2-Ply Bulk Packaging Solution for the Tomato Industry

Situation Analysis

Scholle Packaging supplies over a million bags to tomato processors in California each year. The bags are used to transport thousands of tons of processed tomatoes that are distributed across the United States in a paste or diced form to be used for products such as ketchup and salsa.

After the tomatoes have been transported and emptied, the bags are generally discarded. As most of the bags used within this industry are sent to landfills, Scholle saw the need and responsibility to reduce its packaging waste. By doing so, we’ve also reduced the carbon footprint of our tomato packaging.

Our Strategy

The previous 3-ply bags were analyzed and it was determined that a layer could be eliminated entirely. The resulting 2-ply structure, with its increased barrier properties, ensures product stability while in transit, as well as sterility throughout the supply chain.

By redeveloping bags supplied to tomato growers in California, we were able to reduce the amount of materials used, and in turn, reduce the environmental impact of waste products.

Results

Benefits of the new 2-ply bag:

• Limits the amount of plastic waste that may be passed into landfills.
• Reduces fuel emissions by cutting down on the number of deliveries per customer.
• Increases the number of bags that can be shipped to customers from a Scholle facility.
• The new bag’s corner design improves filling accuracy, resulting in fewer short-fills.
• Increased machine durability due to reduced back pressure during filling.

After developing the new bag, customers responded by demanding over 400,000 bags. By reducing the plastic used in each bag by over 25%, Scholle prevents nearly 900,000 lbs of CO2 per year from being released into the Earth’s atmosphere.* This amount of carbon dioxide is equivalent to over 560 round trip flights from LA to NYC.**

Sources Used:
*Information obtained from Plastics Europe Eco-Profile
**Flight information is an average from 5 major airlines using the Carbon Footprint Calculator from Terrapass.com.