Cans to Impress

CanTech International
March 2008

Francis Labbé came to London to extol the virtues of cans with a new book, and the microwaveable one in particular. Suzanne Christiansen reports

Being invited to a book signing is not the normal course of events for can industry journalists, but then again, Francis Labbé, CEO of Impress Group is no ordinary author. He was in London recently to sign copies of a limited edition book marking the can making group's first 10 years. The book signing also included viewing of Impress' new video for consumers and on its website
- Green & Growing.

This is all part of a drive by Impress and other metal can producers to promote the can. Labbé was at pains to point out, however, that the metal can's positive message would be promoted, rather than attacking the use of other materials.

Impress used the opportunity to showcase its two newly developed microwaveable cans made using Creasteel, a high-draw steel that enables the creation of novel shapes. These containers have a shallow design and a large open surface area. One is a 650ml triangular shape and the other a 450ml round design. "We are very lucky that microwaveable and ready meals go hand in hand, and the can is complete - you don't need any other package around it on shelf," Gordon Shade, vice president corporate and industry affairs, notes.

"We decided to make the debate public about microwaves," notes Labbé. "The idea of metal not being microwaveable is so entrenched, we decided to take the risk of disclosing our internal development processes to break the mould, and to accelerate the awareness of the possibilities of the containers."

The technology of microwaves changed about 15 years ago to allow metal containers in the microwave, he points out. However, consumer perception of the microwave and metal cans in relation to them has not.

Shade notes that metal has other benefits over competing materials in microwaveable ready meals - shelf life being one. "The issue of shelf life is one that the can solves, as it has a long shelf life. The container can also be recycled immediately without washing."

Another area of discussion was that of food waste, which is currently gaining ground in the UK, where one in three bags of food is thrown away. "It is important that good common sense is coming back to politicians and retailers," notes Labbé. "The Courtauld Agreement has to be rewritten, as the packaging industry has moved on a lot. The top priority in the UK is now landfill."

He points out that in some areas,a lack of education - both with politicians and the public -can have disastrous results. For example, in Germany, the beverage can has practically disappeared because of the packaging levy there. Three billion cans disappeared off shelves.

Ken Wood, risk assessment manager at Impress, also notes that the industry must make the governmental bodies think hard about the choices they make when taxing packaging. "If it was your waste problem, what would you choose? Would you take high-value metal, or another material with high negative value?" he asks.

Recycling
The meeting was also used to discuss other areas of interest for Impress and the can. Wood observes that the latest figures for recycling show that overall steel rates have hit 66% in the EU 25 plus Norway and Switzerland. This average ranges from 93% in Germany and Belgium, to a measly 8% in Greece.

Wood also points out that the metal can has a benefit over other forms of packaging due to its lack of need for the chill chain, with 70% of a product's carbon footprint the result of refrigeration through the chill chain. As part of Empac, the European metal packaging association, the company is working with Environmental Resources Management, an environmental services consultancy, on carbon footprinting of some of its products. These results are expected be unveiled at Interpack in April.

Wood observes that in comparision to metal, other packaging materials are often downcycled. For example, 75 per cent of all aluminium ever mined is still in use, without the loss of its core properties. Recent APEAL figures have shown that aluminium achieves a 90% energy savings over the primary production of the package, while steel achieves an 80-85% reduction in recycling.

Another thing to consider is the very low impact of the can on the environment, Woods point out. It amounts to 0.23% of the waste stream in the 25 countries of the European Union, for example. This is out of the estimated 1.3 bn tones of waste the EU 25 produces each year, according to Empac statistics.

Lightweighting has contributed to lower costs for the can as well, with aluminium cans dropping by 28% in weight over the last 20 years, and steel cans removing 33% from their weight (Empac figures).

Wood notes that recent moves by Tetra Pak to compete with cans in areas it hadn't been previously - sterilisation - may backfire on the package, as it has been selling itself by using very aggressive communications against the can. "Once the lifecycle story is out, the truth will out, and we will be in a position to promote the benefits of the can. Other materials will have to defend the statements they've made," Wood says. Labbé concurs: "It's very destructive - they're trying to get into an area where their product doesn't fit. We don't badmouth competing packages."

Container successes
The Impress meeting also looked at the company's other successes over the last 10 years - the expansion of shaped aerosol cans, and the success of the five and ten litre keg cans, produced for Heineken. The ten litre beer keg with integrated pressure system stays fresh for 30 days after opening and was co-developed by Impress and Heineken. It can be used in a draught beer installation, called Xtreme Draught, that was developed by Heineken. The special task for this keg, is a pressure resistance with at minimum five bar. This is reached by a special shaping of the top and bottom and a shaped body with an extreme expanding rate.

Another item of success is that of luncheon meat in shaped cans in South Korea (pictured, page 13), where it has contributed to a revival of the luncheon meat market, according to Philippe Gimenez, director of R&D for Impress. The company has collected industry awards for the Club Luncheon Meat cans it developed for Daesang in South Korea for the relaunch of Daesang's luncheon meat range.

The cans are produced in 200ml and 340ml sizes in France and feature a drawn rectangular aluminium body with printed Easy Peel foil membrane closures. The design allows the meat to be easily released due to a special gold internal lacquer and a shoulder at the top of the can, according to Impress. Two years ago, Impress was not present in this market, and the arrival of the shaped can has meant that the company now enjoys a 40% share. The development of a small size, microwaveable can in mid-2007 contributed to the product's success as well, Gimenez notes.

Impress
t: +33 2 4348 5100