Sunrays | Squeezing out waste

Sunrays, a produce brand of the Jac Vandenberg Group, became one of Scrapp®'s first verified brands in July 2023. After switching from PET clamshells to an award-winning compostable net format, Sunrays needed a way to help customers understand how to dispose of packaging they'd never seen before. Through Scrapp's brand-verified program, they gave consumers instant, location-specific guidance via the Scrapp mobile app — no artwork changes, no complex onboarding, and live within a day of signing up.

When better packaging creates a new problem

Most produce brands are moving in one direction: trying to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging. Sunrays went further than most. They replaced their PET plastic clamshells with a compostable net format — a bold material switch that significantly reduced the packaging's environmental footprint and won at a global packaging competition.

But innovation created an unexpected communication challenge. Consumers knew what to do with a PET clamshell — or at least thought they did. A compostable net was unfamiliar. Can you put it in the recycling bin? Does it go in food waste? Is it home compostable or does it need industrial composting? The answers vary by municipality, and consumers had no frame of reference for the new format.

This is the paradox of sustainable packaging innovation. You invest in a better material, but if customers don't know how to dispose of it properly, the environmental benefit can be lost. A compostable net that ends up in a recycling stream becomes a contaminant. One that goes in general waste ends up in landfill, where it won't compost. The packaging is only as sustainable as the consumer's ability to handle it correctly at the bin.

Sunrays had done the hard work of improving their packaging. Now they needed a way to close the loop — educating customers on how to dispose of something they'd never encountered before, at scale, across the US market. And they needed it to be fast, low-cost, and require no changes to existing packaging artwork.

How Scrapp made it a one-day setup

Sunrays discovered Scrapp through the Sustainable Packaging Podcast, hosted by Cory Connors. After hearing about the brand-verified program, John Paap, Brand and Product Marketing Manager at Jac Vandenberg Group, reached out to learn more.

The brand-verified program is designed to remove barriers to entry. Brands upload their product and packaging data into Scrapp's system, where each component is verified and mapped against recycling and composting infrastructure across the US. Once verified, any consumer using the Scrapp mobile app can scan the product barcode and see exactly how to dispose of every component — based on their specific location.

For a new packaging format like the compostable net, this was especially valuable. Scrapp's system doesn't rely on consumers recognising a material — it tells them what to do with it, regardless of whether they've seen it before. Scan the barcode, get the answer. No guessing, no Googling, no confusion.

For Sunrays, the process was fast:

• Same-day onboarding — product data was submitted and verified within a single day, with clear instructions that required no technical expertise
• Zero artwork changes — the tool works through barcode scanning, so no redesign, reprinting, or supply chain disruption was needed
• Instant consumer access — from the moment verification was complete, any Scrapp user could scan a Sunrays product and get location-specific disposal guidance for the new compostable format
• Low cost of entry — the verification program gave Sunrays immediate consumer-facing value without a significant upfront investment

The simplicity was the point. As John put it, the tool is easily accessible, easily deployable, and easy to adopt. You scan the barcode and get the answer. That's it.

What verification unlocked for Sunrays

Becoming a Scrapp-verified brand delivered value beyond the consumer-facing tool:

• Removed the communication barrier for new packaging — the compostable net was unfamiliar to consumers, but Scrapp's system meant customers didn't need to understand the material to dispose of it correctly. The app handled the education automatically, location by location
• Sustainability credibility — Sunrays' commitment to sustainability was already strong, and the award-winning packaging switch proved it. Verification added a tangible, third-party-backed tool that showed customers the brand cared about what happened after purchase too. Sunrays went on to receive multiple sustainability awards, with Scrapp verification forming part of their broader story
• Marketing differentiation — in a category where most brands say nothing about packaging end-of-life, Sunrays could show customers they'd invested in making disposal simple — even for an entirely new format. That's a meaningful differentiator on shelf and in retailer conversations
• A foundation for deeper analysis — the verified program is a starting point. Brands that want to go further can commission custom waste assessments, packaging footprint reports, and EPR readiness analysis — all built on the data foundation that verification establishes

Why packaging innovation without disposal guidance falls short

Sunrays' experience highlights a challenge that every brand making sustainable packaging switches will face: new materials need new education.

The produce sector is moving fast on packaging innovation. Compostable films, plant-based trays, reusable containers, minimal-packaging formats — the alternatives to traditional plastic are multiplying. But consumer understanding isn't keeping pace. Most people can identify a plastic bottle and have a rough idea of where it goes. Ask them what to do with a compostable net, a plant-based clamshell, or a home-compostable film, and the confidence drops dramatically.

This gap between innovation and understanding has real consequences. When consumers can't identify a material, they default to one of two behaviours: they put it in general waste (safe but defeats the purpose), or they put it in recycling (optimistic but causes contamination). Either way, the environmental benefit of the better material is partially or fully lost.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation is accelerating this pressure. As EPR rolls out across US states, brands that can demonstrate their packaging is not only sustainable but also correctly disposed of by consumers will be in a stronger position — both financially and reputationally. Having verified disposal data in a system like Scrapp's provides the evidence.

For produce brands specifically, there's also a brand alignment opportunity. Consumers associate fresh produce with health and natural living. When the packaging matches that expectation — compostable, minimal, thoughtfully designed — and the brand provides a simple tool to dispose of it correctly, the entire experience reinforces the values that brought the customer to the product in the first place.

The environmental ripple effect

Every correctly disposed compostable net that enters the right waste stream instead of contaminating a recycling bin or ending up in landfill represents the full environmental value of Sunrays' packaging switch being realised. Without correct disposal, even award-winning sustainable packaging underperforms.

When a consumer scans a Sunrays product and gets a clear answer, two things happen. The packaging enters the correct stream — whether that's industrial composting, home composting, or another route based on local infrastructure. And the consumer learns something they'll carry forward to the next unfamiliar format they encounter.

Through Scrapp's partnership with Plastic Bank, every scan also contributes to removing ocean-bound plastic from the environment. For a produce brand built on freshness and natural ingredients, that alignment between product values and packaging action is a powerful story to tell.

You can learn more about Sunrays' broader sustainability efforts on their website.

Ready to verify your brand's packaging?

If you're a brand or retailer looking to give customers clear disposal guidance for your products — especially after a packaging format switch — book a 15-minute call with the Scrapp team.

See how other brands are using Scrapp to take control of their packaging data: Pete & Gerry's | Beech-Nut | Oddisea

Or explore Scrapp's industry reports to see the data behind smarter packaging decisions.