Earthbound Farm, Naked Juice Jump Into PCR PET

July 9, 2009

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Two major brands are adopting 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyethelene (PET) packaging. Earthbound Farms is using PCR-PET exclusively on its clamshell salads, and Naked Juice is going to bottles made of PCR-PET.

For Earthbound Farm, the move is being marketed as part of a celebration of the fresh produce firm’s 25th year in business.

Using the company’s 2008 usage of rigid PET plastics as a baseline, the conversion to PCR PET will save 424,000 million BTUs and more than 68,000 gallons of water. Additionally it will eliminate 16,191 tons of CO2 emissions and keep 1.3 million pounds of plastic waste from the landfills, according to a press release.

A redesigned label will call out the use of 100 percent PCR PET on the salads. Earthbound Farm is sourcing its PCR PET clamshells from Packaging Plus, which has nine locations in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The move to PCR PET at Naked Juice, which is a subsidiary of PepsiCo., will start with clear 32-ounce plastic bottles July 13, reports USA Today.

In 2010 the juice company will adopt PCR PET for all of its bottles, at which point the company estimates its bottles will save the equivalent of 57,000 barrels of oil annually.

In other packaging news, Petaluma Poultry is coming out with new tray-less packaging for its all-natural Rocky The Range Chicken and Rosie Organic Chicken, according to a press release.

The packaging eliminates the traditional Styrofoam tray for a freezer-safe leak resistant plastic. The new tray reduces packaging volume by 73 percent, and the new shape means that 25 percent more chicken can fit in the same space, reducing shipping costs.

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