Green packaging, or sustainable packaging employs materials and manufacturing techniques or processes to reduce energy use and hence minimizes undesirable negative impacts of packaging on the environment such as greenhouse emissions produced.
Examples of Green Packaging include environmentally friendly, biodegradable and recyclable materials such as bioplastics, or plant-based plastics, recycled paper and plastics etc
At ZENXIN, we always resolve to do our best when balancing the environmental impact of the packaging against the impact of food waste that would occur without the use of packaging.
Uncompromised Organic Quality With Less Plastic
Organic fresh produce requires maximum effort to reach your table from the farm, they take valuable time to grow, harvest, to be packaged before being delivered to your doorstep.
At this point, packaging is a necessary evil to ensure that valuable organic harvests are at their optimum freshness before travelling to get to your table. Packaging also functions as a barrier to avoid cross contamination.
Generally, the type of packaging selected for most of our fresh produce is plastic as it allows for produce to be transported in and out of the fridge without turning soggy.
While eliminating plastic entirely is virtually impossible at the moment, ZENXIN has applied alternative sustainable packaging options to as many of its organic offerings as possible, without compromising the quality of fresh produce so that our farmers’ efforts are not wasted.
1.100% Paper Tray
Plastic packaging is undeniably brilliant in many ways. It is cheap, strong, flexible & waterproof with infinite uses. Unfortunately, huge amounts of plastic are ending up in our oceans, endangering marine life. Starting in October 2020, ZENXIN took an initiative to begin incorporating paper-like material for our vegetable tray. After switching some of our PET and Oxium plastic trays to compostable paper trays, we are able to replace approximately 17,000 kg (17 tonnes) of plastic usage by the end of year 2021.
2. Biodegradable Tape
Made from biodegradable film and adhesive, this tape is biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic to the environment. Compared to the PVC film, usage of the biodegradable tape can reduce 65% of non-degradable plastic that could end up in landfill or oceans.
3. 100% Food Contact recycled-PET (rPET) tray
Going into 2022, we opted for 100% Food Contact Recycled-PET (rPET) material for our fresh broccoli, carrots and beetroots as these high moisture vegetables caused our paper trays to turn soggy the most. As much as we want to reduce our plastic usage, we also want to maintain our product quality & shelf-life. This new rPET tray is fully recyclable, has a lower carbon footprint than virgin PET materials and definitely more lightweight, strong and waterproof, so the vegetables will last longer!
Our 100% food contact rPET are certified by:
- BRS Global Standard for Food Contact rPET
*Internationally recognised benchmark for best practice in food safety, quality and responsibility.
- ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification)
*An established system for certifying biomass and bioenergy management.
- ISO 14001:2015
*A standard requirement for an environmental management system.
- ISO 9001:2015
*A standard requirement for a quality management system
ZENXIN’s green efforts do not end here, on our way to making the planet healthier, we are actively exploring many other sustainable packaging options, especially for leafy vegetables which are fragile and susceptible to moisture loss.
To support our cause and our commitment to the SDGs, make a conscious effort to consume organic produce starting from today. You can make a difference.