Global key account manager at RETAL Balkan Nedko Nedev recently recorded a presentation for the respected online event hosted by Plastics News.
The Plastics News Caps & Closures Online Event will be held on June 18, with Nedev presenting alongside other leading plastic packaging industry leaders.
With his presentation titled, ““Getting Closure – How an Evolving Product Needs Established Expertise”, Nedev touches on the trends and challenges that are currently facing the supply of closures for the packaging industry, with his insight on how RETAL solves these issues thanks to R&D, expertise and reliability.
To find out more about the event and to register, click here.
Nedev adds, “I am pleased to be a part of this event and to present how RETAL is committed to developing and sharing practical, sustainable closures and preforms for global food and beverage brands. Our teams are continually rising to the challenges of our industry and it’s great to share these solutions to this engaged audience.”
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
Two senior leaders from plastic packaging producer RETAL will be presenting at the upcoming PETnology Conference in May.
Held on 27 – 28 May in Lake Zurich, Switzerland, the PETnology Europe 2025 event, now in its 30th year, will focus on smart solutions for the sustainable future of PET packaging.
RETAL Chief Sustainability Officer Emmanuel Duffaut and Production Director Dainius Staniulis will be sharing their insight into how RETAL’s proven combination of investment, expertise, progressive approach and integration enables the company to deliver innovative solutions for global food and beverage brands.
The presentation will include details of how RETAL identifies risks and opportunities and utilises proprietary software and optimized process to deliver a competitive advantage.
Dainius Staniulis explains, “This industry-leading event is a great opportunity for us to meet with fellow packaging experts and present our understanding of how our holistic strategy is supporting our progressive position in the rPET revolution. We’re looking forward to the event and the interesting discussions that it will certainly generate.”
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
RETAL is set to showcase our latest innovations at this year’s Drinktec, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, highlighting our commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology for food-safe packaging.
We are pleased to welcome guests to our stand by offering our network complimentary tickets to Drinktec. Use the code DRI25RETAL at the Drinktec ticket shop to get free tickets, then come and visit us at Stand 360 in Hall C6.
That’s right! Our RETAL stand is number 360, and we’re promising to deliver a full 360° view of our innovative and sustainable plastic packaging solutions.
Maria Jarrar, Senior Marketing Manager, says, “Drinktec is the perfect place for us to present our complete packaging solutions, including our latest 26/22 preforms, tethered caps for various neck finishes, our patented designs, and our brand-new plastic closure especially for returnable glass bottles. Drinktec has always been a unique platform for sharing exciting developments, and this year is no exception.”
With plenty of samples and many RETAL experts on hand to answer any questions, our Stand 360 in Hall C6 will be ready to welcome you to Drinktec 2025, from 15-19 September, in Munich.
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
RETAL has gained its highest ever EcoVadis score, reaching 65% to achieve Bronze level.
This 6-point increase from the previous year’s evaluation means that multinational plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL is closing in on its target to reach 75%.
This very positive score also takes RETAL into the top 35% of companies evaluated by this ‘leading sustainability intelligence platform’, which is widely recognized by all sectors as the mainstream benchmark for sustainability performance and is used by most of RETAL’s customers.
RETAL’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Emmanuel Duffaut, says, “Our progress was largely thanks to our 15-point increase in our most impactful category, ‘Labour & Human Rights’, and in our higher ‘Ethics’ rating. I’m also pleased to report that our 68% rating in ‘Procurement’, 70% in ‘Environment’ and ‘Advanced’ rating in Carbon Management remained constant and strongly contributed. This combines to reward our continuous sustainability commitment and management at the highest level throughout our business.”
While Duffaut and his team are pleased with this positive evaluation, the plan for further sustainability action continues. He adds, “We’re implementing our policies aligning with the EcoVadis improvement plan, notably formalizing our Anti-Corruption action, reviewing our policies and setting the relevant targets to adeptly manage our material topics. This will see, amongst other things, an increase in our use of renewable energy and a reduction of our use of fossil fuel, while delivering more sustainability training throughout RETAL. We’re confident this will all help to increase our score in the EcoVadis 2024 exercise.”
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
RETAL is pleased to announce that it has joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) initiative, a voluntary initiative for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices.
Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world. It is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As a responsible plastic packaging producer, RETAL has chosen the UNGC to further align our action with recognized initiatives and provide more transparency and accountability to our stakeholders through the UNGC annual reporting (Communication on Progress’ or CoP).
Chief Sustainability Officer Emmanuel Duffaut says, “In line with our commitment to these principles, RETAL is proud to be a part of this important initiative. Sustainability at RETAL is far reaching, encompassing everything from our people to our products and our procurement. This represents taking our multinational business to the next level in our sustainability journey as we commit to implementing the ten principles and supporting the SDGs as laid out by the United Nations Global Compact and report annually on progress.
https://unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/participants/167021-RETAL-INDUSTRIES-LIMITED
For further information, please contact Maria Jarrar, RETAL Senior Marketing Manager US&EU maria.jarrar@retalgroup.com
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NOTE TO EDITORS
RETAL develops and manufactures high quality plastic packaging solutions, including preforms, closures, containers and films. RETAL operates 10 production sites, serving customers in more than 70 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Strongly focused on quality and flexibility, RETAL is ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000 and BRC accredited. Parent company RETAL INDUSTRIES LTD is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus.
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
“The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States”.
Renata Smataviciene, quality director of RETAL, explores challenges of defining "quality" in manufacturing and how a plastic packaging company achieves consistent quality across vast production lines.
There is no legal definition of the word ‘quality’; it gets used easily even though it’s hard to achieve. For manufacturing businesses, producing products of quality doesn’t happen by accident. It can only happen when the importance of quality is embedded into the culture.
But how can quality be embedded into the culture when there is no legal definition of what quality means? Who decides what a good quality product actually is, and how can ‘quality’ be defined across a large company with myriad departments, all contributing to a finished product?
The short answer is, with great difficulty! The longer answer, according to experienced quality director Renata Smataviciene, is somewhat more involved. Smataviciene explains how repeatedly achieving quality is a long-term, layered approach that requires clarity, tenacity and great attention to detail, as well as the careful recruitment, training and supervision of skilled people. She said: “Working in global production means that quality must underpin everything we do. It’s not a ‘one and done’ situation; we never take quality for granted and appreciate that it’s a constant process of checking, testing and learning.”
Smataviciene is the quality director for multinational plastic packaging producer RETAL in the EU and US and has responsibility for the quality of over 800 SKUs produced on over 170 state-of-the-art production lines, producing 13.41 billion preforms operated by more than 1600 skilled workers in 2023. That’s a lot of ducks to get in a row.
“We produce preforms and closures for many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands,” added Smataviciene, “so quality must come first. Our customers have very high expectations, and we have to meet those expectations every single time. This is where the definition of quality comes in, as it is crucial that we know exactly what those high expectations are. Our teams take time to clarify precisely what each customer needs; nothing is left to chance. We ask the right questions to get the information needed, then it is up to me and my team to guarantee that the quality expected is delivered.”
To achieve this, Smataviciene and her team have a sophisticated system of quality control, supported by a range of technological tools, with each RETAL location achieving the same quality assurance. She continued: “Our customers are global, so our products must meet the same quality standards for each different market; standardised quality allows for brand owners to be reassured. Our quality control is the same at each facility thanks to our detailed verification process. The fulfilment can be different depending on the product and the specific equipment, but each step is verified according to the quality and process performance required.”
The elements that can vary include the materials used, the volume of recycled material, additives, and the required weight of the preform. Smataviciene is clear that the role of sustainability in quality control is increasingly important, particularly when working with global brands that are driven to offer consumers the most responsible packaging possible. “Recycled material usage is so important now, we’re continually working with our customers and our designers to understand how best to implement progressive sustainable solutions. Sustainability must always be the focus, but through the lens of quality. Our quality never reduces, even when our weights reduce and our volumes of rPET increase. Tethered closures also bring with them new testing, new production challenges, but ultimately these are our problems to solve, which we always do. We bring solutions.”
This commitment to bringing solutions is where the culture of quality is most evident. Only with detailed and repeated feedback can a culture of quality be embedded, especially when the team is located across factories, countries and time zones. Smataviciene concluded: “A culture that expects quality has to be supportive and transparent. Sharing best practice is expected. Training is intense and visits are regular. We have to learn quickly from any non-conformities. It’s about checking and checking again, every process and every product. It’s about lists and more lists! Nothing happens by accident. We audit everything and we’re always learning.”
Read online at Interplas Insights
Insight Focus
The goalposts are constantly shifting for plastic producers as new legislations and designs come into play. It is vital that producers and recyclers keep up with new and exciting developments.
Go to any packaging industry or plastics trade show and the hot topic will be the circular economy.
It may be that major players are talking about recycling, or lightweighting, or rPET usage, or that they’re lamenting the lack of recycled material available on the market. They may even be discussing the challenges of implementing tethered closures on their production lines before the fast-approaching deadline. But all the questions and issues come back to the unquestionable need to support the circular economy.
So, how can PET play a meaningful role in the Circular Economy? And how can PET industry leaders be sure that their contribution is not just hot air?
Design for Recycling (DfR) is a non-legal (yet!) set of guidelines that offers practical and technical insight into the compatibility of different packaging elements, including caps and closures, labels or adhesives, according to the various recycling streams.
The idea is that these Design for Recycling guidelines support the packaging industry on how to improve overall recyclability of plastic products and provide clear suggestions on what to do. These include the types of materials used, the ways in which material use can be reduced and the design behaviours that make recycling harder and don’t actually offer any consumer benefit.
The EU Commission is also promoting the increased use of recycled plastic materials for food contact, stating that 100% of plastic packaging must be recyclable by 2029. There is a 77% plastic bottle collection target by 2025, which rises to 90% by 2030. Furthermore, PET packaging must contain 25% post-consumer recycled plastic content from 2025.
While converters and brand owners are keen to meet this legislation, there is an issue of availability for rPET, so there are interesting solutions available such as NEOPET Cycle from Lithuania-based PET producer NEO Group. This is a PET resin that includes up to 30% of rPET integrated directly into the virgin PET, so converters can use one product instead of two, while still meeting legislative requirements.
The objective of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is to support sustainable choices in sourcing, product design and manufacturing, so the most progressive decisions can be made for each application.
Often, brand owners that are looking to assess their suppliers though a tangible sustainability lens will ask for a clear LCA on each element of their potential procurement, making it easier to compare tenders and make more environmentally efficient decisions.
The European Union’s Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) involves an increase in collection and recycling of used plastic packaging and includes the obligation to use tethered caps for any single use plastic beverage container of up to 3 litres.
Tethered closures or caps means that the lid of the single use plastic beverage bottle stays attached to the bottle after opening. There are clear rules around how this should perform, including the number of opening and closing cycles, the audible or tangible ‘click’ to show the consumer the cap is sufficiently opened, and how it must be comfortable for the consumer to be able to drink from.
The purpose of this legislation is so that the bottles and their lids are not separated in the recycling collections, making it easier to keep the materials of the closures in the recycling stream and to avoid them being discarded into the environment.
Read online at Czapp
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Multinational plastic packaging producer RETAL is pleased to announce a new industrial partner in Central Asia.
A Polymer Industries LLC, trading as Orzuplast, in Uzbekistan is a provider of packaging solutions for its local and neighbouring markets and is now welcomed by RETAL as the latest addition to its partner network, helping to serve the global food and beverage packaging industries.
Orzuplast is keen to highlight investment and development, with plans for additional expansion. The updated factory for Orzuplast is now officially opened, with two capping machines and two preform machines up and running, joining the extensive shipment capabilities that have long been present at the facility.
General manager, Orzuplast Sherzod Tursunov says, “The Orzuplast site has been here for some time. We are proud to be harnessing the knowledge of the employees that have been working on this site for many years, all of whom are still with us. We need their expertise to help us all continue to succeed in this dynamic, growing market, as we turn our attention to preforms and closures. We see excellent opportunities for advancement, with both local customers and our global food and beverage brand customers assured that our capabilities in Uzbekistan meet the highest standards.”
With a young population and an ancient culture, Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries represent an exciting growth market, with Orzuplast happy to serve customers throughout this fast-developing Central Asia territory.
Read online at Sustainable Packaging News, PET Planet, Business Focus, PETnology, Eco Plastics in Packaging, Polyestertime
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RETAL is proud to sponsor the Lituanica VLR youth robotics team, who recently brought home the ‘Growing FIRST’ award from the global FIRST Robotics competition, held in Houston, Texas, in April 2024.
Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST Robotics is a global nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18. With the pinnacle of its annual events the international competition, the FIRST Robotics program is suitable for schools or structured after-school activities and is supported by a network of volunteers and sponsors including over 200 Fortune 500 companies.
RETAL Purchase Director Arturas Scerbakovas, an active supporter of Lituanica VLR (Vilnius Lyceum Robotics), says, “FIRST Robotics is a fast-growing global robotics community that is focused RETAL robotics imageon helping to prepare young people in careers in STEM. It’s great fun and very high energy; it’s a brilliant way for young people to develop their technical skills in a fast environment. My daughter is in the team; she loves engineering and plans to study it at university, so I’m happy to do whatever I can to support her.”
With the Lituanica VLR team earning the ‘Growing FIRST’ award in recognition of its impressive progress, RETAL is a proud sponsor of this inspirational team that is motivating the next generation of skilled engineers.
For further information contact Maria Jarrar at media@retalgroup.com
Read online at Business Focus
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The Financial Times has placed RETAL as the highest ranked packaging producer on its 2024 Climate Leaders Europe list.
The independent list is a collaboration between the Financial Times and Statista, with the recognition gained thanks to RETAL’s constant effort in managing climate change impact since 2018, including its A score from CDP, Science Based Targets validated by SBTi (including its Scope 1 target already reached ahead of schedule), a 33% total renewable energy usage across the business, and a climate change risk assessment according to TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures).
Now in its fourth edition, the list focuses on businesses that have made the greatest reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with factors such as value chain transparency, collaboration with sustainability assessors used to produce an overall total for each company https://www.ft.com/climate-leaders-europe-2024
Read online at PETnology, Sustainable Packaging News, PET Planet, Business Focus
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