Supermarket Perimeter - January 2022 - 69

PACKAGING
that could produce goods at a
consistent pace.
" As a manufacturer, we've had
to work with our customers and
raw material partners to meet
demands in adequate time, " he
said. " There are indications that
parts of the supply chain may be
stabilizing but we're keeping a
close watch so that we can deliver
products like our produce bags
and rigid plastic packaging for hot
and cold self-service stations. "
" It's all about capacity and
that's where we're investing.
In the last 24 months we
acquired four paper packaging
businesses. These acquisitions
added four plants to our system
and multiple production lines.
We're particularly proud of the
acquisition integration strategy
that we've honed over the course
of multiple acquisitions and that's
enabled us to bring these new
facilities on-stream fast to quickly
support our customers. "
Everything at Novolex begins
and ends with the customer;
what do they need and how do
we get it to them, Frantz said.
Responding to crisis
So how has the production/
distribution system changed
because of COVID, and what are
the key takeaways for the fresh
food system to understand?
Rebh pointed out that
restaurant delivery can serve as
an example. Packaging has been
changed to protect the consumer
from door to door. Food safety
and packaging is ever more
important to the consumer. The
example of using tamper-evident
packaging in restaurants and
food delivery services can be
easily transferred to other fresh
food systems.
Innoseal manufactures and
distributes tamper-evident bag
closing systems. " We use a
proprietary blend of FSC recycled
paper and polypropylene tape
to create a virtually airtight seal.
We take pride in minimizing our
packaging waste and offsetting
our carbon load with newly
installed solar panels at our
manufacturing facility in The
Netherlands, " he said.
Innoseal sources material
locally and globally distributes
products by maximizing
efficiencies through the entire
supply chain. Their goal is to
minimize the energy it takes to
move raw material and finished
product through the system.
" It always comes down
to education, " Rebh said.
" The consumer demands
accountability from energy to
sustainability. We, the supplier(s),
need to do better at being
transparent. What is best for the
individual consumer, the market,
and the entire ecosystem.
Sustainability benefits
At Fox Packaging, Keith Fox
explains that the review
of packaging designs and
materials has continued to stay
at the forefront of packaging
conversations.
" We've continued to review
the components of our products
to offer greater sustainability
benefits and have been proactive
in communicating the importance
of reviewing your packaging
program to ensure that the key
features are addressed in an
environmentally mindful way. Our
sister company, Fox Solutions,
has been working alongside
us in review of our Stand-Up
Pouch Program as we continue
to develop designs that stand
out on the shelf and can be
seamlessly packed with pouch
bagging automation. Part of our
culture is nurturing respectful
and professional relationships, we
understand our customers' needs
and in turn, our customers can
reach out to us with packaging
concept ideas and our team will
realistically approach them; this
type of collaboration is key when
selecting a packaging partner. "
Their team has been proactive
in reviewing pouch bag materials
from a sustainability perspective.
Performance is key; ideal
materials do not require you to
sacrifice sustainable properties.
" We've been able to
restructure the chemical
performance properties of
films without impacting the
recyclability of our product or
the overall cost of a finished
bag. As members of the
Sustainable Packaging Coalition
and approved printers of the
How2Recycle label, the research
and development aspects of
our product line has been
paramount as we work with
our customers to fill their needs
and achieve their organizational
goals, " said Victoria Lopez,
marketing manager, Fox
Packaging.
Design for Circularity
Consumers are willing to make
more environmentally conscious
choices but need assurances
that their good intentions
are translating to positive
environmental outcomes.
They are highly influenced
by companies' integrity prior
to making a purchase and
demand transparency with more
supermarketperimeter.com
meaningful information about
every aspect of the product
creation.
People are increasingly
frustrated with over-packaged
ecommerce deliveries,
disillusioned with the amount
of single-use packaging in
foodservice, and frustrated by
materials that aren't recyclable or
compostable.
Consumers want more
sustainable packaging
information. On-pack labelling
is moving from self-declared to
third-party certified to eliminate
" greenwashing. "
According to a new SealedAIr
online presentation, Design for
Circularity, the flexible packaging
industry must continue to reduce
waste and the global carbon
footprint.
While the primary objective
of packaging remains product
protection, the shift to a circular
economy means another
key driver has emerged:
sustainability.
Dr. Tiffani Burt is the executive
director of the Materials Lifecycle
Team within Sealed Air's
Innovation and Sustainability
organization focusing on
enablement of Sealed Air's 2025
Plastics Pledge.
One of the most important
parts of her mentorship was
getting the teams to think about
a sustainable business model,
she noted.
JANUARY 2022 - 69
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