Sustainable band packaging for apples coming soon

Stemilt will launch its EZ Band sustainable 4-pack package for Rave and SweeTango apples this fall to offer consumers a recyclable packaging option and drive sales of larger-sized fruit with a convenient grab-and-go design.

“The new EZ Band by Stemilt is an approach to sustainable packaging that we’ve seen in Europe,” explained Brianna Shales, marketing director for Stemilt. The EZ band is a two-piece four pack of apples that is made of 100% paperboard. It was designated by How2Recycle for recycling at home in recycling containers.

Stemilt designed the EZ Band as a sustainable package to be easy on the shopper and the earth with fully recyclable materials and a convenient shape for stacking into display-ready Euro boxes. The tray will hold four apples of large size profiles and will be sold off the count, with a UPC on the bottom of the band for easy ringing at the register.

“These larger sizes are traditionally sold by the pound off a PLU sticker. This new pack is a step towards increasing purchase size and brand awareness while providing retailers with an easy and effective merchandising solution in-store or online,” said Shales. “It will move through self-checkout stations with ease. We also foresee automation capabilities in packing the fruit down the road to bring efficiency to a pack that aims to delight consumers.”

The EZ Band was created in response to the high demand for grab-and-go items in grocery stores that came during the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumers and Gen Z shoppers gravitate toward convenience but wants to meet their needs from a sustainable standpoint.

To ensure retailers are catching the right ring at the point of sale, a UPC on the packaging will also aim to efficiently move apples through the register and self-checkout stations. The package includes a tray that holds the apples and a paper band that is machine-tightened around the tray to hold the apples. Each unit offers shoppers visibility to the fruit.