Processing
Pioneering New Planet-Friendly Packaging:
The CEO of Justin’s Nut Butter’s Search for a
Sustainable Squeeze Pack
By Justin Gold
Question: What’s wrong with this picture?
Answer: It’s a 100 percent organic product in a
wasteful petroleum-based package.
As natural product manufacturers, we
painstakingly dissect each decision we make
as it pertains to our product—from sourcing
the finest organic and natural ingredients to
constantly brainstorming ways to innovate
and delight our consumers and be good stewards of the Earth.
But then when it comes to our packaging
options, we have to settle.
As an outdoor enthusiast and health evangelist, I was shocked that when I started asking around for more sustainable squeeze pack
options, all I received were blank stares.
While some consumers might be willing to
transfer our nut butters into small reusable
containers and then wash them after each
use, the fact is that today’s consumer—even
eco-minded ones—want convenience and the
squeeze pack is the answer.
Unfortunately, this convenience comes at a
cost. Every year, over 30 billion single-serve
food packets are created. Nearly all of them
end up in landfills.
One of Justin’s core values is to achieve a
triple bottom line consisting of profits, people
and the environment. It was time to put those
principles into action.
I started a nut butter company without any
food or business experience. My belief early
on—and still today—is that passion can overcome inexperience. So the only thing I could
do was to start asking a lot of questions! What
types of sustainable film options are available?
What are other companies using? What materials are used for the film? Are they food
based? Compostable? Safe? Affordable? Effective? Readily available?
The more questions I asked, the more confused I became, and I knew that I needed
help. Suspecting that I wasn’t the only food
manufacturer to ask these questions or to be
on the search for a more sustainable film option, I looked to get more companies involved. The more I thought about it, the less
this became a race to be first to market with
an exclusive sustainable squeeze pack—it was
about collaborating to find a solution to a
shared problem.
One of the first lessons successful entrepreneurs learn is the importance of focus. Viewing this as a problem for the entire packaging
industry was overwhelming, so I decided to
narrow my search to food packaging specifically designed for squeeze packs.
The “Sustainable Squeeze Pack Summit”
was born.
