Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

Target Archer Farms Packaging FSC Certified

UPDATE:   See our latest story on Archer Farms new innovative cereal packaging

Target Stores Archer Farms brand has recently released new paperboard packaging that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The new packaging was noticed by one of our contributors at a local Target store.  The packaging is appearing on select Archer Farms Organic product lines.  We found the packaging for the entire line of Archer Farms Organic cookies (Key Lime White Chocolate pictured) carrying both the FSC Mixed Sources logo and the Green-e logo.

According to Target's 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report, "In 2007, select Archer Farms Organic product lines will convert to a paperboard manufacturer that uses 100 percent wind power. Additionally, this paperboard and manufacturer are certified with the Forest Stewardship Council."

San Francisco-based Michael Osborne Design (MOD) redesigned Archer Farms packaging several years ago.  The redesign featured a French country theme and allowed Target to position its Archer Farms brand as their "premium" store brand and introduce a more basic Target store brand of food items.

It is unknown what other products in the Archer Farms Organic line have the new FSC/Green-e paperboard packaging or who is producing the packaging.  Target did not respond to multiple inquires by Sustainable is Good.

FSC/Green-e certified packaging on a store brand product is rare and could signify an increased interest from Target in more sustainable packaging.  Previously Sustainable is Good reported on Target's efforts to reduce PVC from the packaging of products in its stores.

Pacific Shaving Oil

Pacific Shaving Oil is exactly the type of product we look for at Sustainable is Good.  The packaging is well done and unique and the product is effective and its use represents a tremendous savings of resources when compared to traditional shaving creams or gel.

The shaving oil is the creation of Pacific Shaving Company founder Stan Ades. 

We found the graphic design of his paperboard packaging to be elegant and original.  The design was done entirely in house according to Ades.  "This is actually a new unit box, designed specifically to use minimal packaging components and materials, yet still be viable for retail sales (shelf/hang)," said Ades. 

Pacific uses post-consumer board (PCB) for its packaging but told us that due to a recent spike in the demand for PCB they were unable to use it for their current run.  Ades is working with his packaging printing company and said,  "I have been assured that things will be back to normal at our next run."

Pacific's shaving oil comes in a tiny stock #4 LDPE "boston rounds" bottle.

The shaving oil is effective and highly efficient.  Only a few drops are needed for a normal shave we found a few extra helped with longer facial hair. 

The company states a consumer can get up to 100 shaves from the tiny bottle.  Compare this to a standard steel bottle of shaving cream and you can see there is a significant savings of resources with Pacific's product.

Through a partnership with Trees for the Future, Pacific Shaving Company plants a tree for every bottle of its shaving oil sold. 

Pacific Shaving Oil is available through the company's web site, Amazon.com and in select markets through Whole Foods and other specialty retailers. 

The company is expanding retail distribution rapidly and any retailers or distributors interested in carrying their products can make a request through their web site.

Chiquita Fresh & Ready Banana Packaging

Apio, Inc., a subsidiary of Landec has expanded its joint technology license and supply agreement with Chiquita, providing Chiquita use of Landec's patented BreatheWay packaging technology for Chiquita bananas.

Chiquita is the first commercial partner for Apio with initial product sales to food service customers under the Chiquita To Go™ label.

Chiquita is testing Breatheway technology in retail grocery stores in Breatheway consumer packs sold as Chiquita Fresh & Ready.  The Fresh & Ready bananas come in packages of 3 and cost nearly twice as much as loose open air Chiquita bananas. 

According to the company, Breatheway technology packaging extends the shelf life of bananas by 7 days.

The agreement between the companies also includes a new exclusive license for Chiquita to use Landec's BreatheWay packaging technology for avocados

The U.S. banana industry represents over $4 billion in annual purchases by consumers

Merrick Earthsaver Bamboo Hangers

The interesting saga of greener clothing hangers from California-based Merrick Engineering continues with another unknown new product spotted in a retail store - this time at Target.

Back in March Sustainable is Good reported on Merrick's earthsaver corn hangers discovered at Wal-Mart stores.  We have still not heard anything regarding these hangers from either the company or Wal-Mart.  The corn-based hangers aren't even mentioned on Merrick's web site.

Discovered this week is another apparent addition to the earthsaver line - bamboo hangers in several different styles, seen featured in a special display in a Massachusetts Target store. 

The hangers are made almost entirely from bamboo sourced from China and come in a suit hanger, shirt hanger and a pants hanger.  The hangers were priced at $7.99 for a pack of six in either the suit or shirt style. 

It is unknown whether the bamboo earthsaver hangers are available at Target stores nationwide or only in select stores across the country.

The Merrick earthsaver mystery continues.  The company has not responded to requests for information on either of the hangers and their distribution/manufacture. 

From retail store watching it would appear the corn-based hangers are sold at Wal-Mart stores and the bamboo hangers are sold at Target stores.  It is not known whether either is exclusive to the stores.

What fascinates me about this hanger story is the lack of publicity from the company or either major retailer.  Both Wal-Mart (corn earthsavers) and Target (bamboo earthsavers) are both actively touting their greenness, yet neither have mentioned the hangers in any of their publications or web sites.

As has been reported from readers Wal-Mart makes the corn earthsaver hangers very difficult to find, often displaying them low and mixed in with other hangers.  The Target display I saw featured the hangers at the beginning of an aisle in the household organization section of the store.  The display was prominent and included some custom graphics.

Why the manufacturer Merrick doesn't have information on its web site regarding either hanger it manufacturers is a mystery.

Clearly time and effort have gone into the sourcing and development of the earthsaver product line - why not promote it?

Read our earlier story on Merrick's Earthsaver corn hangers.

Weleda Salt Toothpaste

Weleda's salt toothpaste is a product that has intrigued us for a while.  Recently we had the chance to try the unique toothpaste and find out about its background and packaging from Weleda's North American PR firm Siren.

The idea of a salt toothpaste is something foreign to American consumers but in Europe, where the toothpaste was developed its an established product with a strong following. 

Weleda is known for its superior natural products.  Siren told us, "all Weleda products—both internal medicines and external skin care—have been created to support and catalyze the body’s natural healing and caring abilities." 

Their focus on formulation and quality is clearly evident in their products and the salt toothpaste is no exception.  Made in Germany the toothpaste's use of sea salt increases saliva production in the mouth to help wash out bacteria found in the mouth and dilute the concentration of remaining bacteria which lead to gum inflammation and decay.

We had several of our writers try Weleda's Salt Toothpaste and we all came back with the same conclusion - highly impressed.  Having tried a number of natural toothpaste products we each liked this one because you can feel it doing exactly what its designed to do - clean the mouth.

Siren told us the salt toothpaste is Weleda's number one seller in North America of its adult toothpaste products (their Children's Tooth Gel is number one overall sales). 

In terms of packaging Weleda employs "only the safest materials for its packaging to protect and preserve both the product formulation and the environment.  In addition, Weleda designs its unique packaging for easy use and durability.  All packaging is recyclable."

The salt toothpaste packaging like all of Weleda’s oral care line is packaged in Aluminum tubes due to the pure ingredient composition of the products.  "Natural substances, such as essential oils, are “living,” making them extremely volatile.  Aluminum does not react with the formulations within, eliminating oxygenation of the products.  All Aluminum tubes are lined with a protective resin to avoid any interaction between the product and the Aluminum material," according to Siren.

Weleda's salt toothpaste and their other products are available at a variety of natural/specialty stores including Whole Foods.

Sara Lee to Source More Sustainable Coffee

Sara Lee announced it plans to double the amount of sustainable coffee used in its brands to 20,000 tons, a move the company says will make it the market leader in this area.

Sara Lee's coffee brands include the popular Senseo single serve coffee pods.  According to published reports Sara Lee' focus on sustainable coffee sourcing, will account for five percent of its total worldwide coffee procurement. 

A driving force behind the move is the increased demand for certified sustainable products in markets like Denmark and the Netherlands.  A Sara Lee spokesman estimated 25-30 percent of their coffee sold in those two markets is from sustainable sources.

Northern European markets in particular had a much stronger demand for Sara Lee's sustainable coffee brands.  The United States has a much larger and more diverse coffee market and as a result did not have as strong a demand for Sara re Lee sustainable coffee products.

Sara Lee coffee brands include Douwe Egberts (Senseo), Merrild, Maison du Cafe and Marcilla.

Sara Lee coffee and tea CEO, Frank van Oers said his company's move is vital in safeguarding sustainable supply chains for his company and the coffee industry as a whole.

The company has been working through the UTZ global coffee certification program and says its purchases of coffee through the program have increased eight times since 2004 when it bought 2,500 tons of UTZ certified coffee.  UTZ is a certification used by Wal-Mart as well as other major retailers.

UTZ insures strict social and environmental criteria are being met by participating coffee farms and co-ops.  In return the program provides coffee growers with knowledge of improved agricultural techniques and the global marketplace insuring they get better prices for their coffee.Sara Lee announced it plans to double the amount of sustainable coffee used in its brands to 20,000 tons, a move the company says will make it the market leader in this area.

Blue Q Packaging Design

Blue Q is a western Massachusetts-based company that makes a wide array of unique gift and personal care items.  The company approaches the marketplace from a different perspective combining the gift and personal care industries.

Blue Q is a company whose packaging concept is worthy of a closer look.  While many companies spend the majority of their packaging budgets on developing custom packaging, Blue Q focuses on the graphic design and artwork in its packaging design, often opting for stock packaging for the physical containers. 

The company works with some of the world's best and up and coming artists and graphic designers and considers their work vital to the success of the brand.

Blue Q is reminiscent in some ways of Japan's MUJI.  Many of Japan's most influential designers work for MUJI however it is not publicly known who designs individual items.  The result being great interest in the brand as a whole.

Blue Q is similar as they go to great lengths to source design talent.  Blue Q's Trevor Ward told Sustainable is Good it is company policy not to disclose who designed the artwork for individual product's packaging.

"Indeed we place a high premium on design – uncovering new artists, nurturing their talents, growing their involvement with Blue Q and perhaps other projects in our catalog outside of one category," said Ward. 

"Mitch (Mitch Nash, Blue Q co-founder) spends many hours on this cultivation – much like a formulator or a manufacturer, a designer is a vital asset and we consider their contributions to be proprietary and not available for general consumption.  An artist is a valuable and limited resource."

In the design community it is known Vinnie D'Angelo, Fiona Hewitt, Alexander Isley, Michael Mabry, Modern Dog, Haley Johnson, Laurie Haisley, Stefan Sagmeister,  Ray Fenwick, Methane Studios, Louise Fili and others have all done design work for Blue Q. 

"We don’t swear designers to secrecy so they are free to submit and discuss their work at their own discretion," said Ward.

CNN Money reported on Blue Q's unique strategy of incorporating top notch design talent into its brand identity.  Blue Q treats designers like "movie stars, offering them a percentage of sales, which attracts talent without breaking the bank."

An example of Blue Q's superior packaging artwork is their new Get Real line of personal care products first launched in early 2006.  "The design inspiration comes from fruit crate art.  The designer is a fanatic for authenticity and research," said Ward.

The line's artwork carries the product.  For example, the Get Real Sunflower Hand & Body Lotion is packaged in a stock HDPE #2 container with a cap perfectly matched to the striking artwork on the label.

Blue Q products are available online through their web site as well as a large group of unique specialty gift type stores and Whole Foods.

Morris Green Clean Non-toxic Cleaner Minimal Packaging

Morris Green Clean is a non-toxic cleaning product made by a small Canadian company based in Ontario.  The product comes in powder form in small packets made from recyclable and biodegradable materials.  Consumers simply add the contents of the packet along with water into a spray bottle and they're ready to take on the majority of household cleaning tasks.

The company believes their product to be so versatile and powerful that they claim it can replace 99% of the cleaning products in the average home.

Morris Green Clean does not contain any of the following toxic chemicals: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), kerosene, phenols, cresol, lye, phosphates, nitrates, borates, petroleum distillates, ammonia, formaldehyde or bleach. Morris Green Clean is not tested on any animals.

The product was developed by James Morris a chef who desired a safer non-toxic alternative to the array of conventional cleaning solutions on the market.

From our tests we think he accomplished his goal.  The product is very easy to prepare and was highly effective on glass and counter tops.   We prepared the cleaner in a spray bottle we had saved from another product.  We found the Morris Green Clean to a terrific multipurpose cleaner.

From a packaging perspective the product is a winner as well.  Virtually no packaging other than a small packet is used in the product. 

Morris Green Clean is marketed as an effective non-toxic cleaner with simple minimal packaging and it is exactly as described.

Target Mirel Bioplastic Gift Card Pictures

UPDATED 12/4 - See our latest story on Mirel and Target - all 1600 stores will carry the gift cards for the holiday season - Read full story.

Back in August Sustainable is Good reported on new gift cards Target was selling made from a biodegradable plastic called Mirel.  At the time we ran the original story, shortly after the cards were announced, we didn't have any photos of the actual cards.

Sustainable is Good has obtained photos of the new gift cards as well as a photo of one of the cards after 40 days in compost.  The gift cards are only available at a small number of Target stores nationwide (129 stores).  Readers have told us the cards are sold in specially designed display cases usually located near the front of the store. The cards say the following on the back, "This GiftCard is made from naturally renewable corn-based material that is biodegradable in your backyard compost

The cards are made from Mirel, a new family of biobased plastics made from corn that provides an alternative to traditional, petroleum-based plastics. Unlike conventional plastics, Mirel biodegrades in a variety of environments including soil, home compost, wetlands, rivers and oceans.   

The biobased plastic is made by Telles, a company formed between Cambridge Massachusetts, Metabolix and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).  Telles is a 50-50 joint venture between the two companies.   

A new web site was just launched for Mirel plastics. 

Telles is currently working with more than 50 prospects on more than 70 applications, including consumer products, packaging, single-use disposables, and products used in agriculture and erosion control.

Simple Shoes Sno Tire ecoSNEAKS

UPDATED 04/23/08 - read our story on the new Simple ecoS shoes from their ecoSNEAKS line on our sister site Sustainable is Good Products

Simple Shoes has just launched a line of eco-friendly shoes called ecoSNEAKS.  The shoes are made from a number of greener and eco-friendly components including organic cotton, rPET plastic and car tires. 

The line contains four men's styles and five women's. The ecoSNEAKS line is reasonably priced and offers eco conscious consumers the ability to buy products made from materials they commonly recycle.

We tested Simple's Sno Tire shoe from the ecoSNEAKS line.  The shoes are made from washed leather and have organic cotton canvas uppers, organic cotton linings, PET laces, PET pedbeds, outsoles that used to be a car tire and vulcanized rubber sidewalls, toe and heel caps.

The packaging is well... Simple.  The box is made from 100% post consumer recycled paper and printed with soy-based inks.  The shoes have foot forms made from 100% post consumer paper pulp inside them when they arrive in the box.  This is the only other packaging that comes with the shoes.  No plastic, no excess paper stuffed inside the shoes, nothing.

We like the Sno Tire shoes.  They are incredibly comfortable and easy to wear.  The sole is made from a car tire and it seems quite durable and well suited to the application.  The Sno Tire shoes are stylish and come in four different color choices.  They are available in both men's and women's sizes.

Simple's Sno Tire shoes and the rest of the ecoSNEAK line are available online through Simple's web site.