Smurfit Kappa launches innovative punnet portfolio for fresh produce market

The portfolio features fully renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable punnet designs

Smurfit Kappa is launching its innovative punnet portfolio in Europe. The “Safe&Green” portfolio is Smurfit Kappa’s paper-based, sustainable solution to plastic packaging for fresh produce, and consists of unique designs that are 100% renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. 

Recent research by Smurfit Kappa has found that consumers prefer a punnet that balances visibility of the contents with sustainability, with over half (58%) of respondents rating these as the most important attributes of fresh produce packaging. The research also found that 75% of consumers surveyed believe paper-based punnets to be the sustainable choice . In addition, Eurostat's latest figures affirm consumer’s beliefs as it confirmed that 83% of paper-based packaging is actually recycled. 

As a result, growers and retailers are increasingly selecting sustainable packaging solutions for fresh produce that respond to, and address, a multitude of customer needs.  

Commenting on the announcement, Arco Berkenbosch, VP Innovation and Development at Smurfit Kappa Europe said: “Our research shows that consumers across Europe have a preference towards sustainable packaging when shopping for fresh produce, and the Safe&Green portfolio offers growers and retailers a range of sustainable punnets that enables them to respond directly to these customer preferences.”

The Safe&Green punnet portfolio consists of packaging solutions that can be implemented immediately, or customers can choose to develop bespoke designs tailored to their specific requirements. 

“Demand for fully sustainable punnets that are not only aligned with anticipated regulations, but that are durable, hygienic and allow for visibility will continue to increase. By working with our customers to develop bespoke designs that meet their requirements, in addition to the current punnet portfolio, we are providing a tailored sustainable solution to help our customers increase sales, optimise supply chain and ultimately, make their businesses more sustainable,” concluded Mr Berkenbosch.
 
Safe&Green is part of Smurfit Kappa’s Better Planet Packaging portfolio of innovative packaging solutions which are designed to be more sustainable.