Waddington Europe Offers New Punnet That’s Easier to Recycle, Uses Less Plastic

Leading European thermoforming packaging specialist Waddington® Europe, a division of Novolex®, has launched a new 100 percent mono-material protective soft-fruit punnet thanks to the company’s revolutionary MONOAIR™ cushion technology.

Traditionally, punnet bases have required an additional layer of bubble padding attached with a glue adhesive to protect soft fruit from bruising and spoiling in transit. However, the padding must be removed from the container to be properly recycled.

“The MONOAIR cushion is now integrated into the base of Waddington’s 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) punnets, eliminating the need for a separate bubble pad,” said Eduardo Gomes, managing director, Waddington Europe. “That conserves resources without compromising on the high standards of product protection and quality that our customers have come to expect from Waddington Europe.”

“We also took the opportunity to redesign and downgauge the punnets so that they now contain 30 percent less plastic than before while still maintaining their excellent structural integrity,” added Gomes.

MONOAIR cushion technology could make life easier for consumers, who could simply throw the whole punnet into their recycling bin without having to worry about separating the bubble padding first. That gives them peace of mind knowing that not only is there less plastic in the punnet, but that 100 percent of the container can be recycled back into food-grade packaging rPET.

Having undergone successful trials with two of Waddington Europe’s largest soft-fruit customers, the MONOAIR™ cushion punnets are now available to order for the 2022 soft-fruit season.

For more information, visit https://www.waddingtoneurope.com.