Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

Website Supports Plastic Bag Usage

SaveThePlasticBag.org is a website representing a group of businesses and citizens who are concerned about what they call the “Environmental misinformation being spread in the anti-plastic bag campaign.”

The site is run by a California lawyer, Stephen Joesph who is representing several plastic-bag makers in efforts to stop campaigns aimed at outlawing or imposing fees on the use of plastic bags.

Joesph was quoted in a recent New York Times story discussing the lack of significant progress in a number of proposals on reducing plastic bag usage across the country.

Joseph said he was surprised to find that most of the information circulating on the Internet about plastic bags was false.

He believes paper bags are worse for the environment, especially regarding energy consumption and CO2 and methane emissions.

According the his website, Joseph is concerned that activists have become obsessed with plastic bags and are failing to disclose inconvenient environmental truths to the public and politicians.

Spreading environmental misinformation is simply wrong he said on his website noting he chooses plastic bags over paper.

Ecosaurus Green Stationery Products

Ecosaurus is a company founded by two women from the publishing industry who had always wanted to run their own business.

The company produces a wide range of stationery, gift wrap, greeting cards and other items all with a focus on creativity and sustainability.

Ecosaurus sent us some of their gift wrap and note cards for this story. The quality and design of the products is high. Each product features fun inspiring designs in their signature shades of green color scheme.

Their note cards are produced from FSC certified paper from 100% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine free.

Ecosaurus' gift wrap has a similar composition made from 100% recycled paper, 50% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine free.

The entire line of products is made with the environment in mind – but they all have the look and feel of a high quality conventional product.

If you are looking for eco-friendly gift wrap, greetings, note cards or other stationary look into Ecosaurus their products are available online directly from the company.

Kellogg's Reduces Size of Corn Flakes Packaging

Kellogg's is testing a shorter box for its breakfast cereals.  The new packaging uses 8 percent less material and takes up less shelf space.

The company announced the new packaging and a market test in Detroit recently in a release to media outlets. 

The test run in stores in Detroit comes as other food and consumer products companies have been revamping their packages to save money on materials and shipping and also in response to environmental concerns.

The new boxes will be deeper and shorter than the standard box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes as seen in the photo above.

Kelloggs said the new boxes will take up about 5 percent less shelf space than the previous packaging but will contain the same amount of cereal.  This is an interesting tactic as often times companies revamp packaging and reduce the overall amount of product.

"Kellogg Company is proud of our 100-plus year commitment to innovative thinking and consumer relevancy," said Kim Miller, vice president, Morning Foods Marketing, Kellogg Company.

"The test of this new space-saving packaging is part of our ongoing commitment to identify solutions that help us meet the needs of our retail partners and consumers."

The new packaging is designed to better meet consumers' desire for more space in their pantries. In addition to helping consumers save space at home, the new boxes being tested also could aid retailers in providing more varieties of products for consumers.

"The new test boxes will contain the same amount of the food people love and will fit more easily into consumers' pantries," Miller said. "The new compact packaging also allows for more efficient use of retailer space and enables retailers to offer a wider variety of products."

Kellogg said the new boxes will be tested for six months in Detroit as the company determines whether consumers will accept the new box and what reaction retailers have, the company said.

Sustainable is Good has reported on other innovative changes to cereal packaging most notably Target's Archer Farms canister packaging which was released last year.  The packaging has met with mixed reviews from consumers and environmental advocates who remain confused as to its recyclability.

Budget Friendly Green Cell Phones Debut; Motorola Moto W233 Renew

Today's New York Times has an interesting story on the rise of cell phones made from green materials.

Both Nokia and Motorola are now making phones made from recycled components and sold in new packaging optimized for recycling.

Barcelona, Spain is hosting this week's Mobile World Congress a major event for the cell phone industry. The article focuses on the fact manufacturers plan on using the show to release new cell phone models that are both green and affordable.

“People aren’t going to care about environmentally friendly mobile phones until the green products cost less than the regular ones,” said Tom Byrd, an industry analyst with CCS Insight in Solihull, England.

“It’s good that manufacturers are talking about this because it will raise demand down the road and prices will come down, but it will be two to five years before we see this as a mass market phenomenon.”

Motorola will be displaying its MOTO W233 Renew, which was released this month in the United States. The W233 is made using plastic from recycled water bottles and can itself be entirely recycled. The phone costs $9.99 with a two-year contract and for now can be bought only through T-Mobile. The phone is also sold in packaging made of 100 percent recycled paper and includes a prepaid shipping envelope for buyers to send in their old mobile phone for recycling.

In addition, Motorola will pay to offset the carbon emissions created to manufacture and distribute the W233, as well as to recycle it at the end of its life. The payment will also cover the first two years of use. Motorola says the W233 is the first carbon-neutral phone.

Late last year, Sony Ericsson presented a concept phone called GreenHeart, made with recycled biodegradable components. The charger draws a fraction of the power of most chargers when it is plugged into an outlet, but not connected to a phone.

Sustainable is Good has reported on green developments in cell phones in the past including a push from Nokia to reduce packaging and use renewable materials in its 3110 Evolve phone.

via New York Times

New Sealed Air Packaging System Eliminates Packing Peanuts

BY BRAD SHORR

Packing peanuts may be the biggest necessary evil in all of packaging. Distribution facilities have been trying to do away with them for decades, but there always seems to be a catch – alternatives are too expensive, too slow, too heavy, or not versatile enough. Well, low cost has its advantages – but how about no cost? Sealed Air Corporation, one of the most innovative packaging companies in the world, has finally done it. They’ve brought a packaging system to market that completely eliminates the need for packing peanuts – or any other inner packing material for that matter.

The I-Pack Automated Void Reduction System, introduced to the U.S. market in late 2008, offers a wide spectrum of benefits to high volume pick and pack distribution operations. One of the most dramatic benefits is a breakthrough in sustainable packaging. I-Pack solves the peanut problem once and for all, though an engineering concept Sealed Air refers to as “void reduction”.

Why Packing Peanuts Are Used

For most pick and pack operations, efficiency is the art of compromise. Larger than necessary corrugated boxes are used because finding the ideal size for each order would require far too much time. Tamper evidence is limited or nonexistent because the necessary corrugated designs and carton sealing systems are too expensive and difficult to integrate. Undesirable void fill materials are employed because they are cheap, fast, and versatile.

The result – A compromise box arrives at the consumer’s doorstep looking less than professional. The box, which contains a couple DVDs, is large enough to accommodate a laptop computer. And adding insult to injury, the consumer must deal with cleaning up and disposing of the polystyrene peanuts that s/he is convinced shouldn’t have been in the box in the first place.

Justifiably indignant consumers should keep in mind that these packaging shortcomings are no less troublesome for the shipper. They translate into inflated packaging material and transportation costs, damage and theft losses, and lost customers. But even eco-sensitive shippers have run into brick walls trying to eliminate packing peanuts, since competing void fill materials all come with their own set of disadvantages.

I-Pack Void Reduction to the Rescue

I-Pack automates the processes of erecting the corrugated shipping container (in this case, a tray), securing products within the tray after picking, and applying a lid to the tray for shipment. I-Pack secures products by compressing the top of the tray to the height of the tallest product inside, producing shipping containers of the smallest possible size. The I-Pack shipping container is extremely durable, looks great, and has outstanding tamper evident characteristics. And, perhaps most significantly from a sustainable packaging point of view, it eliminates the need for void fill.

No More Excuses for Packing Peanuts!

Until now, replacing peanuts has meant increasing material costs, increasing operating costs, and/or exchanging one set of negatives for another. But I-Pack changes the equation. Thankfully, there is no longer an excuse for dragging one’s sustainable feet -

• Speed. The system, which can run 12 to 14 boxes per minute, is more than fast enough for virtually any pick and pack line.

• Transportation costs. By producing boxes of the smallest possible size, I-Pack minimizes package weight and cube, thereby maximizing shipping efficiency.

• Reliability. I-Pack, and its sister system, Ultipack, have been sold in Europe over than a decade. With more than 300 installations in large scale operations such as Chanel (cosmetics) and Lyreco (office supplies), Sealed Air’s technology is field tested and proven.

• Transition cost/capital investment. Sealed Air has found a solution to this problem as well. No capital investment is required for an I-Pack system. Instead, companies are charged a usage fee as trays cycle through the system.

And consumers? They receive a stout, professional looking package that protects their order with the least amount of packaging possible. For today’s highly eco-conscious market, what could be more appealing? In an economy where every dollar counts, pleasing customers, making them eager to reorder refer others, may be I-Pack’s greatest benefits of all.

Visit Sealed Air Automation for more information.

Brad Shorr has an extensive background in the packaging industry. He is Director of Marketing for Salazar Packaging, Inc a distribution firm dedicated to helping manufacturers, contract packagers, and distributors find the best sustainable packaging options.  In addition, Brad owns his own sales and marketing consulting firm,  Word Sell, Inc.

Twinings Tea Uses Innovia Biodegradable Packaging

Twinings Tea recently announced they will be using a compostable packaging for their Everyday tea line in the UK. The packaging is made from Innovia's Natureflex NM material.

Twinings is a leader in the tea business. The company is over 300 years old and its products are sold in more than 100 countries across the globe.

As we have reported before NatureFlex NM is a cellulose-based film, manufactured from renewable wood pulp.

According to Innovia, NatureFlex NM is the only metalized biodegradable film suitable for home composting because of its low metal content – less than 0.02% – which slows the film's degradation by a matter of days but does not interfere with its biodegradability in any other way. 

"As a company we are always looking at ways to lessen our impact on the environment. Using NatureFlex film as the inner wrap in this pack not only protects the teabags but also makes it easier for our customers to reduce their waste through home composting,” said Twinings' David Parkes.

NatureFlex films are cellulose-based, derived from wood pulp and are certified to meet both the European EN13432 and American ASTM D6400 standards for compostable packaging. 

Breeze Dryer Indoor Clothing Racks Provide Cheap Efficient Clothes Drying

For many people, going green has caught their attention for economic reasons.

Going green it seems can really save you money. Starting out small, we have all begun to change out our light bulbs. Moving forward, we buy eco-friendly detergents and cleaning supplies.

These small changes allow us some bragging rights, “Oh, you like that? Well, actually, it’s eco-friendly.” Green has, it seems, become a designer label.

But at a certain point, changes become costly and more difficult. Take, for example, the washer and dryer. Front-loading washers save water and energy, you use less soap and if you buy an eco-friendly washer, you save more than just the planet, right?

Well, what about me? I rent a small apartment; my stackable washer/dryer combo is anything but eco-friendly, it’s a top-loading, energy wasting embarrassment, and I am in no place to buy a new machine for my landlord.

So, while I am not about to go wash my clothes in the river, there is one thing I can do about drying them. Remember back in the day when people used things like the sun and the wind to dry their clothes? Well, they are still available and they are, drum-roll please, free.

eco-friendly fabric softeners that can help lessen the burden of starchy feeling t-shirts.

And then the snow and ice came. The outside line all but died. We had to turn the drying inside. And therein I found another great way to go green without dropping a ton of cash. Drying racks for your clothes.

Breeze Dryer offers a wide range of indoor clothes racks. Ranging from the single persons line to a family load. Strong, sturdy and undeniably green, take your clothes out and the washer, hang them up and the next day, they are dry and ready to go back into their respective drawers.

We tried out the 3-tier Airer and it held a large load of wash including towels, pants and shirts. If going green means waiting a day to fold my clothes, I can put off folding my laundry until tomorrow.

Where the cold weather keeps us indoors and the heater running, I am happy to say that the indoor rack is a small victory for the green sphere but an even bigger victory over my ever growing winter energy bill.

Having traveled around the world, Beryl Shereshewsky, a recent University of Colorado, Boulder graduate, realized that in life, she wanted to accomplish three things. One, travel more, two, write about what she saw and three, save the world. With the recent advances in the green movement, she realized that she could be a superhero writer and write about saving the world. Combing her powers, she now writes for various eco and travel sites across the web, changing the world one article at a time. Feel like chatting?  E-mail her b.shereshewsky@yahoo.com.

Recycling #5 Plastic: Preserve Gimme 5 Program

Excellent news regarding recycling of #5 polypropylene - Preserve makers of a wide range of personal care and household products from recycled #5 plastic have partnered with Whole Foods Market, Stonyfield Farm and Organic Valley to create the Preserve Gimme 5 program.

Gimme 5 is an easy recycling program for #5 plastics.  Whole Foods will have receptacles at numerous stores across the country to collect the plastics which will then be used by Preserve to make products.

The Gimme 5 program is great news for people struggling to find a way to recycle #5 plastics. 

Most municipalities (and the entire State of Rhode Island) do not accept #5 plastic at recycling centers.

At a time when many food manufacturers are switching to the lighter more durable plastic to save resources consumers have had a very difficult time recycling the plastic.  Its caused a great deal of frustration for consumers who end up throwing their yogurt or other dairy containers into the regular trash.

Preserve Gimme 5 has been in the works for a while.  I was talking to Preserve's C.A. Webb back in October about the program - which was very exciting for me - as I live in Rhode Island where all recycling is handling through the RI Resource Recovery Corporation - which does not accept #5 plastic.

The program has the support of some major companies and as a result looks well on its way to succeeding.  There is a Gimme 5 recycling location look up available - and there are many locations across the country where people can take the plastic.  Preserve will also accept #5 plastics directly for consumers who do not have access to one of the Gimme 5 locations.

‘‘This program will save thousands of pounds of #5 plastic from being sent to landfills. We’re thrilled to join this program and to empower our customers to increase their recycling efforts,’’ says Jeremiah McElwee, senior Whole Body coordinator for Whole Foods Market.

‘‘We welcome this partnership and, thanks to a very successful pilot program at one of our Virginia stores, we know it will be popular with our shoppers as well.’’

By dropping their #5 plastic containers in a Preserve Gimme 5 bin, ‘‘shoppers are helping make brand new Preserve products that represent real change,’’ says Preserve founder and CEO Eric Hudson.

‘‘And by choosing Preserve Plastic versus virgin plastic, in the form of a toothbrush or razor, for example, we all benefit from a sizeable reduction in greenhouse gases emitted, and significantly less water, energy, oil and coal used in making the plastic.’’