More and more consumers are becoming aware of the impact that human beings have on the environment. Materials such as plastic, used for the packaging of a lot of fresh food, including fruits and vegetables, have been put in the spotlight. In the organic citrus sector, a Malaga-based company will become the first to reduce the use of plastic in its packaging by 100%, and by around 50% in other applications.
"We are starting the 2019-20 organic citrus campaign with the use of fully compostable and biodegradable packaging as part of our plan to reduce our carbon footprint by 80% before the end of 2020," explains Pablo Teutsch, Commercial Director of LucecoFruits. "We decided that we should be consistent with our philosophy, so we will no longer market organic fruit in plastic packaging."
The organic citrus fruits from this Malaga-based company will be packed in Flow Pack and fully compostable and biodegradable meshes (girsacks). This applies also to all the labeling. It will hardly differ in appearance from conventional plastic, but the materials they will now use are made from potato starch and corn starch.
“Large distributors no longer have any excuses. They should comply with consumer demands from now on. In addition, this packaging material is more resistant during handling; thereby, it protects food better and it's also better at insulating aromas, oils and fats, etc. This change entails nothing but advantages and zero inconveniences, with the exception of the price, which is somewhat higher for now. However, our clients have nothing to worry about, since we will cover that extra cost as part of the commitment we have adopted,” says Pablo Teutsch.
“The reality is that I believe we are late in doing something about climate change, but we hope that after taking this step, many other companies will follow the lead and copy us, so that we can soon see a sector without plastic,” he said.
LucecoFruits was one of the first Spanish citrus companies to be certified for organic production and marketing. The main products that this company works with are lemons, clementines, oranges and grapefruit, although in recent years it has also been selling organic mangoes and avocados.
The production is devoted entirely to export markets in Europe, since organic products without post-harvest treatments shouldn't be shipped too far. "This is the first year in which we may export by plane to Qatar. There is demand from this Arab country and we are studying the possibility of exporting lemons, oranges and clementines there."
For more information:
Pablo Teutsch
LucecoFruits, SL.
M:+34 606905162
comercial@lucecofruits.com
lucecofruits.com