"Breakthrough for the fruit and vegetable sector: affordable and fully compostable trays for fruit and vegetables"

2018, a good time to make sustainable steps in the area of packaging. Excuses like 'too expensive' and 'insufficient supply' are no longer valid. "We are the first in Europe to succeed in making fully compostable dishes and trays for fruit and vegetables on the market," says Maarten Kimman of Biopack packaging from Appingedam. "As far as price is concerned we are 1 on 1 with plastic and have sufficient production capacity. There is a breakthrough coming. We will scale up our capacity very quickly in the coming year."

Biopack packaging currently has a production capacity of 50,000 units per day and in 2 years this should increase tenfold. Biopack packaging has quite a firm basis in the food service with a wide assortment, from cups to meal trays. These are waterproof, grease- proof and can be heated to 180 degrees Celsius. We have developed 9 standard tray and dish products for the fresh produce industry to package small amounts of fruit and vegetables," says Maarten. "For 2, 3 or 4 avocados, pears or apples, for instance. We can also easily make custom made trays if there are enough required."

The recent news that European leaders have reached an agreement to half the amount of food waste by 2050, should be music to Biopack packaging's ears. The cellulose comes from so called recyclable forests and remains available as a raw material in the economy through paper collection. When the fibres can no longer be used, they are 100% compostable. "So it's a very sustainable solution. We are also one of the first in Europe to make this type of packaging material. It's even better than the alternatives that Thailand and China are offering at the moment. They're made from sugar cane and leave a larger footprint behind due to the distance," explains Maarten. 

If the price of packaging is an obstacles, this argument holds no more sway. "The price is at the same level as plastics," Maarten assures. Organic, sustainable and circular, that's what he believes the standard will be in the future. "When I see premium organic products at Ekoplaza in polystyrene, I'm tempted to phone them to tell them it can be done differently."

For more information:

Maarten Kimman

Fivelpoort 1

9902 SR Appingedam

T: +31 (0) 596 201110