In early May, more than 180 governments signed on to a historic United Nations agreement to limit plastic pollution. While the U.S. was not one of the countries that signed this agreement, Yonkers, NY- based importer Jac. Vandenberg Inc. and its premium mandarin brand, Sunrays, have made a bold commitment to tackling plastic pollution.
At last year’s PMA Fresh Summit in Orlando, FL, Jac. Vandenberg introduced its plastic-free, sustainable packaging for Sunrays mandarins: a 3-pound carton and a 2-count snack pack that are 100 percent paper-based. Sunrays has also recently been awarded the Plastic Free Trust Mark.
The Plastic Free Trust Mark was created by A Plastic Planet — a grassroots movement launched in January 2017 in the United Kingdom with a single goal: to turn off the plastic tap. The mark was created as a means of informing and empowering consumers to make plastic-free choices to reduce their plastic footprint. APP’s campaign, A Plastic Free Aisle, launched in February 2018 with the Dutch retail chain, Ekoplaza, in Amsterdam. This initiative went viral and had campaigners around the world calling for shops to follow the Dutch chain where 700 products were available without plastic packaging.
Two years after its launch, the Plastic Free Trust Mark has found its way to U.S. shores through Sunrays. Already recognized as a socially conscious mandarin brand through its giveback initiative with Save the Children, Sunrays has now added the environment to its focus for impact.
“From the moment we launched Sunrays, we felt it was important that the brand become a symbol of positive impact,” said John Paap, brand manager at Jac. Vandenberg Inc. “We started with a mission to create a brighter future for all children — here at home in the U.S. and around the world. Today we are expanding that mission to creating a brighter future for our planet.”
While Sunrays acknowledges plastic packaging will not disappear overnight, it has set a clear message that it’s time for packaging to evolve in effort to save the planet we all call home.
“According to United Nations Environment, there are now 100 million tons of plastic in the oceans,” said Papp. “It’s poisoning marine life and harming humans. Plastic pollution is a real problem and we can longer sit idle. By offering plastic-free alternatives to consumers we hope that we can begin to reduce plastic pollution.”
The Sunrays plastic-free packs are 100 percent paper-based sourced from tree fibers in the U.S. For every tree harvested to create the paperboard, four trees are planted in its place. According to the U.S. Forest Service, this act has resulted in 30 percent more forestland in the U.S. than 30 years ago.
“It’s now in the hands of U.S. retailers and consumers. We hope they will join us in making the right plastic-free choices,” said Papp.
