Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. Develops New Plastic Made From Plants For Stonyfield Farm Multipack Yogurt Product Lines

in a first-of-its kind application for the yogurt product category, Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. has developed the industry’s first plant-based plastic for the form, fill and seal machine (Arcil).  The new packaging material replaces the traditional petroleum-based polystyrene plastic (PS #6) used for the Stonyfield Farm yogurt multipacks and uses 93 percent renewable resources, primarily plant-based Ingeo™ PLA (polylactic acid).  Developed exclusively by Clear Lam as part of its Project EarthClear™ program, the new packaging is being used for every Stonyfield Farm multipack yogurt cup, including YoBaby, YoToddler and YoKids, as well as B-Healthy, B-Well, Probiotic and O’Soy.

"StonyfieldFarm has invested significantly in finding innovative new packaging alternatives that reduce our dependency on oil and other finite resources, and we’re thrilled that Clear Lam was able to offer an industry-leading packaging solution to help support their sustainable packaging initiatives," said James Sanfilippo, President and CEO of Clear Lam Packaging, Inc.

According to a study conducted by the Boston-based Tellus Institute, over 95 percent of the environmental cost of packaging is in the production of the package, including the energy used and toxins created in the manufacturing process.
When compared to traditional petroleum-based packaging, the renewable raw materials are produced with as little as half the energy (1) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 48 percent in the manufacturing process. (2)
Produced on yogurt cup packaging equipment by Stonyfield, the formed cups are stronger than those made from the polystyrene plastic the plant-based materials replaces, providing better impact resistance. 
The materials are made mostly from Ingeo™ PLA produced by NatureWorks LLC.  Stonyfield uses an offset program to produce a sustainably grown amount of corn equal to the amount used for the cups.  Each cup features a "Made from Plants" stamp on the bottom.



For the past seven years, Clear Lam has invested heavily in research and development to commercialize new packaging technologies that minimize the impact on the environment.  These efforts include three product lines developed for Clear Lam’s Project EarthClear™ program: packaging made from Renewable Raw Materials, packaging made from Recycled Content and Lightweighting Materials.  Clear Lam is one of the world’s largest extruders and thermoformers of plant-based Ingeo™ PLA.
1, 2  Peer Review Original Research:  Vink, Kolstad,and Davies, "The Eco-Profile for Current Ingeo Polylactide Production", Industrial Biotechnology, Vol. 6, No. 4, August 2010, pp 212-224
Ingeo™ is a registered trademark of NatureWorks LLC
EarthClear™ is a trademark of Clear Lam Packaging, Inc.

Source: http://www.clearlam.com/