Colorado county launches program to reduce packaging pollution

Boulder County, Colorado, has launched a program designed to reduce packaging pollution. Called the Boulder County Food & Beverage Pollution Reduced Packaging Pilot, officials say they hope the program will decrease the environmental impacts associated with food and beverage packaging. 

According to a news release from the county, the program will support manufacturers as they transition to pollution reduced and sustainable packaging formats. The pilot program is funded by the EPA Source Reduction Assistance grant program. Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), a sustainability and material recovery consulting firm that is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a location in Boulder, will facilitate the program.

“This program will find ways to reduce food packaging impacts by conserving resources at the start of the manufacturing process through the design of reusable, recycled, recyclable, bio-based and compostable packaging,” says Tim Broderick, senior sustainability strategist at Boulder County’s Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience. “With 46 percent of all manufacturing in Boulder County being attributed to the food and beverage industry, there’s a huge opportunity here to support the creation of closed-loop products. We hope this program helps accelerate the local circular economy.”

The county says area food and beverage manufacturers of all sizes are invited to apply to participate in the program. Officials say selected businesses will receive up to $10,000 in financial support for sustainable packaging-related expenses, technical assistance from subject matter experts and access to tools to evaluate environmental and cost impacts associated with a packaging transition. The program also will offer workshops where businesses can learn, collaborate and meet with packaging experts.

The county says to be eligible for the pilot program, businesses must be food or beverage manufacturers with headquarters or a business location within Boulder County. Eligible businesses can package their products directly or have a co-packager they send the products to for packaging. The product packaging can take place outside of Boulder County.

“Boulder County’s food industry is renowned for its long-standing history of sustainable business innovation,” says Susie Strife, director of boulder county's Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience. “This is the perfect environment to launch a program that will inspire new ways of thinking about the potential and possibility of food packaging in reducing pollution and addressing the climate crisis.”

Eligible food and beverage manufacturers can apply to participate in the program here. Applications close Friday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. Mountain Time. For more information about this program, contact Christian Herrmann at cherrmann@bouldercounty.org.