Perle du Nord, a cooperative of 120 endive growers, has developed a new 100% recyclable tray that reduces the amount of plastic in the packaging by 79%. As of March 1st, the production of young endive shoots will no longer be packaged in a PET tray, but in this tray made of virgin kraft with recycled and FSC-certified fluting.
To design this packaging with the lowest possible environmental impact, two years of research and development were necessary. Attention had to be paid to the environmental impact, the source of the materials, food compliance and technical and logistical constraints. To make this change a success, Perle du Nord teamed up with Agroé, the Hauts-de-France food industry centre of excellence, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) and packaging manufacturer Saica Pack.
"We are delighted to be able to offer our young chicory shoots packaging that not only preserves the quality of the product, but also meets consumer expectations and at the same time contributes to a proactive approach to significantly reduce plastic waste" said Patrick Petitpas, Executive Director of Pearl North in a statement.
