HOUSTON, Sept. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY), the world’s largest food distributor, announced its winners from the company’s inaugural One Planet. One Table. packaging (pack-a-thon) contest. Over 40 U.S. suppliers and packaging producers submitted innovative, environmentally friendly solutions to reduce plastics and packaging waste. Sysco's panel of judges invited the top seven proposals to a pitch competition at the end of June, narrowing the field to three winners:

Winners:

• Cargill’s More Sustainable Beef Packaging – Shrink bags that are designed to biodegrade in landfill and are made with recycled content.
• Superior Foods International Bio Bag for Frozen/Convenience Foods – Packaging alternative made with one layer of paper and one layer of biopolymer, produced from cells of a living organism (like plants) instead of synthetic plastic derived from petrochemicals.
• PA x PulPac Dry Molded Fiber Single Serve Containers – Renewable plant fibers converted into packaging that can replace single-serve plastic condiment packs.
  

“All three of these concepts bring an opportunity to reduce plastics, particularly in light of increasing regulations and customer demand,” says Victoria Gutierrez, Sysco’s Chief Merchandising Officer. She continues, “We’re excited to explore these innovations and see how we can partner with our suppliers to bring more sustainable packaging to foodservice.”

Earlier this year, the company introduced packaging guidelines to encourage all supplier partners to transition to materials and design principles that will collectively reduce our environmental footprint. The packaging guidelines and pack-a-thon were highlighted at the company’s annual Supplier Sustainability Summit where Sysco discussed how they can drive growth and support customers’ needs together by taking action on sustainability.

Eliza Clark, Cargill Protein & Salt Sustainability Leader, said, “Cargill is committed to accelerating innovative packaging solutions that address sustainability opportunities throughout the protein supply chain. We are grateful for Sysco’s collaboration and partnership as we continue finding new ways to feed the world in a sustainable way together.”

Kira Halpern, Director of Social Impact & Communications at Superior Foods International, said "We are proud to be acknowledged by Sysco as one of the inaugural Packathon winners. This award recognizes our joint commitment to sustainability, innovation, and exceeding industry standards. Building on our nearly three-decade partnership, we are honored to collaborate with Sysco to advance solutions that benefit both our customers and the planet.”

Anthony Perrotta, Partner at PA Consulting and Regenerative Economy Expert said, “The Dry Molded Fiber technology, pioneered by PulPac and produced by PA, is a sustainable, scalable alternative to single-use plastic packaging, harnessing the power of fiber. While each product will have its own specific requirements, we expect the initial Dry Molded Fiber packs to enable a 90-95% reduction in plastic compared to current packaging. There is a massive opportunity to use this technology in the service of single serve and single dose condiments and sauces.”

More information on Sysco’s packaging efforts can be found in its 2023 Sustainability Report.

About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 76,000 colleagues, the company operates 340 distribution facilities worldwide and serves approximately 730,000 customer locations. For fiscal year 2024 that ended June 29, 2024, the company generated sales of more than $78 billion. Information about our Sustainability program, including Sysco’s 2023 Sustainability Report and 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report, can be found at www.sysco.com.

For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoFoods. For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s Internet home page at investors.sysco.com, which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.

For more information contact:

Media Contact
Matt Stewart
Matt.Stewart@sysco.com
281-584-1390