Cabot transitions 8-ounce cheese bar line to new 30% PCR package

By Alyssa Mitchell

Photo courtesy of Cabot Creamery Cooperative

TESTING AND TRIALS — Jim Jankowski, left, technical service manager at TC Transcontinental, and Randy Welch, cut & wrap line leader at Cabot Creamery Cooperative, perform a leak detection test to ensure packages are properly sealed. Cabot is transitioning its 8-ounce cheese bar line to a new 30% post-consumer recycled package by the end of this year.

Photo courtesy of Cabot Creamery Cooperative

NEW AND IMPROVED — Cabot Creamery Cooperative’s 8-ounce Seriously Sharp Cheddar was part of a comprehensive sustainable packaging study initiated in 2022, made possible in part by a grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center.

WAITSFIELD, Vt. — Vermont-based Cabot Creamery, the award-winning brand of the Agri-Mark dairy cooperative, recently announced a transition to more sustainable packaging for its flagship line of 8-ounce cheese bars. The new endeavor is a collaborative effort made possible in part by a grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) as well as a comprehensive sustainable packaging study and trials conducted in partnership with TC Transcontinental Packaging.

Cabot Creamery long has been a champion of environmental stewardship within the U.S. dairy sector. The cooperative was the world’s first dairy co-op to achieve B Corp certification — a third-party certification recognizing companies that prioritize people, planet and profit equally — in 2012. Companies receive this certification from the nonprofit B Lab if they reach a minimum score that guarantees they are performing well for their communities, workers and the environment.

“As the first dairy cooperative to achieve B Corp status, we have a long-held commitment to sustainable practices, and this shift to PCR (post-consumer recycled) packaging in our 8-ounce bar line represents a major milestone in that commitment,” says David Lynn, CEO, Agri-Mark/Cabot Creamery Cooperative.

Jed Davis, vice president of sustainability and strategic engagement for Cabot, notes the topic of sustainability has ramped up considerably among consumers, particularly in the last 10-15 years.

“What we noticed was a big change in the questions we were getting,” Davis says. “Consumers went from asking if we were sustainable — which provided an opportunity to talk about our multigenerational farms — to inquiring about our sustainability programs and goals. It prompted us to create positions at the company focused solely on sustainability efforts.”

In addition to its B Corp certification, Davis notes that Cabot prioritizes partnerships seeking closed-loop solutions for energy, water and waste. Cabot was an early signatory to the U.S. dairy industry’s Stewardship Commitment and 2050 goals, and received an Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy in 2016.

Over the years, Cabot’s industry partners, including retailers, have set their own packaging goals, calling for more reusable, recyclable and compostable offerings.

With this in mind, the cooperative embarked on a sustainable packaging study that began in late 2022 after Cabot received a $323,875 grant from NE-DBIC.

“We saw this as a real opportunity within the food industry to be a leader,” Davis says. “We want our award-winning dairy products, including our 8-ounce bars of cheese, to be packaged safely and more sustainably.”

Cabot partnered with TC Transcontinental Packaging, a leader in flexible packaging manufacturing, to conduct a shelf-life and feasibility study that focused on two popular cheeses: Extra Sharp Cheddar and Pepper Jack. Davis says the idea was to test cheeses on both ends of the “aging” and moisture spectrum.

“We wanted to see the application in a variety of cheeses but couldn’t do every cheese,” he explains. “We focused on these two products as being representative of a range of cheese types.”

Cabot Creamery and TC Transcontinental have a long-standing relationship of collaboration and innovation together.

“When Cabot approached us about working on the Sustainable Packaging Grant project, we were both excited and challenged to develop solutions that would meet Cabot’s sustainability goals while maintaining the necessary performance of film,” says Mike Sachau, vice president of sales for dairy, protein and pet food, TC Transcontinental. “We jointly developed a project scope to ensure progress and learnings throughout the course of the study.”

Cabot and TC Transcontinental completed line trials using three innovative packaging options: a 30% PCR content package, a compostable structure suitable for industrial composters and a fully recyclable flexible film.

Jeffrey Graves, TC Transcontinental’s product development engineer, notes these films all were evaluated using TC’s Life Cycle Assessment tool to determine their effects upon fossil fuel usage, greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.

“We went through a range of settings trying to determine the optimal run conditions and what our resulting operating window was to produce good packages,” he says. “Once that was complete, we put the samples through a shipping test and then entered a shelf-life evaluation.

“The trial for the 30% PCR film was very encouraging,” Graves adds. “From an operational perspective, it ran well on the existing manufacturing equipment, with an operating window and efficiency that met the expectations of the Cabot team. And of course, the film provided excellent protection with product performance results consistent with their current solution. From a consumer standpoint, all of the sustainable options we considered can be leveraged to connect with consumers in different ways, and that gives brand owners, like Cabot, a lot of flexibility when considering their solutions.”

Cabot simultaneously conducted consumer studies to gauge perspectives on alternative packaging and ensure consistent cheese quality, flavor, appearance and nutrition.

Specifically, the PCR package performed seamlessly on the production line, and the grant team confirmed that it maintained Cabot’s high standards for cheese quality, shelf life and sensory experience, Davis says. The new 30% PCR packaging will result in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel requirements by up to 25%, alongside significant water savings during manufacturing of the packaging for the co-op’s 8-ounce cheese bar line.

“From a consumer standpoint, this option requires no change in how they interact with our 8-ounce dairy bars,” Davis says. “We concluded that there wouldn’t be an increase in retail prices. The cost remains the same for the consumer while simultaneously reducing our environmental impact.”

Armed with the study results, Cabot’s leadership team decided to make the transition to the PCR film for all 8-ounce cheese bars. The shift will be gradual as the cooperative works through existing packaging supplies. Consumers can expect to start to see the new packaging in stores by the end of this year.

“Now that the dairy industry has a range of options to consider, it’s so important to have a partner that understands your brand and business goals and has the pulse on the sustainability industry,” says Christopher Gabriel, strategic marketing director for dairy, TC Transcontinental. “This is a dynamic environment — EPR (extended producer responsibility) legislation and the recycling industry are changing constantly — and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all packaging option that will work for everyone. Every case is unique, but Cabot has shown that it can be done.”

In the future, Cabot hopes to expand the new PCR packaging to its other lines of cheeses, Davis says. He notes that further market research is being done on the best way to communicate these innovative solutions to consumers.

“At the end of the day, this is not a destination — it’s a really positive first step on what we see as a much larger journey to greener packaging,” he says. “But we think it’s a big step and something we want to share.

“We still hope the recycle-ready and compostable become more attractive options as we go forward,” he adds.

Beyond rolling out the new packaging to consumers, Cabot also is eager to share its findings with the dairy industry as a whole. Study findings will be made available industrywide with hopes of broadening the positive impact of the grant research.

“NE-DBIC’s intention was that we would do this research and share the findings broadly,” Davis says, “and we’ve had a number of opportunities already, even early in the process, to speak at various industry events as the study was underway.”

Davis adds the cooperative is hopeful that its findings will lead to more innovation in the dairy space, as there is a high degree of interest in reducing plastic use overall.

“We’ve gone from seeing plastics as the best thing since sliced bread to recognizing there are some really detrimental impacts that weren’t as noticeable at first. We need to look at alternatives,” Davis says. “Now with study results in hand, it’s much more obvious what can work to move in the right direction in 2024, at least for us.”

Kathryn Donovan, regional programs manager for NE-DBIC, says Cabot has demonstrated what is possible for the dairy industry to innovate in meaningful ways.

“Through this project, Cabot has developed pathways for other dairy processors to follow suit, allowing the industry new opportunities to reduce their environmental impact while responding to consumer values,” she says.

CMN

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