An East Coast seafood giant turned to the Land Down Under to up its packaging game.
North Coast Seafoods and Disruptive Packaging partnered to come up with fully recyclable and reusable packaging, an industry "first" in the United States, according to a news release published by Perishable News.
The outlet said the Boston-based sustainable seafood importer, processor, and supplier had spent 10 years in search of sturdy, leakproof, cold-hardy recyclable packaging. The company is in the process of ditching its old packaging for the new, which will take months.
The product, called Unicor, can be continuously recycled without losing quality, which is what prevents most plastics from being sustainable — they lose quality each time they're melted down and remade, so that process happens only once or twice, according to the U.N. Development Programme.
As the statement detailed, it's 70% calcium carbonate — which is an insoluble solid found that makes up or helps make up mollusk shells, limestone, and other natural substances — and 20-30% high-density polyethylene. In addition to the aforementioned qualities, it is waterproof and airline-approved.
Disruptive Packaging calls Unicor "a direct replacement of conventional waxed cardboard and polystyrene packaging."
Maybe most importantly, it doesn't chip or flake, which means it shouldn't release microplastics into the environment. The particles have been found from the depths of the ocean to the world's tallest peak. They haven't been definitively linked to harmful health outcomes, but alarms are blaring about cancer, fertility problems, and other chilling risks, so we must do all that we can to cut our reliance on plastic.
The release says the packaging partnership will save the family-owned North Coast Seafoods and its customers money and that it's a win for the planet as well.
"After years of R&D and search, North Coast Seafoods is thrilled to partner with Disruptive Packaging and introduce Unicor 100% recyclable packaging to our customers," marketing manager Christian L'Heureux said. "As a company with a deeply anchored legacy of sustainability, we continuously seek ways to reduce our environmental impact. With Unicor, we can now offer our customers a sustainable packaging solution without compromising the quality and freshness of our seafood.
"... We're proud to be pioneering this significant advancement in packaging as one of America's first to utilize Unicor."
David Kahn, Disruptive Packaging's marketing director, said: "We aim to leave a legacy of replacing non-recyclable packaging with our revolutionary Unicor packaging. North Coast Seafoods is paving the way as they have for many years. We are thrilled to have them officially join the Disruptive Club."
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