The news comes as Zume acquires Pivot Packaging to give food brands a plant-based compostable alternative
Zume, Inc. the company engineering the world’s transition to a sustainable food future, has launched Zume Source Packaging – the first-of-its-kind packaging technology that uses plant-based materials to create a cost-competitive alternative to plastic when manufactured at scale.
The company has also announced its acquisition of Pivot Packaging, a leader in the sustainable packaging space, and the launch of a 70,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Southern California, the first of several planned manufacturing facilities Zume is building in the U.S.
Zume Source Packaging repurposes agricultural waste from sources such as bagasse (sugarcane fiber), bamboo, wheat, straw, and other organic fibers. The use of agricultural waste significantly reduces water and energy use, and carbon emissions in its production and disposal relative to plastic and styrofoam.
After use, Zume’s compostable packaging breaks down into organic material and can be used again to regenerate soil or other organic matter. In essence, the packaging creates a fully closed-loop cycle where the food that is grown creates the input materials for the packaging that carries food to the consumer, and then once used, is used to help grow more food.
Zume Source Packaging addresses these historical challenges by utilizing cutting edge manufacturing technology and material science. The company has a proprietary set of formulas, and forming and finishing processes to create moldable fiber that is intended to maintain the freshness and quality of perishable food compared to paper-based packaging.