Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

Smaller Volume Sustainable Packaging a Reality from UFP Technologies

UFP Technologies a packaging company most well known for producing the award winning packaging design used by Pangea Organics bar soap has recently developed a process to provide custom sustainable packaging solutions to lower volume clients. 

This news will be of great interest to many new green companies looking for more sustainable packaging solutions.  Here at SISG we've received numerous emails and messages over the years from business owners seeking recommendations on packaging companies who will work with small businesses. 

Many small businesses who desire sustainable packaging solutions for their products often find themselves frustrated when they learn most packaging companies are unwilling or unable to work with them due to volume restrictions.  Its often not profitable for packaging companies to work with clients who need a smaller volume of packaging.

UFP's Tom Fitzgerald told SISG, "I know last time we conversed you had mentioned some disdain from companies and individuals you referred to us due to our high minimum quantities." 

"Molded Fiber (a UFP brand)  recently added high speed die-cutting operations that allow us to create custom packaging solutions for lower volume quantities (5,000 parts instead of hundreds of thousands)," said Fitzgerald.

"The new packaging is a lay-flat folding carton solution made out of 100% recycled fiber board.  We have created solutions for transporting wine and CD packaging (for country artists Big Kenny) in which we embedded wildflower seeds, similar to our soap packaging for Pangaea Organics."

The die-cut recycled fiber board can be manufactured for packaging solutions suitable for health and beauty products, apparel and other retail and consumer goods.  One such solution Molded Fiber has created is a “wine tote” folding carton that holds a single wine bottle.

For the past 18 years Molded Fiber has created molded pulp protective packaging solutions requiring relatively high tooling costs and in most cases minimum orders of hundreds of thousands of parts.  The addition of high-speed die-cutting to Molded Fiber’s manufacturing capabilities provides the flexibility to run smaller volume projects.  Minimums for die-cut recycled fiber board solutions are 5,000 units.

Similar to some of Molded Fiber’s standard protective packaging solutions, the fiber board material can also be embedded with flower seeds.  This innovative solution gives the consumer control over how to dispose of the packaging.  The fiber board packaging can be placed in a recycling bin, or planted directly in the ground where the packaging will biodegrade and the seeds will grow into flowers.  Molded Fiber can utilize a variety of seeds with selection often based on the season.

Is the United States Postal Service Coasting on Green?

BY DENNIS SALAZAR

A good friend of mine, who is very much in tune with the national sustainability scene, recently, shared his belief that many companies and organizations who helped lead us into sustainability were now sitting back and resting on their laurels. Almost as if they had “been there and done that” or as one of our most entertaining politicians in recent memory, put it – “mission accomplished”.

We have the distinct privilege of working with some of the most progressive and committed companies who see “going green” as a never ending process so initially I did not share my friend’s opinion. However, as I took a closer look at some of the companies and organizations who received the great PR and headlines just a year or two ago, many are definitely green coasting. The one that stands out in an increasingly crowded field is our own United States Postal Service.

FSC and C2C are NOT Certificates of Completion

Two years ago, at the end of 2007 USPS was getting a lot of accolades for their FSC and Cradle to Cradle certifications and quite frankly, they deserved the applause and appreciation of the green community.  Both certifications are difficult to obtain, and undoubtedly USPS spent considerable time and resources securing two of the foremost certifications available, at that time. 

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification on a product (in this case USPS corrugated boxes) confirms that the origin can be traced back through proper “chain of custody” practices, all the way to the forest that grew the tree, that the box was made from. C2C (Cradle to Cradle) certification applies to other USPS packaging products and is indeed a prestigious accomplishment. It certifies that a product is made using minimal energy, leaves a minimal carbon footprint, etc. Simply put, it tracks what a product was, how it is made and where/how it will wind up. I think we can agree, that is all pretty important stuff.

SISG’s Rider Thompson wrote and posted an excellent article back on December 13, 2007 detailing what these certifications mean and the process involved in earning them so I will not attempt to rewrite what has already been well documented. And I certainly don’t want to minimize these sustainability accomplishments; however, I do need to point out what these two certifications are not. They are NOT certifying the way the products are specified or used by the USPS or their customers.

These certifications are also not recent. Memo from Earth to the USPS: what have you done for me lately?

“We Deliver” Waste

I think it is wonderful that a person who occasionally ships a package can go to the local post office or hop on line, and order the packaging materials they need, for free. I don’t even have a problem with the professional E-Bay merchants and other large volume mailers using this no cost service to ship out dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of packages per week.

Even though I sell packaging materials, the secondary packaging market is large enough that I don’t see this USPS customer perk as a major threat to my livelihood. My problems with this program are green focused and are twofold:

• Since the boxes are free, I often see people “loading up” and the USPS web site encourages this by listing a maximum of 100 boxes on most items. Since no one monitors this usage, like any other government managed program, it has to be riddled with waste and I have to wonder how many boxes wind up never being used for their intended purpose. I can’t wait to see what the federal government is able to do for us on health insurance.
• This practice along with their “flat rate” service pricing discourages “right sizing” a shipping container to the product being shipped as I and any other packaging professional would recommend. How much air and void fill material is filling trucks and being shipped in their over sized containers? We may never know but let’s agree it is not an environmentally responsible way to ship anything.

Board Content versus Box Content

If what product goes into a USPS box is a potential problem, certainly so is what goes into the board that is used to make the box. Thanks to the USPS white exterior on their boxes, what is going into the USPS board is at least 30% virgin content, hence the FSC certification. Anyone who knows me knows I am a major proponent of recycling packaging waste and using that waste to make new packaging materials. I also believe that the largest shippers in the world such as e-commerce companies and catalog houses as well as the USPS have an obligation to help create a market for recycled content packaging by using it, not just creating the packaging waste.

USPS and the Two R’s of Sustainability

Most green minded companies live by three R’s which are Recycling, Reducing and Reusing. With their policies and programs it is obvious that the USPS is not doing as a good of a job as possible of reducing usage or recycled content  but they are darn adamant about not supporting the third “R” we call reusing.

USPS boxes are well built and sturdy and can often times be used again but USPS policy prohibits the re-use of any of their shipping boxes. Why? I have no idea but you can ask Gary Adler of Castle Rock, Colorado who last year found himself in trouble with USPS for reusing a Priority Mail box. It is against USPS rules to even reuse containers that are turned inside out or used for internal packaging purposes. Scan the internet and you will find many incidents where customers unintentionally violated USPS and federal regulations by doing what we should all be doing, and that is reusing every box and container we possibly can.

You would think that a service provider expected to lose over three billion dollars in 2009 would be interested in minimizing wasted packaging, if not for green’s sake, for economic good sense but let’s keep logic out of the process. After all, we live in an era of government bail outs and the second largest employer in the country (second only to Wal-Mart) will undoubtedly soon have their hand out to get their fair share of our dwindling tax dollars. And of course, there is always another postage rate hike around the corner to relieve their financial woes, at least temporarily.

The only thing more disappointing is all of those consumers who really think those USPS boxes are free.

Dennis Salazar is the president of Salazar Packaging, Inc., a certified MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) company specializing in packaging products, equipment and solutions. With over thirty years in the packaging industry, he is known for his tongue in cheek sense of humor as well as his sustainable packaging passion and expertise.   

To contact Dennis, please visit his web site: www.salazarpackaging.com

 

Ecologic Sustainable Milk Container Debuts with Straus Family Creamery Organic Milk

Ecologic Brands, a Northern California based start-up that has developed a sustainable and transformative bottle for liquid products.

Their first-of-its-kind bottle is biodegradable, compostable and recyclable and will be on shelves starting today at select Whole Foods stores in Northern California.

A company spokeswoman told SISG the exterior shell of the bottle is made from OCC (old corrugated cardboard) that has been thermoformed into a rigid container using advanced egg carton technology.  "It takes an abundantly available resource and gives it another life," she said.

The inner liner is a thin mono-polymer milk pouch that is recyclable with #4 plastics and easy to adapt to bio plastic innovations.

The first customer testing the new Ecologic bottle is Straus Family Creamery.   In a partnership with Straus Family Creamery and Whole Foods Market, Ecologic will test Straus milk in its new bottle in Whole Foods’ Oakland store today January 21, 2010, and will expand to several other San Francisco Bay Area locations.

Straus Family Creamery, based in Marshall, California, is one of the nation’s most respected organic dairies, known for its strong environmental stewardship and loyal consumer base.

"This local pilot will lead to a broader roll out, and ultimately to sustainable packaging for national brands in high volume categories ranging from dairy, juice and wine, to cleaning products and laundry detergents," said spokeswoman Amy Bonetti Price of Big MouthPR.

Ecologic wants to offer consumers more sustainable choices for their packaging and give them the option to make better choices at the shelf. Other countries are already moving to more sustainable packaging like pouching, re-usable carafes and "bring your own bag" policies at markets.

Ecologic founder Julie Corbett was inspired by milk pouches sold in Canada that are dropped into a re-usable plastic carafe.  

It will be interesting to see US consumers reaction to this new packaging from Ecologic - so far efforts to create more sustainable milk packaging modeled after Canadian and European packaging have been largely unsuccessful in the US market.

Ecologic is an Oakland based start-up that has developed a first-of-its kind, sustainable packaging solution designed to solve one of the biggest environmental problems today: the manufacturing and consumption of plastic bottles and plastic coated milk and juice cartons.

The company notes packaging is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases, landfill waste and non-renewable resource consumption.

Nikon Ecobins Binoculars Review

Nikon's new ecobins binoculars feature eco-friendly glass which is lead and arsenic free, non-chloride rubber eye cups, a natural fiber carrying case and strap, no printed materials inside the box and tree-free packaging.  Naturally with all these green friendly features these binoculars were something I was interested in checking out.

Available in 10x25 magnification the ecobins are compact, rugged, waterproof and fogproof.  Nikon's premium optics include aspherical eyepiece lenses that provide distortion-free viewing, internal blackening to minimize light loss inside binocular tubes and multi-coated lenses that offer maximum brightness, contrast and true color.

The included carrying case and strap are constructed from environmentally-minded Lenzing Tencel fiber that is fully biodegradable. Derived from the wood pulp of sustainable eucalyptus forests, Tencel fiber utilizes a revolutionary manufacturing process with minimal waste.

The eco-friendly features of this product carry all the way through to the manner it is packaged.  Ecobins packaging is constructed from eighty-five percent post-consumer waste and is printed on recyclable FiberStone paper. This recyclable paper is completely tree-free and made from limestone collected as waste material from existing quarries for the building and construction industry.  Production of this product uses no water or bleaching chemicals and releases zero pollution into the air according to the company.

Additionally, to minimize resources used to produce ecobins the instruction manual, product registration card and information regarding Nikon’s 25-year warranty are available online at and were not included in the packaging as printed inserts. 

I've taken a pair of the new Ecobins along on birding and nature trips earlier this month here in Rhode Island.  One of the best spots for winter birds is Sachuest Point NWR just outside Newport, RI.  The area is known for its winter sea birds and resident raptors. 

Like other 10x25 binoculars the Ecobins aren't ideally suited for scanning and spotting things like birds due to their limited field of view.  However their 10x magnification and excellent quality optics help make up for that especially when you've located a target - for instance a perched raptor. 

The strength of the Ecobins comes in their portability and light weight - they are an excellent general purpose binocular that allow you good looks at things once spotted.  Their size and weight are significant pluses especially when trying to travel light or for casual use when a more substantial binocular may be overkill. 

Optically the Ecobins are strong.  As expected they provide the sharp crisp image Nikon is known for.  They perform best during the day when the light is strong.  At dusk or under difficult light conditions their performance isn't optimal - that is due to their smaller field of view which doesn't let as much light in. 

I would say the Ecobins would be a great choice for backpackers and hikers who want to view wildlife and look from scenic vistas along the trail.  They would also be a great choice for a general purpose all around binocular for all kinds of recreational activities.

According to a Nikon spokeswoman, the largest retailer for Ecobins is REI but they can also be found online with several different retailers.  The MSRP is $169.99

Method Laundry Detergent

San Francisco-based Method is innovating the way laundry detergent is sold - again. 

Back in 2004 Method started the trend of mainstream ultra concentrated laundry detergent that led to the highly publicized and Wal-Mart supported All "Small & Mighty" bottle and many others.

Well Method has just released a new laundry detergent already hitting stores whose packaging looks more like a liquid hand soap than a product capable of doing 25 loads of laundry.

The new Method Laundry Detergent with Smartclean Technology is equivalent to an 8x concentrated formula compared to conventional standards.  Its new formulation utilizes the latest in green chemistry to yield an effective cleaning.  Its 95% plant-based and ultra concentrated. 

The new detergent features an easy to use pump on the top 4 pumps = 1 load of laundry.  By changing the formulation of their detergent and completely redesigning its packaging the company has offered an aggressive challenge to its competitors in the market sector.

Method's new detergent is easy to hold in one hand due to its weight, easy to use (highly functional pump, reduces waste and those annoying detergent drips) and easy to store (due to its small size).

I've had the chance to try it out and the new product is pretty amazing in terms of its simplicity.  The industrial design elements that went into the creation of the new package address many of the key complaints consumers have about current laundry detergent bottles. 

The new detergent uses dramatically less water compared to other brands currently on the market.  The packaging uses 36% less plastic than their previous formulation and is made from 50% post-consumer recycled #2 HDPE plastic. 

The new detergent will be available in three scents, fresh air, peony blossom and free + clear and is sold in 25 & 50 load bottles.  Method has setup a special website for the new detergent methodlaundry.com with information and tips for customers.  The site also features a $2 coupon!

For more coverage check out the blog Method Lust

method laundry reel from People Against Dirty on Vimeo.

Ikea Sultan Heidal Mattress

Ahh a new year!  Hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season.  

One of the things I did over the holiday break was get a new bed.  Beds are something I get a lot of questions about from readers - however they are often difficult to review or test - for obvious reasons.  So I thought I'd share my own personal story of searching for a greener bed.

Fortunately for people looking for greener more eco-friendly mattresses and bed frames there are a number of options out there.  The major downsides are the cost of greener beds and the lack of availability of stock in many locations in the US to actually go look at options and try them out. 

Most major furniture retailers do not carry truly eco-friendly beds and unfortunately these types of retailers are who dominate the market here in the US.

After lots of research and trying to keep the costs within reason I focused my search on two beds from IKEA.  The Sultan Heidal and the Sultan Erfjord mattresses.  The Sultan Heidal is a spring based mattress with eco-cotton, wool, PLA fibers and latex and the Sultan Erjford is a latex mattress covered in eco-cotton, wool and PLA.

Living in Providence, RI the closest IKEA is outside of Boston in Stoughton.   I made several trips to try the mattresses in the store and ended up preferring the Sultan Heidal - which sells for $799 in queen size.  I liked the support and firmness of the bed and its overall construction seemed to be a better long term choice than the latex mattress.

The problem with obtaining either of these two mattresses from IKEA is they are in very short supply, stock is low and demand is high.  So I ended up waiting more than a year to finally get the Sultan Heidal in queen size. 

There are rumors around that IKEA plans to introduce a new line of greener beds later this summer - and will be phasing out these two beds in the process.  So after hearing that information in the fall I had all but given up hope of getting the Sultan Heidal mattress - until the week of Christmas I was checking the stock levels online at IKEA Boston and New Haven and noticed they had mattresses in stock. 

I went up and purchased the Sultan Heidal with the Heimdal steel bed frame and the Sultan Luroy slightly curved slatted bed base.  I made some modifications to the bed frame with my trusty hack saw and its all set.  I love the new bed.  The whole thing cost just under $1200 delivered - which is a typical price for a mid range conventional bed and box spring from a traditional retailer.

The Sultan Heidal is a greener bed - its not perfectly green but its definitely a greener option than most beds out there.  In terms of price the Sultan Heidal is the cheapest greener full normal sized thickness queen mattress I found anywhere.  

After about ten days of sleeping on my new bed setup - I am very pleased.  The mattress is firm but not too firm the quality is very high and the slatted frame works well - its curved slats add just the right amount of give. 

I know there is a tremendous lack of information out there for people looking for greener beds on a budget - trust me I spent many hours looking for options on the Internet. 

I would suggest checking out these two beds if IKEA is an option for you.  Alternatively there are retailers like Organic Grace - who I really like that carry several very green beds for those on a budget.  The costs are higher than IKEA when you factor in shipping and a frame but they are still below $2000.    The downside with retailers like this is - you cannot try the bed and returns are very difficult if even an option at all. 

As an aside if your looking for a green pillow - I'd highly recommend the shredded natural latex pillow from Organic Grace the filling is from scrap latex and the case is made from organic cotton - its by far the best pillow I've ever used.