Treplar, Inc. grew from a collaboration between expanded-materials engineers and packaging experts united by a desire to reduce plastic waste. The Martinsburg, West Virginia, company develops sustainable food packaging for businesses moving away from polystyrene, with its XPET™ material providing a lightweight alternative for commercial food use.
Lei TrayLei Tray makes fiber-based food packaging trays designed to reduce the plastic used in prepared-meal containers. Its compostable tray uses sugarcane fibers and a removable high-barrier liner, while its recyclable version is made to replace traditional polypropylene trays on existing sealing equipment. Based in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, lei® says using 1,000 of its trays can keep approximately 60 pounds of plastic out of landfills and oceans.CHALFONT, PA
Sabert CorporationFamily-owned Sabert Corporation traces its roots to 1983, when founder Albert Salama began simplifying drop-off catering with disposable platter solutions. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 people across seven manufacturing facilities worldwide while preserving an entrepreneurial culture and developing food packaging for foodservice and retail customers. Its sustainability work includes Nuvida, an in-house operation that processes food-grade recycled plastic for packaging.JESSUP, PA
Bamboo YoshiBamboo Yoshi is a U.S.-based sustainable packaging company developing biodegradable and compostable alternatives to plastic, including food-service packaging made from renewable and regenerative materials. With more than seven years on the market, it pairs an online product range with research into circular packaging and materials that can be reused, recycled, or returned to the environment with less waste.BROOKLYN, NY
UnspentBorn from coffee-chemistry research at The Ohio State University in 2016, Unspent turns spent coffee grounds into COPOXEE™, a renewable plasticizer for the materials industry. Cofounders Kathryn Williamson and Emmanuel Hatzakis developed the material to give coffee waste a second use while helping replace petroleum-based plastics in functional packaging. The company also develops other sustainable materials from food-industry byproducts.