Kickstart: Capri Sun keeps its pouch

No, Capri Sun pouches aren't going away.

For a few days in late August, social media began buzzing about a claim that Capri Sun, the juice sold in flexible packaging, was going to eliminate pouches in favor of single-use plastic bottles. It would have been a major shift for a childhood favorite.

But, as always, don't trust everything you read on the internet.

The sole source appeared to an account on X, formerly known as Twitter, by a user named Snackolator, which appears to simply repost photos of snack foods with some commentary. In this case, it referred to the upcoming NACS snack food show and claimed the photo was a sneak preview of Capri Sun's intention to eliminate pouches.

There was no link to any announcement and nothing from KraftHeinz, the global conglomerate that sells Capri Sun in the U.S. via a licensing agreement with creator Capri Sun Group of Zug, Switzerland. Regardless, social media users shared the post and digital media company Barstool Sports amplified the claims on social media.

Finally, over the Labor Day weekend, Capri Sun put out its own social media post saying there were no big changes in store. "We'd never disrespect the pouch," the company said on Instagram. "They're here to stay." It even put out an additional post just to tag Barstool Sports.

That's not to say that you can't drink Capri Sun from a bottle. Earlier this year, KraftHeinz introduced a 96-ounce bottle of Fruit Punch-flavor Capri Sun for sharing. It said the bottle was the brand's "first innovation in nearly a decade."

Typically, plastics are a big part of assistive technology for competitors at the Paralympics. For goalball, plastics are used for completely the opposite reason. The game for players with vision impairment — one of only two sports at the Paralympics without an Olympics counterpart — has team members wearing a special set of goggles that completely block out light and visual cues, so everyone is on the same competitive level.

In an Instagram post from user blindnewworld, U.S. player Tre'Shaun Faison discusses the goggles. (And kudos to the person working behind the scenes who added a caption to the video when Faison discusses the material to note that it was thermoplastic polyurethane.)

On the field, which is about the size of a volleyball court, players line up on either side and try to block the ball from entering a net. They listen to bells inside the ball to tell where it is and where it's going, requiring a silent audience.

The Paralympic goalball gold medal games are today in Paris.

A Washington-based aftermarket auto accessories maker and recycler is converting old tires into new floor mats for your car.

Our sister paper Rubber News has the story on Prism Worldwide LLC, which is using thermoplastic elastomer from 50 percent end-of-life tires to make its Cirx-brand mats. Prism added polymer recycling and compounding capabilities to its tire recycling operations with the 2022 acquisition of CRC Polymer Systems Inc.

The Cirx mats currently are available at Walmart stores and online from Prism.