American baby food and baby products company Gerber is preparing to start selling organic banana mango purée in a 100% recyclable pouch this May as part of a broader effort around sustainable packaging. The single-material pouch will be accepted for recycling through a national program with TerraCycle, according to the company, which became a Nestlé subsidiary in 2007.   Although the Gerber brand has existed for more than 90 years, it recently went through a transformation, explained the company’s brand manager and sustainability lead Sina Hilbert. That meant establishing a cross-functional sustainability team to work on responsible agriculture, supply chain, and packaging.   “Our big rally cry is moving our entire portfolio to 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025,” Hilbert said.   Environment + Energy Leader caught up with Hilbert to find out how the company is pursuing recyclable packaging in the United States.   Why is Gerber focused on recyclability for packaging?   Everything from the ingredients to the packaging that we’re putting products in can affect the world. Our sustainability initiatives and strategies focus on creating a world that babies can thrive in. Packaging is a huge piece of that.   Consumers tell us what they’re looking for. Today’s consumers are adamant about a more sustainable option.   What are your plans for making Gerber’s packaging more sustainable?   One of the pieces is having a clear roadmap of different projects, from a packaging standpoint, that help us get to our 2025 goal. The launch of our new single-material pouches is a reflection of that.   We partnered with a supplier that was trying to help develop new technology in the flexible plastic space. One of the issues with multi-laminate pouches, the material we use, is how complex it is. It’s virtually impossible to recycle using traditional means.   Developing this single material actually creates value. It’s a bit easier to recycle and has value in a secondary market.   How did Gerber identify this single material for packaging?   This was driven by the identification of the supplier. Working through the trials needed to make a transition of this scale was largely done by our packaging leads across the globe. They brought the technology to us.   We have rigorous standards for any packaging structure we’re using. There was an extensive process to ensure that this was the right material, that our consumers would be able use it as they would any pouch, and that it could hold puréed baby food.   Where does the material go at the end of its life?   We are continuing our partnership with TerraCycle to get these pouches recycled. Our longer-term goal is to help create a stream so they can be recycled curbside.   One of the partnerships we have is with the Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF) project being piloted in Pennsylvania. They’re developing a stream for single materials such as these pouches. It’s small in scale now, but we’re pushing for change, particularly in the US market, so materials like this can be recycled through traditional streams.   What has been the biggest challenge with the recyclable packaging process so far?   The biggest challenge is accessibility. I’ve spent some time in Europe and done research on where the US market is relative to other places in terms of education on what can be recycled, what can’t be, and people’s access to recycling things they think should be recycled.   There are still a lot of hurdles to jump: How do we get municipalities on board? How can we structure our recycling program in this country to be more seamless, and easier for consumers to use and understand. That’s something we still need to figure out.   Has the covid-19 pandemic affected your approach to packaging?   Fortunately, no. We still have our same strategy and goals. In times like this you take a brief pause to reassess, but nothing has strayed off course.   Do you have advice for fellow industry leaders around recyclable packaging?   I’ve learned so much about packaging structures in general. My advice would be to not get discouraged about the current market. Stay true to your ambitions for sustainable packaging, and find ways to achieve them.   Navigating difficulties — whether it’s that the technology doesn’t exist or municipalities don’t take this — we definitely wouldn’t be at the point where we are if we allowed any of those hurdles to stop us. Know that it can be done if we continue to push the industry and CPG in that direction.