Amcor Fibre Packaging in Australia claims to have developed a more environmentally-friendly means of transporting and storing freshly picked vegetables than “traditional” Styrofoam boxes.
The first in the new range of Hydro-Armour submersible cartons, the Hydro-Armour Bean, is made from special water-resistant paper/film laminate coated fibreboard and is submersible, enabling it to withstand the high moisture chilling environment of hydro-cooling – where freshly picked vegetables are submerged in water at around 4deg C to cool them before transportation to retail outlets. The company, which has drawn on its seafood packaging expertise, says the cartons are more space-efficient than Styrofoam boxes, with more beans per pallet and lower freight costs. They also “eliminate” the problem of polystyrene foam fragments “being strewn across the floor”, are “retail ready” – they can be put straight on shelf– and are “completely recyclable”.
The company says if the concept proves successful in Australia it may also sell the cartons elsewhere.