New eco-friendly packaging for soft fruit extends shelf life

6 Feb 2012

Ampaglas Plastics Group, one of South Africa's leading plastics extruders, and Tri-Pack Plastics in the UK, have developed a box for packaging soft fruit that will change the South African produce packaging market for good. The CoolSeal range of boxes were originally designed for the cold chain delivery of chilled products, but are now being used by farmers to transport sensitive or wet-packed products.

The product is expected to make an impact in the banana industry as the fruit offers unique challenges. After harvesting, the fruit is washed, sorted and graded before being packed, cooled and stored in ripening rooms. Usually the boxes are made from thick corrugated cardboard with ventilation holes and treated with a wax layer. This prevents the box from collapsing due to the ambient moisture and the pallet load, but creates a problem as the boxes cannot be recycled and can be quite heavy. Corrosive cardboard and staples also damage both the fruit and the appearance of the box.

Environmentally friendly

"Cardboard boxes do deteriorate rapidly and waxed boxes are very environmentally unfriendly," explains Christo Pienaar, MD of CoolSeal SA. They cannot be recycled or glued and the print quality is not good.

"Our boxes are made from polypropylene (PP), which is lightweight and 100% recyclable and can be glued at speed. It is not affected by moisture or palletizing. Moreover, unlike conventional cardboard packaging, it does not have to be ordered six months in advance. Our turnaround time is measured in days not months, so farmers aren't stuck with a product they do not want."

Stephen Clarke, MD of Tri-Pack agrees, "We made millions of polypropylene trays for bananas for Marks and Spencers several years ago out of this material. The bananas were packed in trays and returnable crates, so that the retailer could simply lift the tray and place the product on the shelf, reducing handling. They also found that bruising drastically decreased and the shelf life extended because the polypropylene is fibre free and has no abrasion. Unlike cardboard, the fruit could slide around in the box without damage."

An added benefit is that fruit ripens faster in PP boxes because the moisture content is preserved, so that less space used up in the ripening rooms and fruit also stays ripe for longer - preventing returns and optimizing sales. Retailers have become so frustrated with bruised and brown fruit that companies such as 7-Eleven in the US have started selling individually wrapped bananas in an attempt to increase sales - not the most eco-friendly option.

"This is a first for South Africa. We think that the environmental and product benefits will provide a unique selling point to marketers of South African produce. From a branding perspective, polypropylene is widely known for its excellent print and reproduction quality, and comes in a range of bright colours, so we are also keen to see how companies are going to change their packaging designs with the free rein we give them," concludes Pienaar.

Users wishing to receive samples or discuss a trial run can email Estelle moc.salgapma@legane.