Balancing Function And Sustainability In Food Packaging

When customers come to us with requests for low-cost, sustainable materials with detailed specifications, we love the challenge of coming up with a solution that meets their needs while still incorporating environmentally friendly materials.

Of all the industries for which Spartech provides material solutions, 'Food and Beverage' (F&B) might be the fastest moving.

Consumers constantly change their tastes and preferences based on trends, marketing, and more, and the F&B industry must stay one step ahead.

In addition to anticipating customer preferences, F&B suppliers constantly engage in a balancing act among function, cost, and sustainability. Suppliers balance innovation and profitability as well as sustainability through the use of eco-friendly materials and sustainable practices.

When customers come to us with requests for low-cost, sustainable materials with detailed specifications, we love the challenge of coming up with a solution that meets their needs while still incorporating environmentally friendly materials. Not only are we product and process agnostic — meaning we’ll help customers find the absolute best-fit formulation and production process for their needs, no matter what — we also share their same commitment to making the world better.

We received just such a request earlier in the year from a customer creating containers for their perishable food brand. They were struggling with finding the balance between function and sustainability. Their challenge: how could they ensure their materials were food-safe while still incorporating sustainability into their project?

Spartech’s engineers collaborated to create a custom PreservaPak® solution for this customer. They incorporated new, food-safe materials for the inner and outer layers of the single-use container — and inserted a middle layer made with low-cost, environmentally friendly recycled plastic. This accomplished the customer’s goals, while also creating a sustainable product that can eventually be recycled.

These types of projects light a fire under us at Spartech because we’re extremely passionate about using our role to create a more sustainable world. In fact, we’ve developed an entire “To Make It Better” initiative that centers around our commitment to the environment. Our commitment to sustainability centers around these principles:

1) Make the world better.

By using high-quality materials, innovative processes, and customized solutions, we make the world better for our employees, customers, and even their customers.

2) Improve the future.

We know that today, and into the future, the intelligent use and re-use of strong, lightweight plastics makes our world a safer, easier and better place to live.

3) Create balance.

Plastics must be properly and carefully managed. Through innovation and sustainability, Spartech is committed to being a leading force in managing this balance.

Learn more about our commitment to “The World Made Better.” Or visit our Market pages for more information about how we incorporate innovative, sustainable practices throughout our lines of business.