Cirkla, Belmark and Ossid have unveiled the ‘world’s first’ resealable fibre tray, intended as a sustainability-minded, scalable, and cost-competitive alternative to plastics.
Combining Cirkla’s high-performance fibre trays with Belmark’s resealable lidding film and Ossid’s automated sealing technology, the packaging is applicable to food categories such as fresh protein, produce, and ready meals.
Reportedly, the fibre trays ‘meet or beat’ the shelf life, barrier properties, and durability of conventional plastics while reducing plastic waste by up to 90%. At the same time, they are said to be affordable, plug-and-play, and tested and validated on all major tray sealers in the United States market, including Ossid.
With no capital investment or line changes required, Cirkla’s trays are currently being used in real production environments for American retailers and protein processors.
Previously, the technical challenge of bonding a resealable film to a fibre substrate without compromising the tray’s liner has prevented peel-and-reseal functionality for fibre trays. Now, Belmark’s advanced lidding film technology and Ossid’s ReeMaster NextGen Automatic Tray Sealer claim to have solved the problem.
“Resealable fibre packaging has been one of the industry's most sought-after innovations and it took the right partners to make it real,” said Glenn Divers, vice president of Sales at Cirkla. “I believe this will be the inflection point for fibre packaging adoption across the industry.
“When you convert a single-use tray into a resealable, multi-use package without compromising performance, cost or asking brands to change their lines - you remove every reason not to switch.”
Belmark claims that its work with Cirkla and Ossid has brought sustainability, product protection, and consumer convenience together into one solution.
“Projects like this are a reminder that innovation doesn't happen in isolation,” continued Jason Vandeloo, director of Business Development at Belmark. “Bringing resealable functionality to a fibre tray required expertise across materials, film, and equipment, and each partner played an important role.
“At Belmark, we're proud to contribute our leadership in lidding film technology to help bring solutions like this to market.”
The ReeMaster NextGen Automatic Tray Sealer is purpose-built for medium-to-large-scale production environments across produce, protein, and other food applications. It utilizes servo-driven indexing conveyors and side grippers to consistently and precisely position trays.
Its 12-inch colour touchscreen with intuitive recipe management is set to simplify operation and unlock faster changeovers between top-seal, Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), and Vacuum Skin Packaging (VSP). The machine’s stainless steel, open-frame, washdown-ready design is also expected to enable fast, tool-free cleaning and maintenance.
“Sustainable packaging advances when partners challenge what the industry has accepted as impossible,” added Andrew Birdwell, vice president of Sales at Ossid. “Together with Belmark and Cirkla, we solved a long-standing challenge: pairing a fibre-based tray with a peel/reseal lidding film without damaging the tray's liner.
“The result is a package that performs on the line, stands out on the shelf, and helps our customers reach their sustainability goals.”
The resealable fibre tray was showcased at The Global Produce and Floral Show from 14–16 October and is currently on display at Pack Expo until 21 October.
Cirkla also plans to bring its newest partnership to a commercially validated, supply chain-ready foundation via its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Gainesville, Georgia, which is scheduled to commence operations in Q1 2027.
In other news, Mars Snacking has unveiled a resealable canister for its Cheez-It and Club crackers. They are designed to help consumers carry and eat their crackers in different environments while keeping the food fresh until the last bite.
Copacol has also revealed a cellulose tray for its seasoned chicken cuts, designed to be placed directly in the air fryer and recycled or biodegraded at end-of-life.
