percent in 2009,as opposed to the earlier 3.9 percent growth forecast. Imports may contract by 3 - 3.5 percent. Analysts mainly welcomed Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's plans to restructure the tax system, although the plans yet lack a time frame for imple-

tax and social security contributions with the other measures. It is also remain to be seen whether such a change will require a new, supplementary budget or not as the Prime Minister hopes.

IMF intervention the best of the bad news for Latvia After GDPand growth ten percent in mentation manyofdetails are not 2007 andout twelve in 2006, Latvia worked or percent were let in shadow. plunged into in 2008 with Reducing taxes recession on employing labour at GDP fallingoffour percent, the the expense bringing up due VATtorates choking foreign which led seems to off be ofthe right credits direction of the to declining investment, real inflation estate purreforms especially now when is chases and private consumption. not a concern. However, the changes to Meanwhile began 2009year at VAT rates couldinflation be carried out this 11.5the percent annually,income after reaching but new personal tax ratesa peakonly of 18bepercent by mid-2008. can applied from 2010. The Theserious crisis led to the nationalisation of most scepticism among econoLatvia's domestically owned mists was largest voiced over whether the govbank, Parex and to intervention ernment can Bank, entirely offset the loss of by the from International Monetaryincome Fund revenue cutting personal

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(IMF) which spearheaded a 7.5 bln euro bailout of Latvia that included funding by the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank. The bailout will allow Latvia to maintain its currency's peg to the euro at the rate of 0.7028 Latvian lats (LVL) to one euro (1 LVL = 1.4229 EUR), but Latvia has agreed to raise taxes and slash spending to reduce the budget deficit to three percent of GDP by 2011. In the short term, these moves will further dampen demand and exacerbate the recession.

Industry winners

Awards given for medical packaging at Pharmapack

The Pharmapack Awards ceremony was held on Thursday 22nd January 2009 during the eighth edition of Pharmapack in Paris, France, in the Grande Halle de la V illette. Pharmapack is an international exhibition with over 190 comp anies from the packaging and pharmaceutical delivery systems. Presented by Prof. Philippe Arnaud, Hospital Pharmacist, Head of

Cold chain compliance Certificate: Airliner®, Coldpack For more information on this product see interview with Cold pack’s managing director Charles Henri Lehideux on www .ceepackaging.com

Compliance Award: easOtic ® Virbac Carros and Laboratoires Virbac

Proper drug use Award: Actonelcombi ® Actonel Western Europe, P&G Pharmaceuticals

Department Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard AP-HP, the Pharmapack Awards Ceremony singled out innovative packaging launched between 1 December 2007 and 17 November 2008. The goal of the Pharmapack Awards is to attract the attention of industrial Pharmacists in charge of research, development and production, hospital-based chemists, packaging purchasers, marketing and product managers, representatives of institutions and the media.

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Industry winners

Students honoured for work on polyoelefins wo students carrying out important research on polyolefins have been recognized by Borealis, a leading provider of innovative, value creating plastics solutions, under its new Student Innovation Award scheme. The students received their awards at the annual Innovation Day that Borealis celebrated in Linz, Austria on 21 January 2009. For his doctoral degree on norbornene-based polyolefins by postmetallocene catalysts, Italian student Dr. Andrea Ravasio received EUR5,000, while a masters degree thesis on scavengers and chemical bonding for defined volatile components in polyolefins yields Austrian student Andreas Fuchs EUR3,000. 'The Borealis Student Innovation Award recognises the two most innova-

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tive research papers at masters and doctorate level on polyolefins, olefins or melamine sciences,' says Dr. Christian Paulik, Manager for External Research and Funding at Borealis. 'Our aim is to engage young people in our vision of Shaping the Future with Plastics. These two important research projects symbolize exactly the spirit that we are trying to capture.' Ravasio's doctoral dissertation was carried out at the University of Pavia, under Professor Maurizio Licchelli and Incoronata Tritto. Professor Tritto says that Dr. Ravasio showed himself to be very talented in the design and synthesis of organometallic compoundsand copolymers. 'What singled out Andrea was his

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comprehensive knowledge of catalysis for olefin and cyclo-olefin copolymerization,' says Christian Paulik in explaining the decision to give the doctorate award to Dr. Ravasio. Andreas Fuchs studied for his Masters degree at the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, under the tutelage of Professor Oliver Brüggemann, who describes him as 'one of the best coworkers I have worked with in my career'. Fuchs' thesis shows new ways to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from polyolefins. 'This work is set in the real world,' says Christian Paulik. 'Andreas's findings might well help in the development of future polymers.'

Industry winners

Award for super light margarine tub nilever won a 2008 Deutscher Verpackungs Preis (German Packaging Award) and a WorldStar Packaging Award for a margarine tub.

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New concept of injection: SLIM® The winning Unilever 500 g Rama margarine tub uses Veriplast's super light injection moulding technology (SLIM). The SLIM concept has been developed at Veriplast Solutions' Ravensburg facility in Germany. It combines the unique Mucell® simultaneous nitrogen and plastic injection technique, a Veriplast Solutions exclusive in Europe, and the Extra Slim Label, an innovative downgauged in-mould label (IML). Extra

Slim Label is produced at Veriplast Decorative Solutions in Angoulême, France. 10% reduction in weight On one hand, the SLIM® technology involves pressurised gas expanding when the pressure is released during the injection moulding process. The gas replaces its equivalent volume of plastic, resulting in a reduction of up to 10% in packaging weight without any perceptible difference in the final tub quality. Label produced using 30% less CO2 On the other hand, the Extra Slim Label used in this tub is significantly thinner

than the market standard and provides an additional environmental benefit by reducing the CO2 footprint by 30% compared to standard labels. Those two exclusive Veriplast Solutions' innovations combined in the unique SLIM concept provide outstanding benefits in terms of packaging weight reduction and carbon footprint optimisation. 'We are particularly satisfied that one of our key customers has won such a prestigious award with one of our new innovation concepts; these awards endorse the development capabilities of our Group’, declared Thierry Tomasov, Veriplast Solutions' CEO.

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Products and Branding

Serial coding used to support promotional campaign ibirsky Bereg, a major player on the Russian snack foods market, used Amcor SerialCoding for a recent promotional campaign for its brand Kirieshky. Kirieshky is a dried rye bread snack that is available in nine different flavours: red caviar; smoked salmon; cheese; bacon and cheese; bacon; salami; jellied meat and horseradish; chicken and pizza. Sibirsky Bereg launched a lottery system where it invited consumers of Kirieshky snacks to find a code inside the pack and send it via SMS or on the internet site of Sibirsky Bereg. Every hour during 10 weeks from the launch customers had the opportunity to win an Apple iPod touch.

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'Amcor SerialCoding is ideal for games and promotions like ours. This technology delivered by Amcor in Russia helped us to improve customer loyalty and allowed us to track sales and consumption in specific regions. Due to this project we were able to maintain our sales level in a period of decreasing demand for snacks,' commented Mikhail Senikov, Director of Marketing and Development at Sibirsky Bereg. Amcor SerialCoding is not only used for product promotions but it can also protect products from counterfeiting and provides product traceability. The coding system can print any individual message made up of letters and/or numbers on each separate wrapper. Kirieshky snacks are available throughout Russia. Sibirsky Bereg also has a well developed distribution network in Kazakhstan, Belarus and the Ukraine and sells its products in Europe, Asia and Australia.

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Products and Branding

Interest growing for lotion pump ottega Verde's Uomo Energy Power anti-wrinkle, anti-stress formulation, and Kelemata's Victor anti-fatigue cold cream both recently reached European retail shelves utilising Rexam's Prodigio , lotion pump which is airless and according to the manufacturer's completely recyclable. The Bottega Verde product was customized with matching electric-blue actuator and tank, while the Kelemata entry was created with a black actuator and green-labelled tank. 'Two recent launches of European prestige brands demonstrates the appeal of our innovative beauty packaging, which builds brands,' said Virginie

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Lemeunier, Product Manager - Lotion, Rexam Personal Care. 'The Prodigio looks great on the retail shelf, and offers true consumer benefits, through elimination of drips, clogs and product contamination.' This dispensing technology has a mechanically-closed actuator channel that keeps the lotion exit-point neat, clear and free of messy build-up. The mechanism primes and pumps flawlessly, slides back after every actuation, and prevents product return after air or skin contact. The Prodigio is fitted with polypropylene and polyethylene components. There is no elastomer or metal contact

with the lotion. It can dispense precise dosage of fragile, viscous formulations through wider internal channels and is designed to withstand high-speed atmospheric filling and other processes. 'The Prodigio design 'feels right' in the consumer's hand and offers smooth actuation,' said Lemeunier. 'On top of the enhanced ergonomics and functionality is the fact that the Prodigio is designed with a large decoration area, for optimal point-of-sale impact and profitability. No wonder we expect worldwide usage of Prodigio to grow in the months ahead, in men's and women's products ranging from mass market to prestige.'

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Products and branding

Blister packaging aids Gillette in war on theft ince 2000, Gillette's razors have been packaged in RF-sealed clamshells as a solution to address a high theft rate. The clamshell offers great security against pilferage, since it is sealed around the edges during the packaging process. However, this process also makes it very difficult and dangerous for purchasers to open, due to the sharp edges that are formed when opening the package with a knife or scissors. Moreover, the clamshell's exterior is made entirely of plastic, which creates issues around sustainability as manufacturers and many retailers are focusing on the reduction in the volume of plastic used in their products and stores. Today, the manufacturers and retailers paying attention to sustainability are commended for their great vision, as sustainable

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packaging continues to gain ground as one of the best and 'greenest' business practices. As Gillette began to focus its efforts on more sustainable packaging, the company was faced with a challenge to consider clamshell alternatives for its products in the context of their current systems, process, equipment and continued need to guard against pilferage. Search for a solution Gillette set out to find a packaging solution for their razor lines that would meet their sustainability needs without requiring new packaging equipment or additional labour costs. They also did not want to sacrifice the pilfer-resistance they had with their clamshell packaging.

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Gillette, under the project management of senior engineer Michael Marcinkowski, evaluated several packaging options, and ultimately selected BlisterGuard®. BlisterGuard's heat-sealable, tearresistant design is recyclable. It uses Everest® Safe-Pak™ solid bleached sulfate paperboard from International Paper with multilayer Valéron® strength film and a clear plastic blister to replace Gillette's clamshells. 'We really pushed the envelope on the design. We worked closely with Colbert's research and development team to develop unique foil-laminated cards and a feature that allows some of the packages to breathe,' said continued on following page

Products and branding

Marcinkowski. 'Our R&D team was involved in package design and trials. They had a lot of great ideas, and we relied on Colbert's expertise to ultimately deliver on our needs. It was a great, collaborative process. In fact, whenever we had an idea or request, Colbert found a way to make it happen.' Used across the range Today, the BlisterGuard packaging is used for the entire Gillette razor product line sold at all club stores in the United States and Canada. This includes such well-known Gillette brands as Fusion®, Mach3®, Sensor® and Venus®. While all club packs are now sold in BlisterGuard packaging, the packaging design varies by brand and model to meet the individual needs of each product and the various components. For example, some packages contain a razor plus blades, some also contain a battery, and others contain blades only. Primarily paper-based, BlisterGuard's large printable area gives Gillette better shelf presentation for their products. As the BlisterGuard packaging was being customized for Gillette's products, the company used the opportunity to redesign their packaging across their razor brands. Improvements The manufacturers of BlisterGuard claim that is use reduces the amount of plastic in the environment by 50 - 70 percent. At the same time products held within it are theft-resistant at the store and easy to open at home with scissors. The packaging increases brand visibility and is more consumer-friendly. Gillette was able to change to this form of packaging was changed without changing equipment and the assembly process was made more efficient, with minimal retooling. 'BlisterGuard gave us what we needed to retain pilfer-resistance, while also meeting our goals for sustainability,' said Marcinkowski. 'We were able to make a positive change to our razor packaging with our existing machinery without increasing the time it takes to deliver our products. The end result is a win for all involved - retailers, Gillette, the environment and our consumers.'

Expert Lift cream rolled out in specialised jar N

ivea Visage Expert Lift has been launched in a thick walled jar made specially fro cream and rolled out globally in January 2009. The Nivea Visage Expert Lift range consists of four products (Day Cream, Night Cream, Beauty Tonic and Eye Cream) that offer a complete facial skincare solution especially developed for the demanding skin care needs of women aged over fifty. With its combination of two powerful ingredients Bioxilift and Hyaluronic Acid - Expert Lift promises noticeably tighter, redefined and smoother skin.

coloured inner jar visible inside the clear outer container. While the overall pack achieves a 'glass effect,' the use of plastics offers significant lightweight and shatterproof advantages that make it safe and practical both for the end user and the supply chain. RPC Bramlage has utilised unusual materials to achieve the pack's distinctive look. The outer container is injection moulded in a type of polystyrene to achieve a luxurious thick-walled effect. The inner jar is manufactured in violet PP, shaded to suit the product: a lighter colour differentiates the Day Cream

Beiersdorf wanted a packaging format that would symbolise the range's luxurious qualities, and developed the cream jar (which is used to package the Day Cream and Night Cream products) in close co-operation with RPC Bramlage. The pack features an innovative dual-layer construction, with a

from the darker Night Cream. Labels applied to the outer jar by Beiersdorf enhance the premium effect. The two-part lid uses the same combination of polystyrene outer and PP inner components, but is also metallised for further on-shelf impact.

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Products and Branding

System packing 150 trays per minute shida Europe has launched a new system for the fast and efficient packing of trays into cases and Eurocrates. Operating at speeds of up to 150 trays per minute, the Ishida IPS has been designed for a wide range of products and applications, including ready meals, meat and poultry, seafood, salads, dairy, fresh fruit and confectionery.

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Moving trays The Ishida IPS works by moving individual trays rather than collations. This simplifies the infeeding of trays into the machine and enhances pick-and-place accuracy and consistency. The IPS robot's moving parts have a very small inertia, which enable them to accelerate and decelerate rapidly. During the pick and place operation, the IPS optically tracks each tray and trays are picked and the crates filled while in motion. These technical advances greatly increase the speed and efficiency of the operation. Flexibility The IPS also offers maximum flexibility in terms of case layout. Each layer can be arranged in a different collation pattern, which provides greater stability for multi-layer crates and cases. In addition, the machine is able to include incomplete layers, for example for packing to a specified crate weight or tray number, or for the inclusion of extra 'bonus' packs. Set-up and operation are easy via the IPS's Touch Screen. The machine can also be operated and monitored remotely. Preset programmes and easy-toexchange pick heads mean changeovers from one tray to another can be carried out in less then two minutes. Durable Ishida claims that the machine has a light but durable construction. The company also believes that the rack and pinion drive eliminates the wear issues typically associated with complex gearboxes.

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Products and branding

First order received for bioplastic coated paperboard ggesund Paperboard has received its first order for bioplastic-coated paperboard. This means Invercote can now be supplied with a barrier that is biodegradable and is also made from a renewable source. Uses include food packaging and drinking cups.

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Market driven environmental approach 'This development is largely market driven but is also well in line with the Holmen Group's overall environmental approach,' explains Ola Buhrman, product manager for Iggesund Paperboard's plastic-coated and laminated products. 'There is a clear demand for barrier materials that are biodegradable and can be composted.' For the past couple of years Iggesund has been performing trials using bioplastics as a barrier material. The company has also done an inventory and evaluation of the materials available on the market. The bioplastic coating is done at the company's paperboard finishing department at Strömsbruk. The most common barrier material in paperboard packaging is polyethylene (PE), a plastic which is neither bio-based nor biodegradable. The bioplastic that Iggesund is now using is biodegradable and meets the European standard EN 13432 for compostability. Not a simple matter 'Unfortunately, replacing ordinary PE with bioplastic is not a simple matter the new materials place higher demands on both production technology and equipment,' Buhrman says. Current prices for bioplastics are significantly higher than the cost of PE but are expected to fall when availability increases as more and larger production facilities start up. ' It's very clear that this development is being driven by the market's demand for greater environmental awareness, and that customers are prepared to pay more for a biodegradable material,' says Buhrman.

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Products and Branding

Economic slowdown changes retail habits and offers new possibilities in packaging ealed Air, a manufacturer of food and protective packaging systems and materials, is attributing a boom in sales of its MailTuff Cushioned Bags over the Christmas period to the economic downturn as shoppers switched from the high street to online shopping to help beat the crunch.

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Christmas sales The company recorded a 29 percent increase in MailTuff sales in the run up

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to Christmas and a 9.5 percent increase on like-for-like sales in 2007. The growth mirrors the European boom in online sales over the Christmas shopping period which were up 60 percent on 2007 . Beating the crowds An estimated 68 percent of consumers in the United Kingdom shopped online for Christmas presents in 2008 with 77 percent carrying out around a half or more

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of their Christmas shopping online. For the majority of Christmas shoppers, the convenience of 24 hour shopping, lack of crowds and competitive pricing were the main reasons for picking up presents online. Whereas the UK Is probably the most mature market for internet related sales in Europe, similar trends were seen across the continent with Poland seeing around one quarter of Christmas shoppers looking to the internet and even Russia seeing a huge increase in sales.

Products and Branding

Board launched for high quality folding cartons tora Enso has launched its new Performa Alto board for high-quality folding cartons. The company claims that its board offers excellent print results and a bright surface, making it ideal for cosmetics and luxury packaging. Performa Alto is available in grammages from 200 to 350 gsm.

S Small to medium sized items MailTuff Cushioned Bags are used by a range of online retailers and distributors for the package of a wide-range of small to medium-sized items such as DVDs, books and clothing. Maximising on-line strategy Stuart Roberts, European Director of Marketing at Sealed Air, comments: ‘Retailers across Europe maximised online retail strategies to help drive sales during the Christmas shopping period. Consumers responded to this as they too felt the financial pinch of Christmas and took advantage of lower online product prices and the convenience of using the internet to shop around for deals. Reducing postage costs ‘The shock-resistant, high puncture, tear and water resistance design of MailTuff provides online retailers, distributors and domestic resellers with a quick and easy packaging solution that offers excellent protection. Furthermore, the Bags are lightweight, which helps to reduce postage costs - holding further appeal among consumers.’ MailTuff Cushioned Bags are manufactured using a Polyethylene outer and contain an AirCap® bubble inner that retains its protective air cushion longer than non-barrier bubbles. The Cushioned Bags are 100 percent recyclable and available in sizes ranging from 180mm x 160mm to 350 x 470mm.

Bright, stable and white 'Performa Alto has excellent brightness, brightness stability and whiteness. The smoothness of the reverse side also allows attractive print. Its quality clearly puts it at the top end of CTMP and folding boxboards in the market, thus we are marketing this board for cosmetics, luxury and other high-end packaging applications. Performa Alto will provide an interesting new material option for our customers,' says Öystein Aksnes, Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Stora Enso Carton Board. Large family Stora Enso's Performa CTMP product family now comprises Performa Alto, Performa 2S, Performa White, Performa

Cream and Performa Natura brands. Performa CTMP boards combine the benefits of folding boxboard with the mechanical properties and chemical purity of solid bleached sulphate board. The odour and taint-neutral boards are also suitable for packaging chocolate and pharmaceuticals. CTMP (chemi-thermomechanical pulp) is used in the middle layer of board to achieve superior performance in printing, converting and demanding end uses. In the folding boxboards category, Stora Enso has started the delivery of new, lower grammages of Tambrite in the market. Tambrite is available in 205380 gsm and is typically used for food, pharmaceuticals and confectionery packaging. It can also be used in larger box sizes, thanks to its solid structure, high bulk and superior stiffness. 'Brand owners today want to reduce their overall consumption of packaging materials to improve both their profitability and image. Tambrite responds to market demands for lower-weight packaging,' Aksnes says.

Following trends Stuart Roberts concludes: ‘The recyclable qualities of MailTuff will continue to promote sales across Europe in-line with rising online shopping trends.’

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Products and Branding

Superfos innovating out of crisis ne of the ways for Superfos to keep the crisis at bay is to continue to concentrate on developing new products and improve existing products, especially in order to make customised solutions. One of the recent examples of this is how both a German and a Swedish pate producer wanted a packaging for their products, targeting the increasing number of people living alone - both young and elders. ‘We came up with the new packaging that is divided in two and thereby keeps half the product concealed and fresh while the other is open. This solution is beneficial for people living alone who don't eat as fast as a household of 2-4 and who's tired of having to throw out expired leftovers,’ explains Sales & Marketing Director Soeren Marcussen. The new design was developed based on the existing SuperSeal solution, which potential offers very low oxygen transmission rates and a shelf life equal to that of traditional barrier packs. The solution has already won three awards for its innovative design and is the perfect platform for future customisations.

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very important to both us and our customer's green ambitions and even within our plastic products, we're doing a lot of research into further weight reductions without compromising the high quality or design of our packaging solutions,’ Soeren Marcussen says. He is confident that Superfos will

Increased shelf life In addition to developing new product solutions, Superfos carries out a lot of testing for the customers as well. Recently it was discovered through tests that the right combination of components increase the barrier properties and keep products such as cabbage and jam fresh for a long period in plastic containers. The improved oxygen barriers can be used to either increase shelf life significantly - up to two years - or simply to secure a better product quality at the existing shelf life. Superfos believes that plastic packaging is much lighter, offers more efficient use of storage capacity and is more environmental friendly than glass, the use of plastic packaging may reduce the CO2 emissions significantly. ‘The reduction of CO2 emissions is

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maintain the strong position within the packaging industry because the crisis doesn't stop people from eating or wanting their food to taste good and stay fresh for as long as possible. And the market remains open for those who can come up with the best solutions for that.

Products and Branding

Non returnable keg aimed at alcohol exporters ver the past few years, a growing variety of new large-size beverage containers, such as party kegs, home draft systems, and PET kegs has infiltrated the market. At the same time exporters of products such as beer face problems in the fact that they are not getting their kegs back on export orders for obvious difficulties with transport. The German KHS has acted as consultant in the development of many of these new types of container by designing and supplying the new filling systems. It is now working with the Dutch Lightweight Containers in the development and marketing of plant and filling technology for the disposable KeyKeg®. The container in this case is a non-refillable keg developed according to the bag-inball concept that has been specially designed for filling with beer, sparkling wine, and cider. The advantages of one-way systems also in the field of kegs are obvious. Because there is no effort or cost involved in returning, storing, or washing kegs of this kind, non-refillable kegs are of great interest to those clients with high export rates or high keg losses and to those who are either new to keg filling or who are changing their keg filling concept. With the KeyKeg combo-treatment head recently developed, it is possible to fill both conventional stainless-steel kegs as well KeyKegs® at high capacities. The new combination head can also be retrofitted into existing lines.

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There is more on the Key Keg and many other innovative products on : www.ceepackaging.com CEE Packaging, www.ceepackaging.com Tel.: +48 22 2195466, +48 502 159080

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Industry news

Cologate Palmolive to have promotional packaging centre in Poland Wroclaw city centre

onoco has been awarded a contract by Colgate-Palmolive to manage all European promotional packing requirements for Colgate's oral care products. Sonoco's pack centre will be located in Wroclaw, Poland. Colgate decided to establish a dedicated pack centre closer to its newly established oral care manufacturing facility in Swidnica, Poland. Sonoco will provide a number of services at the new pack cen-

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tre, including program management, materials purchasing as well as warehouse and distribution management. 'Colgate was looking for a dependable partner with a successful history of starting up and operating dedicated pack centres,' said Chris Hill, director of business development - Sonoco Europe. 'Sonoco was able to demonstrate to them that we have people with the experience, the skills and the expertise to successful-

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ly meet their expectations. 'And now that the contract is finalized, we look forward to working even closer with Colgate as we take the steps necessary to get the centre up and running.' Colgate-Palmolive and Sonoco expect operations at the new pack centre to begin very soon.

Industry news

FSC recognises Tetra Pak for reaching 100 million certified packs he Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) recognises Tetra Pak for selling over 100 million FSC-certified packages only one year since it launched the world's first FSC labeled food and liquid carton. The Forest Stewardship Council Mixed Sources label printed on each carton offers assurance to consumers that the packaging material comes from responsibly managed forests and controlled sources.

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Expansion world wide The Tetra Recart package was the first package from Tetra Pak to be labelled with the FSC logo on supermarket shelves in Sainsbury's stores in the UK. In 2008, Tetra Pak expanded its sales of Forest Stewardship Council labeled cartons to Italy, Denmark, Brazil and the US and they include such packages as the Tetra Brik® Aseptic. Continued growth is expected throughout 2009.

Extending through the supply chain Several Tetra Pak paperboard suppliers have FSC chain of custody certification. The certification of Tetra Pak's converting plants has started and in some markets it has completed the entire supply chain from the forest to the supermarket shelf. ‘Tetra Pak's pledge to certify all of its production sites worldwide indicates that the potential expansion of certified material is promising,’ according to Forest Stewardship Council Executive Director Andre de Freitas. Ambitious targets Tetra Pak has committed to source paperboard only from chain of custody certified board mills by 2015. The company also plans to certify the chain of custody of all its own converting and printing plants worldwide by 2018. Said Mario Abreu, Forestry and Recycling Director, Tetra Pak: ‘The main raw material we use is paper. We believe that the sustainable use of renewable resources - like wood fibres - is of utmost importance. And we want to convey this message to consumers in the clearest possible way. Today, the Forest Stewardship Council is the best proof of sustainable forestry. That's why our ultimate goal is to have all the paper in our packaging certified to the highest standards - currently set by FSC.’

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Industry news

BASF takes moves to combat the slowdown ASF's global business declined significantly in December 2008. In all regions, demand for chemical products has not picked up in the first half of January and customers are continuing to destock. BASF's chairman, Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht, currently sees no signs of a turnaround: 'The situation remains tough and difficult to predict. We do not expect the economic environment to improve in the coming months.' The

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decline in business is greater than expected in November and will negatively impact earnings. Reduced capacity BASF reduced capacity utilisation at its production plants at its six Verbund sites worldwide in mid-November. On average, the capacity utilisation rate within the BASF Group is currently less than 75 percent. Only demand for crop protection products and products for the

food industry remains high. Since implementing the production capacity reductions, BASF has been using flexible working time arrangements such as reduction of overtime and holiday accounts at the affected sites worldwide. In doing so, the company is also using an integrated approach to production known as Verbund, which allows employees to be transferred between plants with varying capacity utilisation rates.

The Italian film manufacturer Axial has just started using BASF's Styrolux® HS 70 for its shrink films. This new SBC type prevents the so-called "smile effect". The film made of S tyrolux does not give rise to any folds when containers having complex shapes are sleeve-wrapped. The lef t-hand container was sleeve-wrapped with PET film while Styrolux HS 70 was used for the right-hand cont ainer.

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Industry News

Flexible working time arrangements are no longer sufficient to absorb the effects of production cuts everywhere. This applies primarily to sites that manufacture products for the automotive industry. For example, short-time working was in February for approximately 1,500 employees at BASF Coatings' site in Münster, Germany, and for 180 employees in Schwarzheide, Germany. Working hours have already been reduced for about 150 employees at two smaller coatings sites in Italy. BASF is

not ruling out the introduction of shorttime working at further sites although at Ludwigshafen and Antwerp, it is being avoided for the time being due to the use of flexible manpower planning. The company's management has already agreed a preliminary framework with employee representatives that will allow the rapid introduction of short-time working in Ludwigshafen if necessary. In Germany, short-time working is an instrument that companies can use to avoid redundancies in difficult economic

situations. During short-time work, employees work less or not at all for a maximum of 18 months. The loss of earnings incurred is in part compensated by short-time working benefits paid by the Federal Employment Agency. 'We will maintain strict discipline with regard to costs and expenditures. And we will accelerate the implementation of our existing global restructuring and efficiency programs,' said Hambrecht.

What will the economic downturn do to the packaging industry in Central and Eastern Europe? Here our opinions on this subject at Anuga Food Tech, Cologne on 12 March 2009 and Packaging Innovations Warsaw on 28 - 29 April 2009.

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Industry news

Labeller investing heavily in new premises and plant ith a multi-million investment programme, Töpfer Kulmbach GmbH has laid the way for further growth. Around ten months after the approval of public funding, the work for the planned plant expansion has begun. With this move, the company, which is already one of the leading label manufacturers in Europe, will further expand its market position. Töpfer is investing a two figure million sum in its Kulmbach location. On land next to the existing plant (previously in front of the factory) a new 6,500 square metre production and storage warehouse is being constructed. Here, Töpfer will produce mainly foil labels, flexible packaging, banderoles, sleeves and wet adhesive labels. Construction, including machinery start-up, is planned to be completed in Autumn 2009. At the same time, a push on quality is planned. Preset, offset and gravure services are being upgraded

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continued on next page

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Analysis from previous page with more powerful machinery. Further new acquisitions are planned for the finishing department, in which the final sizing of labels and other packaging products is processed. Rainer Töpfer, management spokesperson, says, 'The expansion is essential in order to continue to offer our customers innovation, flexibility and reliability.' Public funding can constitute up to 15 percent of the investment sum. The prerequisite for the funding was the inclu-

sion of Töpfer Kulmbach GmbH in the GA programme (Community Task Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure). The relevant notice was passed to the management in November 2007. It was one of the prerequisites for the implementation of the ambitious investment plans. The funding will not just benefit Töpfer Kulmbach GmbH, but the entire region as 430 staff are employed in the Kulmbach plant in Bavaria. Annual

turnover is almost EUR80m. Labels are supplied to 60 countries. Töpfer Kulmbach GmbH has 25 representative offices across the globe and four national sales offices. The company has an annual production of around 30 billion labels. On top of this, it prepares around 500 million pieces of packaging for the food industry.

Growth of beer consumption continues in CEE region According to a new report from beverage industry analysts Canadean, per capita consumption of beer in central and eastern Europe rose by 22 litres between 2002 and 2007. Furthermore, central and eastern Europe should lead proceedings in the short to medium term with per capita consumption in the region expected to increase by an additional 21 percent over the next five years. Whilst consumption also increased strongly in Asia, growth was more modest in Central and South America whilst Australasia, North America and Western Europe all declined. Eastern Europe's performance on the

international stage has been predominantly driven by Russia, the third largest global market in pure volume terms. Here, beer continues to benefit from the consumer shift away from traditional spirits. The CEE region is also home to four of the world's ten heaviest beer drinking nations including the Czech Republic which has strengthened its world-leading position. Beer is deeply ingrained into Czech culture and along with bread, milk and eggs is viewed as an essential staple product. The resilience of the Czech Beer market has nevertheless been remarkable particularly given the fact

that the pressures faced have been similar to those seen in Germany and the UK. Germany and the UK have represented two traditional strongholds for beer but continue to decline with overall volumes falling by a little under 4 percent in both countries during 2007. A number of factors have combined to dampen demand including a decline in heavy manual occupations, the growing popularity of soft drinks and wine, concerns over obesity and health and increasingly stringent drink drive legislation.

Corrugated body calls for voluntary phasing out of toxin FEFCO, the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers, has reached a voluntary agreement to coordinate a common strategy for the whole industry to phase out DiBP in corrugated products. Di-iso-butylphtalate (DiBP) is used as a plasticiser in some adhesives. Some recent studies have shown that DiBP has a similar toxicological profile as Dibutylphthalate (DBP) which has been included in the candidate list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) recently 2 published by ECHA

(European Chemicals Agency). FEFCO represents 750 plants across Europe and is the only European Association representing the Corrugated Board Industry in Europe. After considerable activity at European level, the corrugated sector, through its association, FEFCO, has recommended its members to remove adhesives containing phthalate in products. The result of this recommendation is the voluntary initiative for the removal of Di-iso-butylphthalate (DiBP) from their products. FEFCO Members will

cease using adhesives containing DiBP in paper and board applications and will report on progress annually and DiBP should not be replaced by any substance which is known to have harmful effects. FEFCO will promote its voluntary agreement at international level within the International Corrugated Case Association (ICCA) in order to convince overseas producers of corrugated board to phase out the use of DiBP, which will help to reduce further the level of DiBP in the recycling loop.

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Analysis

Growing interest in modified atmosphere packaging Recent years have seen enormous growth in the use of modified atmosphere p ackaging (MAP) for fresh produce in the food ret ail trade. This technique optimises the internal atmosphere of product packages, thus ensuring that the goods inside ret ain their quality for a longer period of time. In addition, MAP offers attractive presentation opportunities at the point of sale as well as enhanced hygiene conditions. hen a product is packaged with MAP, air is evacuated from the package during the packaging process and then replaced with special protective gas. The evacuation process removes air from the product as well as the package, thus minimising the oxygen remaining in the package. Only then is a special protective gas injected in order to retard the speed at which the product perishes. The composition of the protective gas depends on the foodstuff being packaged. It may consist of only one gas or be a combination of nitrogen and carbon

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dioxide. The injection of a protective gas into the packaging creates a new gasfilled space that resists the force of the atmospheric pressure outside. This technique is also suitable for packaging pressure-sensitive products with a long shelf life without damaging them. One of the major benefits of the MAP technique is that it does not require the use of any preservatives. Sensor tests confirm that products packaged in this way do not suffer any change in taste - provided, of course, that the right protective gas is used.

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Ideal for many products MAP is an ideal way to package many products, including pre-baked rolls and bread for warming in the oven, pasteurised foods such as pasta or readymeals, fresh meat, sliced sausage and cheese, sausages, curd cheese and sliced fruits. The method is particularly suited for packaging fresh meat, since the protective gas not only gives the product a longer shelf life but also ensures that it retains an appetizing colour. MAP can be produced using either thermoforming machines or tray sealers.

Analysis

Thermoforming machines use rolls of plastic film, which can be replaced inline. They are very efficient, operating at a high cycle rate and with very little wastage of film. The rolls of packaging film can be stored without problems. As a rule, tray sealers work with prefabricated trays made of polypropylene, which offers outstanding protection against steam. The trays used must have a sealing edge that is even all around and sufficiently broad, be easily stackable and have a flat bottom and sealing edge, so as to ensure thorough and fully automatic machinability. In the sector for pre-prepared and convenience products, there is now a trend towards packaging trays made of CPET-based materials that can be used in the oven. In the MAP method, the covering film is usually made of either shrink film or composite film, depending on the barrier effect required to ensure the desired shelf life. In addition to being highly transparent, these films must also display excellent antifogging properties. This

prevents the formation of droplets of water on the inside the film, so the packaging does not mist up. Towards thinner materials With regard to both trays and films, the trend is now toward the use of thinner materials. Many suppliers are working hard in this field, not least because the resulting savings in materials help offset high prices for raw materials as well as conserving natural resources. For example, Anuga FoodTec next month will feature a new MAP tray made of polypropylene that contains 25 per cent less material than the trays normally used. Measuring 190 x 144 x 50 millimetres, it weighs a mere 10 grams. Biodegradable There is likewise a growing interest in the use of biodegradable trays and films. Good results have already been achieved with polyactide (PLA), for example. PLA is a polymer based on lactic acid and produced from maize via biochemi-

cal processes. It is waterproof and can be thermoplastically processed. When the material first came on the market, there were problems with its machinability. In the meantime, however, there have been significant developments in this field, with the result that renewable packaging materials now present an interesting option, not least because the look of PLA materials has also substantially improved. In addition, some suppliers are now using trays made of other renewable materials, including pure wood pulp. This is particularly suitable for packaging convenience foods that can be either oven-cooked or microwaved in the tray Presentation at point of sale Greater importance attached to look of packaging In general, more and more attention is being paid to the appearance of packaging. With the rapid growth of the market in pre-packed meat and meat products over recent years, the issue of presentation at the point of sale has become increasingly important. Once

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Analysis

again, the discount supermarkets have led the way here with their growing use of packaging films that are printable with a high-quality rotogravure process. MAP also has benefits for the packaging of meat spreads and pâtés. It is now increasingly common for such products to be sold in tubs, thus enabling them to be neatly portioned until they are fully consumed. One manufacturer has now developed a MAP system that, depending on the nature of the product, reduces residual oxygen levels in the sealed packaging to 0.3 per cent or less, thus preventing undesirable discolouring. Here too, presentation at the point of sale plays a crucial role. The opportunity to

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create individually shaped and printed tubs and containers also generates all kinds of additional benefits for both manufacturers and consumers. Last but not least, the use of so-called lifestyle packaging - in conjunction with, for example, 'to-go' products such as triangular sandwiches - also offers interesting market opportunities. Such products look freshly made - a trend that's appreciated by many consumers. And equally important for the retail food trade: sandwiches hermetically sealed in deepdrawn packaging with a modified atmosphere have a shelf life of up to 12 days. A strong double act Another special type of skin packaging developed especially for red meat features not one but two films. The first film, which is skin-wrapped around the product, fixes the meat to the tray bottom and prevents juices from escaping; the second film, which is smooth and shiny, is sealed atop the skin package in an additional sealing process that places the skin-wrapped product under a mod-

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ified atmosphere with a high oxygen content. The first film is breathable and thereby allows for a controlled diffusion of oxygen, so that the meat retains its red colour. Thanks to the covering film, the packages are stackable and easy to label. Skin packages with a covering film are also ideal for marinated products. The first film encloses and fixes the product in the packaging, thus preventing any sliding or sauce spillage, while the application of a second, flexible covering film gives the tray a smooth top. If desired, product information, recipes or even other foodstuffs, such as vegetables, can be inserted between the two films. In other words, besides giving the product an attractive appearance, such packaging offers consumers further added value that may have a positive influence on their purchasing decision. Skin packaging is suitable for fresh, frozen and also convenience products such as steamable foods.

Analysis

M+A activity down in the packaging industry MO Capital Markets, the investment and corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group has released its third annual report on packaging M&A activity, entitled Mergers and Acquisitions in the Packaging Industry: 2008 Annual Deal Review. The report provides an overview of reported M&A activity in 2008, examines M&A activity by sector, geography, acquirer type, size, and valuations, and provides a brief synopsis of each transaction announced during the year. In addition, the report examines packaging M&A trends over the last several years. 'The last year has been a challenging year for M&A activity in the packaging industry in terms of deal volume, valuations, and interest among all types of acquirers,' said Doug Lawson, Managing Director and Head of the BMO Capital Markets packaging practice. 'After a record setting year in 2007, the M&A environment was affected by challenging market conditions in 2008. The credit crisis and a difficult economic environment combined with unprecedented spikes in resin, oil and paperboard prices resulted in a significant slowdown in packaging M&A activity,' Lawson added. 'While we expect the challenging conditions to persist in 2009, we believe that packaging industry fundamentals remain attractive over the medium-to-long term and the strong rationale for consolidation in the packaging sector continues to exist.'

B

Global M&A volume declined In 2008, there were 252 announced transactions worldwide, which represent a decrease of 35 percent from the 386 announced deals in 2007 and the lowest level in the past ten years. M&A activity weakened Europe and North America continued to remain as the two largest regions for deal activity worldwide, with 38 percent and

34 percent of deals in 2008, respectively. However, year-over-year, transaction volume fell off across all regions worldwide in 2008. While North America was the second most active region worldwide with 34 percent of total global deals, North America experienced the largest drop, with 56 fewer transactions in 2008 (86 transactions) than 2007 (142 transactions). All Sectors Affected In 2008, the number of deals in the packaging industry was relatively evenly dispersed between the rigid (29 percent), paperboard (24 percent), and flexible (23 percent) sectors. The remainder of activity was split between labels, machinery, and other packaging. While M&A activity slowed across all sectors, flexible packaging had the most significant slowdown on a nominal basis. Packaging machinery was least affected with only 18 percent less transactions in 2008 than 2007.

private companies. Private equity firms and their portfolio companies accounted for the remaining 86 deals or 34 percent of transactions. Restructuring related transactions In the second half of 2008, several restructuring-related acquisitions were announced as heavy debt levels were aggravated by the challenging economic and financing environment combined with high commodity prices.

Deal Value Down The aggregate value for packaging transactions with reported values in 2008 was USD14.9 billion for the 88 transactions (35 percent of all deals) with reported values as compared to USD32.6 billion in 2007 for the 137 transactions (35 percent of all deals) with reported values. The median reported transaction value in 2008 was USD17.3 million versus USD35.1million in 2007 and USD21million in 2006. Strategic acquirers most active Strategic acquirers continued to lead M&A volume in the packaging industry, with 166 transactions or 66 percent of announced deals in 2008 (versus 255 deals in 2007 or 66 percent of announced volume). Private companies made more acquisitions in 2008 (94) than public companies (72); while in 2007, public companies had been more active than

Doug Lawson, Managing Director and Head of the BMO Capit al Markets packaging practice believes that packaging industry fundamentals remain attractive.

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Events

Even in hard times, the Russian packaging market offers a wealth of opportunities he effects of the global financial and economic crises have dampened demand on the Russian packaging market for the moment but by no means brought it to a complete standstill. Demand for packaging remains high and interest in innovative technologies and materials for production is unwavering. Despite the current difficulties, Russia is still set to become one of the world's biggest consumer markets. Packaging manufacturers in the Russian Federation need to invest in order to meet the expectations of customers in such sectors as food, confectionery, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Unsurprisingly, keen interest was registered in Upakovka/Upak Italia 2009, the International Trade Fair Machinery and Equipment for the Manufacture of Packaging, Packaging Machinery, Confectionery Machinery, Packaging and Packaging Aids, Logistics. Jointly staged between 27 and 30 January,

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Interplastica 2009, the International Trade Fair Plastics and Rubber, there were 20,500 trade visitors from all corners of the CIS and its neighbours. A total of about 900 exhibitors rented a net area of 19,000 square metres to showcase their offerings. Visitors' far-reaching decision-making powers, their pre-fair preparations and targeted enquiries impressed exhibitors and revealed real interest in placing orders. The general tenor of exhibitor responses was one of surprise at the wealth of intensive negotiations which promise good post-fair business. Werner M. Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, summed up the event in positive tones: ‘Economic conditions worldwide and in the region currently present Russian businesses with serious challenges. In particular, the financing of projects has become incredibly difficult and is putting SMEs under tremendous pressure. The fact that we

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have received such a warm response from both exhibitors and visitors in such trying times bears testimony to the role of Upakovka/Upak Italia 2009 as a leading platform for innovation and an economic spur to the industry.’ Trade visitors took advantage of the event's four-day run in order to gather extensive information on the international range of offerings. Not only were they enthusiastic about the products and services showcased by companies from 19 countries but also unanimously agreed that, in the light of the difficult economic climate, the presence of globally active businesses was greatly appreciated. Officially sponsored national participations flew the flags of Germany, France and Italy. The biggest exhibitor contingent this year came from Italy with 99 companies, followed by Germany with 92 and Russia with 87 exhibitors. Upakovka/Upak Italia 2009 is

Events

organised by Messe Düsseldorf and its subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf Moscow in cooperation with the Italian event coordinator Centrexpo. Top market for German products For German suppliers of packaging and confectionery machinery, Russia remains the key market in Central and Eastern Europe. In the first eleven months of 2008, packaging machinery to the value of about EUR401m was sold to Russian buyers. This represents an increase in the export value over the same period in the previous year by 29 percent. Although demand for confectionery machinery dipped in comparison with 2007, the export volume valued at EUR37.2 million recorded for the period January to November 2008 is still higher than for the whole of 2006. Germany remains Russia's primary source of packaging and confectionery machinery. Vera Fritsche of the VDMAFachverband Nahrungsmittelmaschinen und Verpackungsmaschinen (Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association within the VDMA) emphasised the importance of the Russian market: ‘Despite the fact that demand is cur-

rently slightly weaker and some investment projects have been put on ice, the need to invest remains and interest is still strong. There are even major Russian and multinational enterprises which have chosen to invest now. Thanks to their reputation for innovative technology and reliability, German products continue to be highly regarded. Longstanding business relationships were deepened and new contacts forged at the trade fair. Many of the business discussions promise to translate into deals. As did the economic stimulus package announced in December last year which is intended to boost domestic industries such as the food industry.’ Italians see Russian potential The optimistic evaluation is shared by the Italian exhibitor companies. Compared to the previous year, their joint presentation even grew once again. This is a clear sign that the market remains highly attractive to Italian manufacturers even if the times of untrammelled growth are over, at least for now. Annunziata Landi from the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) highlighted the tremendous potential

demand that still exists in Russia and its neighbouring countries: 'Italian businesses still have faith in the Russian and neighbouring markets and justifiably believe that there are very good sales opportunities. The interest shown by visitors proves that, with high-quality, innovative products, you can still keep a business on track for the future even in unstable times. I feel confident that in the coming year, similar numbers of Italian businesses will once again participate in Upakovka/Upak Italia 2009’. The specialist ancillary programme, which was staged on the second and third day of the fair was given a warm reception. The lineup included seminars and discussions that tackled topical packaging industry issues and were conducted by speakers from international associations and tertiary institutions. Exhibitors and trade media organised conferences and round-table events. What's more, exhibiting companies and trade visitors were entitled to use the business center on the fairgrounds as a marketplace for jobs and finding contacts. Plus, students from various packaging-related disciplines were available to answer specific questions.

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Events

No sign of recession for confectionery ProSweets Cologne, the International Supplier Fair for the Confectionery Industry , came to an end on Wednesday, 4th February 2009. Over 14,700 visitors from over 100 countries and 307 exhibiting companies from 28 countries established new records for the event. 'The fact that ProSweets Cologne took place exactly in parallel to ISM, the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair, was a big factor in the positive visitor turnout', says Gerald Boese, President and CEO of Koelnmesse. 'Our concept to provide the supplier industry with its own specific platform has finally been fully appreciated by the sector. This was especially underlined by the large number of expert visitors from the area of production and manufacturing who attended the event.' ProSweets Cologne focused on the entire supply spectrum, from confectionery production and processing to packaging. This includes the product areas ingredients, confectionery packaging and packaging technology, machines and equipment for the confectionery industry, as well as food safety and quality management. Growth in difficult times Compared to the last event, ProSweets Cologne recorded a 38 per cent growth in visitor numbers to 14,700 experts from over 100 countries (2007: 10,655 from 128 countries). Nearly 50 per cent of the visitors came from abroad. The main reason for this growth was the four day overlap with ISM. Despite the difficult financial climate, compared to the previous event ProSweets Cologne also managed to increase the number of exhibitors by 6 percent to 307 exhibiting companies from 28 countries (2007: 289 companies from 26 countries).

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Events

Crisis busting products Especially in demand were products and concepts that boost efficiency and thus lead to a reduction in costs. 'Many enquiries directly involved the reduction of costs in all areas of the value chain. With our new system we have recognized the trend of combining various production processes and therefore lowering costs. The strong demand we experienced reflected this,' said one supplier of machinery. In general, the topics of 'saving costs and targeted investments' will surely play a big role this year. 'Due to the current economic situation our business has changed. We are currently experiencing a strong demand for smaller machines that the manufacturers can purchase from their cash flow and therefore don't need to find any extra means for financing,' a process technology supplier explained. Confectionery signals positive ISM, which was held in parallel, could also report very good signals for the confectionery year 2009. With its new products and innovative marketing strategies, the sector has set a very positive start to the year. The 1,593 exhibiting companies have reason to look ahead with careful optimism. With over 32,500 trade visitors from around 150 countries, visitor numbers were around the same level as at the previous event. The ProSweets Cologne and ISM trade fair duo, with a combined total of 1,900 exhibiting companies presents the confectionery industry's entire value chain. ProSweets Cologne 2009 in figures: A total of 307 companies from 28 countries, 52 per cent of which came from abroad, participated in ProSweets Cologne 2009, occupying a gross exhibition space of 17,000 m². The participants included 145 exhibitors and 4 additionally represented companies from Germany as well as 154 exhibitors and 4 additionally represented companies from abroad. Including estimates for the last day of the fair, ProSweets Cologne attracted around 14,700 trade visitors from 100 countries, approximately 7,350 of whom came from abroad.

Events 10 - 13 March Anuga Food Tec Cologne, Germany 12 March Sustainable Packaging conference On 12 March during Anuga FoodTech there will be a conference on sustainable packag ing : www.sustainable-packaging.de In recent years the discussions about envi ronmental protection, recycling and resource scarcity have paved the way for innovative solutions for sustainable packagings. The conference Sustainable Packaging will give an up-to-date overview of this topic and its political framework, mar ket developments, influencing factors, options and ecological evaluations. 11- 12 March Lublin Packaging Fair, Lublin, Poland 24 - 28 March Ipack, Milan, Italy 7 - 9 April Foodpack St Petersburg Russia 22 - 23 April Easy Fairs® Verpackung Schweiz Zurich, Switzerland 28 - 29 April Easy Fairs® Packaging Innovations Warsaw, Poland 7 May Deutscher Verpackungskongress 2009 Steigenberger Hotel Berlin, Germany

19 - 22 May Embax Print, Brno, Czech Republic, 3 - 4 June Pack and Gift Paris, France 3 - 6 June Modernpak, Zagreb, Croatia 17 - 19 June dvi - Verpackungsentwicklung und optimierung Nuremburg, Germany 23 - 27 June Rosupak, Moscow, Russia 8 - 11 September Inpodmash - Upakovka Acco International Exhibition Centre, Kiev, Ukraine 14 - 17 September Pakfood, Poznan International Fair, Poznan, Poland 14 - 19 September Drinktec Munich, Germany 16 - 19 September Packtech Belgrade, Serbia 29 Sept - 1 Oct Fachpack Nuremburg Germany

11 - 15 May Hispack and BTA 2009 Barcelona, Spain

6 - 9 October Budatranspack, Budapest Hungary

14 - 15 May dvi - Packaging Design Berlin, Germany

6 - 7 October easyFairs® EMPACK St Petersburg Russia

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Events

Food event will have a strong packaging theme rom 10 - 13 March 2009, the international food technology sector will be meeting in Cologne for the fifth Anuga FoodTec, the International Trade Fair for Food and Drink Technology. Anuga FoodTec offers the international food business an information and purchasing platform that covers the entire spectrum of technology and investment requirements for production in all segments of the food industry. More than 1,100 companies from around 40 countries are expected to exhibit at the fair. Anuga FoodTec is jointly organised by Koelnmesse and the German Agricultural Society (DLG). 'The fact that we once again have a large number of registrations and a strong foreign presence underscores Anuga FoodTec's importance for the

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international food and drink processing industry. The fair serves as the stage for ideas and solutions for a successful present and thereby simultaneously the most important showcase displaying the future of the sector,' explains Sabine Loos, Vice President for the Technology and Environment business unit at Koelnmesse. There will be more than 1,100 companies from around 40 countries at Anuga, with approximately half of the exhibitors coming from abroad. The largest foreign contingents will come from Italy, the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Switzerland. A number of packaging companies will be making repeat visits such as Alpma Alpenland Maschinenbau, Fuji Packaging, Ishida, Krones, Mettler-

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Toledo, Multivac, Oystar, Bosch, Südpack Verpackungen and Toshiba Machine Robotics. The trade fair will occupy 110,000 square metres of space. Three halls will be devoted to packaging. Anuga FoodTec 2009 will offer not only partial solutions but also integrated and flexible technology concepts for every phase of food processing in every stage of food and drink production. The fair will showcase process technology, packaging technology, automation, food safety and quality management, environmental technology, biotechnology, information technology, EDP, technological process materials, ingredients and services. For the food processing industry, the fair provides a wealth of information on new technologies in the areas of packaging, meat, fish and poultry, baked goods

Events

and pasta, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, dairy products, general provisions, canned food, fruit and vegetables, delicatessen products, frozen foods and ready-meals, soups and sauces, baby food, spices, coffee, tea and tobacco. This structure ensures that visitors will quickly be able to get a comprehensive overview of the entire fair in spite of the complexity of this tremendous range of technology. New Technology Innovations are often the result of worldwide research and the exploitation of international technological know-how to optimise production processes and the

use of resources. In addition to the exhibitor presentations, Anuga FoodTec will also feature a supporting programme that will provide answers to specific questions and challenges and include special shows of innovative concepts. Improvements and new approaches will be highlighted not only at the Anuga FoodTec forums but also in special shows. The 'Robotic Pack Line' show, initiated by the DLG, Koelnmesse and renowned partners from the technology sector, will demonstrate safe, quick and hygienic methods for producing, processing and packaging food products - all without human assistance, since the system is fully automat-

ed. More than 30 companies will be contributing their expertise to this project. 'Look ahead' is the title of a special sustainable packaging event that will be set up in association with the Berlinbased packaging agency Berndt&Partner Packaging Creality, one of the leading specialists in packaging design and development. Anuga FoodTec will also serve as the venue of the renowned InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Congress, the 2009 PETnology Europe Congress, conventions on quality assurance technology and sustainable packaging, and the Foodnews - Juice Tec Congress.

21 - 22 January 2009. The location has a lot of charm unusual to such events and a capacity of 3,757 square meters that accommodated some 193 exhibitors - a thirty percent increase on last year when

135 companies exhibited. Visitors grew by even more - to 38 percent from 44 countries.

Thirty percent increase for Pharmapack

Pharmapack has a new, more spacious venue and the organisers are claiming a surging number of participants. This year the event was held in the Grande Halle de la Villette, in Paris on

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Company profile

oday's consumers place great emphasis on attractive packaging and convenient storage that improves shelf-life and reduces product spoilage and packaging waste. Packaging converters need cost-effective materials and production processes that will meet the demands of the consumer and their immediate customers looking for lightweight, handling-resistant packaging that keeps food fresh without unwanted tastes or odours. Food packaging has come a long way since it was mainly about wrapping any food in the same material and selling it over the counter - today, food and consumer product manufacturers look for solutions that provide superior optical properties, prolong shelf life and facilitate handling and storage. Converters on the other hand, demand cost-effective materials that allow downgauging and process enhancements while satisfying the market needs. Borealis and Borouge, leading providers of innovative value-creating solutions, are at the forefront of addressing the complex balance of needs facing packaging converters and specifiers. Their range of enhanced Borstar low and high density polyethylene (PE) films for blown film extrusion provide a unique balance of properties that lead to a range of benefits for all parts of the value chain involved in PE film applications. As a result, Borealis' Borstar PE films have become the advanced packaging material of choice for many diverse applications. They are the number one replacement for cardboard, glass bottles and metal cans for a wide variety of packaging solutions from stand-up pouches for soaps and soup to lamination films for pet food and bags for frozen vegetables. In industrial applications, heavy duty PE shipping sacks, industrial shrink films and courier packets are highly valued for ensuring tough, weather and handling-resistant protection. John Thompson, Marketing Manager Film & Fibre at Borealis comments: 'Our Borstar PE film innovations are focused firmly on delivering affordable, aesthetically- and technically-advanced, environmentally-friendly solutions through reduced end-product weight and increased production efficiency that does

T Borealis and Borouge Wrap-up Blown Film Market's Needs

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Company Profile

not compromise on performance. With the extended Borstar PE mix, film producers have more options and greater flexibility when selecting the best grade for their application and process, whether mono or co-extrusion, high or low-necked.'

Productivity Step Change For the converter, extrusion output, bubble stability and thickness profile are key parameters for achieving smooth, costefficient and trouble-free processing. The unique performance characteristics of Borstar grades allow increased output of up to 35 percent at a lower cost

and over a shorter time period. FB4230 and FB4370 are bimodal linear low density PE grades (LLDPE) grades specifically designed for improved output and improved extrusion properties, resulting in reduced pressure and lower power consumption. Like FB2310 and FB2230 they deliver stable film bubble behaviour

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Company Profile

and high stiffness even using thin film layers. This enables high speed conversion of consistent quality films without line interruptions.

stiffness that prevents ripping and reduces material volumes, and good printability for even-more attractively packaged fresh bread or salads. Converters and extruders can reduce

New Quality Standards Borstar grades set new standards in packaging integrity and aesthetics. Their ability to improve sealing strength and increase tear and puncture resistance makes packaging more durable and better able to protect contents. From a design perspective, the smooth, matt surface achieved with grades like FB2310 and FB2230 also open up more versatile design and print options to improve overall aesthetics. Borstar grades are also available for particularly challenging environments. These include as an example FB4370G, FB1350G and FB3450 for higher stiffness and toughness for geomembranes or industrial packaging, FB2310 for heavyduty sacking and FB2230 for extreme cold conditions. Less Material - Lighter Weight Borealis' Borstar technology is known to facilitate a 25 percent reduction in packaging weight compared to other plastic materials, with superior performance available using less raw material. A step change in the Heavy Duty Shipping Sacks area has been successfully achieved by reducing material usage by up to 50 percent using Borstar enhanced polyethylene film together with MDO technology. The combination of excellent film strength, stiffness and impact resistance ensures outstanding performance using less material at a lower overall cost. Downgauging is a key influencer in other areas too. The development of PE pouches for refillable bottles has reduced by 70 percent the amount of material used for detergent packaging since the early 1990s Polypropylene for high clarity For those applications where high clarity and excellent sealing performance are key, Borealis has developed a range of highly transparent PP blown films for food packaging. The unique properties of Borealis' Borclear grades create packaging characterised by brilliant clarity, outstanding sealing performance, high

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material volumes, lower costs and deliver the environmental benefits of less waste and less energy throughout the value chain.

Everyone's a star at our packaging shows. We make it easy for you to make it big.

The easyFairs® PACKAGING portfolio in 2008-2009 comprises 20 time & costeffective trade shows in Europe's most lucrative packaging markets. If you are looking to develop business in Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden,

Norway, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Poland or Russia then we have the ideal solution. At easyFairs® PACKAGING shows you get an all-in package at a low price. Everyone competes on a level playing field - so everybody is a star!

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