Uber Eats partners with Releaf Paper to launch eco-friendly food delivery bags in Paris

Uber Eats has teamed up with Releaf Paper to introduce eco-friendly food delivery bags made from fallen leaf fibres in France. The initiative, part of Uber’s broader sustainability strategy, was announced at the Go Get Zero event in London and will initially roll out in Paris through the newly launched Green Packaging Marketplace.

The Paris Innovation Pilot, backed by Uber’s €1 million ($1.09 million) investment, aims to support local restaurants in adopting sustainable packaging. Through the pilot, Parisian eateries will have access to products like Releaf’s leaf-fibre bags, which offer an alternative to conventional plastic packaging. Uber’s Green Packaging Marketplace will streamline access to these eco-friendly materials.

Releaf Paper, known as the first company to produce pulp and paper from green waste, is a key player in this transition. “Our collaboration on the Paris Innovation Pilot shows how local solutions, such as our bags made from fallen leaves, can drive global change,” said Releaf Paper general manager Alexander Sobolenko. “By using waste collected in urban areas, we create sustainable materials while reducing deforestation and carbon emissions.”

The partnership aligns with Uber’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040. The Paris Innovation Pilot is designed to serve as a model for other markets, helping transform both food delivery and mobility industries with greener practices.

Beyond packaging, the new Paris hub will provide restaurants with financial incentives for adopting electric vehicles and other sustainable technologies. Uber’s efforts are intended to ease the transition toward more environmentally friendly operations and encourage wider adoption of sustainable practices across its platform.

This collaboration underscores Uber’s commitment to driving change through partnerships, with the Paris pilot acting as the first step toward scaling these initiatives globally.

Movopack and Brave Kid collaborate on reusable packaging for children’s fashion 

Children’s clothing brand Brave Kid has partnered with Movopack to introduce reusable packaging for its online orders, said to potentially cut CO2 emissions by 75%.The partnership is aimed at integrating reusable packaging into Brave Kid’s operations. The packaging, customized with the tagline “Be a BRAVE KID too! Send back the packaging”, is designed to engage children and encourage more responsible behaviours. 

By adopting Movopack’s solution, Brave Kid states it can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of its e-commerce packaging. Apparently, the packaging can be reused up to 20 times and has the potential to cut CO2 emissions by 75%, reduce energy consumption by 72%, and lower water usage by 75% compared to its single-use alternatives, according to Movopack’s LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) analysis. 

Tomaso Torriani, CEO and co-founder of Movopack, comments: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Brave Kid, a company that shares our commitment to sustainability and innovation. Our reusable packaging solutions are designed to meet the highest standards of environmental responsibility, and we are excited to see the positive impact this partnership will have on both the environment and the children it aims to educate.” 

Ocado Retail began trialling reusable containers for its online grocery orders in August, a move anticipated to replace up to five single-use plastic packs per vessel and cut down on plastic waste in online grocery shopping. Staged across two phases, the trial utilizes a specially designed reusable vessel to deliver laundry products and food cupboard staples at scale. 

Amazon announced last month that under this year’s Sustainability Accelerator, eleven start-ups will test their innovations – including reusable packaging – within Amazon’s operations with a potential investment of up to £2 million (€2,393,090). One of the start-ups is Hipli, which planned to fulfil 50,000 orders from Amazon’s Montélimar fulfilment centre in September with reusable, fibre-based packaging. 

Frozen potatoes packed in ‘bio-renewable’ bags from cooking oil feedstock 

SABIC, Lamb Weston, and OPACKGROUP have collectively packaged frozen potato products in a thin, low-weight coextrusion film, with at least 60% made using bio-feedstock from used cooking oil; the pack claims to reduce the previous design’s carbon footprint by 30%. 

Used cooking oil from Lamb Weston’s production processes is collected and converted into bio-feedstock. This is then used to produce certified bio-renewable SABIC HDPE and SUPEER mLLDPE polymers. 

OPACKGROUP member Oerlemans Plastics then converts the polymers into a multilayer PE film to package Lamb Weston’s pre-fried frozen potato products. 

Reportedly, the final pack contains at least 60% bio-renewable polymer material sourced from used cooking oil, falling under SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio. This aligns with the ISCC PLUS mass balancing regime for tracking and tracing renewable content in materials, SABIC says. 

Furthermore, the bags are said to have an average unit weight of 10g and reduce film thickness by 20%. Combined with the use of bio-renewable PE, this alteration is believed to cut the previous bag’s carbon footprint by 30%. 

Both the SABIC HDPE and SUPEER mLLDPE resins are compliant with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Federal Drug & Food Administration (FDA)’s standards for food-contact materials. The HDPE resin is believed to provide strength and flexibility, while the mLLDPE is suited to bag sealing. 

‘Extensive’ testing and evaluation is said to have taken place, with the first frozen potato products packaged in bio-renewable PE bags launched in the UK and the Netherlands back in September. 

“We are excited about the collaboration with Lamb Weston and OPACKGROUP in this closed-loop project,” comments Khaled Al-Jalawi, global director of Circular Economy Business at SABIC. “Such a project demonstrates the concept of circularity as it better utilizes the UCO to produce circular polymers that is designed for recyclability via a closed loop approach.” 

Sebastiaan Besems, Vice President Commercial EMEA from Lamb Weston, continues: “Distributors, retailers and consumers have become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact and show a growing preference for more sustainable packaging. We have anticipated this trend and developed an industry-leading bio-circular retail packaging solution for our pre-fried frozen potato products that provides a highly responsible value proposition. 

“As part of our ambitious sustainability plans and innovations for the frozen potato category, the brand’s new European retail pack is made with 60% bio-circular plastic originating from Lamb Weston’s used cooking oil and is ISCC PLUS certified. By using SABIC’s bio-renewable polymer, less and better packaging, this innovation reduces the carbon footprint of our retail bags by 30%, aligning with consumer expectations that FMCG brands are as environmentally friendly as possible. 

“The success of this project also meets with our goals to halve our food waste, cut our overall product carbon footprint by 25% and move to more circular production by 2030.” 

Laura Hanegraaf, sales manager at Oerlemans Plastics, adds: “The project solidifies the committed efforts we have undertaken with SABIC to promote low carbon and renewable products within our industry and represents a significant advancement. It allows us to offer our customers high-quality flexible film products made with renewable material from used cooking oil.” 

In another partnership, SABIC previously joined forces with Estiko Packaging Solutions and Coldwater Prawns of Norway to develop an ISCC PLUS-certified pouch for frozen prawns. 60% of the multilayer film was said to constitute ‘ocean-bound’ plastic waste. 

The company also worked with FONTE and Napco National to create bread bags made of ‘fully recycled’ post-consumer polyethylene. Apparently, these are made using 100% mass-balanced certified content of recycled feedstock from mixed post-consumer plastic streams. 

Avantium markets plant-based PEF polymer under Releaf brand name 

Avantium’s plant-based, recyclable polyethylene furanoate (PEF) polymer – recommended as an alternative material in packaging, bottle, and textile production – has been released under the brand name Releaf. 

Releaf is designed to ‘embrac[e] the principles of recycling, renewing and rethinking’, Avantium explains, with its name and leaf logo alluding to the replacement of fossil plastics with plant-based solutions. 

The launch of the brand is accompanied by the reveal of the official Releaf website. 

“We are incredibly proud to launch the Releaf brand that embodies our commitment to sustainability,” says Jean Lai, marketing and branding manager at Avantium. “Releaf offers a sustainable alternative for bottles, packaging, and textiles.” 

Releaf PEF will be displayed at this year’s Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven from 19th – 27th October. In partnership with design studio Hoogvliet Jongerius, Avantium has developed its “From Plants To Plastics” installation, which intends to display the various applications of Releaf, ‘from films and sheets to yarns’. 

“We are equally thrilled to collaborate with Studio Hoogvliet Jongerius for this year’s Dutch Design Week,” Lai continued. ”Their creative vision and expertise have allowed us to showcase the beauty and versatility of Releaf, demonstrating that sustainable materials can be both functional and aesthetically stunning.” 

“Working with Releaf has been an eye-opening experience,” added Nienke Hoogvliet of Hoogvliet Jongerius. “We’ve been able to push the boundaries of what’s possible with sustainable materials, creating pieces that are not just eco-friendly, but truly beautiful.” 

It was announced back in 2020 that Avantium’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Avantium Renewable Polymers, would build a flagship FDCA plant at Chemie Park Delfzijl in the Netherlands; construction was set to be completed in 2023, with commercial production scheduled for the second half of 2024. FDCA is a plant-based ‘building block’ in the production of PEF. 

Since this announcement, the Nova Institute has conducted a Life Cycle Assessment with Avantium PEF, concluding that its use in 250ml and 500ml bottles would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% and the resource demand for fossil fuels by 37%. 

The company has also supplied a fixed volume of PEF to luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Group for its cosmetics packaging, following successful trials of PEF-based packaging for its Parfums Christian Dior, Givenchy Parfums and Guerlain brands, among others. 

Additionally, Refresco has implemented Avantium PEF into Albert Heijn’s fruit juice bottles, reportedly making it the first supermarket chain in the world to adopt the material for own-brand products. 

Mondi co-founds milestone alliance for the circularity of paper bags in the construction industry 

Mondi, a global leader in sustainable packaging and paper, has co-founded an alliance to improve the circularity of used paper bags in the construction industry. The Spain-based alliance, called Paper Sacks Go Circular Spain comprises of 12 European companies from the full value chain including Mondi. 

In Spain, construction waste accounts for more than 30% of the total waste generated, with a recovery rate of only 48% according to the latest report from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE).  

Paper Sacks Go Circular Spain is an alliance of companies that share a common interest in closing the loop and building a circular economy for paper bags in Spain. Starting with paper bags for construction materials, the coalition will look for synergies with other construction and demolition waste streams to increase volumes and achieve economies of scale. It aims to improve the recycling of paper bags used for construction materials such as cement, plaster and insulation, balancing the sustainability and economic aspects, and is expected to have a positive impact on the industry's overall business model.  

Industry associations Eurosac and CEPI Eurokraft will host the alliance, driven by a shared goal: perfecting circularity of paper bags in construction. 

In June, Paper Sacks Go Circular Spain hosted a webinar called Construction Goes Circular, with over 80 participants from the industry to introduce the initiative and explain the roles and responsibilities within the value chain. Topics included fostering relationships between participants, extending the circular model to other construction materials and promoting membership of the alliance. The Arpada Group from Spain is already a good example of this alliance in action. They are successfully separating the construction waste for efficient recycling of the paper bags and are working on more optimised waste management systems. 

ALPLAhana presents mono-material dispenser with down-lock function 

ALPLAhana presents its first down-lock dispenser pump made entirely of plastic with a sturdy plastic spring. The joint venture between packaging and recycling specialist ALPLA and HANA Innovation from South Korea will be presenting two variants of the innovative dispenser solution at the Beautyworld Middle East in Dubai at the end of October. 

Made of 100 per cent polypropylene: ALPLAhana has developed a unique mono-material dispenser pump with a down-lock function. The joint venture between the international packaging and recycling specialist ALPLA and HANA Innovation from South Korea is thus creating a fully recyclable and compact solution for various liquid dispensers. The product innovation will be presented at the Beautyworld Middle East 2024 from 28 to 30 October in Dubai. 

‘Our solution strengthens the circular economy, saves material and increases recyclability. It does not require a metal spring, requires fewer components and some of them can also be made from post-consumer recycled material (PCR),’ reports Sree Hari R Nair, Global Head of Business Pumps and Devices at ALPLA. Thanks to the stable and durable plastic spring, the patented technology allows the contents to be safely stored in the down-lock position. The dispenser offers customers added logistical value and saves shelf space. 

Standard formats and customisation 
The two standard versions of the down-lock dispenser with a nominal output of 2 and 4 millilitres (ml) are available with a smooth- or ribbed-neck finish for standard closure sizes. Like all ALPLAhana products, the colour, head and closure can be customised. This also applies to the fine-tuning of outputs in defined ranges in line with customer requirements. 

As a system supplier, ALPLA offers organisational, logistical and commercial added value. Customers can purchase the bottle and pump from a single source and receive a perfectly coordinated complete solution. ‘Many multinational brand manufacturers want to make their portfolios more sustainable and environmentally friendly. We can now support them with our safe, affordable and sustainable dispenser solutions. We can do this worldwide, to the highest quality standards and according to customer requirements,’ emphasises Michael Feltes, Managing Director of ALPLAinject. The injection moulding division was founded in 2024. 

TotalEnergies aims to enhance recyclability of stretch hood applications with new polyethylene grade 

TotalEnergies has introduced its Very Low Linear Density Polyethylene (VLLDPE) grade, named Advanced Supertough 12AST05 and designed to address a wide range of film applications. 

Apparently, the new grade extends the company’s range of metallocene polyethylene grades, going from very low-density grades (0.912 g/cm³) up to high-density grades (0.960 g/cm³). Total Energies says the grade has ‘excellent mechanical and optical properties’ (haze = 5% gloss 45°= 70), ‘very good’ sealing behaviour and can be used in formulations aiming for the replacement of Ethylene-vinyl Acetate (EVA) grades to enhance the recyclability of stretch hood applications. 

Advanced Supertough 12AST05 is said to be suitable for flexible packaging welding applications due to its sealing initiation temperature - reportedly 2 degrees below market standard – which the company states reduces production costs by lowering the quantity of plastomers in the welding layer. 

“This new grade is a great demonstration of our innovative developments supporting our customers to improve packaging recyclability. The end goal is to bring more qualitative product on the market that is then used as feedstock for the recycling industry.” said Olivier Greiner, vice president of Polymers Europe & Orient at TotalEnergies. 

In April, TotalEnergies Lubrifiants and BERICAP partnered to incorporate 50% post-consumer recycled plastic into a closure for 20-litre lubricant packaging, a move intended to reduce virgin plastic consumption. The companies planned to apply the can closures to 20-litre premium lubricant cans made in France and Belgium. 

More recently, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announced a new chemical process which claims to ‘essentially vaporize’ polyethylene, polypropylene, and mixed-plastic waste into building blocks for repolymerization into new plastics. If scaled up, the process is set to reduce the fossil fuels required to make new plastics and unlock circularity for various single-use plastics. 

Toufayan Bakeries unveils sustainable packaging 

Toufayan Bakeries is debuting packaging for its pita bread and other baked goods that is more eco-friendly. 

In addition to being 100% recyclable, the updated packaging comes with a resealable zipper closure that removes the need for a plastic clip, the Ridgefield-based family-owned commercial bakery said in an Oct. 16 press release. 

It also does away with the inner cellophane wrap. That helps cut down on plastic waste, as well as delivers a sleeker package both on shelf and at home. 

According to Toufayan Bakeries, it will implement the changes across nearly all items it produces. With the move, the company expects to reduce overall plastic consumption by more than 40 tons a year. 

The revamp is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability. Other steps taken include responsible sourcing, waste reduction across manufacturing sites and carbon reduction initiatives. 

Toufayan Bakeries Vice President of Marketing and Sales Karen Toufayan shared, “This is the pita our grandfather perfected, that we proudly share with families nationwide. We take great care in how it is packaged from our bakery to your home.” 

“Upgrading our entire product line to best-in-class sustainable packaging reflects our commitment as a family-owned business that cares deeply about future generations. It was essential that sustainability improvements would also enhance the customer experience while maintaining pricing,” she said. 

One of the largest family-owned specialty bakeries in the U.S., Toufayan dates back to 1926. Its lineup features more than 100 varieties of fresh baked goods, including flatbreads, bagels, wraps, breadsticks and pitas.