British packaging company DS Smith has partnered with sushi maker Eat Happy to develop a fully recyclable and sustainable solution for sushi trays.
The partnership will develop recyclable and disposable plastic sushi trays for shops and chillers. DS Smith will make the tray and lid of the new packaging from renewable and natural raw materials using corrugated cardboard.
The packaging solutions are designed to repel water and grease while also safeguarding and preserving the sushi product within.
Available in a variety of sizes and shapes, from single to party platters, the sushi trays are created using the packaging firm’s Circular Design Metrics approach.
The metrics are used to calculate the suitability of packaging for the circular economy and identify areas of improvement in each product.
Circular Design Metrics help assess and customise a solution against criteria like recyclability, renewable materials, and supply chain optimisation.
Eat Happy Group CEO Florian Bell said: “We spent a long time working on a new, more sustainable packaging solution that meets the stringent requirements for our products.
“We’re delighted that, with DS Smith’s help, we can now finally launch packaging that does just that.”
It is predicted that the replacement trays will save more than 1,250 tonnes of plastic annually, DS Smith said.
The product also aligns with the company’s strategic growth plan across packaging for the fresh food sector.
The packaging firm offers a product portfolio of renewable packaging solutions for direct or indirect food contact for fresh, chilled, frozen, fatty or other food types.
DS Smith Design and Innovation for Germany and Switzerland head Volker Quaas said: “The fresh food segment is one of the future growth markets that always presents us with exciting tasks.
“The biggest challenge for us is that freshly prepared sushi remains in direct contact with the packaging during the refrigeration process at the counter level.
“The new innovative packaging solution will allow us to meet our retail partners’ and customers’ increasing demand for more environmentally friendly packaging.”