Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

GoGo squeeZ Applesauce

 

GoGo squeeZ was launched in the US last year.  I originally spotted them at Expo East in 2008 and was intrigued by their product design and packaging.  They were back again this year and in just one year their product has taken off in the US market. 

Using packaging originally designed for NASA, Menage a trios created the creative packaging design for the French applesauce company Materne makers of GoGo squeeZ.

Their product is a good one - 100 percent fruit no sugar added in a squeeze pouch.  They make five flavors including two traditional applesauces, an apple peach, apple banana and apple strawberry.

Currently GoGo squeeze is available in about 1,900 supermarkets and children's retailers across the US.  GoGo squeeZ 4-packs are available for MSRP $2.99. GoGo squeeZ single pouches are available for MSRP 99 cents.

Consumers can purchase GoGo squeeZ through Whole Foods, the natural section of supermarkets like Stop&Shop, Shaws and Jewel-Osco in select Toys ‘R Us/ Babies’ R US, and other select retailers across the US.

 

Energy Star Program Audit Find Problems with Ratings

 

An audit finds problems with the Federal Government's Energy Star program. 

The New York Times reported the Energy Department has concluded in an internal audit that it does not properly track whether manufacturers that give their appliances an Energy Star label have met the required specifications for energy efficiency.

Some manufacturers could therefore be putting the stickers on unqualified products, according to the audit, by the Energy Department’s inspector general, Gregory H. Friedman.

Due to differences in product rating standards Energy Star eligibility for certain types of products is determined by their manufacturers, 

Teams from the Energy Department and the E.P.A. oversee different categories of products. Last December, the environmental agency’s inspector general said the Energy Star ratings for products it oversees, like computers and television sets, were “not accurate or verifiable” because of weak oversight by the agency.

Those shortcomings “could reduce consumer confidence in the integrity of the Energy Star label,” according to the department’s inspector general.

Thr Energy Department requires manufacturers of windows and L.E.D. and fluorescent lighting to have independent laboratories evaluate their products, the report said, companies that make refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, water heaters and room air-conditioners, which consume far more energy, can certify those appliances themselves.

If you are looking for electronics and are concerned about energy consumption stores like Crutchfield feature their own independent tests of energy usage for items they sell.

via New York Times

SIGG Inundated with Bottle Replacements Resulting in Significant Delays

 

Popular reusable bottle maker SIGG who acknowledged using trace amounts of BPA in its bottle linings late this summer is now inundated with bottles being sent back by customers for replacement and recycling.

According to an email a reader forwarded us from SIGG the company is "experiencing a high influx of returned bottles."

SIGG is offering customers whose bottle contain the BPA lining an exchange program through Oct 31, 2009.

A reader forwarded us an email he received from SIGG after sending in his bottle more than a month ago and hearing nothing from the company.

email from theliner@MySIGG.com received 10/15/09

Hi XXXXX,

We are currently experiencing a high influx of returned bottles. We are devoting our full attention to replacing them in the order in which they were received. The turn-around time at the moment is between four and six weeks. If there was missing paperwork, missing information on the paperwork, or bottles sent to us that are ineligible for return this could severely delay the exchange process.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and appreciate your patience while we work hard to serve you. Thank you.

The Consumerist also has reports from readers who have not received their replacement bottles. 

Preserve Everyday Tableware

 

Preserve has just released a really neat looking pack of tableware for four.  We haven't tried them yet but the design and shape of the products look like a winner.

The Everyday Tableware pack consists of 4 plates, 4 bowls, and 4 cups.  Available in four different colors.

The new tableware is made of food safe #5 PP plastic, is ultra durable thanks to a curved shape and is designed for many years of use.

The products are all stamped with the date of manufacture to encourage reuse and Preserve will recycle them for you years from now.

The Everyday Tableware 4 pack is available for about $20 at select Target stores and also online at Preserve's web site.

When we have the chance to try them we'll post more details.  So check back.

 

FilterPave Eco Pavement Made from Recycled Glass

 

FilterPave is an interesting more eco friendly option for pavement made from recycled glass.  I thought it was cool given we cover so many types of packaging here to actually find a product made from recycled packaging.

This eco pavement is made from glass acquired from municipal recycling facilities and is ground into small pebbles.  The company says the product is made from 90% recycled content.

FilterPave can be used for driveways, parking lots, paths and other applications.

 

The company says due to FilterPave's porous nature it will trap pollutants which would otherwise be swept away eventually ending up in water systems.

The eco pavement is available in a number of different color options and may be worth considering.

FilterPave is made by Presto Geosystems, a subsidiary of Aloca.

Ice Cube Diet Natural Hoodia Lauches with Eye Catching Packaging

 

A product that caught my eye at Expo East in Boston last week (which is hard to do with the thousands being featured) was one new to the US market, the Ice Cube Diet.

The Ice Cube Diet is the name Hoodia, a natural plant used for appetite suppression for many years overseas is being marketed as in the U.S.  The product is produced by Desert Labs.

I was impressed with the clean crisp packaging design - it immediately drew me in, I wanted to see what the product was - it looked so unique as it is sold frozen in the freezer. 

Jane Walsh a spokeswoman from jcw PR who is representing the brand told me the packaging was designed to stand out and convey the product's natural content and quality.

"The designers thought that protruding the cubes will help the Ice Cube Diet package stick  out in the store refrigerator and capture the buyer’s attention," said Walsh.  "The extension of the packaging, with the cubes, also helped the product have more of presence on the store shelf."

The packaging was designed by Studio Merhav in Tel Aviv.

“The white color will serve us, we thought, in creating  a sense of quality and freshness that the unique product deserves.  We also extended the Hoodia on the packaging in order to stress out the naturalness of the product, using green in the logo and otherwise  also helps with that,” the design firm told us.