A company whose packaging technology enables polyethylene or polypropylene (PE/PP) packaging to completely bio-assimilate — turn into CO2, water and biomass at the end of its life cycle — is sparking interest in the fresh produce industry.

Smart Plastic Technologies LLC’s SPTek ECLIPSE is a drop-in additive for conventional PE and PP and is 100 percent recyclable. If the packaging is not recycled (an overwhelming majority of plastic packaging is not), Smart Plastic’s patented technology ensures microorganisms will consume the material at the molecular level. This bio-assimilation leaves no microplastic or nanoplastic residue in any environment including landfills, or marine environments.

Chuck Morris, Smart Plastic’s chief marketing officer, said the FDA food-safe technology provides a sustainable end-of-life solution for many fresh produce filmic and rigid  packaging, from salad bags, netting and wraps to clamshells. ECLIPSE-infused packaging does not negatively impact the strength, barrier or shelf life.

“Nothing about the consumer experience changes,” Morris said. “The only difference shows up at end of life, when the package can no longer become permanent pollution.”

Smart Plastic won the 2026 Trellis Climate Tech Startup of the Year award in late June at Trellis Impact 26 — a validation from peers that the company’s technology is real, not greenwashing, he said.

Smart Plastic has exhibited at Pack Expo and the National Restaurant Association’s convention and is sending representatives to the International Fresh Produce Association’s Foodservice Conference.

“At industry events we have had strong interest from food, CPG, healthcare and other manufacturers,” Morris said. “They are consistently looking for the same thing: a way to improve end-of-life outcomes without trading off performance, processing or cost. That is exactly the gap ECLIPSE is designed to fill, because it drops into existing production with no retooling and no change to how the finished package performs.”

Smart Plastic is collaborating with a major polypropylene converter to develop a foodservice container for fresh-cut items such as diced and sliced tomatoes, processed onions and pico de gallo. The container is designed to bio-assimilate at end of life. The company also incorporates antimicrobial protection via another product line, SPTek™ GARD™, for an added food-safety benefit. The antimicrobial line is used in product packaging and pallet covers for retail and foodservice.

“We are working with produce suppliers across both retail and foodservice applications,” he said. “Our technology is well suited to the formats the produce industry relies on every day: netting for products like avocados, citrus, and onions, produce bags for retail and foodservice, and film applications including flow wrap and stretch wrap.”

Because the Smart Plastic technology is a drop-in solution, the added cost to growers, packers and shippers is minimal — often a single-digit percentage — which will speed adoption, he said. With an increased focus on sustainability in the industry and the debate on a heavy reliance on plastic, companies will have a story to tell consumers.