NatureFresh Farms, Canada, teamed up with Pulp Moulded Products (PMP), Canada, to develop a fully compostable pulp molded tray.

The new mini cucumber tray is an environmentally friendly alternative to the use of the polystyrene foam trays.

Since June 2018, NatureFresh Farms has distributed 6 million compostable molded fiber trays within the marketplace, saving 67,200 pounds of Styrofoam trays from entering landfills, which is equal to 12 truckloads. The compostable tray is made from 100% post-industrial paper waste, which is then ground up and mixed with water for a pulp-based material. During biodegradation, no toxic or hazardous waste materials are expelled into the environment.

“This has been a project that I’ve had a lot of interest in developing and has been on my mind for a while,” says Luci Faas, product development specialist at NatureFresh Farms. “NatureFresh has given me the opportunity to really pursue this innovative packaging design, and have supported the effort to introduce greener alternatives into their packaging. Working with PMP has helped us achieve our goals of becoming more sustainable.”

PMP manufactures custom molded pulp packaging that is PFAS-free, a widely-used toxic chemical found in packaging that repels water and grease.

“Seeing the actual numbers from the past year gives us a greater awareness of the considerable difference we are making to the environment by being more sustainable in our packaging,” says Frank Neufeld, sales manager at NatureFresh Farms. “We are inspired by the positive affect one company can have, but think about the kind of impact we could have collectively if plastic-free packaging were to become an industry standard.”