Amcor launches 100% rPET bottle for new Ron Rubin wine range

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP) has announced the launch of 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) packaging for Ron Rubin Winery’s new BLUE BIN wine range, said Packaging-gateway.

The range comes in a 750ml bottle size. rPET packaging has a wide range of environmental benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional wine packaging.

The new bottles are both shatterproof and lightweight, which makes them useful for consumers with an on-the-go lifestyle. Ron Rubin introduced this new alternative for its BLUE BIN range after the completion of a two-year packaging assessment to develop and deliver premium wine for its eco-conscious customers.

The company said these new bottles feature Plasmax technology, which is a thin, glass-like barrier layer provided to ensure that the wine does not come in direct contact with the rPET itself. It also helps to protect the taste and quality of the wine.

ARP’s spirits and wine marketing manager Jonathan Jarman said: “Plasmax is a thin, glass-like oxygen barrier on the inside of the bottle. This protective barrier holds the wine, while the PET bottle holds the shape. “This is truly a transformational moment for the North American wine market, ushering in an era where the product’s sustainable packaging is valued and celebrated as deeply as the product itself."

BLUE BIN is available in four 2022 vintage varietals, including Chardonnay, Vin Rose, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery says it has been engaged in bottling sustainable and premium wine for over three decades, and is one of only 33 Certified B Corporation wineries in the world.

We remind, Amcor launches further developments of its high performing paper packaging range and invests in increased paper packaging manufacturing capacity in Europe. Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, has announced the expansion of its AmFiber™ Performance Paper packaging range in Europe to include heat seal sachets for dry culinary and beverage applications, such as instant coffee, drink powders, spices, seasonings, and dried soups.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Linde announced it has signed two major agreements in Brazil for the supply of renewable energy, said the company.

White Martins, Linde’s subsidiary, has entered into agreements to secure more than two million megawatt hours per year of renewable energy, replacing almost half of its existing power usage in Brazil. Supply has already commenced from the Futura I Solar Complex, one of the largest photovoltaic parks in Latin America, and the Chui Wind Farm, in Rio Grande do Sul.

The new agreements will increase Linde’s global active renewable energy by more than 60%. More broadly, Linde is on track to meet its commitment to double the purchase of low carbon energy by 2028. The agreements support Linde’s science-based absolute greenhouse gas reduction target for 2035 and its 2050 climate neutrality ambition.

In addition to reducing White Martins’ emissions in Brazil, the renewable energy will help White Martins’ customers to decarbonize their processes by using industrial gases with a lower carbon footprint. Linde estimates that its solutions, technologies and services help its customers to avoid more than two times the emissions generated by all of Linde’s own operations.

“Linde has clear climate targets which include a commitment to actively increase our use of renewable energy,” said Gilney Bastos, President South Latin America, Linde. “Not only will these agreements reduce the carbon intensity of our own operations, but they also benefit our customers who will receive industrial gases with a lower carbon footprint.”

Linde has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for 20 consecutive years and has been named to CDP’s A List for both climate change and water security. The company is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact.

We remind, Linde has signed a long-term agreement to supply green hydrogen to Evonik. Linde will build, own and operate a nine-megawatt alkaline electrolyzer plant on Jurong Island, Singapore. The plant will produce green hydrogen, which Evonik will use to manufacture methionine, an essential component in animal feed. The new supply agreement supports the planned expansion of Evonik’s existing facility and will help Evonik limit its greenhouse gas emissions in Singapore.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- A group of refiners plan to file a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's rejection of waivers to exempt oil refiners from biofuel blending mandates which has left some on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, Par Pacific told Reuters .

The Environmental Protection Agency, which has the authority to issue the waivers, on Friday denied exemption requests from 15 small refineries in a move that corn farmers and ethanol producers welcomed.

Refiners including Par Pacific Holdings Inc plan to join together in a legal challenge against the decision, a Par Pacific spokesperson told Reuters.

"We believe EPA's decision is arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law," said Ashimi Patel with Par Pacific.

We remind, a series of oil supply disruptions across the globe has helped push Brent crude prices above USD81 a barrel for the first time since April. Forecasters expect OPEC+ supply cuts and ramped up demand from China to tighten markets despite some macroeconomic headwinds. Shell on July 13 said it had suspended loadings of Nigeria’s Forcados crude oil due to a potential leak at the export terminal.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's sea-borne diesel and gasoil exports rose by 11% to about 1.9 million tons in the first 17 days of July from the same period in June, as production grew after seasonal refinery maintenance, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Russia's offline primary oil refining capacity is expected to fall significantly this month to 2.326 million tons from 3.966 million tons in June, according to the data and Reuters calculations. In July so far, Turkey and Brazil remain the top destinations for diesel exports from Russian ports, taking about half of total supplies, or 631,000 tons and 300,000 tons, respectively, Refinitiv shipping data showed.

Senegal and Morocco are the leading Russian diesel importers to Africa this month with 75,000 tons and 66,000 tons, respectively, while supplies to Togo and Ghana declined to only 37,000 tons and 30,000 tons.

In July to date, diesel and gasoil loadings from Russian ports to United Arab Emirates (UAE) trading hub Fujairah totaled about 150,000 tons - in line with the same period of June, according to Refinitiv data and Reuters calculations.

No Russian diesel cargoes were seen heading to Saudi Arabia this month, with only one going to the kingdom in June, shipping data showed.

About 250,000 tons of Russian diesel are destined so far in July for ship-to-ship (STS) loadings near the Greek port of Kalamata and for STS near Malta. The final destinations for those volumes are as yet unknown, but usually those cargoes end up in Turkey and Middle East countries.

Another 250,000 tons of diesel loaded in Russian ports since the start of July do not yet have a confirmed destination. All the shipping data above are based on the date of cargo departure.

We remind, Russian oil exports from western ports are set to fall by some 100,000-200,000 barrels per day next month from July levels, a sign Moscow is making good on its pledge for fresh supply cuts in tandem with OPEC leader Saudi Arabia. OPEC and major producers including Russia, together known as OPEC+, have been cutting supply since November to support prices. Moscow this month pledged to cut exports by 500,000 bpd in August, while Saudi Arabia extended its 1 million bpd output cuts.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsubishi Chemical Group, INPEX and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co PJSC - Masdar agreed to conduct a joint feasibility project to study making polypropylene out of carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the companies said.

If built, the so-called carbon recycle chemicals project (CRC project) would be the first commercial-scale plant of its kind. The companies did not specify the capacity of the plant, they did not provide any timelines and they did not say if the CO2 would come from the exhaust of a plant or captured from the atmosphere.

The plant would produce the PP by combining green hydrogen with CO2 to produce methanol. The methanol would then be converted into propylene, which would be polymerised to make PP. Companies in China have long produced commercial quantities of olefins with conventionally produced methanol.

Recently, companies have started making what they call e-methanol, so called because the hydrogen is produced by using electrolysers powered by renewable electricity. So far, many of these companies, notably HIF Global, have used the e-methanol to make eFuels.

The project in Abu Dhabi could be the first to produce ePlastics, and the resulting PP would function as a way to capture carbon.

We remind, Mitsubishi Chemical UK has confirmed the closure of its methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant at Billingham (Cassel), UK, said the company. The decision comes following a period of over two months of collective consultation with its employees. The company stated in a press release in November announcing its consultation that the “economic sustainability of UK manufacturing operation of methacrylates in an increasingly competitive global market cannot be achieved”.

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