Sustainable packaging for fresh produce
Moving beyond fragmented, single-issue debates and toward integrated solutions that deliver genuine environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Packaging plays a critical role in fresh produce sustainability
When the packaging or supply chain fails and food becomes food loss and waste, the entire environmental investment in that food is lost.
While most discussions of packaging sustainability focus narrowly on the disposal and end-of-life, they overlook the costly impacts that occur much earlier in the supply chain.
80-95%
Total environmental footprint of fresh produce comes from agricultural production and transportation, which require significant water, land, labor, and energy to grow, harvest, and process crops
(Environmental Impacts of
Food Production, 2022)
+90%
Over 90% of what packaging does, it does before the consumer sees it
33%
Global food production is lost or wasted in the supply chain
(USDA, 2022)
Sustainable packaging encompasses the entire lifecycle impacts from material source through disposal
The Three Pillars of Sustainable Produce Packaging Decision Making moves beyond single-issue thinking to create a holistic view of sustainability, from cradle to cradle.
Upstream
Sustainable packaging starts with material science and sourcing
Material science and sourcing decisions use LCAs and prioritize factors including availability, logistics, and environmental impact over packaging materials reduction and substitution.
A roadmap for sustainable fresh produce packaging
The SPPA Roadmap advocates for effective change beyond single-issue debates and champions opportunities for the fresh produce industry in North America.
Full Roadmap
Read the entire sustainable produce packaging roadmap
Designing for sustainability is how we nurture people and the planet
Mitigate total environmental impact
Material choices, recyclability and compostability, greenhouse gas implications, and end-of-life outcomes all have environmental impact.
The tradeoff of leveraging widely used commercial packaging materials to improve
the functionality of packaging is in sustainability gains in GHG emissions or reductions in food loss.
Explore solutions for sustainable fresh produce packaging
Insights and resources on sustainable design, food safety, food waste, risk management, and more
- Category, General
Food Loss & Waste
How packaging solutions can minimize food loss and waste across fresh produce supply chains in North America.
- General
Disposal & End-of-Life
How packaging moves through disposal and end-of-life pathways in North American fresh produce supply chains.
- General
Food Safety
How packaging plays a critical role in mitigating food safety risks throughout the North American fresh produce supply chain.
Start with the roadmap
See how sustainable packaging protects our produce, people and the planet.