Sustainable Packaging in the K-12 Schools Market

SITUATION

One of the largest producers of prepacked foods in the U.S. Schools market was looking to make changes in their packaging. Their current method was using plastic trays and film that were “oven-able” and they were selling them to the K-12 market.

PROBLEM

The trays being used were increasing in price and there were consistent complaints that the finished packages were too hot to the touch after the cook cycle. Also, any trays that they would consider needed to work seamlessly on the production lines at the customer’s plants.

SOLUTION

Compostable molded fiber trays with a polyester liner were sourced. They were also the standard sizes the customer needed for the K-12 market. The trays performed very well on their production lines. When cooked in ovens at the K-12 lunch sites, the heat transfer was drastically reduced due to the insular properties of the molded fiber.

BENEFITS

This new packaging concept separated the customer from their competition. They also were able to contain costs since the pricing was highly competitive with the oven-able plastic trays. The greatest benefit was the fact the trays were 95% compostable. The K-12 market was highly receptive to that. Year over year sales have been a steady $24,000,000.

For more information, contact David Woods at 860-983-0935 or [email protected].