DS Smith Launches Grocery Container Made from Renewable Sources

(Credit: DS Smith)

As more states, counties and cities ban plastic bags, DS Smith, a supplier of sustainable packaging solutions, is now offering grocery stores and consumers Greentote, what DS Smith calls the first reusable, moisture-resistant, modular, 100% recyclable container made from renewable resources.

The company’s development of the Greentote alternative arrives as stores and supermarkets respond to the pandemic-driven jump in online fulfilment sales, BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) and third-party grocery delivery services. That potentially has translated into more plastic bags ending up their customers’ homes and eventually landfills or waterways.

Recent surveys have indicated that many shoppers say they’d likely continue online buying if items were delivered with less packaging or used more sustainable material. They’d also prefer items delivered in more recyclable packaging. Greentote offers retail grocery chains and their customers what they’re demanding: an environmentally friendly, recyclable, reusable and food contact-safe solution for transporting groceries and merchandise.

Eighteen states already have enacted legislation to ban plastic bags, and major retailers including Walmart, CVS Health, Albertsons, Dollar General and Dick’s Sporting Goods have joined “The Beyond the Bag Initiative,” a group seeking to reinvent the single-use plastic retail bag. The goal: identify, test and implement viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag.

Made of cardboard and available in two sizes, Greentote can hold more than three times the number of groceries than plastic bags and can interlock with each other, ensuring safety and convenience when transporting. Additionally, Greentote is coated with DS Smith’s proprietary Greencoat, which revolutionized the wax-coated shipping industry for poultry, produce, and seafood with its sustainable, moisture-resistant capabilities and durability in demanding supply chains.

In addition to its reusability, sustainability, and environmental benefits, Greentote provides retailers an opportunity to create a revenue stream by allowing vendors and local businesses to advertise on its printable surfaces. Greentote can also be used to print shopper loyalty programs, community events, in-store coupons or other types of communication.