Central to the roadmap is the concept of “functional sustainability,” which reframes packaging sustainability to prioritize its role in preserving food quality and safety throughout the supply chain. Rather than focusing solely on recyclability or compostability, the roadmap emphasizes the environmental cost of food waste and the importance of packaging that prevents it. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data demonstrates that the agricultural production phase carries a significant environmental footprint, and when packaging fails, the loss extends beyond the food itself to the water, land, and energy invested in its production.

The roadmap proposes a three-pillar framework for selecting the most sustainable packaging for fresh produce:

1. Upstream considerations around material sourcing and LCA-informed design
2. Midstream functionality to ensure protection and efficiency
3. Downstream strategies that align with existing waste management infrastructure.

The roadmap also introduces a commodity grouping system—categorizing fresh produce as “Robust,” “Resilient,” “Delicate,” or “Highly Perishable”—to guide targeted innovation and improve supply chain performance.

SPPA’s recommendations call for industry-wide commitment to functional sustainability; investment in targeted innovations and packaging technologies tailored to the needs of specific commodity groups; and advocacy for pragmatic, science-based policies, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.

The roadmap also outlines specific actions for stakeholders, urging:

• Growers and packers to design packaging technologies with functionality and LCA data in mind
• Retailers to educate consumers and revise procurement policies, while advocating for improved downstream recycling infrastructure
• Policymakers to implement pragmatic EPR policies, and to harmonize recycling standards and fund infrastructure
• Academia to close research gaps and develop standardized testing protocols.

By aligning environmental goals with the core purpose of packaging—protecting fresh produce—the roadmap offers a unified strategy to reduce waste, mitigate emissions, and enable a more resilient and sustainable supply chain.

SPPA’s next steps for this work include the development of supplementary materials that dive into critical topics in sustainable packaging for fresh produce.

SPPA is a consortium of North American fresh produce industry leaders, which was formed to align industry on scientifically sound, achievable, and sustainable fresh produce packaging guidelines for the region.