Peri & Sons Farms has recently made a change to its packaging that is allowing the Yerington, NV-based company to save a whole lot of material, which means limiting what’s going into landfills.
“Little changes can have a big impact,” said Jessica Peri, retail sales manager for the company. “That’s why we are advancing our position as a premier Certified Sustainable Farm. One initiative we’re working on this year is to reduce the amount of packaging on consumer products, without compromising food safety or visual appeal.”
The company’s new grab-n-go bag designs brighten up produce displays and help to reduce packaging waste.
“We’ve been working on this for years,” Peri said. “The problem is a lot of the suppliers in the onion industry haven’t come up with something that is truly sustainable. A lot of it is still poly-based and although recycling is great, we all know the market for recycled products is barely there. That’s why we decided to focus on reduction.”
The design has been well received by retailers and consumers who are applauding less plastic use overall.
Thanks to a series of little process improvements, every minute Peri & Sons produces its consumer onion packs, it is saving 36 square feet of material, equivalent to enough material to cover a baseball field every four hours.
“That’s a lot of material that won’t go into landfills,” Peri said. “And as part of our company-wide sustainable mission, we will continue to reduce product packaging and look for more sustainable packaging resources.”
These initiatives help Peri & Sons Farms keep overall operating costs as low as possible, providing the best products and value to its customers and consumers, while keeping the planet healthy.
“Peri & Sons Farms is dedicated to creating a healthy farming business that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future,” Peri said. “We’re doing a little bit every day to make a big difference tomorrow.”
The company’s sustainability philosophy is simple — works to ensure its produce meets the highest environmental, social and economic standards.
“As a company, we are all about being proactive and transparent,” Peri said. “It’s just part of our company culture to blaze trails rather than wait for industry mandates. We think that sustainability is becoming an important differentiator in the marketplace and we believe it adds significant value to our brand.”
Achieving certification through a stringent third-party audit, such as that of SCS Global, is by no means an easy task as it requires an unwavering, company-wide commitment to the mission.
“Even though the undertaking taxed our resources and recouping those costs through premium pricing is very difficult, we firmly believe that the overall benefits to our employees, our community and our customers will be well worth the investment,” Peri said. “We plan to continue demonstrating our commitment to upholding the highest levels of social and environmental responsibility, worker protection, and product integrity in the years ahead.”
Peri & Sons will continue seeking new suppliers that offer more sustainable options and do what it can to improve its commitment to the earth.
“We want something that’s more sustainable for the environment,” Peri said. “Reduction is just the first step.”
