The COVID-19 crisis may have quieted the conversations on sustainable packaging, but the future of the sector is as strong as ever, according to panelists at a Produce Marketing Association’s Virtual Town Hall.

The COVID-19 crisis has caused consumers to see plastic produce in a new way.

Naturipe Farms, Salinas, Calif., which has undertaken a commitment to sustainable packaging, plans to remove 48 metric tons of plastic from its packaging in 2020.

C&E Farms, Cheriton, Va., has a new Shorely Fresh package for unsnipped green beans.

Flexible equipment is an important component in a packaging industry that continues to work with new materials, pack styles and formats, marketers say.

Using fewer materials in packaging for fresh produce costs less in dollars as well as environmental impact, marketers say.

Sustainability is more than a commitment; it’s a statement, marketers say. Companies are communicating with customers and consumers about sustainable/environmentally conscious practices, they note.

Online grocery purchasing and delivery will continue to spread, long after the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has dissipated, and the packaging industry likely will grow with it, marketers say. 

While package makers focus on minimizing waste that ends up in landfills, they’re also mindful to minimize biodegradable waste by developing bags, clamshells and boxes that protect product shelf life, marketers say.

Many unanswered questions still hang over the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but the health crisis, which froze some food sales outlets and forced major alterations in others,  also changed consumer buying habits.