12 September 2011 | Linton Nightingale
Bioplastic, Carbon

 

Stonyfield, the world’s leading organic yogurt company, has introduced its world-first “yogurt cup of the future” to the market, replacing all of its petroleum-based multipack yogurt cups with cups made from plant-based Ingeo.

The new yogurt cups reduce Stonyfield’s multipacks’  greenhouse gas emissions by 48 percent. This means that by using Ingeo instead of polystyrene for their multipacks, Stonyfield reduces its carbon footprint by 1,875 metric tons of CO2 a year. That’s equal to the CO2 emissions from 4,360 barrels of oil, or the greenhouse gases from the energy used in 160 homes for an entire year. In fact, this one change in packaging reduces the total global warming impact of Stonyfield’s packaging by 9%.

According to Stonyfield, if all dairy companies in the United States follow suit and replace their polystyrene containers with these plant-based plastics, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 671,234 metric tons a year. That’s equal to the emissions from 1.5 million barrels of oil. Because of its commitment to the environment and sustainable industry practices, Stonyfield makes its sustainable packaging research available to any other company that wants it.

"This new Ingeo™ yogurt cup is something we've been working to achieve for years and we are excited to make it available,"explained Nancy Hirshberg, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. "Even without a recycling option in the early stages, plant-based plastic is already better for the planet than polystyrene because it produces lower carbon emissions and requires less fossil fuel to make. As this new type of plastic becomes commonplace, the potential environmental benefits only get better."

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