Anchor Design of KFC Reusable Sides Container Wins 2010 Greener Package Award
(St. Louis, MO) October 4, 2010 Working with KFC, Anchor Packaging is changing the way consumers look at takeout packaging.“Through research, KFC found that consumers prefer reusable containers because it gives them control of how the item is reused, or disposed of, after purchase”, stated Susan Miles, KFC Engineering Manager.
Like many large multi-unit foodservice companies, KFC was using a disposable printed polystyrene foam bowl to hold its side dishes. KFC recognized that if they could change their containers from a disposable item to a reusable item, similar to the food storage containers consumers willingly purchase, they would achieve a double win”.The containers would no longer end up in landfills and their consumers would receive a premium”, in the form of a new food storage container every time that they ordered a meal at KFC.
KFC turned to Anchor Packaging, the leading manufacturer of polypropylene and PET food containers, to design a container that would accomplish this vision, while still performing operationally at store level.Made of 100% polypropylene, the same material used to make the leading retail food storage containers, the KFC Reusable Sides Containers are microwavable, dishwasher-safe, and fully reusable. The bowl is clear, allowing the consumer to see what is inside, both at the time of purchase, and when used to hold leftovers in the consumer’s refrigerator. The lids are colored in KFC-red to give the consumer the clue that these are reusable food storage containers.
The introduction of this new container is part of a larger packaging initiative that KFC, the country’s largest chicken restaurant chain, is undertaking. KFC is also introducing a new web site to tell the Reuse, Renew, Rejoice” story. Those interested in learning more about KFC’s current and future packaging initiatives from reusable side containers to the replacement of plastic plates can visit the web page.
Consistent with the EPA’s Solid Waste Management Pyramid Strategies of:Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover Energy:
REDUCE the Carbon Footprint.
- 25% LESS ENERGY to produce polypropylene than general-purpose polystyrene.
- 51% LESS GREENHOUSE GASES generated with polypropylene, compared to general-purpose polystyrene production.
REUSE the KFC container.
- The bowls and lids are consumer-reusable, providing for an extended use life-cycle.
RECYCLE the KFC container.
- The KFC Reusable Sides Bowls are recyclable, made of #5 PP polypropylene. As reported at the 2009 Biopolymers Symposium, “Of the fossil fuel-based resins, only polypropylene can be considered sustainable, per the scorecard, based mainly on the environmental merits of the monomer propylene and the ability to introduce large amounts of post-consumer recycled content.”
RECOVER Energy.
- As an end-of-life solid waste component, and part of a waste-to-energy” program, polypropylene has the highest value in stored energy when incinerated. 38 million BTU’s per ton of material. Coal contains only 1/2 the BTU’s on average, per ton.
Anchor Packaging’s product line includes a broad variety of upscale take-out packaging used in restaurants and other foodservice operations, as well as containers for merchandising prepared ready-to-heat meals in supermarkets, all-purpose foodservice cling wrap, AnchorFoil® rolls, pop-up sheet and pans, Culinary Classics®, Culinary Basics®, MicroRaves®, Incredi-Bowl®, MicroRounds®, the Roaster®, Gourmet Classics®, Microlite®, Bon Faire®, CrystalClear®, Crystal Classics®, and Deli View® are among Anchor’s unique product lines. Anchor also provides custom package design and manufacture for many large food companies in the U.S., Canada and internationally. www.anchorpackaging.com.