ROCHESTER, NY –Tosca, an innovator in reusable packaging and supply chain solutions, announced last month that it is working with grocery retailer Wegmans Food Markets to ship most of the grocer’s salmon products in reusable plastic containers (RPCs). By implementing Tosca’s new seafood packaging solution, Wegmans will reduce their use of EPS foam, or expanded polystyrene, and cut enormous quantities of the unsustainable packaging out of the supply chain.
This implementation furthers Wegmans’ stance as a sustainability leader among grocery retailers. Wegmans has long sought a solution that would enable them to replace EPS foam in the seafood supply chain. EPS foam is a long-standing opponent of sustainability initiatives as it is difficult to recycle, costly to produce, and breaks apart easily.
Tosca’s new seafood RPC is one of few secondary packaging solutions for seafood that allows the product to maintain its high quality throughout shipping. By replacing EPS foam with a long-lasting, reusable solution, Wegmans is cutting costs and reducing their environmental impact without sacrificing proper insulation or product quality.
Jason Wadsworth, Wegmans’ Category Merchant, Packaging and Sustainability, is enthusiastic about the change. “We have been looking for a way out of EPS for a while and thanks to Tosca’s new seafood RPCs, we improve our approach to sustainability,” Wadsworth said. “It isn’t every day that you get to make a sustainability change that doubles as a cost-saving change as well.”
Tosca has also recently partnered with Wegmans to meet their sustainability goals in the case-ready-meat supply chain. While RPCs are undoubtedly the most sustainable secondary packaging solution in the supply chain, they also offer a variety of other benefits: unmatched durability for product protection, ergonomic handles to increase efficiency for store labor, and unlike foam containers, RPCs fold down to maximize warehouse space. All these benefits result in improved product quality and a more efficient supply chain system.
“Tosca’s new seafood RPCs are a game-changing addition to the grocery industry as they offer a viable alternative solution to foam containers,” said Eric Frank, president and CEO of Tosca. “With this addition to our portfolio, we are well-positioned to help sustainability-conscious companies like Wegmans over-achieve their sustainability and financial goals.”
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