The Nutreco meat business in Spain together with the Nutreco Food Research Centre, also in Spain, collaborated in a packaging development with the objective of reducing environmental impact. The innovative project led to totally recyclable meat packaging that reduces carbon footprint, increases convenience, saves time and cuts costs. It was introduced in Spain in 2009. The modified atmosphere packs for chicken and chicken portions were introduced in Mercadona supermarkets in Spain on a trial basis in April and by mid November could be found in all stores; close to 1,300.

The packs are lighter and less than half the height of the previous generation, yet they hold the same weight of meat and retain the same product shelf life. This means they can be stored and transported more efficiently, reducing the number of truck miles required in distribution. With 21% more packs per box, retail display cabinets are restocked faster and the chicken products take up less space in shopping bags and domestic refrigerators. At the same time, the packs reduce environmental impact as fewer resources are needed to make them and they are 100% recyclable, even as food packs again. If they are not recycled, incineration yields only carbon dioxide and water or they degrade to carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.