There is clearly a trend towards degradable packaging

"Our new packaging is a paper fiber product, and for us the first priority was the ecological aspect, which means compostability in contrast to normal plastic packaging," says Thomas Däbel, authorized signatory and branch manager of Serwo Packaging. The company has developed a bowl for fruit and vegetables made of paper fiber, which can be closed up with a lid made from recycled PET or from the bioplastic PLA. "The substance does breathe, which makes our punnet perfect for packaging fruit, especially berries."

"Our bowl is the first paper-fiber bowl that is can take a lid, and we can seal it with a PET or PLA lid, making it ideal for the grocery trade." The bowl is made of FSC-certified recycled paper that is compostable or reusable. It was tested for food safety and this was confirmed by the leading institute "ISEGA - Aschaffenburg".

"When it comes to the shape of the bowl, we've clearly followed the design of a standard PET bowl, both in terms of packaging in trays and in terms of the lid." The bowl was developed on the request of retailers Rewe and Penny. "The request was being able to package greenhouse strawberries. These products are in itself of higher quality and accordingly more expensive, and therefore the packaging should also stand out. That is why we have chosen a breathable, biodegradable and hygroscopic material, which, unlike pure plastic packaging, allows for the absorption of some of the moisture and the ability to release it back into the fruit, providing a good bioclimate within the bowl."

Packaging is advantageous in terms of marketing, says Däbel: "Another requirement was protection, but this was not to be achieved simply through a flow pack. Instead we opted for a nice, wide bowl that presented the fruit beautifully without too much compression." Often traders are looking for the cheapest packaging, but with higher quality products, people are willing to invest a little more. "Of course we could package everything as cheaply as possible in plastic. The other choice is to go for ecological packaging, when we are prepared to spend a little more on it. And this is accepted by consumers."

Originally intended for Rewe and Penny, the bowl was also well received by direct sellers: "We have received a lot of good feedback on our bowls, from handling to on-time delivery and, of course, quality. We did not receive a single complaint with over 2 million trays for Rewe and Penny alone. " A nice start for the new bowl, says Däbel.

"There is clearly a trend towards degradable packaging"
"With us, almost everything is about paper. We are particularly strong in the field of paper shopping bags and have initiated a lot in the German market in this regard." The carrier bags are the most important product because they are versatile in use and design. "In the area of paper packaging, there are many possibilities to use the packaging as carrier of promotional images."

"We have developed moisture resistant paper carrier bags for asparagus, with which you can transport the asparagus for a longer period of time." The bags can also be used in marketing and are designed so that you can position the strawberry bowls firmly next to each other."

In addition to food retailing and direct marketing, Serwo Packaging also supplies hospitals with products made of paper pulp.