Sealed Air’s Cryovac® NatureTRAY™ Package Receives Certification from the Biodegradable Products Institute

The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) has awarded its certification to Sealed Air’s Cryovac® NatureTRAY™ package, confirming that the package meets the ASTM D6400 standard for compostable plastics as being biodegradable and compostable in municipal and industrial facilities

The Cryovac® NatureTRAY™ package is the first BPI-certified package produced in the United States made entirely from plant products acting as a substitute for oil-based polystyrene foam trays. Created with NatureWorks® Ingeo™ biopolymers, the Cryovac® NatureTRAY™ package delivers all the benefits of traditional polystyrene foam trays, but is compostable in industrial, commercial or municipal compost facilities, where available.

In bestowing its certification, BPI reviewed the results of independent laboratory tests of the Cryovac® NatureTRAY™ package to ensure it would biodegrade and disintegrate during composting at a similar rate to other compostable materials. The tests also included ecotoxicity and heavy metals testing to confirm that degradation of the tray will not diminish the value or utility of the resulting compost.

“BPI certification gives our customers peace of mind and confidence that the product they are buying is compostable according to the highest standards,” said Richard Douglas, marketing director for rigid packaging and absorbents. “The Cryovac® NatureTRAY™ package, made from an annually renewable resource, continues to meet consumers’ demand for high-quality sustainable packaging.”

The NatureTRAY™ package can handle the robust demands of automated in-plant packaging and can be used for case ready packaging of poultry, beef, pork and fish. The sustainable tray can be used on any standard automated in-store wrapping equipment in supermarkets. It is available in a range of sizes and in an all-natural un-pigmented white color.