Sustainable Packaging Is a Must-Have for a Growing Number of Consumers

In recent years, seeking sustainable products at the grocery store has grown from a niche interest into a common priority among consumers. As more consumers make efforts to reduce waste—some even adopting low- or no-waste lifestyles—offering food packaging that keeps waste to a minimum becomes increasingly necessary to retain consumers.

According to GlobalWebIndex’s 2019 Sustainable Packaging Unwrapped report, 64% of consumers want packaging made with recyclable materials, and 46% want products that don’t “overpackage” (i.e. use more materials than necessary). And according to March 2019’s Sustainable Market Share Index, a joint study by New York University and IRI, these consumers are increasingly inclined to vote with their wallets: Products with sustainability claims delivered nearly $114 billion in sales in 2018, a dramatic 29% increase from 2013.

Sustainability without sacrifice

Still, consumers expect the same high-quality products in eco-friendly packaging. And for a product such as cheese to remain at its peak, its packaging must still be able to retain freshness from supplier, to store, to plate. Thanks to Saputo’s pledge to reduce material use by 15%, to use packaging that’s 100% recyclable or compostable and to ensure packaging includes at least 15% recycled or renewable content by 2025, retailers have the opportunity to offer the best of both worlds.

Taking the first step in the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra for sustainability, Saputo Cheese USA Inc. is removing cardboard sleeves from deli cups of Frigo® and Treasure Cave® cheeses. This seemingly small change—which comes at no detriment to the quality of the cheese itself—will prospectively eliminate a whopping 600,000 pounds of paper waste each year.

In addition, by increasing the amount of recycled content in packages and by teaching consumers how to properly recycle the deli cup itself, Saputo Cheese USA Inc. is decreasing consumption of natural resources, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and waste overall. New packaging will include instructions on how to properly dispose of the container alongside a link to How2Recycle, with whom Saputo will be partnering to increase education for consumers on how to avoid improper disposal.

Plus, with a new packaging design comes a new look. Most Saputo Cheese USA Inc. consumers, when surveyed, preferred the look of the new packaging, saying it appeared more premium and more authentic than the preceding design.

For more and more consumers, the availability of sustainable products is a dealbreaker when choosing whether or not to purchase. To learn more about how Saputo can help increase profits with high quality, sustainably packaged cheeses, visit Saputo.com/en/Our-Promise/Environment.