Sustainable Packaging Films for Fresh Produce
Packaging plays a vital role in today’s fast-paced business landscape, ensuring product protection, preservation, and presentation. As the packaging industry continues to grow and adapt to changing market demands, it’s crucial for companies to stay ahead and offer exceptional packaging solutions. To provide insights into this dynamic landscape, we have developed Packaging Talks – a series of conversational panels with Crawford’s packaging experts. Whether you’re a business owner, a packaging professional, or simply curious, our panels aim to offer valuable information and inspiration.
This month, we chat with Brandon Taggart, Crawford’s Packaging Specialist and Project Manager, about sustainable packaging films for fresh produce.
What are sustainable packaging films?
Sustainable packaging films are eco-friendly materials designed to protect and preserve fresh produce while minimizing environmental impact. We offer a variety of sustainable packaging films including biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, PVC-free, and even anti-fogging films, reducing plastic waste and carbon footprint. These films help extend the shelf life of fresh produce, maintain its quality, and reduce food waste, all while addressing environmental concerns associated with traditional plastic packaging. Modified Atmosphere Packaging, or MAP, is an innovative, functional packaging technology that involves altering the atmosphere inside the packaging by reducing the amount of oxygen and increasing levels of other gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen. This modified environment slows down the respiration rate of fresh produce, inhibiting the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms that can cause spoilage.
Can you explain the importance of sustainable films for both retailer and consumer?
Of course! One of the biggest consumer trends within the market currently is the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions. Nowadays, consumers are really looking for eco-friendly options like recyclable or compostable packaging materials. It is all about reducing waste and being kinder to the environment while providing longer shelf life. These sustainable packaging films for produce are important because they are one of the primary ways to help extend the shelf life of fresh produce, maintain its quality, and reduce food waste, all while addressing environmental concerns associated with traditional plastic packaging. Sustainable packaging films play a crucial role for both retailers and consumers by addressing environmental concerns while maintaining product quality, allowing for regular compliance, and brand recognition. For retailers, adopting sustainable packaging films enhances their brand image by being environmentally aware. This can attract eco-conscious consumers and foster loyalty among existing customers. In addition, the increasingly stringent regulations on plastic usage and waste management mean that adopting sustainable packaging helps retailers stay compliant and avoid potential fines or penalties. For consumers, sustainable packaging films are important for convenience since some sustainable packaging films are designed to make it easier to dispose of them responsibly and reduce the burden on landfills.
Amazing! Can you elaborate on the material options for sustainable packaging films for fresh produce?
Certainly! Sustainable packaging films for fresh produce are crafted from a variety of eco-friendly materials, each with unique properties and benefits. The choice of material depends on factors like the type of produce being packaged, desired shelf life, and environmental and sustainability goals. At Crawford Packaging, we provide fully compostable options including bulk packaging liners, a nylon-based film with modified atmosphere technologies, as well as paper-based films either created from fully recyclable materials or can be home compostable. In addition to fully home compostable options, we carry a broad range of polyolefin and polyethylene films and pouch bags, with the option of anti-fogging properties or perforation, depending on the environment, that are guaranteed to reduce your plastic consumption. Polyethylene cling film specifically is becoming an increasingly popular packaging solution due to the discontinuation of PVC in grocery store retailers. Another common sustainable film used for fresh produce packaging is BOPP film, otherwise known as Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene film. This film has comparable properties to conventional polyethylene, with the additional options of macro, micro, or laser perforation, monolayer, laminated, printable, anti-fogging properties, as well as peelable and resealable, making it suitable for various packaging applications. By selecting the appropriate sustainable packaging film, companies can reduce their environmental impact while ensuring their products remain fresh and appealing to consumers at every step of the process.