Earth Friendly trays for vending

Cal Krupa

President , Ultra Green LLC

Industry: Food

Location: Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA

Role: Packaging Materials Supplier

If you are looking for a paper like tray I would suggest a bagasse /sugarcane tray. The trays are made from the fibers after the sugar extraction process. The product is 100% sustainable and compostable. Another option is a corn starch material that makes a very nice tray. If you have an interest we maybe able to help you. See us at www.ultragreenhome.com.

paper and plastic

Kate Putnam

President, Package Machinery Company Inc.

Location: W Springfield, MA, USA

Role: Packaging Machinery Supplier

A clear cover on a tray is easy with the wrapping material and there are flexible materials that are recyclable or home compostable out there to do it.
You can source a tray that is paper-based with a thin degradable film that will protect the moisture content of the contents. This will actually open up your options for wrapping the tray. Plastic trays basically limit your options to flow wrap since they usually come with a lip on them..
Paper vs. plastic is harder since paper is a more energy intensive and water intensive product to make. Its redeeming characteristic is that it is easier to recycle and consumers know that.
The important thing is to understand what your consumer wants and to make sure that you hopefully deliver your product with instructions on how to take care of the packaging post-use. There are some good examples of packaging instructions on this presentation.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOFo6U4dc_c&feature=channel_page
Good luck with your choices and remember there will be more options in the future.

Trays for Frozen Meals

Adam Pawlick

Corporate Engineering Manager, Palermo's Pizza

Industry: Food

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Role: Packager

Joan -

I would caution you around tray material type. I commend you for stating your desire that the tray be as environmentally friendly as possible, but this is only one of the performance criteria you need to add to your requirements definition. The frozen environment is typically a very difficult one with several freeze/thaw cycles common. It also has various "frozen" temperatures. Some companies use 0F, some use -20F for storage and distribution, some use even colder for blast freezing.

I would recommend you start by building a requirements definition (including the environmental part) for the package and then work your way into the best material rather than starting with the material and seeing if it works. The above materials are indeed options, but depending on your specific manufacturing, distribution, use, requirements and systems, they may or may not be appropriate. It is important to understand what you want the package to do first, then pick the material that best does what you are looking for while minimizing environmental impact.

Remember, sustainable packaging is not the same as just environmentally friendly. A sustainable package is the package that delivers all required performance criteria for protection and use (social), with the smallest environmental impact (environment), that you can afford to sell for a profit (financial). If you address the Triple Bottom Line you will have the most sustainable package you can.

If you would like to discuss further, please review my profile (I ran the Frozen Foods Packaging Group and the Sustainable Packaging group for ConAgra Foods before I split off on my own) and feel free to contact me at adam.pawlick@yahoo.com. I'd be happy to discuss further.

Thanks and I hope this helps,

Adam