Following decades of companies struggling to find food packaging that is truly environmentally friendly and degradable, two former PepsiCo R&D senior executives have invented and received a patent for “Green Steel” -- a paradigm-shifting solution designed to significantly reduce plastic waste in the environment.
The innovation developed by Rocco Papalia, Green Steel’s Chief Executive Officer, and Tony Knoerzer, Green Steel’s Chief Research Officer, lies in a groundbreaking packaging material that replaces traditional aluminum barriers with a unique combination of paper, Polylactic Acid (PLA), and steel foil. While soft packaging barriers have always been critical to preserving the integrity of food, unlike conventional options, Green Steel is designed to degrade completely, addressing the global issue of litter and microplastics. The great challenge in sustainable food packaging is finding a green material that protects the packaged food but also degrades safely in the environment. The pair’s ‘aha’ moment was realizing that minerals are also part of the natural environment, not just ‘bio’ materials. Steel foil provides excellent product protection and degrades into harmless rust.
Green Steel packaging leverages degradable paper and PLA, while the replacement of aluminum with steel-based film barriers ensures full degradation. This breakthrough not only protects food freshness but also provides superior barriers to oxygen and moisture—all without relying on petroleum-based "forever" plastics.
“Our mission is to eliminate branded litter and plastics from our environment and our package is a superior alternative for any dry food application where the product needs protection from moisture and/or oxygen,” said Papalia. “This innovation demonstrates that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand. Paper, steel, and the package fabrication process are all global commodities that are available at scale right now. This package can be implemented commercially anywhere, at any scale in weeks… not years.”
Cost-effectiveness is another key advantage of this solution. At just pennies more per package compared to conventional materials, it is 10 times more economical than other PLA-based food packaging concepts. By directly addressing the issue of branded litter and plastic waste, this innovation has the potential to make a significant environmental impact while maintaining the affordability needed for widespread adoption.
“This isn’t just about sustainability; it’s about creating practical, scalable solutions that industries can implement today,” added Knoerzer. “Everyone we have shared this with has been astonished at the simple, elegant solution to a long-standing problem. Any food company that sells products in bags or pouches can make immediate use of this package. Quick-serve restaurants can also use it to wrap prepared foods like sandwiches and burgers. This would also be perfect for US Armed Forces' Meals Ready to Eat for use all over the globe. It can also be used for meals that benefit from induction heating.”
About Green Steel
Green Steel is dedicated to creating practical, environmentally sustainable packaging solutions for industry and government. Green Steel’s innovation represents a major step forward in sustainable packaging, offering an effective and economically viable solution for food companies looking to reduce their environmental footprint. Its founders, Rocco Papalia and Tony Knoerzer are former senior executives from PepsiCo’s R&D team with decades of experience in food science and packaging innovation. Their collective 40 years of experience in leading PepsiCo R&D functions prepared Rocco and Tony to deeply understand the environmental, operational, and economic requirements for a truly practical, sustainable flexible package. Their pioneering work has earned them numerous accolades in the industry, and they remain committed to developing solutions that address critical environmental challenges.