StePac’s Sustainable Packaging Significantly Reduces Greenhouse Gasses, Report Shows

Addressing the need for extensive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, StePac, L A Ltd analyzed supply chains it is closely involved with to assess how its advanced packaging preserves quality of fresh produce during handling, shipping and storing, and by doing so reduces waste and saves GHG emissions

The sustainable shelf-life extension packaging experts commissioned researchers at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research facility, Netherlands, to quantify the GHG emissions associated with the use of its Modified Atmosphere products across numerous supply chains worldwide Results exceeded expectations, with the MAP products demonstrating abilities to reduce carbon dioxide emissions dramatically

The recent spate of global weather events, from crippling droughts to European heat waves, has pushed climate change worries to the very forefront of consumer concerns Carbon dioxide emissions are recognized as the leading GHG implicated in climate change Moreover, food waste is a second major concern of today’s eco-savvy consumers, yet few discussions of food waste focus on its negative impact on GHG emissions

“Food waste contributes 0 8 percent of all GHG emissions associated with climate change, the biggest threat to our planet,” said Gar y Ward, business development manager for StePac “By creating sustainable modified atmosphere packaging solutions, which extend produce freshness often by 50 to 100 percent, StePac has demonstrated through this research, that it helps lower GHG emissions by reducing waste in the fresh produce supply chain and often facilitating sea transport instead of air transport of produce to distant destinations

(Xtend Bulk), blueberries from Peru to China (Xflow TM ), stone fruit from Spain to Brazil (Xtend bulk), and broccoli shipped domestically in Brazil (Xgo TM Retail)

The results showed that GHG emissions related to plastics production, use and endof-life are relatively small compared to other GHG emissions along the food supply chain For example, in the shipping of melons from Honduras to the United Kingdom, the cultivation, har vest and posthar vest handling represented 41 percent of the total GHG emissions of 701 kilograms of carbon dioxide/ton of melons tively high WVTR levels that eliminate excess moisture plays a key role in reducing the waste in sea freight to a minimum of less than 3 5 percent This reduction in waste, when compared to polyethylene packaging, represents a reduction in 6 percent of the GHG emissions or 940 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents per container loaded with 20 tons of melons

In tangible terms, shipping four containers of melons in Xtend saves the equivalent annual carbon dioxide emissions produced by an average vehicle, estimated at 3020 kilograms

“The reduction in GHG emissions far exceeds those generated in the full lifecycle of the packaging itself ”

Jan Broeze, senior scientist of sustainable food chains at the Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, has developed a “field to fork” calculator to estimate greenhouse emissions associated with different aspects of fresh produce production and shipping Calculations took into consideration the GHG emissions associated with the different plastic packaging solutions throughout the lifecycle including the end-of-life (incineration, landfill and recycling)

It also included data provided by StePac pertaining to waste reduction based on research and commercial experience Nine scenarios were examined, including melons from Honduras to the United Kingdom

Transportation represented 48 percent of the GHG emissions

On the other hand, Xtend packaging represents only 3 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions and the end-of-life represents only 1 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions yet contributed significantly to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by minimizing waste This was typical of all of the scenarios evaluated

In one example, shipping unwrapped Galia and Cantaloupe melons from Honduras to the United Kingdom in 25 or more days, resulted in a high waste of nearly 18 percent Due to its low water-vapor transmission rate, polyethylene packaging with MAP properties is unsuitable and can result in waste levels of 12 5 percent or greater, mainly due to microbial decay

The use of Xtend packaging with rela-

“Global warming poses some of the greatest risk to the health of the planet we live on, ” Ward said “In order to combat it, we need to reduce GHG emissions The outcome of this research demonstrates the value of our bulk and retail packaging in doing so by reducing waste in the fresh produce supply chain and facilitating sea as an alternative to air freight ”

Based on the research, StePac estimates that across all supply chains in which its packaging is used, it saved in excess of 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2022 – equivalent to the annual amount produced by 31,000 automobiles

“ T h i s re s e a rc h c l e a r l y s h o w s t h a t StePac’s MAP solutions for fresh produce c a n c o n t r i b u t e t o re d u c i n g g l o b a l G H G emissions by facilitating sea freight and by re d u c i n g w a s t e i n t h e s u p p l y c h a i n , ” Broeze said “The savings associated with their use far exceed the emissions generated in the life cycle of the packaging, est a b l i s h i n g t h a t t h e y h a v e a p o s i t i v e environmental impact ” GN