Columbia, South Carolina. December 29, 2015 – Interstate Container, creator of Greencoat® wax-free produce boxes, will introduce how to transition – one phase at a time – away from wax boxes at Booth #437 / 439 during SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference 2016 at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center in Georgia on January 7-10. Currently, Interstate Container produces and ships over 5 million sustainable boxes every month from plants in Columbia, SC and Cambridge, MD.
The Sustainable Packaging Movement
With supermarket chains, foodservice distributors, and restaurant chains mandating the transition to wax-free packaging, Interstate Container works Hand-in-Hand with growers and packers to shift to wax-free coated corrugated boxes. Corrugated boxes in the U.S. are the most recyclable packaging material, currently at a rate of 90%, with retailers leading the way [1].
Greencoat Benefits Fresh Produce Industry
Greencoat offers growers and packers a water-repellent box that holds up during shipment and is more cost-efficient and recyclable than a wax-cascaded box. Undergoing continuous trials with Global Green USA, Greencoat is a proven replacement for wax boxes in the fresh produce industry.
Previously, fresh produce customers used to pay wax disposal fees of up to $70 per ton. With Greencoat, however, national supermarket chains and restaurant chains can eliminate this unnecessary cost, instead generating up to $80 per ton when recycled.
Eco-Friendly Fresh Produce Supply Chain
By transitioning to Greencoat, fresh produce growers and packers can drastically reduce the current unrecyclable solid waste generated from paraffin-coated cardboard, which stands at a high of 1.45 million tons according to Global Green USA Coalition for Resource Recovery (CoRR) [2].
Greencoat boxes are FBA-certified 100% recyclable and repulpable. Recycling 100 tons of Greencoat boxes saves 1,527 million BTUs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 312 tons of MTCO2E and 85 tons of MTCE.
About Interstate Container
Interstate Container combines local presence with global experience as a division of Interstate Resources, Inc., employing over 1500 people in the US, and a member of the multinational INDEVCO Group. The company’s reach spans the Eastern and Southern US with 12 manufacturing plants and 7 warehouses located in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, East and South regions.
References:
[1] www.thecorr.org/GGUSA_RecyclableSeafoodBoxPilot_PressRelease.pdf
[2] http://supermarketnews.com/sustainability/corrugated-remains-most-recycled-packaging-material
Contact Info
Jeff Cormier, National Sales & Marketing Manager
Interstate Container
128 Crews Drive
Columbia, SC 2921
Tel: 410-221-1508
Email: Jeff.Cormier@interstatecontainer.com
Website: www.interstatecontainer.com; www.greencoat.net