Ball Corporation Recognized for Painted Turtle PET Wine Bottle

Ball Corporation (BLL) received two Sustainable Packaging Leadership Awards for its 750mL PET wine bottles for Painted Turtle wines from Artisan Wine Company of British Columbia.  Ball received the Canadian Packaging Magazine Best-of-Show Eco-Choice Award, as well as the bronze award in the international branded package category. 

The awards were presented by the Packaging Association of Canada in conjunction with Wal-Mart Canada and Canadian Packaging Magazine to recognize companies that have demonstrated sustainable packaging leadership.

"The objective of the Sustainable Packaging Leadership Awards is to accelerate the progress of the packaging industry to environmental, social and economic sustainability," said Jim Downham, president, Packaging Association of Canada.  "These awards recognize and honor packaging industry leaders that compete with the best-in-class on a global scale daily."

According to the judges, Ball's PET wine bottle was selected for the Eco-Choice award because "it has the potential to launch a whole new trend and change the way that wine is packaged.  The decrease in greenhouse gases related to the transportation of this lightweight container -- compared to glass -- is a huge plus for sustainability, while the colorful, well-designed label is certain to attract consumers to the product, ultimately drawing attention to the environmental merits of this highly functional package."

Ball's 100% recyclable, 750ml PET wine bottles offer consumer convenience and weigh only 54 grams, providing savings through the supply chain. Ball is the only PET bottle manufacturer in North America to offer SIG PLASMAX, an ultra-thin, commercially proven, transparent, internal silicon oxide barrier coating technology that protects the wine inside the bottle and is easily removed during the PET recycling process.

Pepsi Redesigns Packaging

PepsiCo. (PEP) announced the release of its lightest 16.9 fl oz bottle to date. The PET bottle will be used for flavored non-carbonated beverages like its Lipton Ice Tea, Tropicana juice drinks, Aquafina FlavorSplash and Aquafina Alive.

The new bottle features a twenty percent reduction in PET plastic which the company estimates will save twenty million pounds of waste.

In addition to the reduction in plastic the new bottles will also feature a ten percent reduction in label size and a five percent reduction in the shrink wrap filmed used to wrap 12-pack multi-packs of the products.

“The challenge was to deliver significantly lighter packaging that would provide the same shelf life as the heavier bottle, withstand the manufacturing and distribution process yet not compromise aesthetics,” said Robert Lewis, vice president of worldwide beverage packaging and equipment development, PepsiCo.

Pepsi's new bottle design was chosen from over thirty proposed designs in consumer testing conducted by the company. After the final design was established a team worked on making it the lightweight package soon to be available to consumers.

The new bottles are expected on store shelves this month.

Curtis Packaging Offering over 100 FSC Certified Stocks

Connecticut-based Curtis Packaging has increased its range of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paperboard stocks to over 100. The company is a leading provider of more sustainable packaging solutions catering to a wide range of companies.

As Sustainable is Good reported Curtis is producing the FSC certified Mixed Source packaging for Target's Archer Farms Organic cookies currently available at Target stores nationwide. 

Curtis produces packaging for a number of cosmetic and personal care companies who value the company's focus on sustainability.  Two major companies Curtis has done FSC certified packaging work for are Origins (Estee Lauder) and Crabtree & Evelyn.

A member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Curtis uses renewable energy to power its operations and is the first printing and packaging company in North America to be carbon neutral.

FSC is one of the most reputable and recognized “green” certifications. We expect FSC certified packaging to become increasingly in demand in 2008.

Target's use of FSC certified packaging for its Archer Farms Organic cookies was one of the first nationwide main stream uses of FSC packaging in a food product.

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 Cano Container Corporation 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.

We Love Jam: Small Company Finds Sustainable Packaging Solution

A small San Francisco-based company, We Love Jam is using some creative sustainable packaging for a new series of products it has just added to its lineup.  We Love Jam makes a variety of high quality jams and pickled goods and has recently expanded its line to include biscotti.

The company was looking for a sustainable solution to offer single biscotti for sale in coffee shops and also for a box of nine biscotti customers could purchase.

Concerned about the environmental impact of their packaging, co-founder and president Eric Haeberli was looking for a biodegradable alternative to plastic. Running a two person company means hands on involvement in all aspects of packaging design. 

He found an ideal solution from a supplier making bags from a biodegradable Innovia film.  The compostable bags turned out to be the perfect solution to keep their products safe and fresh.  Made from sustainability harvested wood pulp the packaging can then be composted by the consumer where it will decompose

Haeberli also handled the design of the paperboard box the biscotti are sold in.  He licensed an image from an area artist and worked with a company in the area to design the box itself. 

The box is a custom box made by Tharco. It is made from 30-40% post consumer recycled material and took around six months to produce said Haeberli.

We Love Jam's biscotti packaging is a great example of how a small company can create sustainable packaging.

We are often asked by small business owners for help in navigating the packaging industry. Too often they find resistance every step of the way from manufacturers due to low order volumes and often find themselves having to compromise on sustainability in order to get their packaging produced on time and within their budget.

Examples like We Love Jam show small businesses can succeed and produce high quality well designed packaging that meets their needs and satisfies their customers.

REI Corn Based PLA Gift Cards

Washington-based outdoor company REI is using new biodegradable gift cards made by NatureWorks. The gift cards are made from PLA which is a corn-based bio-plastic.

The new cards replace the company's previous designs and are available across the country.

REI's move to the PLA cards follows similar offerings from Target and Toys R Us who have each offered some type of more eco-friendly gift card options to their customers.