Australian food producer and partners trial recyclable cardboard packs for tomatoes

Australia’s fresh produce grower, Costa has partnered with Coles and Opal in a large-scale trial to switch packaging for Perino tomatoes from rPET plastic to recyclable cardboard packaging across Coles’ Victorian stores.

The cardboard Costa Perino packs, designed and manufactured by Opal and sourced from recycled paper, are trialed to replace Costa’s 80% rPET punnets. This transition is designed to reduce the reliance on plastic and supports Coles’ circularity targets to increase packaging recyclability.

Manpreet Sidhu, chief operating officer for domestic produce at Costa Group, says: “This trial marks a major milestone in Costa’s packaging transformation journey. Costa is proud to be taking meaningful action to meet the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s national packaging targets, while recognizing that consumers are increasingly demanding environmentally sustainable solutions.”

Enhancing circularity

The trial will provide information on packaging performance, product quality, consumer response, and supply chain integration. According to the companies, a successful outcome could support a national rollout, “increasing the presence of cardboard packaging alternatives in the fresh produce industry.” 

Brooke Donnelly, general manager sustainability at Coles, comments: “We know Perino tomatoes are a household favorite for many of our customers, and this trial is a meaningful step in reducing plastic in our stores while ensuring our customers who love to eat Perino tomatoes can still enjoy them at the highest quality.” 

David Pointer, general manager, corporate business at Opal, adds: “By applying our packaging expertise, we’ve delivered a recyclable cardboard solution that is lightweight yet robust to protect fresh produce through supply chains. The punnet maintains product freshness and quality, and it’s an example of a clever collaboration that reduces the use of plastic.” 

In recent news, Mondi partnered with Özler Tarım, a Turkish fresh fruit and vegetable exporter, to co-create a fully recyclable corrugated packaging solution. The packaging is said to provide protection for food products and reduce waste.

Earlier this year, DS Smith teamed up with Priméale, a subsidiary of the agriculture and food group Agrial, to develop a plastic-free, fiber-based punnet for Priméale’s Vegetable Kit Range. The punnets are said to be recyclable and designed to protect products during transportation and on supermarket shelves.