Danone Research and Avantium have entered into a joint development agreement for the development of PEF bottles for Danone, the world’s second biggest bottled water business. The agreement forms another cornerstone of Avantium’s commercialisation strategy to further co-develop the YXY technology for producing PEF bottles. The agreement with Danone marks the second major partnership for Avantium’s YXY technology to produce PEF bottles.

“The agreement with Danone Research is a fantastic step forward on our path to commercialize PEF bottles,” says Avantium’s chief executive Tom van Aken. “Danone Research is at the forefront in contributing to the development of next generation bio-based plastic bottle. Our YXY solution for the packaging industry creates a new bio-sourced material delivering superior functional properties versus conventional PET technology (for example light weighting potential, barrier and thermal properties). We believe that the process economics and carbon footprint of PEF make it a suitable PET alternative. A recent study done by the Copernic Institute, showed that PEF has a 50-60% lower carbon footprint than oil-based PET. Finalizing the LCA study is part of the Joint Development Agreement. Avantium is currently validating the use of existing supply and recycling chains, enabling a full transition to bio-based PEF bottles in three to five years from now.”

Based on the YXY technology, the Avantium and Danone Research joint objective is to contribute to the emergence of a new renewable material generation which will not be in direct competition with food. YXY is used as a fast and efficient chemical-catalytic technology to convert carbohydrates produced from plants, grains, energy crops, lignocellulosic matter, waste streams, waste paper or agricultural residues, into a wide variety of bio-based polymers. Based on ongoing R&D programs, Avantium will also continue to develop PEF from renewable feedstock not competing with food.

Avantium has recently opened its pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, with the capacity of producing 40 tons of PEF for application development. The collaborations with Danone and The Coca-Cola Company are key to secure a smooth transition into the mass production phase of PEF bottles. Avantium is in active discussion with other leading brand owners to develop PEF bottles, fibers and film. In the longer term Avantium will license its YXY technology to enable large scale, world-wide production and use of its bio-sourced plastic materials.

Kraft Foods and SodaStream International have formed a strategic partnership for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of Kraft Foods branded flavours for use with the SodaStream soda making system. This will be the first time that Kraft Foods flavours will be available specifically for use in a carbonated beverage.

SodaStream manufactures beverage carbonation systems, which enable consumers to easily transform ordinary tap water instantly into carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. SodaStream products are available at more than 50,000 retail stores in 42 countries around the world.

The initial Kraft Foods brands to participate will be several varieties of Crystal Light, a leading women’s diet beverage, and Country Time, a lemonade brand. One of the new carbonated choices will include an ‘All-Natural’ lemonade. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The carbonated market is an exciting segment for us,” says Doug Weekes, vice president, beverages of Kraft Foods. “We’re delighted to be working with SodaStream to help bring these terrific brands to consumers who prefer their beverages carbonated. It’s a perfect marriage of our iconic brands and SodaStream’s breakthrough technology.”

“We are excited to welcome these delicious Kraft drink mixes into our SodaStream portfolio,” says Daniel Birnbaum, chief executive of SodaStream. “Adding our sparkle to these popular flavors should attract a new audience to both Kraft and SodaStream, and increase awareness of the soda making category.” The companies plan to have the products available during the second quarter of 2012.

The Coca-Cola Company has entered a multi-million dollar partnership with three leading biotechnology companies to accelerate development of the first commercial solutions for next-generation PlantBottle packaging made 100% from plant-based materials. This effort to commercialise a plastic bottle made entirely from plants builds on the soft drinks company’s ground-breaking introduction and roll-out of its first generation PlantBottle package which was the first ever recyclable PET beverage bottle made partially from plants. Since introduced in 2009, The Coca-Cola Company has already distributed more than 10 billion PlantBottle packages in 20 countries worldwide.

Agreements with Virent, Gevo and Avantium – industry leaders in developing plant-based alternatives to materials traditionally made from fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources – have been signed following an in-depth two year analysis of different technologies by The Coca-Cola Company’s R&D team and technical advisory board.

“While the technology to make bio-based materials in a lab has been available for years, we believe Virent, Gevo and Avantium are companies that possess technologies that have high potential for creating them on a global commercial scale within the next few years,” explains Rick Frazier, vice president, commercial product supply, The Coca-Cola Company. “This is a significant R&D investment in packaging innovation and is the next step toward our vision of creating all of our plastic packaging from responsibly sourced plant-based materials.”

The Coca-Cola Company’s first generation PlantBottle packaging is the only fully recyclable PET bottle made with up to 30% plant-based material available today. PlantBottle packaging is made up of two components: MEG (mono-ethylene glycol), which makes up 30% of the PET, and is already made from plant materials, and PTA (purified terephthalic acid), which makes up the other 70%. In this next step, PTA will be replaced with plant-based materials, too.

It is estimated the use of PlantBottle packaging in the first two years alone has helped save the equivalent annual emissions of more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Coca-Cola will continue to make investments in PlantBottle technology and aims to use PlantBottle packaging for the company’s entire virgin PET supply by 2020.

Earlier in 2011, The Coca-Cola Company announced an industry-first partnership with HJ Heinz that allows Heinz to produce its ketchup bottles using PlantBottle technology.

Separately, Coca-Cola already produces a fully recyclable HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic that is made 100% from plant material and is available through Odwalla juice brand products. While HDPE is an ideal package for some refrigerated juice products, it is not suitable for shelf-stable carbonated and still beverages.

Heineken and Facebook have announced a global partnership, which will see the two companies collaborate on digital campaigns for Heineken’s brands around the world. The new partnership further strengthens Heineken’s position in the digital space. The Heineken Facebook fan page is already the largest for any beer brand with over 4.6 million adult users. Two of the brewing group’s other leading brands, Kingfisher and Dos Equis, are also in the top seven beer brands with the greatest number of Facebook fans.

Facebook will provide Heineken with a global marketing platform that reaches millions of people as well as access to Facebook’s deep expertise in building long-term relationships between brands and their audiences. The collaboration also provides Heineken with access to Facebook’s latest products.

Alexis Nasard, chief commercial officer at Heineken, comments: “As our adult consumers are increasingly spending more time on digital space and social media, it is important that our brands are active in this environment. Our partnership with Facebook is another significant development in our communication strategy as we continue to look for innovative ways for our brands to ignite the digital conversation and connect with our consumers.”

Heineken’s Facebook fan page has enabled the company to deepen its engagement with over 4.6 million adult users. Facebook provides a unique platform to share the brand’s creative award winning campaigns ‘The Entrance’ and ‘The Date’, and engage through its global sports sponsorship platforms – UEFA Champions League and the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

DMK (which is being created by the merger of Nordmilch and Humana) and Arla Foods will establish a 50/50 joint venture to process whey for the global food manufacturing industry. The name of the new joint venture will be ArNoCo, and the two partners will invest a total of Eur44m in whey processing capacity. Eur35m will be used to build a whey processing plant at DMK’s cheese plant at Nordhackstedt in Northern Germany, and Eur9m will be spent at Arla Foods’ Danmark Protein plant in Denmark.

The joint venture will buy whey from DMK, estimated at more than 700,000 tonnes annually, and convert it into whey protein concentrate and lactose at the new plant. The Whey Protein Concentrate will then be dried at Arla Foods’ plant Danmark Protein. DMK will supply all related services on behalf of ArNoCo. Arla Foods Ingredients will market, sell and distribute the products to the global food manufacturing industry.

Peder Tuborgh, chief executive of Arla Foods.

The building of the new plant is expected to start in October 2011. The plant is scheduled to be in operation by the end of 2012 creating approx. 24 jobs.

Dr Josef Schwaiger, future chief executive of DMK, explains the rationale behind the move: “Expanding the ingredients business is one of DMK’s strategic growth areas. Its alliance with Arla in ArNoCo is therefore an important step towards higher value added and will strengthen the Nordhackstedt location’s position for the long term.”

Peder Tuborgh, chief executive of Arla Foods remarks: “We have identified the whey business as an important part of Arla Foods’ 2015 strategy and we are set to double the turnover of our whey business. This is an important step forward in achieving that goal.”

Arla Foods is a leader in the global market for whey protein and has other whey partnerships in Argentina, Germany, France, Norway and Sweden. The new joint venture is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities.

Preactor International, the world’s leading specialist planning and scheduling software company, has announced an extension to all Sage’s subsidiaries and resellers over all continents of its already successful partnership with Sage, one of the world’s leading ERP service providers. This reinforces the existing relationship and extends the seamless complementary partnership of Preactor and Sage ERP X3 in order to better serve their client needs on a global scale.

Sage ERP X3 is a full-service enterprise management software system for mid-market businesses aimed at meeting the most elaborate business processes, while remaining cost-effective, quick to implement and simple to use. As part of this strategy, Sage ERP X3 selected Preactor APS to be scheduling solution of choice for its French market back in 2008 and has already achieved over 20 reference sites in France alone.

“Sage has long recognised the value that Preactor’s planning and scheduling solutions bring to manufacturers across the world which is why we have developed a number of OEM agreements with Preactor and have over 250 global customers already. By extending the Sage ERP X3/Preactor partnership to cover a much greater number of countries, companies looking for a truly international solution can now have access to the strong combination of Sage and Preactor,” comments Emmanuel Obadia, senior vice president for Sage ERP X3.

Valerie Goulevitch, head of marketing and communication for Preactor, is equally positive about the partnership. “Preactor and Sage both have a proven track record in developing solutions that meet manufacturers’ genuine business needs. This is possible because of the deep experience of each company at every level across all manufacturing sectors. The partnership in France has been very strong and this is a natural extension of this success.” She continues: “Preactor is available wherever Sage ERP X3 is deployed across the world and Sage ERP X3 customers everywhere can now make use of our global team of 1000+ accredited implementation experts to get the very best from their investment in Sage ERP X3 and Preactor.”

Germany-based Eckes-Granini Group, one of the leading branded fruit juice producers in Europe, and KMV (Karlovarske Mineralni Vody), the leading bottled water supplier in the Czech market, have formed a strategic partnership. KMV has become the exclusive marketer of Eckes-Granini Group’s granini and YO brands in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

“This strategic partnership is yet another step forward in keeping with our international expansion policy,” points out Thomas Hinderer, president and chief executive of the Eckes-Granini Group. “The Czech Republic and Slovakia are attractive European markets which offer additional potential for the granini and YO brands, both of which are already familiar to consumers in the region.”

Equal emphasis will be placed on expanding distribution in the retail trade and establishing a firm foothold in the out-of-home sector. The granini portfolio for the retail trade in the Czech Republic and Slovakia encompasses a variety of juices and nectars in 1.0-litre PET bottles, while the 0.2-litre returnable bottle is offered in the out-of-home sector. YO premium syrups are available in retail stores in 0.7-litre PET bottles with an anti-spill cap. Both conventional advertising campaigns and extensive below-the-line activities are planned in support of brand development.