Packaging for Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary The 11th Hour needed to be in line with the film's strong eco-message. The films producer Warner Bros was sensitive to not having the packaging conflict with the ethical message of the film whether it was sold in the US or European market.
As is not uncommon in the entertainment industry, packaging for the 11th Hour DVD was handled by different companies for the US and European markets.
11th Hour EUROPE
St Ives Music & Multimedia in the UK created eco-friendly packaging for European market. The company is a leading supplier of print, packaging and promotional materials to the European home entertainment industry from its manufacturing sites in the UK and Holland.
St Ives chose chipboard made from 100% post-consumer waste supplied by Smurfit Kappa to give the outer casing a natural look.
Dutch firm PaperFoam provided the biodegradable DVD tray made from paper, cornstarch and potato.
St Ives Music & Multimedia special projects manager Martin Still said: "It was critical that the packaging for this documentary reflected the gravity of the subject matter, so making the DVD tray and case 100% biodegradable was the most significant way of achieving this. As this approach had never been used for such a high-profile film, we were really excited to be involved in designing and printing such an innovative product."
As the tray was lighter than its plastic equivalent, the outer casing was upgraded to double thickness to give the box a more solid structure.
The whole project was developed, trialled and tested in-house at St Ives' Crayford design studio, where the team also created an envelope lock closure on the back of the DVD box that simply folds into the body of the packaging. All components are recyclable apart from the disc.
St Ives printed The 11th Hour pack using 6-color presses and eco-friendly, vegetable-based inks.
11th Hour USA
Interestingly much less is known about the packaging of the US market version of 11th Hour, despite the fact it has been available since April.
The US release of the DVD was back in April before Earth Day. Sustainable is Good can confirm Univenture produced the "wrapper" for the DVD packaging in the US market.
A Univenture spokeswoman told Sustainable is Good, "Univenture was involved in the 11th Hour packaging for Warner Bros. Univenture provided the “wrapper” to enclose the package for retail purposes. Univenture’s EnvyPak technology was used for converting EarthFirst PLA film, a sustainable and renewable bio based film, to make the wrapper."
Sustainable is Good has not been able to confirm who produced the paperboard tray for the US release of the DVD.
The two main players in the US eco-friendly DVD packaging market are IP's Shorewood Packaging who make REPAK in the US (read our recent profile) and Napco (past coverage). We know the DVD tray was made from some type of recyclable "biodegradable" material.
Sustainable is Good has repeatedly contacted Warner Bros. for information on the packaging but has not received a response from the company.
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How disappointing. I wonder if the US underestimates the number of people that do actually pay attention and care about this kind of information. I hope this comment adds to your site traffic and maybe people will start taking this kind of thing seriously.
Posted by: J | August 12, 2008 at 10:50 AM
I couldn't agree more. Too many companies, or advertising executives in the DVD packaging sector produce lack luster DVD packaging designs with little regard for the resources at their disposal. There are a wide variety of DVD packaging methods that can be leveraged to help sell DVDs. One of the novel concepts available that are seldom utilized is the use of packaging materials from renewable resources. Many of the content providers in Hollywood demand that their products are packaged in environmentally friendly formats. This benefits both the environment and it benefits their own sales; -a win win situation!
DVDs are mostly wrapped in clear BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) films that are petroleum based while alternative materials from non petroleum based sources are readily available, sometimes even at lower costs. Nature works (http://www.natureworksllc.com) is an example of a company that produces eco-friendly packaging films. Another environmentally friendly DVD packaging alternative is a potato-starch based DVD / Blu-Ray Disc packaging format produced by a company called Paperfoam (www.paperfoam.com). Yet another untapped resource is the use of specialty inks in the printing of DVD title sheets. A wide variety of specialty inks are available that provide a high gloss finish on very porous low grade recycled paper. Customers can enjoy the savings offered by economical low gloss porous paper that inhibit the wicking of inks compounded with the saving of using less ink. Automated DVD packaging machines often require some specialization to ensure compatibility with these materials. Packaging machines from Digital Media Automation ( www.DMA-Incorporated.com ) are designed to perform optimally on most materials including eco-friendly materials that often pose problems to automated machines.
Using eco-friendly packaging methods or materials derived from renewable resources isn't necessarily more expensive than traditional packaging methods. Its often less expensive, esthetically more pleasing, and furthermore appeals to an ever expanding “green” demographic.
Werner Willemse
+1 (858) 673-8505 USA
www.DMA-Incorporated.com
Posted by: Werner Willemse | September 16, 2008 at 01:22 AM
The paperboard package for 11th Hour in the US was made by Ivy Hill. The package is virtually the same as the one used for Al Gore's Inconvient Truth, which was also made by Ivy Hill. Both packages are made of 100% Post Consumer Content recycled paperboard
Posted by: Steve Robinson | May 12, 2009 at 06:53 PM
Using eco-friendly packaging methods or materials derived from renewable resources isn't necessarily more expensive than traditional packaging methods. Its often less expensive, esthetically more pleasing, and furthermore appeals to an ever expanding “green” demographic.
Posted by: chanel 2.55 | October 30, 2010 at 05:18 AM