Dive Brief:
- Packaging innovations offer manufacturers options to improve sustainability and lessen products' and operations' environmental impact. One example is Cascades' EVOK, a fresh meat polystyrene foam tray that contains 25% recycled material, which Johnsonville Sausage began transitioning its products to this month.
- Another sustainability initiative implemented by Johnsonville is a recycle-and-reuse program with the company's zipper spool vendor, in which Johnsonville can "return the high-impact polystyrene 'spool' that holds the zipper lock material that Johnsonville uses in its smoked-cooked sausage products," the company said in a news release.
- Johnsonville also switched from a full rectangular-shaped polystyrene tray to a tray that bends along one side in the shape of the sausages, which cut down on packaging for the product by 6% per tray.
Dive Insight:
When it comes to packaging sustainability, manufacturers can work with suppliers to utilize existing sustainable materials in new versions of packaging or partner up R&D programs to discover new materials specifically suited for the manufacturer's portfolio.
Aside from materials, packaging shape and design can also make a difference in reducing waste. Shapes that better contour to a product, such as Johnsonville's, or otherwise make best use of space and reduce unnecessary packaging can alleviate packaging waste.
These developments will be important for single-serve product manufacturers. The single-serve format is already prone to waste due to easy disposal and often non-recyclable and non-biodegradable materials.
Beverage companies have made progress. Last July, Nestlé Waters North America's Resource Natural Spring Water brand debuted a new bottle made from 100% recycled material, and in August, Tetra Pak partnered with Just Water to bring to make a spring water in a renewable paper-based bottle.
Biobased packaging has become increasingly popular. Last June, Coca-Cola debuted a PET plastic bottle created solely from plant-based materials, and not long after, the USDA created a loan guarantee program for makers of plant-based products. Dupont and ADM also created biobased packaging made with polymers derived from glucose, which debuted earlier this year.