Features Fruit Production
International Paper’s recyclable strawberry pack

October 19, 2009 – Naturipe
and International Paper have teamed up to rollout a new display-ready
strawberry package that is fully recyclable.

October 19, 2009 – Naturipe
and International Paper have teamed up to rollout a new display-ready
strawberry package that is fully recyclable.

This
package ran successfully during the 2009 season, and the results are impressive.

“The
new strawberry carton performed well 
through our operation and properly protected the product as we shipped
cartons across the country and to our customers. We were very pleased with the
redesigned and re-engineered cartons,” said Robert Verloop, senior vice
president of sales and marketing for Naturipe.

Naturipe
is the first strawberry shipper to adopt the enhanced wax-free One Touch®
design from International Paper.

The
key benefit is the complete elimination of wax in the corrugated package making
it 100 per cent recyclable.

“The
removal of wax from our carton is consistent with our goals to provide our
customers with a top quality product that respects the environment,” said
Verloop. “In collaboration with International Paper we, looked outside the box
– and literally looked at the box – and we found another innovative, earth
friendly approach to packaging.”

In
addition to its recyclability, the fibre used to make the carton is certified
to carry the SFI Fiber Sourcing Label. Not only is the box now fully recyclable
but thousands of pounds of wax have been eliminated from the system reducing
raw material consumption. This reduction has benefits throughout the supply
chain and allows retailers to sell this corrugated as clean OCC creating a
revenue stream from what would typically be a landfill cost.

In
late 2008 International Paper completed the acquisition of Weyerhaeuser’s
packaging assets. The
acquisition allowed International Paper to focus more resources on the needs of
produce customers and develop new and innovative products. 

From
this work, an enhanced One Touch display-ready package was developed which has
improved performance and increased setup efficiency. This was combined with the
ClimaGuard® wax replacement technology to provide a package that is 100%
recyclable and repulpable.

“We
are seeing real interest in our ClimaSeries® Wax Alternative product line as
customers look at ways of improving sustainability. We were glad to partner
with Naturipe on this new One Touch design and anticipate it becoming quickly
accepted in other commodities” said Pat Pochiro, marketing manager for
International Paper.