KANSAI HELIOS, one of the top ten industrial manufacturers of paints and coatings in Europe, will begin to use recyclate packaging from Jokey for some of its products at its Serbian site, Helios Srbija. In the initial phase, it will initially be used for the interior wall paints from the product lines Primera and Linea of the brand Zorka Color. The European paint specialist is thereby making a strong statement in support of a resource-efficient circular economy – as the first Jokey customer in Serbia.
The cooperation is the result of a six-month project in which teams from Jokey Serbia and Helios Srbija, Member of KANSAI HELIOS, explored the possibilities of a sustainable packaging solution for the Serbian market through an intensive series of exchanges. The teams were supported by Jokey Germany, where a great deal of expertise and experience on the use of recyclate materials has already been shared in the course of customer meetings and events as part of the “Gray is the New Green” initiative that has been running since 2018. The common goal is to further advance the European circular economy.
Production of the Jokey JETO 185 made partially with PCRs started in March
Jokey will also manufacture the JETO 185 in Serbia for the first time with post-consumer recyclates (PCRs) for the selected product lines of Helios Srbija. These originate from household and commercial waste collections, their contribution amounting to 35 percent of the materials used. The buckets consist of another 65 percent of in-house regrind. Jokey production waste is recycled for the latter. Only the bucket lid is made of new plastic. To achieve optimum product properties, the experts in the Research & Development and Quality Management departments put the JETO 185 with PCR content to the test several times in their laboratories at the German and Serbian sites.
Tests were conducted on aspects such as handle stability, coloration, compression pressure, and impermeability. The appearance of the two product lines remains the same: the bucket: The previous colored design covers the entire bucket thanks to the in-mold labeling process. There is only a narrow gray color stripe running along the upper rim under the lid, which indicates the recyclate content, because recyclate buckets have a gray base color due to the production process. As with all Jokey packaging, the JETO 185 with PCR content is also technically up to 100% recyclable thanks to the use of mono-material.
Fillers and manufacturers must meet growing demands for sustainability
“We are continuously working to improve our environmental footprint and build a carbon neutral future,” says Jadranka Orlović, Marketing Director at Helios Srbija. The step towards sustainable packaging solutions is one of many measures the company is pursuing as part of its ESG strategy. “With the JETO 185, Jokey Serbia has worked with us to develop a recyclate bucket that has been optimized for our products and that once again helps to significantly reduce our environmental footprint along the entire value chain.” During the time, it will be extended to the rest of the range.
Recyclate packaging conserves resources and promotes the circular economy
Miljan Djordjevic, Chief Executive Officer at Jokey Serbia, is also highly satisfied with the development of the project, which was launched in September 2022. “We are excited that now, for the first time, a customer in Serbia is also embracing our sustainability approach with the conscious decision to use recyclate packaging, which is something we are constantly expanding and updating in Jokey Eco Concept 3.0. This will also enable us to push the use of recyclates in the European market for packaging solutions for the non-food sector. Because without doing so, a functioning Circular Economy will not be feasible.”