This summer, shoppers will have a new ecologically friendly option for their picnics and cookouts — and Advantage Solutions is helping to bring it to market.
Republic Plastics, a leading manufacturer of foam tableware, recently entered into a joint venture with regenerative technology firm Genera to bring to market a first-of-its-kind, molded fiber for tableware, made from switchgrass, a renewable source material grown locally just south of Knoxville, Tennessee. Daymon, which powers private brands for Advantage, will be introducing the new product to retailers nationwide this year.
The Republic Genera partnership is a clear example of how Advantage can leverage its relationships and scale to help bring new sustainable products to market. Daymon provides the sales arm and the go-to-market position for the companies together to be able to bring the product to retailers and consumers.
“The product being much more ecologically friendly and carbon-neutral, and the fact that it’s 100% manufactured here in the U.S., really, those two differentiating factors set it apart and create a huge value both for the consumer as well as for the retailer,” said Jonathan Finch, vice president for client services at Daymon. “We’re going to get this in front of as many retailers as we possibly can. And I think you’re going to see it on shelves very soon.”
April is Earth Month, a time to raise awareness and take action to protect our planet and its environment. This remains crucial as consumers continue to look for sustainable solutions. According to Daymon research, 89% of shoppers plan to maintain or increase their purchases of sustainable products in the next 12 months, highlighting the importance of sustainability as a key purchasing motivator. And as responsible stewards of the planet, Advantage Solutions’ commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues underscores the organization’s dedication to meeting consumer expectations and fostering a more sustainable future for generations to come.
Advantage’s unique position at the nexus of brands, retailers and shoppers allows the company to make an impact.
“We really want to be partners both with the retailers as well as with the clients that we’re representing,” Finch said. “So it’s critically important that we help manage those relationships and really act as an extension of Republic’s own team to be able to be everywhere they can’t, when they can’t.”
Republic’s established presence in the marketplace, along with its distribution and logistics, is combining with Genera’s manufacturing capabilities, automation and scale to create the compostable tableware and containers.
Most of these products have historically come from Southeast Asia. But with tariffs and other challenges in the market today for imported goods, Republic and Daymon see a strong future for a domestically sourced product made from a natural resource — that is one of the most renewable tableware products that will be in the marketplace and on the shelf.
“This is a new integrated business that we see as a huge opportunity for us to diversify our portfolio and to really speak to what the market is looking for as far as sustainable products,” said Greg Ashford, director of sales for Republic. “We are the only domestic product that we’re aware of that can deliver this type of sustainability.
“Daymon has been an integral part of our organization,” he added. “Being as lean as we are, we rely on Daymon to really be the hands and feet of our organization out in the marketplace for customers.”
Watch how Daymon and Republic are bringing farm-to-tableware products to stores nationwide this year:
