Kraft Food, Capri Sun and the Battle Over Sustainable Packaging

September 17, 2015

Kraft foods, the grocery manufacturing giant, is dealing with an ongoing campaign to get their food packaging to be more sustainable. The latest showdown is over the plastic Capri Sun pouches that are nearly impossible to recycle due to their layers of plastic bonded to aluminum.

The multi-billion-dollar Kraft food company is being targeted for the campaign, dubbed Make It, Take It. Due to Kraft’s massive size and number of brands in its catalog, how it packages its food can have enormous impact on waste. To their credit, Kraft is embarking on sustainability improvements that, according to their website, have already reduced their packaging by over 109 million pounds since 2010.

So, who is responsible for reducing food packaging waste? We all are–as consumers we must reduce, reuse and recycle materials whenever we can. However, when manufacturers make their packaging sustainable, the ease of being an eco-friendly consumer increases. But many manufacturers aren’t in any hurry to revamp their packaging process until consumer demand forces them to.

It’s a classic “chicken or the egg” question.

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Well, you don’t have to bother with poultry-related conundrums or dance like a chicken. You have Ernest Packaging Solutions on your side.

The truth is, we see the entire supply chain as an opportunity to embrace each of the 3 R’s in sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle. While the end consumer will likely only see the the product at the final destination—the retail shelf—brands can share their full eco-friendly story through their packaging. And that story can and should go well beyond a recyclable box.

Real innovation is holistic, and the results can be dramatic. Think how great it would feel to send out a press release with the announcement of your rebranded packaging, outlining the carbon and waste reduction of your entire supply chain. That would be a powerful brand story!

As a packaging company full of talented and smart people who love to try new things (and love to help the environment too!), Ernest Packaging Solutions works every day with our customers to reduce weight and resources and use recyclable/reusable materials—whenever possible. Want to learn more about how we have helped reduce food packaging waste? Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to tell you all about it!