Sustainable food packaging manufacturer Caspak has partnered with Hagen’s Organic Butcher to supply its online customers with meat packaged in its new FSC certified bamboo tray.
The new Caspak fibre Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) tray, which Caspak says is an Australian first, is made from FSC certified bamboo, layered with a thin plastic film that can be peeled away from the fibre tray so that the two materials are easily separated, and the film can be recycled through the RedCycle soft plastics system.
Once recycled, the laminate on the tray is removed during the normal pulping process (much like with Tetra Pak containers) and is disposed of in landfill.
According to Caspak, Hagen’s switch to the fibre MAP Trays has resulted in an 80 per cent total reduction in plastic, from 20g to just 4g per meat tray.
"The bamboo nature of the Caspak trays ticks all of the sustainability boxes, and the peelable plastic layer works to ensure that our meat is delivered to our customers in the best possible condition. Our farmers put a lot of work into growing organic meat and this is the ultimate solution to extend those efforts right through to the customer," says Hagen’s Taylor Matthews.
Caspak says that in general, its fibre MAP trays are designed to work with most existing product lines, as there are no tooling changes required between plastic and bamboo trays. The high barrier sealant film makes it suitable for an array of meat, seafood and ready-meal applications.
According to the company, paper and fibre have one of the highest rates of recovery and recycling, much higher than plastic, making the fibre tray an easy and visible option for sustainable packaging.
"Using fibre rather than plastic means the end-of-life benefits are significant. Consumers can place the trays in their kerbside paper recycling bin, after removing the lidding film, which will increase the raw material recovery rate to 70 per cent. Consumers can also remove the laminate and discard in the bin to make the trays home compostable, backed by an International Composting Certificate. Adding the L2025 (recyclable barrier shrink lidding film) will create a fully recyclable option," says Caspak.
Caspak is part of the APCO working group, a member of the Clean Energy Council, and a signatory of the RedCycle initiative.
The Caspak fibre MAP trays are the first of a slew of sustainable products that Caspak says it will be releasing in the lead up to APCO’s 2025 National Packaging Targets, "to ensure a more sustainable future for all".
The company has a research lab on-site, and recently developed a string of eco-friendly packaging solutions that it says it will be rolling out in market with key packaging partners across meat, small goods and ready meals over the coming months.
