{"id":6399,"date":"2017-04-28T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=6399"},"modified":"2018-01-09T13:56:37","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T19:56:37","slug":"pe-sustainability-efforts-reshaping-brands-food-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/6399\/pe-sustainability-efforts-reshaping-brands-food-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability efforts reshaping some brands\u2019 food packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brand owners and major retailers are responding to consumer demands and increasingly stepping up to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d environmentally as they publicly commit to sustainable food packaging. These initiatives are designed to reduce packaging waste and encourage a shift to the circular economy.<\/p>\n

The goal of the circular economy \u2013 currently a better-known concept in Europe than in North America \u2013 is to move from our traditional take-make-dispose economy, to one that has a closed loop, where materials, nutrients and data are continuously repurposed. One impact of such a concept is that it encourages greater use of biopolymers and recycled content in all appropriate types of packaging, including in food and beverage packaging.<\/p>\n

This is a plus for firms such as recycler Envision Plastics1<\/sup>, which produces a range of FDA-approved, food-grade, recycled high-density polyethylene resins branded as EcoPrime\u00ae. One case in point is Envision customer Vega. Launched in 2004, Vega describes itself as \u201ca premium brand of convenient, plant-based, real-food alternatives.\u201d The firm now makes its nutritional product bottles from 100 percent post-consumer resin (PCR).<\/p>\n

On its website, British Columbia, Canada-based Vega2<\/sup> claims to have diverted 1,349 tons of plastic from the waste stream.\u00a0(Made into Vega bottles stacked end-to-end, it says that\u2019s a stack 325 times the height of Mount Everest.) And it declares it has saved 1,611 tons of CO2<\/sub>\u00a0\u2013 or 63 percent less CO2<\/sub>\u00a0greenhouse gases than would have been expended in the making of virgin HDPE.<\/p>\n

Danone goes circular <\/strong><\/h3>\n

A much larger brand is pursuing similar environmental gains. The dairy and food giant Danone,3<\/sup> which logged $24.5 billion in sales in 2016, has declared, \u201cOur strategy is to promote a circular economy, using sustainable materials made from sustainable sources and treating waste as a new, valuable resource. Innovation will be key in this journey towards building a healthy packaging cycle.\u201d Danone\u2019s latest sustainable food packaging policy4<\/sup> explains further.<\/p>\n

The French firm \u2013 which just completed a $10 billion cash deal to buy WhiteWave Foods Co.5<\/sup>, the maker of Horizon Organic dairy products and Earthbound Farm salad greens, among other brands \u2013 said it aims to make 100 percent of its packaging fully recyclable, and \u201cto actively contribute to create a second-life for all plastics we use.\u201d As it happens, Vega is now a Danone brand, as WhiteWave Foods acquired Vega in June 2015.<\/p>\n

Envisioning more recycled-content use <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Tamsin
Tamsin Ettefagh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tamsin Ettefagh, vice president of sales for Envision Plastics in Reidsville, N.C., explains that her firm\u2019s EcoPrime is a recycled resin specifically manufactured for direct food contact that\u2019s also sturdy enough to be recycled, again and again. \u201cOur patented cleaning process is designed to eliminate contaminants from recycled food and beverage packaging, making our resin the first of its kind for the packaging of beverages, vitamins, medicines and personal-care products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ettefagh said in mid-April that Envision also has submitted a request for a letter of non-objection (LNO) from the FDA for polypropylene (PP) use in direct food-contact applications. Envision\u2019s leaders are optimistic that the firm will eventually win clearance for use of PCR polypropylene in such uses. Currently, recycled polypropylene can be used only in limited applications, such as in apple and orange crates.<\/p>\n

The goal of Envision \u2013 whose parent company, Consolidated Container Co., has just agreed to be purchased by Loews Corp. for $1.2 billion \u2013 is to add more resin types, such as PP, to its EcoPrime portfolio.<\/p>\n

The efforts to make food and beverage packaging more environmentally responsible are truly global in nature.<\/p>\n

Tesco adopts rPET fresh-food pack <\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"SustainableIn the United Kingdom, grocer Tesco plc is partnering with LINPAC Packaging6<\/sup> to maximize the recyclability of its plastic fresh food packaging. Those two firms \u2013 in conjunction with supplier Hilton Food Group \u2013 have collaborated to bring the lightweight LINPAC Rfresh\u00ae<\/sup> Elite recycled PET (rPET) pack for meat and poultry to Tesco\u2019s shelves.<\/p>\n

The new pack typically contains more than 95 percent food-safe recycled plastics content, most of which is recovered from post-consumer PET water bottles. The Elite pack also features a specially designed sealant between the rigid tray and top film. This \u201cavoids the need for a PE layer and makes the mono-material easier to process by recycling companies,\u201d according to LINPAC. The Elite sealant is said to reduce the amount of material required to produce the pack, further reducing its carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

LINPAC said the process is the same as that used to recycle clear plastic water bottles, meaning the resulting clear rPET resin can re-enter the supply chain to create closed-loop recycling and ultimately, contribute to a circular economy.<\/p>\n

In Australia, a packaging covenant <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Trish
Trish Hyde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Down Under, meanwhile, the Australian Packaging Covenant7<\/sup> also is attacking the problem. The Sydney-based sustainable food packaging initiative notes that Australians currently discard up to 20 percent of the food they purchase. This equates to wasting 4 million metric tons of food each year, at a cost of approximately A$8 billion (US$6 billion).<\/p>\n

Changes in consumer habits are driving an increase in the use of single-serve and pre-prepared food items. While this may, in some cases, increase the amount of packaging required, it also can result in better resource efficiency, according to APC Chief Executive Officer Trish Hyde.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is because packaging has the potential to decrease food waste through a myriad of factors, including portion control, controlled dispensing, increased shelf life and appropriate labeling for inventory management.\u201d<\/p>\n

A good example of this, she noted, is meat. In open form, beef has a very limited shelf life of just three to four days. But modern packaging can extend the shelf life of the product to many weeks. \u201cThis has very real implications when looking at the entire lifecycle of the product,\u201d Hyde said, \u201cas 1 kg of beef takes 10 kg of feed and 100,000 liters of water to produce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walmart helps set the tone <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another game-changer, of course, is Walmart Stores Inc. The mega-retailer, with its massive buying power, has the ability to almost single-handedly rewrite the rules followed by its packaging suppliers. Last October, Walmart released its new \u201cSustainable Packaging Playbook8<\/sup>,\u201d which is meant help advance the company\u2019s stated zero-waste goal.<\/p>\n

The priorities of both Walmart and its Sam\u2019s Club warehouse stores include encouraging suppliers to:<\/p>\n