A recent webinar from The Packer and moderated by Emerald Packaging CEO Kevin Kelly looked at some of the significant topics that will impact produce packaging this year.
Stefanie Pandol, marketing and sustainability specialist with Pandol Bros. Inc.; John Pandol, director of special projects for Pandol Bros.; Matthew Banghart, director of food packaging at LK Packaging; and Wil Murray, senior director of operations at Sinclair, served as panelists for the webinar.
Kelly started the conversation with asking panelists to discuss the impact of California’s Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, or SB 54. The statute calls for 30% of single-use plastic packaging and foodware to be recycled by 2028. That number increases to 40% by 2030 and to 65% by 2032. The act also calls for a reduction of 25% in sales of single-use plastic packaging and that all packaging and single-use plastic foodware be recyclable or compostable by 2032.
Stefanie Pandol said Pandol Bros. has sought ways to reduce its plastic use in response to SB 54.
“It's really forcing us to look into innovation quicker than I think a lot of people were expecting,” she said. “Looking at those recyclable, those compostable, and all those options that we need to start implementing. We're also trying to be aware of what facilities have what capabilities. Not all regions in California are made the same to be able to recycle the same materials.”
Stefanie Pandol said a shift away from plastics is a challenge for some commodities that Pandol Bros. grows, packs and ships.
“In certain commodities, it would be easier than others; grapes and berry categories are a little bit harder due to the fact that we have moisture-heavy items that we store in a humid climate. It's not the easiest to just put it into a corrugated container and call it a day. You could potentially grow mold in those conditions and cause other issues.”
Murray said Sinclair looks to compostable labels to meet the requirements of SB 54 as well as regulations in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. A major challenge for packaging companies is the export market, where a piece of produce grown in one country will have to meet packaging and label regulations of a different challenge.
“One of the challenges is that the fruit might be grown in South America or North America and then shipped to another region," Murray said. "Typically or historically, we've worked with the regulations for the packer in that country. Now we need to understand where they're shipping to, and packers need to understand their business of where does it start and where does it end.”
Banghart shared that regulations in the U.S. and abroad are part of the conversation around product development.
“The challenge has always been commercializing them, due to the cost differential over traditional products,” he said. “Sometimes there's products that don't have the same performance characteristics [for different types of produce].”
Click here to watch the webinar on demand.
by Christina Herrick, Feb 19, 2025