09 Feb 2022 --- Waddington North America’s (WNA) Novolex has been awarded a new patent for Cutlerease, a dispenser that offers customers one disposable utensil at a time for enhanced hygiene and waste reduction. With the patent now secured, Novolex customers can lease or buy Cutlerease dispensers – facilitating the technology’s adoption by foodservice establishments.“Every day, we are investing in the people and technology that can propel our industry forward in innovating [environmentally] sustainable products. Cutlerease reduces waste by allowing the consumer the ability to take only the specific utensils they need from the dispenser,” explains Janis Kovarovic, senior product manager of WNA, to PackagingInsights. “Our loading process features our patented cutlery stacks, which allow operators to refill the dispenser without touching the cutlery.”The patent comes amid heightened waste and hygiene concerns. Innova Market Insights revealed that 10% of global consumers strongly agree and 32% agree that COVID-19 has increased their packaging waste due to a rise in home deliveries. Furthermore, the market researcher found that 37% of global consumers agree and 25% strongly agree that the protective function of product packaging has become more important since the pandemic.
