Global packaging leader Berry Global Group, Inc. collaborated with food and beverage leader Lassonde Industries Inc. to incorporate 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content into its private label lemon and lime juice bottle. The new, 15-ounce bottle is also widely recyclable and optimized to be lightweight. The new flip-top closure is recyclable when consumers recycle the bottle with the cap on, as encouraged by the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
“We are committed to helping each customer make transformative leaps toward their sustainability goals and solve whatever challenges come next in their business,” said Peter Goshorn, Vice President of Food, Beverage & Spirits for Berry Global. “Successful, circular collaborations like these increase the use of recycled content in order to reduce emissions and decrease the amount of plastic entering the waste stream, helping keep materials in use and out of our environment.”
The collaboration leverages Berry’s expertise and access to mechanically recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to advance Lassonde’s sustainability goals. By shifting to a bottle made from 25% PCR plastic, Lassonde is increasing the circularity of its packaging while reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions. A lifecycle assessment estimates Lassonde will realize a reduction of 94 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent annually* with the new PCR bottle in comparison to the same bottle made from virgin material. This 15% reduction in CO2 emissions is equivalent to around 10,000 gallons of gasoline consumed**.
“As one of North America’s leading food and beverage companies, we are committed to caring for the planet by reducing our environmental footprint,’’ said Julie Bullard, Manager of Innovation & Sustainability for Lassonde. “Partnering with Berry to increase the use of recycled content helps improve the sustainability of our packaging while preserving the quality and safety of our products.”
Berry has been a strategic packaging partner to Lassonde for more than a decade, supplying the company’s 15-ounce private label lemon and lime juice package – including a lightweight 28-millimeter flip-top dispensing closure – sold at major retailers across the U.S. Additionally, Berry supplies a wide range of beverage closures as well as food and beverage bottles to supply the private label market.
*Source: https://plasticsrecycling.org/images/library/APR-Recycled-vs-Virgin-May2020.pdf
**Source: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
