In the last month a steady stream of companies have minimized packaging, switched to different materials or tested out alternatives to their traditional operations.

It's a continuation of what we've seen companies of all sizes and industries doing, but it seems that lately there have been even more announcements as companies' packaging programs start showing results.

Kraft announced the results of shedding packaging across a whole range of items, and Mountaire Farms switched from wax-coated boxes to unwaxed boxes at its largest poultry plant, meaning the boxes can now be recycled instead of trashed.

Sainsbury's in the U.K. is packing its tomatoes in cartons instead of tins - a move that takes up less space and weighs less - but one of the more interesting bits of packaging news is the new milk bottle being tested by Straus Family Creamery. Straus sells its milk in glass bottles, which customers pay a deposit on and then return. The bottles end up back at Straus, where they are reused.

The company is trialing a new bottle that combines a recycled paper outer shell with a thin plastic pouch. The whole package is lighter and recyclable, and seems like it could end up being a supplemental packaging for Straus, not a replacement for its glass. It will be interesting to see how customers react to the packaging, and what kinds of impacts it results in.

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