A growing number of retail bakeries are striving to accelerate the growth of their business during challenging times. To support these efforts, more are turning to packaging solutions that help them drive innovation and improve product quality and performance.

For bakeries producing as little as a dozen loaves a day to hundreds daily, automated solutions exist that will enhance productivity and boost profits.

“That’s what we specialize in,” notes Don Carrell, chief executive officer of Kwik Lok. “A small bakery looking for transition to growth needs solutions to speed up that process. They need tools to take the cycle times out of their operation.”

Karen Reed, director of marketing and communications for Kwik Lok, identifies there are a number of solutions that smaller bakeries are seeking to implement.

It’s equally important to understand and respond to packaging options and what’s coming down the road.

No. 6 plastic, polystyrene or Styrofoam, is popular today in to-go food containers, but is considered one to avoid, according to industry experts.

In 2020, New York State adopted the nation’s strongest statewide ban of expanded polystyrene, single-use foam food and beverage containers, and polystyrene loose fill packaging materials, commonly known as packing peanuts.

Polystyrene foam is a concern for people and the environment. Foam packaging is one of the top contributors of environmental litter, causing negative impacts to wildlife, waterways, and other natural resources, as well as littering our communities and natural areas. It is lightweight, breaks apart easily, and does not readily biodegrade. When polystyrene foam ends up as litter in the environment, it can persist for a long time and may also become microplastic pollution. In addition, foam containers and loose fill packaging, such as packing peanuts, are not accepted in most recycling programs in New York State because the foam is difficult to recycle and has a low value. For these reasons, certain expanded polystyrene foam products are now banned in New York State to protect the environment, our communities, and to support sustainable materials management.

Under the Expanded Polystyrene Foam Container and Polystyrene Loose Fill Packaging Ban, effective January 1, 2022, no covered food service provider or store (retail or wholesale) is allowed to sell, offer for sale, or distribute disposable food service containers that contain expanded polystyrene foam in New York State. In addition, no manufacturer or store is allowed to sell, offer for sale, or distribute polystyrene loose fill packaging (commonly referred to as packing peanuts) in the state.

Better options From Kwik Lok, Eco-Lok features the sustainability your customers expect paired with the Kwik Lok, performance that has set the standard in the bag closure industry for decades. Made with up to 20% less fossil fuel-based resin and requiring up to 20% less greenhouse gasses to manufacture, Eco-Lok
makes your business more sustainable with every single sale.

Eco-Lok closures have exactly the same features and performance specs as the Kwik Lok products you have counted on for years, with a fraction the environmental impact. Eco-Lok maintains the qualities of existing Kwik Lok closures; it is printable, reusable, recyclable, and metal detector compatible.

Kwik Lok is fully committed to continuing to innovate and invest in materials science. This enables the company to offer products that utilize Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) material or other materials that are recycled and recyclable. Kwik Lok’s priority is helping our customers make advances in sustainability and minimizing our collective impact on the environment. For some, that means identifying opportunities to cut carbon emissions.

For others, minimizing plastics is the priority. Most are trying to find a balance between the two. Kwik Lok has closing solutions that meet these challenges and continues to innovate better solutions.

Eco-Lok is a sustainable bag closure made of plant-based polymer NuPlastiQ, uses up to 20% less fossil fuels in the manufacturing process and remains printable, reusable, and metal detector compatible.

Fibre-Lok is an environmentally friendly closure composed entirely of 100% post-consumer recycled paper that offers the same reliability as traditional Kwik Lok products for those looking for a 100% plastic free solution that is home compostable in some markets and recyclable in others.

Next-generation closing machines featuring laser-stitch technology. These indicate if a bag has been opened while also preventing bags from tearing.

“We remain focused on delivering solutions that are not only innovative, but also focused on sustainability. We understand that there is no one-size-fits-all closure that meets the varying sustainability needs of our international customers,” Carrell says.