As California reexamines the implementation of SB 54 and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging, Gem-Pack Berries on January 22, 2026 publicly declared a Full Cycle Framework designed specifically to address agricultural packaging end-of-life, one of the most difficult unresolved areas under current policy.
The declaration took place at LA BioSpace at California State University, Los Angeles, bringing together agriculture, academia, policy expertise, and international technology partners to demonstrate a system already operating in real agricultural conditions.
© Gem-Pack BerriesEtchandy speaking at the event.
Agricultural packaging remains uniquely challenging under SB 54. Plastic is essential for food safety, shelf life, and logistics, yet recovery, verification, and end-of-life accountability have historically been fragmented or unavailable in agricultural environments. The Full Cycle Framework responds by designing responsibility across the entire lifecycle of packaging, starting in the field rather than at disposal.
Gem-Pack, a significant agricultural packaging user, initiated the framework based on a clear operational requirement: sustainability solutions must function in real farming operations without disrupting productivity, food safety, or logistics.
Madu Etchandy, SVP of Operations, at Gem-Pack, emphasized that agriculture cannot afford
abstract solutions.
"In agriculture, packaging is used every day, under pressure, at scale. If something slows operations or introduces uncertainty, it simply does not work," said Etchandy. "This framework matters because it was built to operate in the field, not just look good on paper."
By anchoring the framework in agriculture, Gem-Pack positioned farming operations as the
proof environment where EPR accountability must survive real-world conditions.
The Full Cycle Framework connects five distinct roles into a single operating system:
- Gem-Pack Berries serves as the agricultural proof environment where packaging is used, recovered, and validated in real operations.
- Reborn Materials acts as the system integrator, designing how responsibility moves from use through recovery, verification, and end-of-life without breaking.
- ZYEN Biotech (KUBU), a Korean enzyme technology company led by Professor Kyung Jin Kim of Kyungpook National University, provides controlled enzymatic pathways for plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled.
- QNA Technology, a publicly listed Polish company, supplies quantum-dot based material authentication, enabling verifiable tracking and auditability under EPR
- GGenTec, a Korean waste-to-value company, delivers low-temperature end-of-life infrastructure that converts non-recyclable plastics into energy and feedstock rather than landfill
© Gem-Pack Berries
The declaration took place at LA BioSpace at California State University, Los Angeles
Together, the framework ensures recyclable plastics are recycled, non-recyclable plastics are converted into value, and remaining materials are tracked and managed through verified end-of life pathways.
The enzymatic component of the framework is based on research led by Professor Kim and his team at Kyungpook National University. Their PET depolymerase enzyme, known as KUBU, has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Science, validating its performance under controlled laboratory conditions.
Within the Full Cycle Framework, enzyme technology moves beyond academic validation into an operational system, where timing, material flows, and downstream handling are engineered together rather than assumed.
Professor Kim emphasized that enzyme performance alone is not enough. "The question is not whether an enzyme works in isolation. The question is whether it works as part of a system where responsibility is carried from use through end-of life," said Professor Kim.
Verification is provided by QNA Technology, whose quantum dot materials act as invisible digital fingerprints embedded in plastic. These markers allow scientific verification of material identity and handling, moving accountability from self-reporting to evidence, a key requirement for enforceable EPR.
© Gem-Pack BerriesGem-Pack's display.
End-of-life capacity is provided by GGenTec, whose low-temperature waste-to-value process stabilizes operations at scale and prevents the accumulation and leakage that often undermine recycling-only systems.
The declaration included participation from Davina Hurt, California Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment and a former local government leader. Hurt examined the framework through the lens of governance, enforceability, and public trust.
She noted that environmental policy often fails not because goals are unclear, but because
execution systems are missing.
"Policy creates intent. Accountability requires infrastructure. Agriculture is where that distinction becomes unavoidable," said Hurt.
Her participation underscored that the Full Cycle Framework was evaluated not as a marketing initiative, but as a structure intended to withstand regulatory scrutiny.
As California revisits SB 54 timelines, compliance pathways, and enforcement realities, agricultural packaging remains a critical unresolved category. The Full Cycle Framework offers a working reference model grounded in real operations, verified data, and durable end-of-life capacity.
Rather than attempting to eliminate plastic by mandate, the framework focuses on finishing
plastic responsibly, ensuring accountability does not disappear once packaging leaves the
field.
Because it is already operating in agriculture, the Full Cycle Framework merits attention from
regulators, industry, and consumers alike as California moves toward executable EPR
solutions
For more information:
Jason Kang
Reborn Materials, Inc.
https://rebornmaterial.com/
Michelle Deleissegues
Gem-Pack Berries, LLC.
https://www.gem-packberries.com/
