Packaging Strategies recently sat down with Eldon Schaffer, CEO of TekniPlex Consumer Products, to discuss the company’s role in the evolution of molded fiber packaging solutions.

TekniPlex Consumer Products offers a wide range of packaging solutions for a variety of applications, including fresh foods. The company is particularly well known for its use of molded fiber in egg cartons. The material is sustainable in both content and recyclability, while also providing adequate protection for the eggs themselves.

“The egg is one of nature’s most fragile products. In the end what we’re really trying to do is protect the egg and make sure that it is protected all the way to the consumer’s refrigerator,” explained Schaffer. “That’s what’s inspiring us. We’re really excited to continue to bring more molded fiber solutions to protect the egg.”

Recently, TekniPlex has continued to invest in molded fiber, opening its eighth facility dedicated to the material last October in Van Wert, Ohio. The 200,000-square-foot facility further cements TekniPlex Consumer Products as a major player in molded fiber and underscores the immense potential of molded fiber packaging solutions in several markets.

“There are other opportunities for sure. We have major CPG companies knocking on our door looking for solutions in fresh protein trays, in yogurt, in coffee … and a variety of other markets,” said Schaffer. “We have a team of people that are working to identify the pipeline of the next opportunity so that we can make sure that we bring a sustainability solution … and meet the requirements of the CPG companies, the retailer, and the end consumer.”

In addition to our recent discussion with Schaffer, Packaging Strategies has featured exclusive, original reporting on molded fiber packaging in recent months.

For example, we sat down with Palouse Fiber Packaging CEO Kyler Lovgren to discuss how molded fiber can help businesses remain compliant as a patchwork of state-level packaging regulations crop up. That interview can be found here.

Also, with bans on PFAS and polystyrene popping up across the packaging landscape, Bill Kuecker and Emily Parsons of Solenis recently explained how a new generation of molded fiber is responding to the call for sustainable packaging options that also offer high performance. That interview can be found here.