USDA BioPreferred Case Study

Good Things Come in Green Packaging.

Businesses Now Have an Option for Attractive, Eco-Friendly Consumer Packaging That’s
100% USDA Certified Biobased

Sustainable Packaging Industries (SPI) specializes in molded pulp packaging for consumer goods. Unlike traditional folded paperboard boxes, molded pulp packaging––with its rounded corners, distinct shapes, and natural textured surfaces––creates a more modern look and feel that many eco-friendly brands desire.

The technology to make molded pulp packaging has been around for decades, with egg cartons being the most well-known. The basic manufacturing processes remain the same. A fiber material, in SPI’s case, post-industrial cardboard scraps, are blended with water into a pulp slurry and then formed into shape by vacuum suction over mesh tools. The parts are then dried, pressed, and trimmed. In simple terms, cardboard scraps are transformed into functional, attractive packaging that is completely plastic and petroleum-free.

For smaller projects and businesses, the initial investment to develop new molded pulp packaging designs can be out of reach.

After hearing from frustrated business owners about their struggle to find suitable and affordable packaging, SPI launched GreenKraft, a line of ready-made clamshells available in a range of universal sizes and shapes––all of which are USDA Certified Biobased and can be ordered in small minimum order quantities.

“Our mission is to offer packaging solutions that are attractive, functional, and environmentally-friendly. We chose to apply for the USDA BioPreferred ® Program’s certification because it is a science-based evaluation that our customers can trust. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label allows us to quickly communicate to customers that our packaging is petroleum-free and made from 100% renewable biological ingredients, with the added benefit that USDA is a reputable governing body with universal name recognition,” explained Allison Reed, founder of SPI.

GreenKraft clamshells are used by a diverse group of customers and products–from Vegan Soap made by Vibey Soap Company in Charleston, SC, and Elderberry Syrup Kits from Jack + Co in Pecatonica, IL to felted DIY kits by Sheep Creek Studio in Tekoa, WA and Notecards from The Ink Spot in State College, PA. “We are proud to support the packaging needs of small businesses and love seeing the creative ways our customers incorporate their own design elements onto the packaging,” Reed said. “It is inspiring to see the entrepreneurial spirit paired with environmental stewardship, and that both are alive and well.”