Bring your sustainable packaging concept to life

We take sustainability seriously. Only by making responsible choices can we guarantee our planet’s resources can sustain generations to come.

If you have a sustainable packaging concept in mind, let us know and we’ll discuss how we can make it a reality.

Designing for recyclability

For brands that require recyclable packaging, we have mono-material, all-PE packaging products suitable for store drop-off programs.

Post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials

For brands wanting to source recycled materials, we offer PET with up to 90% post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin and PE with up to 44% post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin.

Renewable resources

Flexible packaging can be made with plant-based PE resin and/or paper.

Biodegradable/compostable

For brands that want industrially compostable packaging, we offer flexible packaging made with polylactic acid (PLA) film.

Source reduction

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers source reduction the most environmentally preferred strategy.

According to the EPA, lightweighting of packaging is an example of source reduction, and source reduction can:

  • Save natural resources
  • Conserve energy
  • Reduce pollution
  • Reduce the toxicity of our waste
  • Save money for consumers and businesses alike

C-P GreenStream™ sustainable packaging solutions

Our new C-P GreenStream™ line of flexible packaging is designed for sustainability utilizing post-consumer recycled content, recyclable materials, compostable materials, downgauged materials, and/or materials derived from renewable resources.

The environmental impact of flexible packaging

Flexible packaging isn’t just a high-performance, high-impact packaging option. It’s a responsible one.

A much smaller carbon footprint

Flexible packaging has been shown to emit less carbon dioxide throughout its lifecycle than rigid glass, plastic, or aluminum containers — even when the differing recyclability of the packaging formats are taken into account.

Lighter packaging means less fuel and lower transportation costs

If you needed to package 60 pounds of liquid, you could use 50 pounds of glass containers. Or you could use just 1.5 pounds of flexible packaging rollstock — a 97% reduction in packaging weight. Delivering the flexible packaging to your facility would require far fewer trucks, far less fuel, and, ultimately, do far less damage to the environment.

Reducing food waste by extending shelf life

One-third of all food produced is thrown away. Valuable resources are expended to grow, process, and transport food, only for it to land in the trash can. The EPA wants to combat this problem by cutting food waste in half by 2030, and flexible packaging can help. Its high barrier performance can extend shelf life by as much as 90 days.

Our commitment to sustainability

We continually audit our processes, seeking refinements in the areas of facilities management, source reduction, recycling, and conservation to become more sustainable each year.

Solar panels on top of cleanroom facility
C-P’s solar-powered cleanroom facility located in Placentia, CA

Solar-powered manufacturing

Harnessing solar power as a renewable energy source is consistent with our commitment to environmental responsibility. We are on a journey to reducing our impact on the environment.

We have plans to power 50% of our U.S. facilities with solar energy by 2025. In addition to reducing our carbon footprint, utilizing solar power will reduce costs and support C-P’s continued rapid growth.

Learn more about our commitment to solar energy

Internal recycling facilities

We recycle many waste streams at our internal recycling center including 100% of polyethylene (PE) scrap generated from our plants. Our in-house operation recycles over 5.5 million pounds of plastic, paper, corrugated material, cardboard, wood, metal, aluminum, printing ink, and solvent each year.

Internal recycling process at our Lakeville, MN plant.

Learn more about C-P’s internal recycling facilities

In addition to recycling various materials, we’ve reduced natural gas usage by 40%. We’ve also invested in new ink and plate technologies to reduce solvent emissions, and these are only some of the optimizations we’ve undergone in recent years.

Sustainable packaging solutions designed for the real world

Sustainability is about doing business in a way that does not compromise the well-being of future generations. And business happens in the real word, not on paper.

Consequently, conversations about environmental sustainability — including those surrounding sustainable packaging initiatives — cannot exclude cost considerations. If a packaging solution is environmentally responsible, but not economically feasible, it won’t be adopted, and it won’t advance our collective sustainability goals.

No one sustainable packaging solution works in all cases. The C-P Flexible Packaging team will ask the right questions — and consider your application from all angles — to select the right packaging for your product, your sustainability story, and your bottom line.

We can provide you with a variety of green packaging options. PLA shrink sleeves for compostability. All-PE material constructions for store drop-off recyclability. And, of course, all flexible packaging products boast source reduction, transportation efficiency, and lightweighting benefits.

Equally as important, we’ll do the product development work and trial runs on the front end to ensure your sustainable packaging concept is commercially feasible and grounded in a real-world business case.

Sustainable Packaging

Learn more about our GreenStream™ line of sustainable packaging including:

  • Recyclable packaging
  • Packaging made with post-consumer recycled content (PCR)
  • Compostable packaging
  • Packaging made with biopolymers
  • Packaging made with paper that is recyclable or compostable

Let’s talk flexible packaging

Ask us your packaging questions, and we’ll see how we can help you overcome your next packaging challenge.