ALPLA, Austria; Britvic plc, UK; Danone S.A., France; Unilever, London; REMONDIS Recycling GmbH & Co.KG, Germany; and BP, London, joined forces to utilize BP’s enhanced recycling technology to create a new cross-industry consortium to develop a global circular economy for plastics.

BP, London, developed what it described as an enhanced recycling technology called BP Infinia, which enables currently unrecyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to be transformed back into new, virgin-quality feedstocks.

Two researchers at UNSW Sydney, Australia, discovered a novel way to turn banana plantation waste into packaging material that is not only biodegradable, but also recyclable.

Stora Enso, Sweden, announced plans to invest EUR $9 million to build a pilot facility that produces bio-based plastics as barrier in transparent packaging.

The global flexible plastic packaging market is projected to generate revenues of $172.29 million from 2018-2023 with a steady CAGR of 3.2% during this period, according to a study shared by Frost & Sullivan, San Antonio, Texas.

KHS, Germany, developed what is said to be the first fully recyclable juice bottle made of 100% recyclate.

The Foodservice Packaging Institute, Falls Church, Va., released the 11th annual Trends Report, which reveals that industry opinions are largely focused on sustainable packaging and customization of products to meet consumer demand.

NatureFresh Farms, Canada, teamed up with Pulp Moulded Products (PMP), Canada, to develop a fully compostable pulp molded tray.

Bonduelle Fresh Americas, an Irwindale, Calif.-based wholly-owned subsidiary of Bonduelle, France, published its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, identifying the goals the company will target to reach over the next five years.

Owyhee Produce, Nyssa, Ore., announced plans to create its own regenerative produce bags by converting hemp fibers sourced from its own crops.