While the federal government’s recent study, Estimating the Cost Implications of Reducing Plastic Packaging for Fresh Produce, offers helpful data on select cost scenarios, it is narrow in scope and far from an all-encompassing assessment of packaging sustainability and performance. Its limited focus on a subset of commodities and costs should not be mistaken for a complete picture of how packaging functions or what truly drives environmental and operational outcomes across Canada’s produce supply chain.
Corrugated packaging already delivers measurable environmen- tal, logistical and food safety benefits that too often go unrecognized in policy discussions. The corrugated and containerboard sector is an essential pillar of Canada’s economy and food system, employing more than 10,000 Canadians, and the broader paper packaging sector provides employment to more than 27,000 Canadians.