The German manufacturer of dimensionally stable plastic packaging Gizeh (Bergneustadt; www.gizeh.com) has announced the expansion of its range of services to include returnable cups with custom print. The new online shop for the digitally printed PP cups, which will initially be available in sizes from 200 ml to 500 ml, is set to go live in February 2021; consumers will be able to order drinking cups with their own designs for orders of 50 units or more from the company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

After hitting EUR 115m in 2019, company sales director Frank Kriener said he expects sales for the past year to end up just below the EUR 120m mark. In addition to food packaging, which accounts for more than 95% of sales, the company, which managing partner Ralf Jung has run since 1998, produces injection stretch-blown containers for personal care and cosmetics. “Gizeh has invested at least EUR 10m every year since 1998 into the ongoing development of the company,” Kriener explained. “This has always resulted in something new that has taken us further!”

Sustainability is also a high priority at Gizeh. “We have to think even more strongly in terms of cycles. That is why we are participating in the HolyGrail project, for example. The aim of this initiative is to use digital watermarks to make improved sorting and increased recycling rates possible in the EU, which in turn can lead to a real recycling economy (see Plasteurope.com of 18.09.2020),” said Kriener.

At its original plant in Bergneustadt / Germany, Gizeh has just invested in new modules for sleeve technology that makes it easier for consumers to remove the plastic wrappers from containers after use. The packaging portfolio was also expanded to include cardboard-wrapped cups. “Even if mono-material solutions are clearly preferable in terms of recycling, the consumer currently likes to go for a paper feel!”

“EcoEasy Paper”, on the other hand, is still in development. This cardboard sleeve uses a special folding technique so the container can be separated into its paper and plastic components easily, quickly and without any adhesive residue.

In addition to its headquarters in Bergneustadt, Gizeh has also been producing in Elsterwerda / Germany since 2004. The family-run packaging manufacturer, which currently employs around 750 people, also has production sites in France, Poland and Canada.

The sites in Bergneustadt and Angers / France recently received ISCC-Plus certification. This means that chemically recycled PP granulates and plastics based on renewable raw materials can also be processed there. The ISCC Plus mass balance certification includes tracing requirements for the sustainable plastics that are put into circulation.

While all manufacturing processes are used in Bergneustadt, Poland and Canada, Gizeh focuses on injection moulding / IML at the Elsterwerda site and on thermoforming in France. The packaging is decorated with digital printing, IML, labels or sleeves. Polypropylene is the primary material processed, followed by smaller quantities of polystyrene and PET.