Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

Dell Responds to Excessive Packaging Claims

Following up on a story we covered on excessive packaging from Dell, the company has posted a response and outlined steps they are taking to address the issue. 

The way Dell choose to respond to this issue is interesting.  As soon as the stories began appearing on various blogs including this one, a representative from Dell was posting comments indicating they were concerned and looking into the matter.  The company also provided some information on what happened and assured readers they would follow up.

Just over two weeks after the story broke Dell did follow up as they promised.  The company posted yesterday on their Direct2Dell blog.  Todd Dwyer, Dell's Community Liaison - Environment explains in the posting how the company is concerned about the excessive packaging issue and taking steps to insure it will not happen again.

Dell's public response is admirable.  Contrast it to the approach other companies we've covered recently have taken, namely Whole Foods and Target who both opted not to provide information on issues.

Dwyer writes:

It's no secret that Dell aims to be the greenest technology company in the world. But on Earth Day last week, sites like The Consumerist, Gizmodo, and other blogs showed us that there's still more work for us to do.

Shortly after we read those posts, we had a team on the road to Dallas to meet with the vendor that shipped this flash drive to see how we can improve the process. End result, there's some easy fixes and some longer-term issues for us to address. Here's an outline:

* Immediate: Directive to use envelopes for small items such as these.

* Short term: Use of smaller boxes. We have requested an optimization analysis of product volume to box size.

* Short term: Implementation of Dell-defined volumetric metrics on void space in the package to be incorporated into our periodic vendor business reviews.

While third party items such as these make up a very small portion of our overall shipping volume, folks here know we need to fix it. Our sincere gratitude goes out to everyone who pointed this irregularity out to us. We hope that all of you will continue to provide feedback like this on any of our green-focused Direct2Dell posts, or if you have ideas about ways we can make improvements, please share them in the Environment section on IdeaStorm.

via Direct2Dell

Earthcycle Unveils New Sustainable Packaging Options

Vancouver-based Earthcycle unveiled a new line of fresh produce packaging at the United Fresh Produce Show currently running in Las Vegas.

The new packaging is the result of feedback from clients looking for additional sizes of Earthcycle packaging.

Earthcycle makes certified compostable packaging from palm fiber. The packaging composts in less than 90 days according to the company.

Helped by acceptance from major U.S companies including Wal-Mart, Earthcycle packaging has made a major reduction in waste.  Earthcycle's palm fiber trays have replaced packaging that previously was exclusively dominated by plastics.

The latest Earthcycle packaging accommodates a wide range or fresh produce including apples, strawberries, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. Other sizes in the line can be used for bakery applications.

“We greatly value the feedback our loyal clients provide us,” says Shannon Boase, President and Founder of Earthcycle. “It allows Earthcycle to further progress and develop its popular line of sustainable packaging options with a variety of applications.”

The raw fiber used in the production of Earthcycle is sourced from palm plantations in West Malaysia. The plantations the company sources from have been reviewed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). RSPO found Earthcycle's sources of raw materials have not replaced any primary forest nor converted any Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) for the purpose of palm oil production.

Expect to see the new Earthcycle packaging at major retailers, including Whole Foods, Safeway, Wal-Mart, Wegmans, Publix and Trader Joe's any time now.

Globe Guard Post Consumer Recycled Boxes

Salazar Packaging, a distributor of packaging materials and equipment with a focus on sustainable packaging, recently launched its own brand of corrugated boxes made from 100% post-consumer recycled content.  The new boxes are available in standard and custom sizes offering a cost effective option for businesses looking for 100% post consumer recycled corrugated boxes. 

"We are confident we will be able to make 100% recycled content boxes readily available at a reasonable price to any company that wants their packaging to be consistent with their green message and product," said Dennis Salazar, president of Salazar Packaging Inc. and a Sustainable is Good contributor.

"We have all seen a great, eco minded product wrapped in un-eco packaging, and inserted in an improperly sized un-eco box and filled with a very un-eco void fill," Salazar said.

Salzar Packaging is working with various corrugated sheet plants to produce the Globe Guard line of boxes.  The recycled materials used in their production are primarily from local municipal waste Salazar said.

"We are incredibly excited about Globe Guard and see it as an important contribution to the sustainable packaging movement," said Salazar.

"Contrary to popular perception, corrugated boxes usually contain only 25-35% recycled material - or less. Now, high and low volume operations can use 100% PCW boxes and dramatically reduce their impact on the environment."

Besides contributing to a greener environment, Globe Guard boxes offer buyers another important benefit - affordability.  Unlike some packaging products engineered for sustainability, Globe Guard corrugated boxes do not sell at a premium.

Purchasers of the new boxes will be able to notice and let their customers notice the sustainable difference.

The Globe Guard logo is printed on the bottom flap of each box, and Salazar Packaging is offering customers a variety of marketing materials and support to help them express their environmental message by showcasing Globe Guard on their web sites, newsletters, and brochures.

Salazar said, "Our customer's customers are the people driving the Green movement.  Shippers need to let customers know about their sustainable efforts.  Otherwise sellers will see more and more customers drift away to what they perceive as 'Greener pastures'.  We think it's vitally important to help our customers keep their customers informed."

FTC Green Guide Packaging Forum

Wednesday's FTC forum on updating its Green Guide relating to eco-marketing claims was focused on packaging.

The Environmental Leader reported Wal-Mart and other stakeholders from consulting firms and trade associations voiced their views on updating the FTC guidelines. The forum was the second in a series organized and hosted by the FTC.

“While the advertising trade associations have asked the FTC to slow its review process, virtually every speaker at today's workshop acknowledged it is time to update the Green Guides,” said Valerie Davis, president of Green Canary Sustainability Consulting.

Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar of Wal-Mart's Sustainable Packaging Value Network and Sam's Club Packaging spoke on how they reduced their Honest Kids orange juice drink pouch packs packaging weight from 13.6 grams to 8 grams. 

Michelle Harvey of the Environmental Defense Fund told the forum vague environmental claims are one of the most critical areas in need of FTC attention.

Packaging Digest's editor John Kalkowski said packaging needs, like portability and shelf life, don’t always reconcile with today’s environmental trends - like claims on packaging that a company is 100 percent wind-powered.

“This makes me wonder how that message gets carried through,” said Kalkowski.

“Right now, the emphasis is on the packaging itself,” he added, “but I think the next phase will emphasize the process being used to make the packaging.”

The FTC’s public comment period for packaging issues is open through May 19.  Comments can be submitted through the forum's web site.

via Environmental Leader

Mystery Surrounds New Whole Foods Reusable Bag

Whole Foods A Better Bag (photo: www.made-in-china.com)

When I started this story last month, I never expected a standard interview request with a designer to turn into a bureaucratic two-step that took us to China and back.

Austin-based Whole Foods Market officially phased out the use of plastic shopping bags on Earth Day last week. 

In December Whole Foods announced their intention to eliminate plastic bags and unveiled their new reusable bag called “A Better Bag.”  Following that announcement we reached out to the bag’s designer to learn more about the design and concept behind this colorful new bag. 

The response we received may be an indication of just how important reusable bags are becoming for Whole Foods. 

The colorful bags are quickly becoming the primary reusable bag the company sells, and their customers are embracing them thanks to their bright fun design, durability, low price and unique look and feel.

Perhaps an indicator of their popularity is the fact they are even selling on eBay.

A Better Bag was designed internally by Whole Foods staff who work on the company’s branded products.  The bag’s graphic design depicts blues and greens and a fresh cut apple.  Sustainable is Good attempted to obtain information on the bag’s artwork for this story.  However the bag’s designer was unable to answer any questions, citing a strict non-disclosure policy Whole Foods maintains with its employees.

Sustainable is Good contacted the Whole Foods corporate office in March for information on the bag for our story.  Initially we were turned down, being told the company doesn’t speak to “trade publications.”  After some follow up we were then informed a “rare exception” was made at the approval of the director of PR for Whole Foods – the company would participate in our story.

We submitted several questions to the company on the design and concept of the bag and also sought information on consumer reactions. 

Then began a back and forth process that in the PR world can only be described as odd.  Weeks passed with no information, then “availability” issues cropped up and more time passed; finally the company’s participation in the story came to an end last week over supply concerns. 

In an email a Whole Foods spokeswoman told Sustainable is Good, “We won’t be able to help on this story due to the reasons that I described earlier. As we had discussed, we were making an exception with your website as we know you do great work.  However, since we don’t know when our supply issues will be resolved, our team has opted to not go through with the story.”

Throughout the more than one month process to obtain basic information on the new bag, it was never clear exactly what any of the issues raised had to do with the design and concept of the bag.   It is also not known why the director agreed to participate in the story with these apparently severe supply issues looming.

Following this angle, Sustainable is Good spoke to regional sources who indicated they were unaware of any supply issues affecting the availability of the bags in their regions.

Where is the bag made and what makes it unique?

We were also able to establish where the bags are made and obtain information on what makes these bags unique within the reusable bag world.

The bags are made in the busy city of Shenzhen in China’s Guangdong province.  The city is booming with companies making reusable bags and nearly everything else imaginable for the U.S. market.  We also learned the reusable bag industry in China is riddled with misinformation over environmental claims and there is intense competition over U.S contracts.   

Based on publicly available trade information we were able to establish Charrmy Industries Co., Limited appears to be involved in the production of the Whole Foods bags.  In fact, the company’s web site proudly displays images of the bag.

What makes the Whole Foods bag different is the original artwork, design and high quality materials. 

Most of the Whole Foods bag is made from 100% post-consumer rPET (plastic bottles) material.  The tag that comes with the bag states 80% of the bag is made from rPET.   rPET material is quickly becoming the choice for high quality reusable bags destined for the U.S. market, because of its post-consumer recycled properties and its durability.

The Whole Foods Better Bag goes a step further by adding an outer layer of Oriented Polypropylene (OPP) film.  This material provides its unique look and texture as well as the ability to print high quality colorful artwork.  OPP is an excellent material for printing – for example the popular book Cradle to Cradle by the MBDC co-founders is made of OPP as are ReProduct greeting cards.   

By adding the outer OPP layer Whole Foods was able to take a reusable bag and make it fun and exciting for customers.

Aren't reusable bags for the greater good?

All of these points are interesting, innovative and exciting.  So why then did Whole Foods agree to participate in the story, and then over a month later back out?  Wouldn’t the company want to share its creative design work and innovative bag with its customers?   

The piece that Whole Foods is missing here is consumer interest; people are actually quite concerned with things like this.  People see these fun new bags in the stores, they see the store aggressively pushing them it’s not hard to see how interest is generated. Plus it’s a known fact eco-conscious consumers value design and innovation.

Reusable bags are designed to reduce waste and better the planet for everyone.  With that idea in mind you would think Whole Foods would be open about their new bag design and do anything they could to promote it and encourage others to follow in their footsteps and create their own. 

After all if more people embrace and use reusable bags and have access to bags that are fun and fashionable, then it stands to reason an increasingly significant dent can be made in the reduction of plastic bag waste, right? 

Is this more about protecting the design of a reusable bag than encouraging more people to use them?  That’s a fair question.