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    • 2019-04-05 PCA Employee Provides Assistance to Guatemalan Town
    • 2019-05-15 PCA Plant Hosts Local First Grade Class
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    • 2019-09-19 PCA Ashland Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary
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    • 2019-12-12 PCA Participates in Recruiting Event at Community College
    • 2020-1-20 PCA Named One of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek
    • 2022-06-01 PCA Designers Collaborate with NC State to Design Award-Winning Exhibit
    • 2020-5-8 PCA Morganton Supports Local Food Drives
  • Contact Us
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        • Center Special Slotted Container (CSSC)
        • Snap or 1-2-3-Bottom Container (ALB)
        • Integral Divider Container
        • Telescopic Boxes (Design Style Trays, Infold Trays and Outfold Trays)
        • Double-Cover Container
        • Interlocking Double-Cover Container
        • Folders
        • Wraparound Blank
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    • Garland Full-Line Plant
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    • Chicago Full-Line Plant
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    • Farmville Hexacomb® Plant
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    • North Haven Hexacomb® Plant
    • Santa Fe Springs Hexacomb® Plant
    • Waco Sheet Feeder
    • Buffalo Grove Hexacomb Design Center
    • Boise Administrative Offices
    • Mooresville Creative Design Center
    • San Bernardino Sheet Plant
    • Miami Full-Line Plant
    • New Oxford Full-Line Plant
    • Valley Forge Sheet Plant
    • Gallatin Sheet Plant
    • Tampa Sheet Plant
    • Fair Lawn Creative Design Center
    • New Oxford Specialty Full-Line Plant
    • Providence Creative Design Center
    • Atlanta Fulfillment Center
    • Hanover Fulfillment Center
    • Columbus Full-Line Plant
    • Ashland Fulfillment Center
    • McClellan Full-Line Plant
    • Kingsburg Full-Line Plant
    • Waco Sheet Plant
    • Carrollton Sheet Plant
    • Hershey Creative Design Center
    • Marshfield Full-Line Plant
    • Richland Full-Line Plant
    • Harrisonburg Fulfillment Center
    • Jackson Containerboard Mill
    • Grand Rapids Full-Line Plant
  • Sustainability
    • Managed Forestry
    • Continuous Recycling
    • Renewable Resources
    • Responsible Business Practices
    • PCA Responsibility Report
  • Beyond the Box
    • Life Cycle of a Corrugated Box
    • The Myth of 100% Recycled Content
    • Profiles With a Purpose
    • What Goes in a Box?
    • What Impacts Box Performance?
    • Getting the Good Message Out
    • More Than Ink on Paper
    • Do You Speak Corrugated?
    • How Containerboard Is Made
    • How Corrugated Boxes Are Made
  • Industry Insights
    • Auto Parts
    • Snack Food Trends 2021
    • E-Commerce Pkg
    • New to E-Commerce
    • Sustainable Produce Packaging
    • Humidity and Temperature
    • New Shopping Behaviors Impact 2022 Retail Trends
    • 7 Retail Display Styles Companies Rely On
    • Retail Displays and Connected Experiences Meet Consumer Expectations
    • Corrugated Packaging’s Environmental Sustainability
    • Manufacturing Trends 2022: Technology and Managing Uncertainty
    • Auto Parts Testimonial
    • Lower Shipping Costs
    • Floral Packaging
    • Put PCA's Expertise to Work
    • Snaxpo 2019 Takeaways
    • Bakery Packaging
    • GFSI
    • Recycling
    • Heavyweight Packaging
    • TFB Success Story
    • Find the Right Packaging Vendor
    • Package Design Testing
  • Our Company
    • The PCA Advantage
    • Senior Management Team
      • Mark W. Kowlzan
      • Thomas A. Hassfurther
      • Robert P. Mundy
      • Pamela A. Barnes
      • Charles J. Carter
      • Jeff S. Kaser
      • Darla J. Olivier
      • Kent A. Pflederer
      • Bruce A. Ridley
      • Robert A. Schneider
      • D. Ray Shirley
    • Community Outreach
    • History
      • History (1990-1999)
      • History (1867-1970)
  • Investor Relations
    • Senior Management Team
      • Mark W. Kowlzan
      • Thomas A. Hassfurther
      • Robert P. Mundy
      • Pamela A. Barnes
      • Charles J. Carter
      • Jeff S. Kaser
      • Darla J. Olivier
      • Kent A. Pflederer
      • Bruce A. Ridley
      • Robert A. Schneider
      • D. Ray Shirley
    • Board of Directors
    • Corporate Governance
    • Shareholder Information
    • Stock Information
    • Financial Reports
    • SEC Filings
    • Presentations
    • Calendar of Events
    • News Releases
  • News
    • 2018-3-29 PCA Celebrates Groundbreaking for its New Box Plant
    • 2018-04-20 PCA Supports ICPF Dinner and Teleconference
    • 2018-05-09 PCA Holds Blood Drive at Corporate Offices
    • 2018-06-25 PCA Raises Funds for Children's Hospital After Theft
    • 2018-06-08 PCA Participates in FAME Program
    • 2018-07-05 PCA Helps “Do Lunch” To Benefit Meals on Wheels
    • 2018-07-27 PCA Publishes Its 2017 Responsibility Report
    • 2018-09-10 PCA Corporate Employees Visit Local Grade Schools
    • 2018-10-09 PCA Richmond Supports Area Schools
    • 2018-3-23 PCA DeRidder Mill Announces Scholarships
    • 2018-1-19 PCA Huntsville Gives Back to Its Community
    • 2018-10-29 Mark Kowlzan Named Global Containerboard CEO of the Year
    • 2018-11-13 PCA Employee Coaches Special Olympics Sailors
    • 2018-12-21 PCA Vincennes Helps Families in Need Over Thanksgiving
    • 2020-7-31 PCA Morganton Donates Materials to Local Robotics Program
    • 2020-10-7 PCA Mill Supports Food Needs at Local Community Center
    • 2020-12-1 PCA Tomahawk Named an Educator of the Year by TEAPIE
    • 2021-2-8 PCA’s Benjamin Frank Earns TAPPI’s Gunner Nicholson Gold Medal Award
    • 2021-4-20 COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution: Building a Box to Help Save Lives
    • 2021-8-17 PCA Releases 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report
    • 2021-10-6 PCA Richland Supports Local Fund and Food Drive
    • 2021-12-21 International Falls Mill Provides Year-Long Community Support
    • 2022-01-03 PCA Named One of the Worlds Best Employers by Forbes Magazine
    • 2020-6-11 PCA Atlanta Partners With Hosea Helps
    • 2020-4-13 PCA Employee Helps Neighborhoods Hit by Tornado
    • 2019-01-29 PCA Supports the Arts
    • 2019-03-14 Six PCA Plants Raise Funds to Benefit Toys for Tots
    • 2019-04-05 PCA Employee Provides Assistance to Guatemalan Town
    • 2019-05-15 PCA Plant Hosts Local First Grade Class
    • 2019-07-09 PCA Continues Partnership with the Red Cross
    • 2019-09-19 PCA Ashland Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary
    • 2019-10-25 PCA Employees Participate in Haitian Orphanage Projects
    • 2019-12-12 PCA Participates in Recruiting Event at Community College
    • 2020-1-20 PCA Named One of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek
    • 2022-06-01 PCA Designers Collaborate with NC State to Design Award-Winning Exhibit
    • 2020-5-8 PCA Morganton Supports Local Food Drives
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Sustainable Produce Packaging Rooted in Corrugated Solutions

5/20/2021

Across the produce industry — from growers and distributors to your nearest grocery store and wholesale warehouse — the need to answer consumer demand and meet state regulations to reduce, reuse and recycle is at an inflection point.

Demand for increased recycled content and recyclable materials in fresh produce packaging has increased in the past few years. There is also a growing consumer awareness of the recycling practices of companies involved in produce packaging and production. The corrugated industry is addressing this issue with sustainable produce containers that make the journey directly from the field to in-store displays and, very soon, right into your kitchen.

Produce Relies on Packaging Innovation

Fresh produce is a significant part of PCA’s corrugated business. Our Winter Haven, Florida, plant dedicates a large amount of its manufacturing capacity to produce packaging, primarily fresh fruits. Across the country at the Wallula and Richland, Washington, manufacturing facilities, roughly a million corrugated produce boxes are manufactured daily for apples, blueberries, cherries, pears, potatoes, onions and other fruits and vegetables.

“What we’re seeing in the last year or two is a huge focus on sustainable produce packaging,” says PCA Wallula/Richland General Manager Jeff Greene. “It’s the biggest change I have seen in all my years, and it is affecting our business and the environment in a very good way.”

Greene and the Wallula team work with growers, packers and retailers to develop more sustainable produce packaging using corrugated materials. This fall, a major retailer is introducing new corrugated apple containers developed and manufactured by PCA.

Coatings Improve Durability and Sustainability

Moisture is one of the biggest challenges for corrugated produce packaging, because moisture can cause it to break down. Corrugated produce containers often need to be coated so that they don’t take on moisture at any point during harvest, refrigeration or transport to retail.

Historically, wax coatings have been used for corrugated produce packaging, but wax-coated containers cannot be recycled. To meet our goal of providing sustainable produce packaging, PCA has introduced new coatings to deliver the most recyclable materials available to the produce industry.

According to David Allie of PCA’s Winter Haven plant, “Our waterproof and water-resistant coatings and adhesives also help enhance the box structure. Additionally, we offer a product called PowerPly®, where we use a laminated double layer of material to make the squiggly part of the box. This helps keep the strongest part of the box from breaking down if it gets moist.”

Allie says the key to making corrugated the best choice for produce packaging is making sure boxes remain printable, glueable and recyclable.

Our Signature Produce Containers

PCA has two trademarked containers specifically designed for transporting fruits and vegetables:

  • BulkMaster™: collapsible one-piece containers used primarily for watermelons and pumpkins.
  • Field-to-Retail (F2R): a family of common footprint container designs made for efficient loading, handling, storage and shipment of produce on standardized pallets.

PCA specializes in creating custom produce packaging to meet all needs and budgets, and many customers appreciate that corrugated produce packaging delivers something other materials can’t — a blank canvas for more printed brand messaging.

In some markets, we also help produce growers and distributors become more efficient by installing and servicing box-erecting equipment onsite. “We train their operators and mechanics to run the equipment so they can utilize box designs that are more cost-effective and are easily integrated into their automated packaging systems,” Greene says.

Sustainable packaging solutions are also needed beyond the produce industry. Sixteen states have introduced regulations for reducing packaging material and setting more stringent recycling standards, and more states have similar legislation in motion. PCA’s ongoing innovation and commitment to sustainable packaging help customers meet stricter government standards and rising consumer expectations.

Learn more about other topics in food packaging.

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