Why bakeries are choosing plant-based packaging

Resilience has been the hallmark of evolving consumer lifestyles in an ever-changing world. Today’s consumers crave everyday life made easier as much as they enjoy flavor and variety in their meals and snacks. Forward thinking food producers, retailers and restaurateurs have responded with intuitive technology, customized pick-up and delivery options, planet friendly packaging, and delicious products to enjoy at home and away from home. 

When it comes to sustainable packaging and its social and environmental impact, it’s companies like good natured® who are driving innovation and change in a real way. Offering more than 400 products and services through wholesale, direct to business, and retail channels, good natured® is passionately pursuing its goal of becoming North America's leading earth-friendly product company. From plant-based home organization products to certified compostable food containers, bio-based industrial supplies and medical packaging, the company is focused on making plant-based products more readily accessible to people.

Why are bakeries choosing to take a first step toward renewable resources and away from petroleum-made products? We explore a few of the key reasons below.

Consumer Demand

Without question, sustainability is influencing the type of packaging that are most in demand for retail bakeries.

good natured® recently took a deep dive into how consumer preferences are shaping the industry through their Ready-to-Eat Report, which talks about how convenience eating trends are here to stay. In the Report they found that 77% of consumers said that eco-friendly food packaging is important to them and that they usually look at a product’s packaging when shopping.

“We often reference the trajectory of the car industry. For years, electric vehicles were at the cutting edge and not in wide distribution. However, as infrastructure and awareness has grown, the tipping point after which electric vehicles will become the norm rather than the exception is now visible on the horizon. The signals are there that the plant-based packaging industry is set to evolve in a very similar way,” explains Paul Antoniadis, CEO of good natured®. 

“With that said, sustainable packaging is now becoming a requirement due to consumer demand rather than a value add for most businesses. Whether a business is starting a packaging review because of a newly implemented packaging regulation in their region, retail requirement or new product launch, chances are sustainable packaging would be a very high priority when choosing a new packaging option.”

Compliance

According to good natured’s Ready-to-Eat Report, it was found that 77% of respondents say that eco-friendly packaging is important to them and nearly half feel that it’s a business’s responsibility to provide sustainable packaging.

Take California for example, their statewide single-use plastic legislation requires that at least 30% of plastic items sold or bought in California are recyclable by 2028, and additionally, by 2032, 65% of all plastic items sold or distributed in California must be recyclable or compostable. These requirements encourage companies and manufacturers to reassess their current plastic packaging and explore more sustainable packaging options that need to be compliant with the regulation.

Whether biodegradability or curbside recyclability is the best end-of-life option for your packaging, the goal of good natured® is to make it easy and affordable for businesses to switch to renewable, plant-based materials and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels so they can make their own positive environmental impact.

“Achieving this means we strive to go beyond earth-friendly material choice, and offer thoughtful and unique packaging designs with filling, transportation, storage and shelf space in mind since all of these elements can play a role in maximizing the positive environmental impact that can be achieved through updated packaging,” Antoniadis acknowledges. 

“We also optimize our packaging to address key food preservation concerns, like food freshness, security and hygiene, by incorporating packaging features like leak-resistant perimeter seals, resealable button snaps and/or crush-resistant durability, secure stacking capabilities or precision fits to maintain the integrity of the food inside, for longer, to help cut down on food waste.”

Design Innovation

According to good natured®, sometimes there’s not an off-the-shelf solution that meets the needs of a business looking to make the switch to plant-based packaging, so the company offers custom-made packaging to help create the perfect packaging fit and function for their product.

good natured® offers two sustainable material choices: PLA (Polylactic acid) and Bio-PET, both of which contain plant-based materials, but offer different end-of-life options. Its food packaging products are free from chemicals of concern (as per California’s Proposition 65) like BPAs, phthalates and phytoestrogens. Therefore, there is no leaching of these harmful chemicals into the contents of the container.

The company has witnessed increased interest for tamper-evident packaging options. Its new tamper-evident multi-purpose GoodGuard™ containers are very popular for retail bakers who value food security and freshness, while also wanting to establish trust with their customers.

“We also incorporate several benefits into the way we’ve designed our packaging including features like stackability, food visibility, crush resistance, tamper-evident locking tabs, freezer friendly, and microwave friendly in some cases. These features support a wide range of bakery goods from muffins, pies, and macaroons to savory pastries,” Antoniadis illustrates.

A wide variety of muffin and cupcake packaging, from single to 12-count storing quantities, are designed to fit your perfectly decorated goods just right, and display them the way they deserve. They are equipped with crystal clear walls, perfect-fit compartments, and snug-fit tabs for less movement during transport and optimal merchandising.

good natured® also offers items that fit bite-sized treats perfectly, like 6 and 12-pack macaron and treat packages that have been extremely popular with our macaron producers. Baked goods sit in individual compartments that are secure and displayed clearly without compromising their integrity or presentation.

Overall, when designing bakery packaging, good natured® points out that its biggest priorities are to ensure baked goods stay fresh, secure, safe, protected, and visible, while also being earth friendly.