Apeel is Reducing Waste One Cucumber at a Time

Many delicate fruits and vegetables are sold wrapped in plastic to prolong their shelf life, but the plastic creates an enormous amount of trash that ends up in landfills and oceans. 

Apeel Sciences is partnering with Houweling’s Group, a vegetable grower, to produce “plastic-free” English cucumbers. The cucumbers will be available in more than 100 Walmart locations.

Instead of plastic, the cucumbers will be covered in an edible substance made from materials found in plants and the invisible barrier will extend the cucumber’s shelf life.

Appel research shows that every 500,000 cases of Apeel English cucumbers shipped will lead to the elimination of the equivalent of 820,000 single-use plastic water bottles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of planting 790 trees.

Apeel’s avocados have been attributed to a 50 percent reduction in store waste.

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