Sustainability
Clearly Clean recyclable food trays are the eco-friendly alternative to Styrofoam.
A number of factors are fueling the demand for eco-friendly packaging and accelerating the sustainability timelines of many food processors, packaging distributors, grocery stores, and supermarkets:
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- Polystyrene (Styrofoam) is essentially non-recyclable and takes at least 500 years to decompose.
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- The packaging industry is responsible for 40 percent of plastic pollution and represents one-third of all trash.
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- Polystyrene foam bans have passed in more than 200 cities and communities in the U.S.
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- Millennials purposefully seek out products with recyclable packaging. Millennials are fast becoming the largest working population and the largest living adult population.
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- Currently, food trays are a primary culprit for grocery stores and processors as they are made of polystyrene. Such companies may ultimately be mandated to convert to a recyclable solution through government bans or encouraged to make the change by consumer demand.
- Moving to a 100% recyclable food tray allows companies to be among the first to market, to underscore their commitment to the environment, and increase brand loyalty.
All of the Clearly Clean trays are marked by the #1 resin code that signifies the most recyclable plastic.
Why go recyclable?
Don’t take our word for it. This sustainable packaging presentation shares the findings from many different studies – all linked back to the original sources. From the hazards of Styrofoam to the buying habits of Millennials and the general consumer, this presentation will help you make an argument for sustainability internally to your peers.
Government Bans
Polystyrene foam bans have passed in more than 200 cities and communities in the U.S. – and this number is growing.
Some of the recent bans:
- Meat trays, fish trays, seafood trays, vegetable trays, or egg cartons made in whole or in any part with foam polystyrene or solid polystyrene are prohibited, even if packaging occurred outside of Sudbury, MA.
Maryland became the first state to ban polystyrene on March 12, 2019. - New York City banned foam containers in January 2019.
Foam meat trays, specifically, are being banned in many cities, including some of the most recent:
- Manhattan Beach, California
- Portland, Maine
- San Francisco, California
- San Diego, California
- Malibu, California
The food industry is looking for a sustainable packaging alternative to Styrofoam. The answer is here…Clearly Clean trays are made from PET plastic, which is 100% recyclable.
Listen to Science
Learn more about how PET plastic compares to other materials — from third parties and Clearly Clean blogs. Click here.
Lifecycle of Recyclable Plastic
