Dairy Dialog podcast 127: ecoVeritas, Neogen, Tetra Pak, Rockwell Automation

We also have our weekly look at the global dairy markets with Liam Fenton at StoneX.

ecoVeritas launches online Plastic Packaging Tax calculator to help packaging industry

Packaging data company ecoVeritas, has launched a free online tool for brands, retailers and their packaging supply partners to calculate future costs in preparation for the incoming UK Plastic Packaging Tax.

The ecoVeritas Plastic Packaging Tax calculator​ enables users to input information relating to the amount of plastic packaging they manufacture, import and export, before generating an estimate of direct costs based on the current draft of the plastic tax legislation. It also allows users to calculate potential annual tax savings that could be achieved by increasing the amount of recycled content used in the manufacture of plastic packaging.

David Harding-Brown, CEO of ecoVeritas, said, “It’s a little over 12 months until the UK Plastic Packaging Tax comes into force and companies need to start thinking now about how they can reduce their liability to avoid costly implications nearer the time.​

“Our new tax calculator provides companies across the packaging industry with a free-of-charge estimate that will help them plan for the future and act as a starting point for taking action to reduce future tax obligations.”​

Harding-Brown said the company can offer packaging intelligence and advice on compliance and legislation.

“With such a significant – and potentially costly – change on the horizon, we want to ensure companies are as prepared as they can be. As a result, we invite those affected to try our new calculator and engage with our dedicated team. ecoVeritas can provide further advice and guidance in the form of a more detailed cost analysis or support around improving recyclate usage,”​ he said.

The implementation of the UK Plastic Packaging Tax is part of a new law to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and cut manufacturers’ reliance on virgin plastic. The tax will apply at a rate of £200 ($278) per tonne of plastic packaging not containing at least 30% recycled plastic from April 2022. This will apply to plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into, the UK.

In terms of liability, businesses that manufacture in the UK or import packaging into the UK will be subject to the tax.

The responsibility also falls onto those across the plastic packaging supply chain, including online marketplaces, fulfilment houses and businesses importing finished packaging into the UK from overseas, where they share joint liability if the tax has not yet been paid.

Neogen Corporation

Neogen Corporation develops and markets products dedicated to food and animal safety.

The Neogen Analytics platform is used by leading food and beverage suppliers to streamline and optimize key functions within food safety programs, including environmental monitoring, product testing, sanitation management, compliance and conformance, and reporting and analytics.  

Food safety automation is increasingly important during the Covid-19 pandemic and Neogen is helping customers, including large dairy companies, automate environmental monitoring programs to manage risks and increase efficiencies through the Neogen Analytics platform, powered by Corvium.

Tetra Pak and Rockwell Automation to collaborate on cheese and powder solutions

Tetra Pak and Rockwell Automation have announced a strategic business collaboration for cheese and powder solutions.

The combined business partnership is intended to deliver data and technology to reduce variability and improve quality consistency, helping ensure finished products are produced sustainably and cost effectively within demand-driven manufacturing environments.

The collaboration – starting with evaporation and spray drying – has resulted in Tetra Pak’s new Powder Plant Booster solution, to be packaged with Rockwell Automation’s Model Predictive Control (MPC) and its Pavilion8 and PlantPAx MPC technology.

Pavilion8 driven applications have been shown by Rockwell Automation to deliver possible product quality variability reductions of up to 60%, reductions in off-spec products by up to 75%, improved throughputs up to 9%, and reductions in energy per unit of product up to 9%. This allows producers to fully optimize their operations.

Fred Griemsmann, vice president cheese and powder systems at Tetra Pak, said, “The food and drink industry now requires that producers have a level of agility never seen before. This means we must be ready to offer our customers advanced processing control technology that is both flexible and precise. Customers can leverage our food application expertise, have access to production data in real time and adapt their process variables to match requirements – without any loss in quality, productivity, or throughput. This unique collaboration with Rockwell Automation provides the foundation upon which this capability is based.”​

Matthew Fordenwalt, VP GM, systems and solutions, at Rockwell Automation, said, “Rockwell Automation is delighted to build upon a relationship that spans 35 years and collaborate with Tetra Pak, a company that shares our view that deeply understanding customers and their best opportunities for productivity creates value. We believe shared customers insights, coupled with technology and domain expertise, will deliver real value focused outcomes to the industry.”​

Tetra Pak said it can now offer its evaporation and spray drying customers advanced process control and model predictive control solutions.

The Powder Plant Booster solution – with complementary Pavilion8 software – is a process modeling, advanced control and optimization platform that integrates with any control system to continuously provide real-time insight, diagnostics, and advanced control.

Tetra Pak said it achieves this by delivering an intelligence layer on top of basic automation systems, which, due to its built-in performance metrics, continuously drives plants towards addressing multiple business objectives.