Players in the food industry including CoverMate and Polenghi are starting to make the switch to sustainable packaging as more consumers base their buying decisions on the eco-friendliness of the products they are purchasing.
As an example, CoverMate has converted to sustainable packaging for its Stretch-to-Fit Food Cover product line. The stand-up pouch is made from recyclable plastic and reduces packaging source materials by 75 percent, according to the company. Consumers can also reuse the pouch for other storage needs before recycling it.
"We've noticed more shoppers have become eco-conscious in their purchasing decisions so we wanted to provide a new package that was earth-friendly and more convenient," said Claus Sadlier, president of CoverMate, in a statement. "We're excited to be the first in the foil and wrap category to offer a product in this type of green packaging."
CoverMate's new pouch uses the same UPC, case-pack and shelf footprint as the existing box for easy transition. The new pouch started rolling out in October 2010.
Polenghi claims Europe’s first extrusion-blow-molded bio-based bottle for its new line of organic lemon juice. The new bottle is manufactured using a new Ingeo blend formulation from NatureWorks.
Polenghi expects to save 1,000 barrels of oil and reduce CO2 emissions by 126 tons compared to an equivalent oil-based plastic squeeze bottle by switching to the bio-based packaging for 10 million bottles of lemon juice.
Polenghi says polyethylene and polypropylene are typically used in the extrusion-blow-molding process to produce the “soft” plastic packaging often used for food and personal care squeeze bottles.
The resin manufacturing process to produce Ingeo bioplastic emits 38 percent less CO2 and consumes 45 percent less energy than the resin manufacturing process for an equivalent weight low-density polyethylene, and emits 31.6 percent less CO2 and consumes 42 percent less energy than polypropylene, according to the company.
According to EL Insights, 27 percent of products at major U.S. retailers are estimated to have sustainable packaging in 2010, and by 2015, this figure is projected to reach 37 percent.