In 2023, Stonyfield Organic received an NE-DBIC Dairy Product Packaging Innovation Grant and launched an ambitious project to transform the packaging for their YoBaby pouch line.
While Stonyfield produces yogurt in cups and smoothies in bottles, the focus on their YoBaby line was strategic. Pouches are the fastest growing format for their business – in 2023, they produced around 100 million individual pouches.
As a Certified B Corp, Stonyfield seeks to reduce their environmental impact at every step of the process, from field to pouch. With funding from the NE-DBIC grant, Stonyfield set out to decrease the amount of plastic in their packaging by transitioning to a mono-material polyethylene (PE) and light-weighting the pouch cap. Many pouch products use a material that layers several materials, which renders them unable to be recycled. While U.S. recycling infrastructure is limited, by moving to the mono-material, Stonyfield would position themselves to having a pouch that could be recyclable when the infrastructure catches up.
The purpose of this project was to modify their production lines to this updated packaging format. The goal: to improve recyclability, lightweight packing components by 10%, and reduce carbon footprint from packaging by 15%.
Reducing Plastic in Pouches and Caps
Stonyfield completed the first commercial packaging run of the mono-material PE in December of 2023. The process wasn’t without challenges. The new pouches and caps needed to work on existing production lines without requiring major modifications. They also needed to pass packaging and shelf-life tests to ensure the new design met quality standards.
In addition to the pouch material, Stonyfield focused on lightweighting the pouch cap. Their new cap reduced material weight by 17%, further decreasing the overall package weight.
The results of this combined effort are impressive: Over 50,000 pounds of plastic eliminated and a reduction of 170,000 pounds of CO2e emissions.
Now, Stonyfield is working towards obtaining APR (Association of Plastic Recyclers) recognition for recyclability to ensure their packaging meets the highest sustainability standards.
Future Steps
Looking ahead, Stonyfield plans to expand these packaging improvements across other product lines. They also continue to focus on consumer education and collaboration with retail partners to promote sustainable packaging solutions.
Dairy companies who are interested in packaging innovation can find more detailed insights in Stonyfield’s Case Study, Pouch Packaging How-To Guide, and Webinar:
