Smithfield to emphasize recyclable packaging

Virginia-based Smithfield Foods Inc. has announced new commitments the meat products distributor says it will implement to achieve consumer packaging that is 90 percent recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable. The company also says it will halve its use of virgin petroleum-based plastic.

“Continual efforts to innovate packaging in favor of materials that can be recycled, reused and composted is an important component of holistic, sustainable food production,” says Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods. “As a food industry sustainability pioneer, Smithfield recognizes the importance of continuing to explore new ways to build upon our ambitious commitments and reduce waste across production and operations.”

The company says to meet its goals, it has established an internal cross-functional team to investigate and explore new strategic packaging and plastic use reduction options. Among the team's current efforts is the identification and testing of replacements for products currently packaged using polystyrene (PS) trays.

Both the new recyclable packaging and plastic reduction goals build upon the company’s zero-waste-to-landfill initiative, which outlines a plan to reduce overall solid waste sent to landfills 75 percent by 2025 by repurposing or recycling materials once disposed of as garbage.

In 2019, Smithfield launched the Pure Farmland brand, a plant-based protein line it says features packaging and trays made from more than 50 percent recycled material.

Smithfield, whose brands also include Eckrich and Nathan’s Famous, has 40,000 employees in the United States and another 14,000 in Europe. The company describes itself as an active member of the Virginia-based Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC).