Overseas firm partners with US farmers to create plastic-free food packaging: 'The stars aligned'

Scotland-based CelluComp is expanding its eco-friendly packaging operations into the U.S., partnering with Minnesota farmers to create its first commercial-scale facility.

The Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative will help provide CelluComp's new Renville, Minnesota, facility with 7,000 tons of sugar beet pulp as a raw material to create plastic-free packaging, according to local news outlet WJON. 

Curran is the company's bio-based technology platform that uses cellulose from root vegetable pulp and other materials to create more sustainable, biodegradable containers across the food and personal care industry. 

The name Curran is the Gaelic word for carrot, which is the first root vegetable that the company's founders used to create their patented Microfibrillated Cellulose material. 

This fiber-based alternative can help reduce the use of plastics and forever chemicals — also known as PFAS — frequently used for these products, while converting waste streams into valuable resources.

"Following years of research and planning around the globe, we landed on Minnesota and the community of Renville as the key to our future in providing the world with a proven PFAS-free fiber-based barrier packaging solution," said Christian Kemp-Griffin, CEO of CelluComp, in a report by Packworld. 

"The stars aligned in West Central Minnesota with a supportive business climate, eagerness for more bio industry innovation, support from the local farming community and access to hundreds of thousands of acres of sugar beet pulp," Kemp-Griffin added. 

The world generates around 440 million tons of plastic waste each year, and of the cumulative 7.7 billion tons produced to date, only around 10% have been recycled. Of this, about 50% are single-use items that are disposed of quickly, with the majority being made through dirty fuel feedstocks. 

It's important to support more eco-friendly initiatives to reduce harmful waste that pollutes our environment and our bodies. 

CelluComp aims to produce 800 tons of Curran from the initial raw materials, and scale that up to convert 24,000 tons of sugar beet pulp into 2,800 dry tons of the product next year. Byproducts from that process will then be applied to making all-natural animal feed, fertilizer, and biogas energy, as WJON detailed. 

When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks 😍 The information it provides 🧐 The waste it produces 🗑️ I don't think about packaging at all 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

This endeavor will also have positive repercussions on the local workforce and economy, helping to further promote sustainable practices. 

"Having a global business like CelluComp expand in Renville is a huge win for our community," David Van Hove, Jr., mayor of Renville, Minnesota, told the outlet. 

"We welcome creative businesses like this that see the potential of what rural Minnesota can provide and we celebrate the infusion of jobs and productivity they deliver while making a positive environmental impact."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.