This reusable, recyclable produce packaging could help make the food sector sustainable.
Smart Packaging Solutions has successfully helped another company transition to eco-friendly packaging. International produce trading company Frankort & Koning was looking for a strong and sustainable way to package its leeks, and Smart Packaging Solutions had just the thing: solid board stackable trays.
"We were already using Smart Packaging Solutions for our cucumber packaging," Michel Wulms, packaging and containers manager at Frankort & Koning, told FreshPlaza. "Now we've added a new type of packaging: solid board stackable machine-erected trays for packaging leeks."
Solid board is similar to cardboard. It's durable, lightweight, recyclable, and food-safe, making it perfect for packaging produce.
According to Business Waste, 140 million tons (280 billion pounds) of plastic packaging are produced each year. Many industries, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and electronics, use plastic packaging. But the food sector — restaurants, grocery stores, and farms — is the "largest user of single-use packaging, consuming up to 35% of global packaging production," per a study published in Ecological Economics.
A majority of this single-use packaging is plastic and not recyclable. These tossed plastics end up in landfills, where they sit for hundreds or thousands of years. Unlike cardboard, plastic never completely decomposes. Instead, it breaks down into tiny, harmful particles called microplastics that are difficult to remove from the environment.
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Transitioning away from single-use packaging — or at least away from nonrecyclable single-use packaging — could drastically reduce the impact of plastic on our planet.
To avoid planet-polluting plastic, invest in a stainless steel water bottle, opt for reusable food containers, and repurpose containers and packaging.
Wulms was happy to bring a sustainable solution to Frankort & Koning. "Together, we developed sturdy solid board trays designed to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. Our growers deliver top-quality leeks. The packaging has to convey that," he told FreshPlaza.
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