Coveris and UPM Raflatac equip Berry Gardens with CO2-reduced paper promotion labels

24 May 2021 --- Berry Gardens, the UK’s largest co-operative of berry growers, is partnering with Coveris and UPM Raflatac to deliver an environmentally superior material and recycling strategy for its promotional labels.

The new labels utilize UPM Raflatac Rafnxt+ – the “world’s first” label material verified by the Carbon Trust – to help mitigate climate change through reduced carbon emissions and “forests’ increased capacity to remove carbon.”

The labels feature on Berry Gardens’ own-label punnets and Berry Collective branded punnets across the producer’s UK supply base.

The sustainably sourced and more resource-efficient paper label material performs equivalently well within cold and moist conditions, the partners note.

As a grower-owned co-operative, all packaging suppliers used by growers are approved centrally, meaning all Berry Gardens’ grower-members will use the new labels on all packed punnets moving forward.

Secondary labeling mechanics
Driven by seasonal supply and demand, the fresh berry sector remains one of the most promoted retail produce categories accounting for around 20 percent of total sales each year.

Speed-to-market volume and price changes rely on secondary labeling mechanics to support promotions, resulting in Berry Gardens labeling around 100 million packs each year across all UK retailers.

The resource-efficient paper label performs equally well within cold and moist conditions.After initially setting out to minimize resources at the material “start of life,” a more circular approach was sought at end-of-life to offset CO2 impact further and ensure a fully sustainable labels process.

Coveris’ award-winning recycling center will work with Berry Gardens to take back its glassine fiber liner waste for recycling via its partnership with RafCycle by UPM Raflatac.

The recycling center is responsible for removing over 10,000 tons of manufacturing and customer by-product waste each year.

Energy and carbon savings
The new material switch, in combination with the closed-loop liner recycling, will deliver a 32 percent energy saving, reduce water consumption by 16,000 liters and support a 9 percent CO2e reduction.

“Using Rafnxt+ labels helps us source sustainably by reducing carbon and water levels in production,” explains Siobhan Parks, Berry Gardens’ head of packaging.

“The backing paper from our labels is also collected, and then this recycled fiber is reused in UPM Raflatac’s Honey Glassine PCR-FSC liners.”

“This is just one example of how we are leading the way in packaging for the UK soft fruit sector by creating stable end markets for recycled content in packaging.”

Berry Gardens and Coveris also teamed up to launch a recycled food safe-lidding film containing over 30 percent post-consumer recyclate.

PackagingInsights recently explored the fruit and veg sector’s key themes with leading packaging suppliers DS Smith, Smurfit Kappa, Sealpac, Mondi, and edible coating specialist Sufresca.

Edited by Joshua Poole