{"id":9985,"date":"2025-10-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=9985"},"modified":"2025-10-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T04:00:00","slug":"podcast-flexible-packaging-for-produce-challenges-and-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=9985","title":{"rendered":"PODCAST | Flexible Packaging for Produce: Challenges and Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"62.906818883061\"><!---- This is for embedded images that can be opened in a popup  windows -----><br \/>\n<!---- Begin imageModalBackground --->\n<link href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/ext\/resources\/css\/Image-Modals.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\"\/>\n<div id=\"imageModalBackground\" onclick=\"backgroundClick(event);\">\n<p>\u2715<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- End imageModalBackground. -->\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/ext\/resources\/css\/PS-articles.css\"\/>\n<style><![CDATA[<![CDATA[<![CDATA[<![CDATA[\n\t.pod {\n\t\twidth: 97%; background-color: #1C4974; border-radius: 25px; padding: 20px; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; margin: 0px auto;\n\t}\n\t\n\t.listenBtn {\n\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t}\n\t\/* unvisited link *\/\n\t\n\t.listenBtn a:link {\n\t\tcolor: #fff; padding: 7px 20px; background-color: #1C4974; border-radius: 25px; text-decoration: none; border: none; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; -webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease; -moz-transition: all 0.5s ease; -o-transition: all 0.5s ease; -ms-transition: all 0.5s ease; transition: all 0.5s ease; box-shadow: 10px 10px 10px grey;\n\t}\n\t\/* visited link *\/\n\t\n\t.listenBtn a:visited {\n\t\tcolor: #fff; background-color: #1C4974;\n\t}\n\t\/* mouse over link *\/\n\t\n\t.listenBtn a:hover {\n\t\tcolor: #f4f5f6; background-color: #404144; border: none; padding: 8px 22px; font-size: 23px; -webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease; -moz-transition: all 0.5s ease; -o-transition: all 0.5s ease; -ms-transition: all 0.5s ease; transition: all 0.5s ease;\n\t}\n\t\/* selected link *\/\n\t\n\t.listenBtn a:active {\n\t\tcolor: #fff; background-color: #1C4974;\n\t}\n\n]]]]]]]]><![CDATA[><![CDATA[><![CDATA[>]]]]]]><![CDATA[><![CDATA[>]]]]><![CDATA[>]]><\/style>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"17.5453125\">\n<!--- Wrap to keep above first ad ---><\/p>\n<p>Emerald Packaging recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/articles\/106019-emerald-packaging-partners-with-walmart-to-launch-pcr-potato-bags\" rel=\"noopener noopener\" target=\"_blank\">made the news<\/a> by partnering with Idaho Package, Wada Farms and Walmart to introduce the first 30% food contact Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) bag for the potato category. <strong>Kevin Kelly<\/strong>, CEO of Emerald Packaging, joined us to discuss this success story and the challenges of getting brands and retailers to adopt sustainable flexible packaging.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We were able to formulate a plastic containing 30% PCR that didn\u2019t break when 10 pounds of potatoes fell five to 10 feet into it during the potato packing process. Wada Farms adopted it, and Walmart signed off on it,&#8221; Kelly explains.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--- end wrap ---><\/p>\n<p>Kelly says it\u2019s not the lack of technology that prevents sustainable packaging from entering the market. Many times, it\u2019s the unwillingness of brands and retailers to accept the extra cost.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We can put 20-30% PCR into any bag for about a 3-8% price increase, and you would be surprised at the number of produce companies that just say, &#8216;No. We can\u2019t afford it. We can\u2019t pass it through.&#8217; I think that has been the biggest stumbling block,&#8221; Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>Emerald Packaging is the first packaging converter to participate in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/articles\/105900-coalition-aims-to-help-demonstrate-scalable-recycling-for-flexible-packaging\" rel=\"noopener noopener\" target=\"_blank\">US Flexible Film Initiative<\/a> (USFFI), a non-profit membership organization helping to advance scalable solutions to recycle flexible plastic packaging.<\/p>\n<p><em>Packaging Strategies<\/em> recently reported on the Sustainable Produce Packaging Alignment releasing its &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/articles\/106004-north-american-consortium-offers-guide-to-sustainable-fresh-produce-packaging\" rel=\"noopener noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Roadmap to Sustainable Produce Packaging<\/a>,&#8221; an endeavor spearheaded by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wga.com\/\" rel=\"external noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Western Growers<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/cpma.ca\/\" rel=\"external noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Canadian Produce Marketing Association<\/a> (CPMA).<\/p>\n<p>Kelly was involved with developing the roadmap and boils down the coalition\u2019s argument for not eliminating produce packaging to &#8220;form versus function.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Produce packagers have the honor of providing packaging to keep a living product alive,&#8221; Kelly says. &#8220;It\u2019s the extension of shelf life that allows the product to get to Ottawa fresh and on the shelves and into someone\u2019s refrigerator and survive for 21 to 30 days.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Listen to the full interview with Kelly here:<\/h3>\n<p><!--- Podcast embed ---><\/p>\n<aside style=\"text-align: center; margin: 0px auto;\" wp_automatic_readability=\"1.2564102564103\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/media\/podcasts\/3067\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Packaging Perspectives Podcast Logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/ext\/resources\/Custom_Content\/2020\/PS-PackagingPerspectives-250.png\" style=\"display: block; float: none; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;\" align=\"center\"\/> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n<audio controls=\"\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><source src=\"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/ext\/resources\/podcasts\/EMERALD-PACKAGING-PODCAST_mixdown.mp3?t=1761582913\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\">Your browser does not support the audio element.<\/source><\/audio>\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/media\/podcasts\/3067\" rel=\"noopener noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Listen to more podcasts here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingstrategies.com\/articles\/106056-podcast-flexible-packaging-for-produce-challenges-and-opportunities\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2715 Emerald Packaging recently made the news by partnering with Idaho Package, Wada Farms and Walmart to introduce the first 30% food contact Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) bag for the potato category. Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging, joined us to discuss this success story and the challenges of getting brands and retailers to adopt sustainable [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[301,171,193,1904],"class_list":["post-9985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-packaging-news","tag-packaging-regulations","tag-pcr","tag-vegetable-packaging","tag-walmart"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}