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Using fewer materials in packaging for fresh produce costs less in dollars as well as environmental impact, marketers say.
“There’s a lot of work being done on materials, especially alternatives to plastic,” said Brianna Shales, senior marketing manager with Wenatchee, Wash.-based tree fruit grower-shipper Stemilt Growers LLC.
“Paper, cardboard, biodegradable, etc., are all being studied and even launched in some categories.”
There also is an opportunity to improve existing packaging while using fewer materials, Shales said.
“Changing the packaging footprint even slightly can result in great material and cost savings, which is a great measure of sustainability,” she said.
Sustainability is intuitive to Canby, Ore.-based bag manufacturer Package Containers, said Dave DeMots, CEO.
“Everything we do is done through a sustainability lens,” he said. “We are always looking for ways to minimize our environmental footprint.”
That means improving processes to reduce production waste, he said.
“And what waste we do have goes to a local paper manufacturer, who uses it as post-industrial waste pulp for their paper,” he said.
Package Containers also works to cut its water usage, DeMots said.
“We also recycle the water used in our manufacturing process, and of course we are working to improve our supply chain to minimize transportation costs and impacts,” he said.
Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific works with customers to audit their packaging and looks for “maximum performance with minimal environmental impact,” said Michael Hayford, area general manager of GP Corrugated.
“One way we achieve that is by introducing more recycled material into the packaging,” he said.
“Using a combination of virgin and recycled fiber in paper and paperboard products provides the qualities and performance customers and consumers want.”
Another approach that GP takes to improve environmental performance is called engineered packaging (EP), Hayford said.
“EP is a family of structural design techniques in corrugated packaging that make boxes stronger and/or perform better for a specific purpose,” he said.
In many cases, GP’s EP effort also improves the environmental performance of the packaging by reducing the amount of fiber used to manufacture it, Hayford noted.
“For example, GP introduced a peach box in 2018 that is made with 15% less fiber than a standard peach box while keeping the same total strength,” he said.
“The EP team also improved its function, adding a locking tab that prevents opening during transport and adds stability to stacked boxes.”
Hayford noted that corrugated has the best recycling rate of any packaging material currently used — about 90%.
Atlanta-based manufacturer WestRock focuses on “optimizing package size” to ensure it has the “right-sized package” for individual products, said Nicole Lipson, segment marketing manager.
“In addition, our testing group can determine whether a customer has the right weight paper combination for its containers, ensuring the box is sturdy enough to make it through the supply chain without damaging the product.”
McAllen, Texas-based Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions work with customers along similar lines, said Victoria Lopez, marketing representative.
“Organizations can contribute to sustainability through various avenues through their packaging programs — shifting to more recyclable-ready material, down-gauging materials, designing specific to commodity size, transitioning to a pouch bag
program, which is lightweight reducing carbon emission during transit; or even by leveraging their packaging label to communicate proper recycling practices,” Lopez said.
As a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Fox has aligned itself and its packaging recommendations to recycle-friendly materials, Lopez noted.
“Ultimately, our goal is to protect fresh produce while maintaining its shelf-life with recycle-friendly packaging, which can ultimately be given a second chance at life through post-consumer recycled materials,” she said.
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