Our new sustainable packaging
Coaldale Walnuts is excited to introduce our new sustainable packaging for our walnut kernel pouches! Sustainability is at the core of everything we do, so we’ve worked hard to make significant improvements in key areas of our packaging process. At the same time, we’ve ensured that the premium quality you love remains unchanged. We’re proud of these changes, and we’re excited to share them with you. Here’s a closer look at the important updates we’ve made:
Carbon footprint
Different materials and supply chains contribute varying levels of carbon emissions impact. By selecting materials with a lower overall carbon footprint, we have been able to significantly reduce carbon emissions across both production and delivery.
Recycled materials
Our new packaging features a high percentage of recycled content, with up to 85% made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. Certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), this ensures that our packaging is not only of the highest quality but also contributes positively to the broader recycling economy.
By choosing materials sourced from post-consumer waste and designed for re-entry into the production cycle, we significantly reduce our reliance on virgin fossil fuels.
Recyclable plastics
Although we recognise soft plastics recycling options are limited right now, it was still important to us to use a material that can be easily recycled when more options do become availabel again. Using recyclable plastics in our packaging is a key step in driving demand for better recycling systems and infrastructure. Although the recyclability of plastic varies by material, when processed correctly, plastics can be recycled multiple times without losing their performance.
Non-toxic inks
Some inks can generate excess waste and pose environmental risks, especially if they end up in the environment. Certain inks can leach harmful chemicals, impacting ecosystems.
To address this, we’ve chosen water-based and biobased inks which eliminate the need for harmful solvents, reducing both toxic printing and carbon emissions.
Food quality
When it comes to food packaging, preserving freshness is essential. Our new packaging is certified for food contact, designed to be resealable, and features a high barrier to both oxygen and moisture. This guarantees several key benefits:
- Helps to keep the walnut kernel fresh
- Reduces food waste
- Convenience for the consumer.
Food waste is arguably a bigger environmental problem than plastic waste, so the most important factor for us was a packaging option that would keep food fresh and reduce food wastage.
Why not compostable packaging?
We searched long and hard for a compostable packaging option and in the end it just wasn’t viable as the packaging itself has a limited shelf life and we wouldn’t be able to use the minimum order quantity before the packaging expired.
Our packaging consultant also provided some crucial information around the excessive carbon footprint and fossil fuel usage in the production of many compostable materials, which demonstrated that even though putting packaging in the compost can make us feel better as consumers, we’re not actually seeing the impact of the whole process.
We’re confident that our chosen option of recycled plastic, while perhaps still not perfect, strikes a pretty good balance between reduced production footprint, keeping our walnuts fresh to limit food wastage, and customer convenience.
Learn more about how Coaldale Walnuts grows walnuts sustainably.
