Sonoco and Clemson University embarks on the Sonoco FRESH (Food Research Excellence for Safety and Health) initiative that will develop new technologies and new forms of packaging to optimize the fresh food lifecycle.
“Each year, the food industry loses US$15.6 billion due to food spoilage at retail. Modifying packaging design to extend shelf life by even one day can recover US$1.8 billion of that loss – while feeding more people and reducing waste to landfills,” said Sonoco President and CEO Jack Sanders.
To establish the multi-disciplinary hub for innovation and research to advance fresh food packaging and distribution, Sonoco will contribute US$1.725 million over five years.
It will also sponsor business-driven research projects totaling US$1 million over that period.
Sonoco FRESH is an extension of the partnership that created the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics at Clemson.
The Sonoco Institute was created to exploit the synergies that exist between the graphic communications and packaging science departments.
It is reportedly the only university program in the country with this one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary approach to packaging as a core competency.
