Faerch today shares results from the product launch of circular PET meat trays developed in partnership with Norfersk, a leading Norwegian fresh-meat producer. The trays contain 70% CIRPET+, Faerch’s food-grade recycled PET produced from recycled former food packaging (used food trays), supporting a tray-to-tray material loop for thermoformed food packaging.
Food producers face increasing pressure to reduce packaging emissions without compromising food safety, shelf life or production efficiency. At the same time, conventional recycled PET supply has relied heavily on bottle streams, material that is increasingly prioritised for closed-loop bottle recycling, creating a need for dedicated, food-grade recycled content designed specifically for trays.
Working closely with Norfersk, Faerch’s material and packaging specialists enabled a smooth transition to high-performance circular trays that meet operational demands while advancing circularity. The solution is designed to keep valuable food-grade PET in a continuous cycle: used trays are collected, recycled, and remade into new trays suitable for food contact applications.
“Since the launch, the transition has been very smooth from a production perspective. The trays have performed well on the line, helping to ensure a more stable operation. It’s a win for both production efficiency and the environment.” says Anne Maren Krog Engeloug, Product Developer, Norfersk.
Independent lifecycle assessments indicate that CIRPET+ can deliver significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than trays made from virgin plastic or bottle-derived recycled PET, while keeping food-grade PET within a dedicated circular system for food packaging.
“This launch with Norfersk shows what is possible when a food producer and a packaging partner commit to circularity together. With CIRPET+ we are helping bring food-grade, tray-to-tray recycled content to the meat aisle at scale, without asking producers to compromise on line efficiency or shelf performance.” — Mette Grotrian, Sales Director, Faerch Nordics.
The launch builds on Norfersk’s longer-term collaboration with Faerch on packaging optimisation. In 2020, Norfersk adopted Faerch’s patented Ultra Low Stacking solution, reducing the gap between stacked trays to 1.5 mm and cutting pallet requirements by up to 67%, helping reduce delivery miles, CO₂ emissions, and transit packaging.