Sonoco

Sonoco frozen food trays containing 40% post-consumer recycled content (PCR) are making an impact on grocery store freezer shelves, not on the environment. The trays, manufactured by recently acquired Associated Packaging Technologies, are dual-ovenable, thermoformed plastic made from recycled PET (RePET).

The frozen food trays are part of Sonoco's True Blue^TM sustainable packaging portfolio. To qualify as a True Blue product, a package must provide a clear environmental advantage over the package it replaces either through the use of more sustainable materials or source reduction. Most traditional frozen-meal trays are made of crystallized PET, a material that uses only newly produced plastics, and require more energy and resources to produce than those made using RePET.

Customer ConAgra Foods® has been using the Sonoco trays since 2008 for its Healthy Choice®, Banquet®, Kid Cuisine®, and Marie Callender’s® brands. ConAgra says it is the first company in North America to use frozen meal trays with PCR plastic, diverting approximately 8 million pounds of plastic from landfills annually.

The package earned a prestigious AmeriStar Award from the Institute of Packaging Professionals and a ConAgra Foods Sustainable Development Award for product design given by the ConAgra’s internal sustainable development program.