Greencoat Packaging Technology Helps Replace Problem Plastics

Americans use 102 billion plastic bags a year [1], and only then for an average of 12 minutes, with very few of them ever being recycled. We believe there is a better way.

Guided by our purpose of “Redefining Packaging for a Changing World,” DS Smith North America Packaging and Paper (NAPP) is driven to design and produce packaging that meets our customers’ sustainability needs. One way we’ve been able to accomplish this is through our Greencoat® technology. Originally developed as a replacement for industrial, wax-coated boxes for fresh poultry and produce that cannot go through traditional recycling processes, Greencoat is a coated, water-resistant packaging solution for creating durable, moisture-resistant and food-safe corrugated packaging that is 100% recyclable.  

New products for processors and consumers 

Two products designed using DS Smith Greencoat –Shop.able Carriers and DryPack – replace hard-to-recycle plastic containers food processors and consumers use to transport products.  

Shop.able Carriers is a line of recyclable, reusable boxes for supermarkets, replacing plastic shopping bags at a time when many are closely examining the impact single-use plastic has on the environment. This new product line gives consumers a 100% recyclable, food-safe, and water-resistant alternative to plastic bags and totes. The very first Shop.able Carrier user, a regional U.S. supermarket chain, is on pace to replace up to 100,000 plastic bags in its first year of selling the boxes in its stores. 

DryPack is a 100% recyclable fish box made from corrugated cardboard that gives seafood processors the ability to safely ship fresh fish for short and long distances. Originally developed by DS Smith in Europe and used by European aquaculture businesses to replace traditional fish boxes, we have begun manufacturing this award-winning product in the U.S. using Greencoat technology. 

Recycling drives results that matter 

After decades of use in the poultry and produce industries, our original Greencoat technology has delivered important recyclability advantages as a replacement for wax-coated boxes. Over the last five years, 377,469 tons of Greencoat boxes were recycled instead of the same amount of wax-coated boxes landfilled, which has reduced greenhouse gas emissions. 

Now, with Shop.able Carriers, DryPack and other DS Smith NAPP products currently in development, we are leveraging Greencoat to address the significant challenge we all face with plastic waste. For example, according to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission, Americans use 102 billion plastic bags a year1, and plastic shopping bags are only used for an average of 12 minutes by consumers, with very few of them ever being recycled.  

By creating 100% recyclable or reusable packaging DS Smith is keeping materials in use for longer while helping customers design out hard-to-recycle plastics. Driven by our Now and Next sustainability strategy and working in partnership with customers, we have replaced 762 million problem plastics with fiber-based alternatives since 2020 worldwide, and are on track to beat our goal of replacing one billion plastics by 2025.   

For more information about coated box alternatives to plastic packaging, visit Food contact packaging - DS Smith. 

[1] Plastic bag bans in the US reduced plastic bag use by billions, study finds | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)