Graphic Packaging International has confirmed the launch of its ProducePack™ Punnet, an innovative paperboard alternative to plastic punnet trays for fresh fruit and vegetables. This new product, available for all commonly used punnet sizes, is fully recyclable and reduces plastic by up to 100%, depending on application.
As a result of the pandemic, consumers now place significantly more value on food safety and hygiene and see sustainability as increasingly important as we emerge from the crisis, according to a recent McKinsey survey. ProducePack Punnet offers growers and retailers the opportunity to cater to increased consumer demand for hygiene while also prioritising sustainability.
Designed with optimum operational efficiency in mind, ProducePack Punnet can be top-sealed at speeds equivalent to traditional plastic punnets. The sustainable solution works with existing machinery and tooling for plastic trays, meaning that minimal investment is required for packers looking to make the switch to paperboard. For brands and retailers, the pack has been proven to offer equivalent shelf life to plastic for certain produce items while reducing the potential for food waste. A range of board and barrier options is available, which have all been selected to ensure the package remains robust in cold storage and throughout the supply chain. ProducePack Punnet can be supplied formed or flat, the latter offering CO2 reductions in transit due to higher punnet tray volume per truckload.
Elodie Bugnicourt, Sustainability Manager, Graphic Packaging International, said, “ProducePack Punnet delivers a 90% reduction in plastic when compared to polypropylene or polyester trays and a 100% reduction if a barrier coating is not necessary for the application. It is expected to provide carbon footprint reduction versus standard fossil plastic trays and a much greater circularity with an average paperboard recycling rate of more than double that of plastics, on average, in most countries. The interest we received in ProducePack was extraordinary following its launch earlier this year. ProducePack Punnet now extends the range to new applications such as berries, enabling our customers to reap the environmental benefits of paperboard packaging in a wider variety of fresh produce applications.”
