For over 35 years, the McCormack family has cultivated crops on their ancestral farm, using a blend of traditional farming knowledge and cutting-edge horticultural methods to produce top-quality greens and herbs for the market.
With a focus on sustainability, McCormack Family Farms sought a water-resistant, eco-friendly alternative to their imported wax-lined produce trays and turned to Smurfit Kappa after discovering their innovative solution showcased in a video on LinkedIn.
Seeking a sustainable solution
As Ireland’s leading Herb and Leaf Grower, McCormack Family Farms wanted a local, eco-friendly alternative to their current packaging to reduce their carbon footprint and provide a sustainable option to their non-recyclable wax-lined trays.
Creating waterproof coated produce trays
Smurfit Kappa’s challenge was to engineer a resilient, corrugated cardboard produce tray with a waterproof coating to protect the contents. Their Markham Vale site achieved this through pioneering waterproof coating technology, enhancing both durability and sustainability.
The waterproof coating not only made the packaging biodegradable but also increased its durability, reducing the need for extra plastic packaging materials and promoting an environmentally friendly approach.
Consumer demand for sustainability is high, and the waterproof cardboard produce tray exceeded those expectations while retaining full recyclability, meeting the needs of environmentally conscious consumers.
Exceeding expectations
After testing the samples, McCormack Family Farms placed orders for two lines of the waterproof coated trays, enhancing their sustainability efforts and reducing transport costs by eliminating the need for imports.
“Our partnership with Smurfit Kappa Markham Vale has revolutionized our packaging approach. Their remarkably robust water-resistant paper packaging solution stands as a testament to innovation that upholds our commitment to sustainability.” – McCormack Family Farms.
The future of packaging
The collaboration between Markham Vale and McCormack Family Farms demonstrates the achievability of recyclable, waterproof coatings for all types of packaging. It also showcases that with the right strategy, businesses can ensure product safety, champion sustainability, and enhance their brand image.
