Stewardship in Action: Packaging
Putting a world of difference into our packaging
Open up any Tillamook product and you’ll find great taste and quality ingredients. That goes without saying. But we believe everything we make should do more than just taste good.
Packaging Matters
It protects the quality, safety and nutritional
benefits of our products. And if it’s not recycled
or repurposed, packaging can deplete valuable
resources and add waste. That’s why we
rely on science as we carefully consider the
materials we put into our packaging. It means
thinking differently.
Today, we’re faced with the challenge of
minimizing our impact without compromising
on function, safety, and — maybe most
importantly — taste.
Hear from Steve Marko, our Senior Director of Research and Development and Shivira Choudhary, our Environment and Community Impact Manager about how we are trying to create better packaging with less impact.
Focused on goals, driven by passion
We’ve set ambitious, new packaging goals to hold ourselves accountable and ensure our actions now are moving us towards more sustainable packaging in the future.
Our packaging journey
A humble container of yogurt has an elaborate story that began long before it hit your table or landed in the store. And it’s one that will continue long after you’ve enjoyed the last bite. To make sure we choose the right materials, measure their impact correctly and think about every step of the journey, we use a packaging circularity model to close the loop in our sustainability efforts.
Using Science to Guide Decisions
One of the ways we measure and evaluate our packaging is by conducting a thorough, science-based LCA.
An LCA looks at the emissions associated with
sourcing of materials, transportation, production
and end-of-life outcomes for our packaging. By
studying the emissions of our current cheese,
yogurt and ice cream packaging, we have a
clearer vision of what alternatives, if any, could
help us reduce our environmental impact.
Data intensive? Yes.
Complex? Yes.
Worth it? Absolutely.
No matter the outcome or the cost, our belief is simple: start with science.
Our decision-making around packaging is getting more dynamic as we are thinking about everything, from the design and material selection to sourcing and consumer behavior. When we look at each of these decisions with TCCA’s larger purpose in mind, we want to provide a great product that’s good for business, our consumers and the environment.
Reducing food waste through sustainable packaging
The main role of packaging is to protect product
quality, shelf life and nutritional benefits as
our products travel from us to you. Sometimes the
more sustainable packaging solution is the one
that protects and preserves food longer —
even if that solution is single-use plastics.
Find out how we use packaging to protect food and prevent food loss in the video below.
Food waste Creates a Bigger Environmental Footprint Than Packaging
And the facts are staggering:
Nearly 30% of the world’s food supply becomes waste.
Food waste, in turn, produces 8% of greenhouse gas emissions.
In the U.S., almost 60% of food waste happens at the consumer level — which is why we’re passionate about educating consumers on their role in savoring our products and preventing food waste at home.
Get more out of every bite
We are committed to do right—not just by our food but by our impact on the environment. And you can too by upcycling your empty Tillamook containers! Click the link below to get inspired.
Packaging with a purpose
We’re making sustainable packaging a priority today, tomorrow and forever. It requires a series of intentional steps to move toward maximum impact. We have a lot more work to do. Here are some of the steps we’ve already taken:
Preserving and minimizing
By creating resealable cracker cuts, we’ve found a new way to preserve freshness and prevent food waste in the process.
Joining forces
We know our path forward is dependent upon many factors including ensuring we continue to meet the highest quality and food safety for our consumers, complying with all applicable regulations, recycling and alternative material availability, and more. By joining the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and participating in the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s Packaging Working Group and other groups, we’re working together to stay informed and encourage innovation in packaging and recycling markets.
Ongoing evaluation
With three packaging LCAs completed for our cheese, yogurt and ice cream, we’re continuing to put in the work to assess our environmental impact and pursue more sustainable options.
