Two longstanding, Northwest-grown companies have announced a partnership to reduce plastic use in the baking industry. Portland-based Franz Bakery has made a commitment to using Kwik Lok’s plant-based Eco-Lok™ bag closure on its bread products, reducing the amount of petroleum-based plastic used in packaging.
Yakima-based Kwik Lok released its Eco-Lok product earlier this year, which utilizes a resin made out of plant-based carbohydrates like corn and potatoes, emits fewer greenhouse gases in production compared to traditional closures and reduces the amount of petroleum-based plastic used overall. By the end of 2019, Franz bread products will start to use the Eco-Lok as part of the company’s commitment to reducing its plastic use by 10 percent by 2023. “We were proud to partner with Kwik Lok during beta testing and are very excited to be one of the first companies to adopt the new Eco-Lok,” Franz Vice President of Purchasing Ken Waltos said.