Waddington Europe eliminates bubble padding in soft-fruit container with cushion technology

13 Oct 2021 --- Waddington Europe, a Novolex division, is launching a soft-fruit container with cushion technology, eliminating the need for extra bubble padding while reducing plastic.

The 100% mono-material, protective punnet uses the company’s revolutionary MonoAir cushion technology.

Traditionally, punnet bases have required an additional layer of bubble padding attached with a glue adhesive to protect soft fruit from bruising and spoiling in transit. However, the padding must be removed from the container to be recycled appropriately.

“The MonoAir cushion is now integrated into the base of Waddington Europe’s 100% recycled PET (rPET) punnets, eliminating the need for a separate bubble pad,” explains Eduardo Gomes, managing director of Waddington Europe.

“[This solution] conserves resources without compromising on the high standards of product protection and quality our customers have come to expect from Waddington Europe.” 

“We also took the opportunity to redesign and downgauge the punnets, so they now contain 30% less plastic than before while still maintaining their excellent structural integrity.”

Enhanced recyclability
MonoAir cushion technology allows consumers to simply throw the whole punnet into their recycling bin without needing to separate the bubble padding first.

Waddington Europe has trialed the punnets with two of its largest soft-fruit customers. The MonoAir cushion punnets are now available to order for the 2022 soft-fruit season.

In September, the European thermoforming packaging specialist partnered with Shabra, a leading Irish recycler and reprocessor of post-consumer waste, to secure a long-term supply of food-grade rPET.

Waddington Europe also augmented its TamperVisible range of protective packaging to include a high-clarity recycled rPET Hot Fill option for soups and sauces earlier in the year.

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

Edited by Joshua Poole