The following actions, individually or collectively, will contribute to achieving the outcomes of reducing the environmental impacts of flexible packaging thru elimination and minimization.
Available Courses of Action
- Action 1 – Direct Elimination re Selling Product Loose (for produce packaging)
- Action 2 – Innovative Elimination
- Action 3 – Packaging Minimization
Action 1 – Direct Elimination (e.g., Selling Product Loose for produce packaging)
Offering product loose provides an important but challenging opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of packaging. Balancing the reduced environmental impacts of packaging against the impacts of distribution, sale and use of product, while meeting quality expectations, remains a key challenge.
The following use case(s) provide examples of where elimination has been demonstrated.
Use Cases
| Use Case | Innovation | Application | Release to Market |
| Walmart | Sell Loose | Organic bananas, single bell peppers | 2019 |
Action 2 – Innovative Elimination
The innovative elimination of packaging involves displacing the current packaging with alternative technology which provides the benefits of packaging while not incurring any of the environmental impacts. Unlike substitution, which seeks to replace one form of packaging for another, innovative elimination achieves the benefits of current packaging while eliminating its environmental impacts.
The following use case(s) provide examples of where innovative elimination has been demonstrated.
Use Cases
| Use Case | Innovation | Application | Release to Market |
| Apeel | Plant-based Coating | English Cucumber (and other fruits and vegetables like lime, avocado) | 2022 |
Action 3 – Packaging Minimization
Packaging minimization involves reducing the packaging mass while maintaining the current level of packaging functionality. A common form of packaging minimization is light weighting – reducing portions and/or the entirety of the packaging mass.
The following use case(s) provide examples of where packaging minimization has been demonstrated.
Use Cases
TBC
Supporting Resources
Useful resources to consider as you explore applying one or more of the above actions to flexible packaging include:
General Information
Selling Loose
Packaging Minimization