Evergreen Packaging^®, a leader in refrigerated beverage carton manufacturing, has launched “14 Days of Fresh” to educate consumers on the ways cartons—and the FreshHouse™—can help people in all walks of life move toward their healthy and sustainable lifestyle goals. The campaign will educate consumers on the role packaging plays in preserving freshness, offer consumers tips, recipes and carton facts on Choose Cartons’ Facebook page, the home of all things cartons – the recyclable,* renewable,** and reliable fresh beverage packaging choice.

Evergreen Packaging’s FreshHouse cartons are designed to offer advantages in renewability, recyclability, and reliability. FreshHouse cartons help ensure product freshness by protecting flavor, nutrients and vitamins, and cartons are recyclable for over 58 percent of U.S. households.

“The launch of the FreshHouse carton initiative is just one way Evergreen Packaging is responding to the growing number of consumers who see an increasing connection between their personal health and making eco-friendly choices,” said Erin Reynolds, marketing director for Evergreen Packaging. “Consumers say they want fresh foods and beverages, but defining ‘fresh’ in consumers’ minds takes many forms. We want to inform consumers that packaging has a major impact on protecting food and beverage freshness and remind them that FreshHouse cartons help deliver the fresh, healthy products they are shopping for.”

The “14 Days of Fresh” campaign encourages consumers to learn how to evaluate fresh foods and beverages on the basis of three key factors: raw product quality, type of processing used, and type of packaging used.  It features key themes about cartons, including PSA videos highlighting FreshHouse™ benefits, fascinating fresh facts and creative carton activities. The intent of the campaign is to help consumers take simple steps toward healthy and eco-friendly choices by making informed choices at the grocery store, and make it easy to share sustainable lifestyle tips with family and friends. The campaign also reminds eco-aware consumers that cartons are a responsible packaging choice as they come from a renewable resource. FreshHouse cartons are made from more than 70 percent paper, which comes from trees from forests where responsible forestry practices are used and overall growth exceeds harvest. Cartons are also manufactured using over 50 percent bio-mass, a renewable energy source made from wood byproducts.

“Given the priorities consumers place on personal and planetary health, it’s important to communicate that cartons are a responsible choice because they are recyclable,^* renewable** and reliable.  Environmental considerations have now become a purchase decision-driver for consumers, and savvy brands are responding to these preferences and realizing the advantages that cartons offer,” added Reynolds.

According to a recent study by EcoFocus, which examines wellness and sustainability trends impacting the beverage industry, cartons are well aligned to consumer priorities and trends in personal health and sustainability. “The clean label trend is fueling an emerging clean packaging trend,” says Linda Gilbert, president of EcoFocus Worldwide. “Grocery Shoppers want labels to provide information important to their purchase decisions. Once limited to ingredients and nutritional attributes, more shoppers are now considering label information about the package: 64 percent say labels informing them that the package is recyclable is extremely or very important.  More than one in two shoppers also want labels identifying BPA-Free packaging.”

This research shows that cartons offer advantages for health and eco-minded brands and consumers. For example, a majority of grocery shoppers believe that beverages in cartons are fresher and taste better vs. those in plastic bottles. And six in ten (61%) of grocery shoppers say healthy beverage brands need to do a better job of providing alternatives to plastic packaging. Furthermore, responses showed that packaging that helps maintain freshness without preservatives is the most important quality in healthy beverage packaging.

For more details on Evergreen Packaging, visit www.evergreenpackaging.com and for more information on Choose Cartons, visit www.choosecartons.com.