For those growers and packers looking to move away from plastic for their fresh produce packaging portfolio, there can be challenges, particularly where more sensitive products like berries are concerned.
Plastic’s inherent barrier properties make it ideal for packaging almost any fresh produce application. However, shifting consumer perceptions, brand and retailer sustainability goals, and tightening legislation mean alternatives are being sought by forward-thinking producers.
Greenhouse gas emissions related to produce itself are generally much greater than that of packaging[1], so the goal of plastic substitution must not come at the cost of increasing food waste. Even when sold in bulk, produce will require some kind of packaging for the consumer to bring it home, often in the form of lightweight single use plastic bags that are not always compatible with recycling infrastructure or have limited infrastructure in case of compostable alternatives. As such, innovative fibre-based solutions can be an ideal option for a future produce sector aligned with the circular economy as they can reduce both plastic and food waste.
Fibre-based packaging offers the perfect solution for many fresh produce applications, as it’s readily recyclable, offers good levels of protection, and can differentiate on the retail shelf via innovative structural design and high-impact graphics. Full paperboard solutions such as baskets, clamshells, and open trays are ideal for applications such as avocados, citrus fruit, apples, etc, with effective water-based, moisture-resistant coatings readily available. Other packaging formats such as fibre-based punnet trays are ideal as replacements for plastic punnets for applications such as cherry tomatoes, grapes, and berries, but for the latter, achieving effective protection from a barrier perspective without the use of plastic in the coatings has been challenging for many.
However, innovation is moving at pace. As an example, Graphic Packaging has introduced a new varnish for our ProducePack™ Punnet tray, a product that was developed in partnership with growers, packers, and machinery suppliers to offer a highly effective alternative to traditional plastic punnets. When combined with the tray’s innovative, robust structural design, the new varnish ensures excellent pack integrity and performance even in the most demanding, moisture-rich packaging or storage environments and/or with sensitive applications such as berries.
In terms of plastic content, the composition of the varnish is such that when applied on the outside of the tray it can be classed as plastic-free according to the Single-Use Plastics Directive. On the inside of the tray, the tray is classed as being free from a conventional thermoplastic barrier.
With the help of a packaging partner like Graphic Packaging, switching to fibre-based solutions for fresh produce can be about more than just solving problems – it can be about unlocking new opportunities and efficiencies that benefit your business and the consumers you serve.
Additional information about Graphic Packaging, its business and its products is available at www.graphicpkg.com.
[1] https://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/report-investigates-greenhouse-gas-emissions-packaging-and-food-waste