Description- Cleveland Kitchen is introducing its sustainable food containers made from Purecycle’s PureFive resin, achieving 25% of recycled content.
In July 2026, Cleveland Kitchen debuted sustainable food containers made with PureCycle's PureFive resin, achieving 25% recycled content while maintaining food safety compliance.
Cleveland Kitchen is all set to roll out its new polypropylene food containers incorporating 25% post-consumer recycled content by the end of July. The launch marks the brand’s first commercial-scale food-contact packaging made with PureCycle Technologies’ PureFive resin. The 24-ounce tubs and lids, developed in partnership with global packaging provider IPL Schoeller, allow the fermented food company to comply with recycled-content mandates taking effect in New Jersey, California, and other states abiding by similar regulations.
PureCycle Technologies, a US-based plastic recycling innovator, uses a dissolution recycling process that removes colors, odors, additives, and other impurities from post-consumer polypropylene. The resulting PureFive resin is GreenCircle Certified for recycled content and meets FDA food-contact requirements for multiple applications.
"Our fermented foods are living products. They deserve packaging that reflects the same commitment to health and the planet that our customers expect from what's inside the container," said Luke Visnic, Cleveland Kitchen chief product officer. Partnering with IPL Schoeller and PureCycle gives us a container with meaningful recycled content, full food-contact compliance, and a credible story we can put right on our label. We're proud to be ahead of the regulatory curve and even prouder that it didn't require any compromise on product quality."
New Jersey's Recycled Content Law, which took effect in 2024, states that rigid plastic containers sold in the state should contain at least 10% post-consumer recycled content. That threshold increases to 20% in 2027, when an exemption for food-contact packaging expires. PureCycle's PureFive resin recently received conditional approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, qualifying it as recycled content under the law.
Apart from state mandates, major national retailers are also raising the standards of sustainability independently. Grocery chains representing a significant share of domestic food retail now require brand owners to demonstrate progress toward sustainable packaging commitments as a condition of shelf placement and contract renewal. Companies also face a growing patchwork of extended producer responsibility legislation at the state and national levels that includes recycled content mandates or source reduction targets.
IPL Schoeller, which operates 26 manufacturing locations across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom following its July 2025 merger with IPL Global, has been seeking high-quality recycled polypropylene for the North American market.
"This is a landmark moment for the IPL Schoeller team," said Melissa Vettleson, IPL Schoeller sustainability and materials engineer. "It further underpins IPL Schoeller's commitment to the use of reusable and recyclable packaging. IPL Schoeller is a leader in the use of PCR across our European business, and we have been wanting to incorporate recycled polypropylene into the right product in North America for several years, with our eye on the PureCycle resin due to its high quality, clarity, and broad use cases. We were just waiting for the right partner to make this a reality."
Julie Barnwell, IPL Schoeller product manager, said the partnership "will allow us to expand our sustainable packaging portfolio with products that deliver on both the environmental and performance expectations brands demand." PureCycle and IPL Schoeller plan to expand their collaboration to introduce PureFive resin into additional product offerings.
The packaging industry has faced major issues in delivering recycled content without compromising food safety or shelf performance. PureCycle's dissolution recycling technology addresses this challenge by producing recycled resin that matches virgin material quality.
"The packaging industry's challenge has always been delivering recycled content without sacrificing food safety or shelf performance," said Pete Dias, PureCycle's senior director of market, application, and product development. "PureFive resin removes that trade-off entirely. Food safety, regulatory compliance, performance, and environmental responsibility no longer have to compete with one another. This launch with Cleveland Kitchen and IPL Schoeller proves the model at commercial scale."
The partnership establishes a scalable supply infrastructure for PureFive-based rigid packaging due to mandatory regulatory requirements across North America and internationally as well. Cleveland Kitchen and other global brand owners rely on high-volume rigid plastic tubs and lids for food, personal care, and household products, creating significant demand for compliant recycled content solutions.
Cleveland Kitchen is an American food company known for making fresh, probiotic-rich fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and mayo-free coleslaw. The company was founded in 2014, starting at a local farmers market in Ohio, and grew into a national brand found in thousands of grocery stores.
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