Supermarket Perimeter - April 2020 - 14

packaging
The

conundrum

Producers, retailers balance growing demand for
packaging with concern for the environment
BY ANDY NELSON

14 - APRIL 2020

SP_Apr20.indb 14

"The main reasons are improved product
presentation, improved space utilization,
convenience for the customer and packaging
utilization, which can include package downsizing, changing raw materials and design
changes," he said.

Keeping waste in check
As the demand for packaging has gone up,
however, so has concern over the environment, Blish said.
Since all Inline containers are 100% recyclable, Blish said the company is making it easy
for consumers to prevent waste by putting
its packaging back to work and giving it a
new life.
Inline has made it a corporate goal to
balance convenience with sustainability.
That includes an effort to create a circular life
cycle where resources flow from production
to consumer, and then back into production,
allowing them to be reborn and reused over
and over.
Plastic has been very high profile for adding significantly to the waste stream, Fosse
said. Through purpose-driven design and
looking at the entire supply chain, Lindar has
sought to bring effective utilization of packaging materials to minimize waste.
"We see this as a core of our business
and who we are," Fosse said. "We seek out
new materials and processes that improve

package efficiencies throughout the entire
supply chain."
Lindar, Fosse added, is "a spoke of a bigger
wheel" - a wheel he said that has been more
recently referred to as a circular economy.
Lindar's food packaging, for instance, has been
limited to PLA (non-petroleum, compostable)
and PET-only for over 15 years.
Lindar's goal is to have all of its food products, and later all of its consumer products,
made from 100% post-consumer material,
reducing food waste because of damaged
product within the package.

Cutting-edge solutions
Inline was the first PET food packaging
manufacturer in the US to provide products
with post-consumer content born from
cutting-edge technology, recycling at the
molecular level.
By using rDPET, Inline, Blish said, is providing a perfect balance: consumers are able to
have the convenient and safe packaging they
desire with materials that are able to be broken
down through these proprietary processes, and reborn into new products multiple
times over.
In addition, all Inline Plastics products are
also now made with post-consumer recycled
PET, the high performing food-grade packaging material which contains post-consumer
content.

LINDAR CORP.

he demand for packaged food
products is increasing, as consumers demand more convenience, opt
for smaller portions and worry about food
safety - among other reasons.
But there's also a trend in the opposite
direction: increased concern about the environment, which for many means concern over
excess plastic and other packaging materials in
the nation's landfills.
Now more than ever, packaging companies
and their retail partners are innovating to help
ensure that these two opposing forces can find
a happy medium.
"Consumers have been clear - they want
convenient and durable packaging that's easy
to eat out of and transport, as well as single
servings or mix-and-match containers that
allow for healthy food choices," said Cindy
Blish, associated brand and communications
manager for Shelton, Conn.-based Inline
Plastics. "But above all, they want safety and
security. Packaging needs to be clear so food
is seen, and tamper-resistant."
Inline delivers that with its patented SafeT-Fresh line, which includes the first ever
tear-strip technology that provides that food
security.
Baxter, Minn.-based Lindar Corp. also has
seen higher demand for packaged food products, said Dave Fosse, the company's director
of marketing, key accounts.

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