Braskem, the largest thermoplastics polyolefins producer in the Americas and the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, and Only Natural Pet, America’s leading brand of natural pet supplies, together announced a new sustainable pet food packaging initiative utilizing Braskem’s sugarcane based I’m green biopolymer. Only Natural Pet is integrating at least 30% bioplastic packaging material into every bag of its recently launched line of Mindful Meals dry dog food, directly supporting Only Natural Pet’s ongoing commitments to environmental sustainability and carbon reduction.
Marty Grosjean, Founder and President of Only Natural Pet, commented, “We are very excited to be using the I’m green biopolymer in our new Mindful Meals product line. The product is all about sustainable ingredients and thoughtful sourcing to create the ultimate dog food, so packaging it in a sustainable bag is ideal to further our sustainability goals – and of course to increase the appeal to pet parents.”
Only Natural Pet offers a comprehensive line of natural pet supplies that takes a holistic approach to optimizing the health of dogs and cats. As a founding member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, Only Natural Pet is committed to sustainable and “green” business practices, including working with industry leaders to provide more conscientious and sustainable solutions for everything from efficient wind powered facilities, to carbon offset shipping, to more environmentally friendly sourcing for its products and packaging.
Joe Jankowski, Commercial Manager for Braskem’s Renewables team in North America, stated, “As the increasingly healthy lifestyles of consumers leads them to seek out more natural foods for their pets, forward looking companies such as Only Natural Pet are matching their healthy product philosophy with more sustainable packaging solutions, minimizing the environmental and carbon footprints of pet food packaging in the process. We are proud to be partnering with Only Natural Pet to help meet these needs by leveraging Braskem’s I’m Green PE bio-based plastic to offer consumers more sustainable pet food packaging, helping protect the planet for people and pets alike.”
Only Natural Pet’s Mindful Meals line of dry dog food in the more sustainable packaging is available in PetSmart stores as the exclusive national retailer as well as online at www.onlynaturalpet.com and www.petsmart.com.
Braskem's I'm green Polyethylene (PE) is a bio-based resin made from ethanol, a renewable and sustainable resource produced from Brazilian sugarcane. I'm green PE retains the same properties, performance and application versatility of fossil fuel derived polyethylene, making it an ideal drop-in substitute for conventional oil-based polyethylene.
Cultivation of sugarcane utilized in the production of I'm green PE captures carbon dioxide (CO2) and releases oxygen (O2), which means Braskem’s bioplastic has a negative carbon footprint. From a cradle-to-gate life-cycle perspective, every ton of I’m green PE used in the production of packaging equates to 3.09 tons of CO2 captured from the atmosphere.
Weijia Zhang, Business Development Manager of Peel Plastic, commented, “We are pleased to partner with Only Natural Pet and Braskem to deliver on an authentically sustainable packaging solution, which meaningfully reduces carbon footprint while ensuring uncompromising protection to both the Only Natural Pet brand, and to the mindfully crafted product inside.”
With 40 years of experience in as a recognized leader in flexible packaging solutions and process innovation, Peel Plastic has developed extensive knowhow into the unique packaging requirements and technologies of the pet food business.
The Peel Plastics team worked side by side with Only Natural Pet and Braskem to design, develop and integrate the I’m green PE biopolymer into a new packaging solution that maintains all the performance characteristics required, while delivering a solution that is better for the earth.
To learn more about Braskem’s I’m green biopolymer, and the new Only Natural Pet sustainable packaging, be sure to visit us at the Natural Products Expo East 2018 – Booth #6450 – being held at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland from September 13th-15th, 2018.
