LANCASTER, Pa. — Logan Byer and Cam Maier are two PCAD students competing in a national competition by the Paperboard Packaging Council to develop the strongest plastic-free packaging for produce.
“We had to follow their design criteria, which for this year was creating produce packaging from paperboard material, which is a lot more recyclable and breathable than the plastic material you commonly find,” Maier said.
Their produce of choice? Imperfect potatoes by SPUDS from Fresh Solutions Network.
“Whether small or big steps, anything you can do, it just feels better,” Byer said.
They learned about the competition through their graphic design professor, Tom Newmaster.
“They pair you up with a material supplier and then that material supplier is basically who you go to get materials to make different mock-ups,” Newmaster said.
Byer and Maier started designing last year alongside two other PCAD graduates, Bahir Harris and Kendall Harris-Burton.
“There was still room to innovate,” Maier said.
They built around 10 prototypes before settling on a design that is suitable for display, transport ready, and allows airflow through the package.
“We decided to go with the hexagon because it was stronger… I saw a latch style that was used for a graphics card, and I was like, ‘If they can trust this latch to hold over a 500-dollar piece of computer equipment, I think it can hold three pounds of potatoes,” Byer said.
The team was selected for finals earlier this month and are expected to receive their results on September 30 in Atlanta.
“It would really be an underdog story. Because to be honest, they probably shouldn’t be there because it is such a structural material-based competition and that’s not what they’re taught here,” Newmaster said.
“No matter where we place, I’m very proud of what we all came up with,” Maier added.