Navigating regulations and market trends

PPG has eight manufacturing facilities and four R&D centres in Asia, including China, Thailand, Korea, Australia and India. Image: PPG

PPG offers its perspective of the metal packaging industry in Asia.

 

Asia is a growing region for metal packaging opportunities, PPG discusses some of the major trends and opportunities in the region and how they compare to what is happening across the globe.

Growing presence in Asia

Over the last several decades, PPG has prioritised investing in China and the greater Asia Pacific region. We have eight manufacturing facilities and four R&D centres in Asia, including China, Thailand, Korea, Australia and India. These local assets allow us to better meet customer needs, quickly respond to market trends and provide efficient manufacturing to support customers.

Specifically in China, while the percentage of food and beverage consumed from cans is still quite low when compared to the US or Europe, the high use of plastic has the government looking to metal packaging as a more recyclable and sustainable alternative.

When it comes to regulations, China is less restrictive than the US and Europe on materials of concern such as bisphenols, including BPA. Most of the coatings sold in China today are conventional, BPA-based products, used in cans consumed primarily in country. Local can makers and brands are looking for partners that can offer a steady supply of innovative products that enable efficient performance and local production.

There is, however, a growing export business which serves the rest of the world, especially for easy open ends and coated coil for easy open ends. These products require coatings compliant with regulations in different continents. PPG has coatings for metal packaging that are qualified by global brand owners and are proven on a wide variety of can making lines.

As our presence in Asia grows, so does our portfolio. Our existing coatings for metal packaging is designed to help customers become more efficient while maintaining high performance. We are continually developing new coatings that aim to further add value through efficiency and utilisation optimisation.

Global shift toward safer coatings

Last April, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a report recommending a significant reduction in the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of BPA, and since then we’ve seen a lot of regulatory activity take place in Europe and other regions. On 12 June, the Plant Animal Food and Feed (PAFF) standing committee, comprised of national experts representing the European Union (EU) governments and public authorities, reviewed and approved the European Commission’s draft regulation restricting BPA and other bisphenols used in food and beverage metal packaging.

With the PAFF approval, the draft legislation will now go to the EU Parliament and EU Council for ratification, which is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of this year. If ratified, we expect to see an 18-month transition period or Q2 2026, for internal coatings, and 36 months or Q4 2027, for external coatings to completely eliminate BPA in all materials, including imported goods. France banned BPA in 2015, so this step to ban BPA and some other bisphenols across the EU is just one more step in the overall progression to address materials of concern in food and beverage packaging.

For more than a decade, PPG has been a leader in the transition to non-BPA, non-bisphenol and PFAS-NI can coatings, exemplifying PPG’s company-wide, consumer and safety-focused approach to product development. Our first patents for non-BPA coatings technology were filed in the 1990s.

Since then, PPG has continually expanded its portfolio of products that do not contain bisphenols as intentionally added ingredients to meet evolving regional and global regulations – ideal for customers seeking to eliminate bisphenols and PFAS. All PPG brands, including Innovel, Nutrishield, Hoba, TrueTwist and iSense, have been qualified by major brands globally and now are available in Asia.

With a team of regulatory experts closely monitoring global regulations, PPG has been able to stay one step ahead of issues including materials of concern. At the same time, the company is continually optimising these products to meet and exceed the performance requirements for can makers and brand owners.

BPA and other sustainable initiatives

Taking a closer look at trends happening in region, while China is currently less restrictive, they are considering the future use of BPA and other bisphenols more and more.

Most recently, China drafted its own BPA regulations to restrict migration limits to 50 BPA, which we believe stemmed from the most recent activity in the EU. The global nature of the beverage and food businesses suggests that similar restrictions in other regions of the world will come.

In addition to materials of concern, we also see a heavy focus on sustainability initiatives. PPG has an existing portfolio of sustainably advantaged products, and we’re constantly seeking additional ways for our coatings to reduce the environmental impact for PPG, as well as customers.

In May, PPG released its most recent sustainability report, which showed strong progress against our 2030 environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. Since last year’s report, PPG achieved: a ten per cent reduction in GHG emissions within the company’s own operations (scope 1 and 2); a 12 per cent reduction in value chain (scope 3) emissions across purchased goods and services, customer processing of sold products and end-of-life treatment of sold products; 45 per cent of process waste reused, recycled or recovered; 13 per cent reduction in water intensity in water-stressed areas; 97 per cent of key suppliers assessed against sustainability and social responsibility criteria; and 44 per cent of sales from sustainably advantaged products. Overall, as the focus on sustainability and regulatory compliance continues to evolve, PPG believes it is uniquely positioned to help partners make the transition on their terms and timelines. From the EU legislation of BPA and other bisphenols to the US restrictions on PFAS and changes to China GB 4 standards (BPA migration limits of 50 PPB), never before have we seen so much regulatory activity happening at once. With a broad portfolio of products and expertise, PPG is poised to support customers through these transitions.

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