Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF) has undertaken sustainable design, changing to eco-friendly substitutes and facilitate recycling in an effort to reduce environmental footprint.
“To ensure sustainable plastic packaging life cycle, CPF has implemented the Sustainable Packaging Policy and Guiding Principles, in which targets 100% of plastic packaging for food products to be reusable or recyclable or upcyclable, or compostable for Thailand and Overseas operations within 2025 and 2030 respectively” said Mr. Kitti Wangwiwatsilp, Chairman of the CPF Sustainable Packaging Working Group, adding that the company’s has reached 99.99% progress currently.
In 2019, total weight of all plastic packaging for CPF’s food products in Thailand was 41,284 tons.
Mr. Kitti pointed that the company’s packaging development is based on three key strategies, comprising of Quality, Food Safety and Environmental impact.
In the case where the company cannot find substitute materials that can preserve quality and safety of food products at the same level as plastic packaging, the company will consider its packaging materials based on ease of recycling and reusability. For instance, CPF’s Smart Soup package, a product developed for elderly and patient, are made of high barrier plastics. This material can prevent microorganism contamination from outside while also preserving nutrients when stored at a room temperature.
Moreover, CPF developed plant-based bioplastic trays made from natural renewable resources, namely Polylactic Acid (PLA) which is compostable. The material is being used for making trays for chilled raw chicken and pork products in Thailand.
In Belgium, Tops Foods, a CPF’s subsidiary, uses trays made from wood pulp from plantations or reforested areas for its ready-to-eat products. Meanwhile, “Kitchen Joy”, which mainly sell in Scandinavian countries, is using mono material that are 100% recyclable for frozen chicken packages. It also uses paper-based packages for ready-to-eat products.
“Today, packaging has become a part of the way we live. However, if post-consumer packaging cannot be reclaimed, the packaging waste, especially from plastics, will certainly have impacts on natural resources, the environment and human well-being. Therefore, CPF strives to develop sustainable packaging design and management based on the concept of Circular Economy throughout the value chain.” Mr. Kitti said.