PLA FRUIT PUNNETS AND TRAYS

Associated Packaging are working in combination with ILIP and Cargill Dow to produce packaging without the dependancy on oil.

This translates to a cleaner, environmentally sustainable packaging material for today and tomorrow.

A packaging greener than paper with the clarity of glass, this plastic packaging is already coming from an oil free source.


Your Customers Want It

Studies conducted in 2003 and 2004 have found a large group of consumers worldwide are interested in purchasing fresh food in nature-based packaging, with most expressing a willingness to pay extra for items contained in NatureWorks™ PLA. Market researcher Grapentine Company, Inc.* asked more than 3.500 consumers in the United States, Western Europe and Japan about a number of trends in the grocery retail industry. Across all regions, a large share of those surveyed ranked the concept of purchasing fresh food in nature-based packaging as "very desirable," a description that relates closely to a consumer's likelihood to purchase. Fresh foods packaged in NatureWorks PLA were ranked as desirable, and at times even more desirable, than two of grocery retail's highest-selling product trends, fresh-packed herbs/green leaves and organic meats and vegetables. In all regions, there was a strong correlation between a "very desirable" rating and a willingness to pay more for fresh foods in nature-based packaging.

Europe

More than 2,400 consumers in Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom were surveyed. Respondents to the survey were their household's primary grocery shopper and had recently purchased delicatessen items from a local grocery store. Approximately 59 percent of the shoppers surveyed ranked the concept of fresh foods in natural packaging "very desirable". Of this group, 72 percent were willing to pay 10 euro cents more per food item.


The Technical Bit


First step: through simple hydrolysis it is possible to get sugar from starch. Sugar is than purified from residues and prepared for the next steps.

Second step: through simple fermentation and distillation, Cargill Dow extracts the carbon from sugar and uses it as the basic building blocks for commercial-grade plastics and fibres .

Third step: through polymerization, Cargill Dow uses Lactic Acid molecules as the basic building blocks for commercial-grade plastics and fibres (PLA).