An alternative to hard-to-recycle food packaging, the new PET tray is compatible with the packaging equipment already used by food processors and retailers

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Cascades designed the tray using 100% recycled PET. (Credit: Cascades Inc.)

Canadian packaging products producer Cascades has added a 100% recycled PET tray to expand its portfolio of eco-friendly packaging.

According to the company, the new tray is fully recyclable and compatible with the packaging equipment already used by food processors and retailers.

The tray, made from 100% recycled PET, has innovative design that makes it a sustainable alternative to hard-to-recycle food packaging.

Through the addition, Cascades aims to help its customers to minimise their carbon footprint by 69% by only using recycled PET.

How2Recycle has prequalified the tray as widely recyclable in Canada and recyclable in limited communities in the US.

The firm said that the development of the tray took three years of study to make the design unique, which uses the fewest materials possible while maintaining maximum stiffness.

Its curled edges assist to decrease food waste by reducing the chance of ripping when using shrink-wrap.

Cascades Specialty Products Group president and chief operating officer Luc Langevin said: “This latest innovation is the fruit of our continuous efforts to find more sustainable solutions and develop a truly circular economy for food packaging.

“We would like to thank our early adopter customers for their trust.”

The tray is produced at the Cascades Inopak facility in Québec, which recently witnessed a $30m investment programme targeted at encouraging the development of packaging made entirely of recycled PET flakes.

The initiatives are part of Cascades’ strategy to strengthen its position in environmentally friendly packaging in North America.

The new product will help the Canadian firm meet one of its Sustainability Action Plan goals to produce recyclable, biodegradable, or reused packaging by 2030.

In February this year, Cascades announced its plans to expand in the isothermal packaging market by setting up a new production site in Tacoma, US as well as launching new products.