Jokey Serbia will in future be manufacturing recycled packaging for KANSAI HELIOS

KANSAI HELIOS, one of the ten largest industrial manufacturers of paints and varnishes in Europe, will in future be using Jokey’s recycled packaging for some of its products at its Serbian site Helios Srbija. In the initial phase, these will initially be used for the interior wall paints from the Primera and Linea product lines of the Zorka Color brand. The Slovenian paint specialist is thus making a clear statement in favour 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 KANSAI HELIOS explored the possibilities of a sustainable packaging solution for the Serbian market through intensive exchange. The teams were supported by Jokey Germany, where a great deal of expertise and experience in the use of recycled materials has already been passed on in customer meetings and events as part of the “Grey is the new Green” initiative, which has been running since 2018. The common goal is to further advance the European circular economy.

Production of Jokey JETO 185 with PCR content started in March

For the selected KANSAI HELIOS product lines, Jokey will in future also produce the JETO 185 in Serbia for the first time using post-consumer recyclates (PCR). These come from household and commercial collections, and account for 35 per cent of the total. The buckets are made from a further 65 per cent of Jokey’s own regrind. For the latter, Jokey production waste is recycled. Only the bucket lid is made from new plastic. In order to achieve optimal product properties, the experts from the Research & Development and Quality Management departments have repeatedly put the JETO 185 with PCR content to the test in their laboratories at the German and Serbian sites. The tests included, among other things, handle stability, colouring, compression pressure and tightness. The appearance of the two product lines remains unchanged: thanks to the in-mould labelling process, the previous coloured design covers the entire bucket. Only at the upper edge under the lid is there a narrow grey stripe that indicates the recyclate content, because recyclate buckets have a grey base colour due to the production process. Thanks to the use of monomaterials, the JETO 185 with PCR content is technically 100% recyclable, just like all Jokey packaging.

Bottlers and manufacturers must meet growing sustainability demands

“We are continuously working to improve our environmental performance and build a carbon-neutral future,” says Jadranka Orlović, project manager at KANSAI HELIOS. 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 and we have developed a recyclate bin that is optimised for our products and will help to significantly reduce the ecological footprint along the entire value chain.” If the recycled packaging for the two product lines is well received at the point of sale, it will be extended to the rest of the range, according to the project manager.

Recycled packaging conserves resources and promotes the circular economy

Miljan Djordjevic, managing director at Jokey Serbia, is also highly satisfied with the development of the project, which started in September 2022. “We are pleased that for the first time in Serbia, a customer is now also consciously deciding in favour of recyclate packaging, taking up our sustainability approach, which we are constantly expanding and updating in Jokey Eco Concept 3.0. This will enable us to promote the use of recyclates in packaging solutions for the non-food industry in the European market as well. After all, a functioning circular economy will not be possible without this.”