Life Cycle Analysis Confirms Sustainability of the
Spot-Pak® Secondary Packages

When used to ship containers of buttery spread, Spot-Pak® systems have significantly less environmental impact than conventional RSC packages.

Anyone committed to environmental “sustainability” strives to meet the needs of the present generation without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In the packaging industry, the increased interest in sustainability led to the formation of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a working group that developed a list of key attributes of environmentally friendly packaging. These include packaging designs that make optimal use of both materials and energy.

However, in addition to achieving new sustainability goals in terms of materials and energy, a secondary package must still be able to do the old job of adequately protecting enclosed products during shipping and handling. Moreover, a “green” package is not exempt from budgetary requirements, so it must be cost-effective in order to be a viable packaging option.

To show how processed food manufacturers and distributors can effectively package their products while meeting sustainability and cost criteria, this paper will examine the use of the Spot-Pak® package, a unique “pad shrink” system for secondary packaging. The paper details the advantages of this system when compared to a traditional regular slotted container (RSC). Claims in the paper are based on an independent study of both systems when used for secondary packaging of tapered cup containers of buttery spread...