Whitelines Swedish Paper

Swedish paper company Whitelines recently released a new collection of eco-conscious notebooks and paper.

Their products are known for white lines as opposed to the dark lines found on many more conventional styles of notebooks and paper.  The concept is simple - the designer, Olof Hansson believes white "non-conflict" lines on paper are less distracting than dark - making the writing experience more focused and pleasurable.

Whitelines products are ideal for graphic or industrial designer as well as writers.
All notebooks produced by the company are labeled with their CO2 footprint.  All products are made in Sweden in a production process they company says causes "very low environmental stress in all parts of the production/logistics chain."  Their paper mill does not emit any carbon dioxide.

I've been using a Whitelines notebook for several weeks now and appreciate what an excellent writing pad this is.  The notebook is perfect for a designer to carry with them and sketch out ideas while on the bus or train. 

Whitelines products are available in the US online and at specialty writing/design supply stores.

Check Mr Bill's FLICKR stream for some writing samples on Whitelines paper

Marcal Introduces Small Steps Line

BY JACKIE DeLISE

For over 50 years, the Marcal brand has been synonymous with 100 percent-recycled paper products. Paper made from paper, not from trees. Today Marcal’s vision remains the same ~ help to conserve resources, protect our environment and keep the air we breathe cleaner and healthier.

Marcal’s Small Steps line, debuting in 2009, focuses squarely on the brand’s green heritage and helps consumers “make a small, easy step to a greener Earth.” The Small Steps line of 100% recycled bath tissue, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue are manufactured without chlorine bleaching, are hypoallergenic and lint free. They are made entirely from recycled paper, mostly newspaper, magazines and office paper collected curbside from residential neighborhoods across the Northeast.

It’s these values that let consumers feel good knowing that they are taking a small, easy step that can help make a big difference, without having to pay more.

Each year, Marcal recycles over 200,000 tons of recovered paper. This recycling effort saves enormous quantities of resources every day: 6,000 trees, 2 million gallons of water, 140,000 gallons of oil, 30,000 cubic feet of landfill space, and 22,000 pounds of pollution. Indeed, if each American household were to buy just one roll of Small Steps paper towels and bath tissue, we would save one million trees.

Being green does not mean sacrificing performance. With strength and softness, consumers will not feel they are making a sacrifice to change their behavior for a “green” product, whether they are cleaning spills or wiping faces.

Marcal was established in 1932 and is committed to sustainable manufacturing. Its products are distributed to grocers and other retailers for home consumption and to distributors for away-from-home use in hotels, restaurants, hospitals, offices and factories. Marcal Paper Mills, LLC employs nearly 1,000 people in its Elmwood Park, New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois manufacturing operations.

Strategic Branding and Design Considerations

Marcal worked with the Zunda Group to restage the brand and create a newly designed logo, brand identity and packaging graphics.

The program objective was to “celebrate” this unique sustainable positioning, and redesign the packaging for the full Marcal product line, to reflect an enhanced “green” brand positioning platform and differentiate the brand vs. main stream competitors.

The packaging strategy was to create designs that communicate the brand’s environmentally centric heritage of saving trees by using premium recycled paper.

The brand positioning centers around those consumers who want to do something good for the environment. Marcal is the only leading brand of paper goods that delivers to consumers an easy, affordable way to be green because Marcal is made from 100% recycled paper, consumers can feel good that they are helping to save trees.

The brand personality embodies caring, passionate about values, not afraid to act and stimulate change, beautiful and self confident, popular and well liked by the broad population

The brand values integrate saving mother earth, simplicity, people that are real (i.e. good product at a fair price) and value for the children and family

The brand essence captures Marcal’s ability to make it easy for consumers to do something green (i.e., save trees)

The new Marcal logo is reduced in size to a white typeface, with the descriptor “saving trees since 1950”. The leaf shape background anchors the logo with a visual device that is suggestive of the environment, adding a more natural dimension.

The Small Steps sub-brand creates a platform for the product positioning to more fully resonate with consumers. Again, just by purchasing Marcal products, consumers will be assured that they are doing their part to help the planet.

The logo is designed in two colors ~ green to denote nature and brown for earth/environment.

The arrow in the “p” was designed to associate with the familiar visual equity element of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” logo. This is a subliminal (environmental) nod to “coming full circle/closing the loop, as in product life stage recycling.

Additional graphic elements such as a green shade tree, designed in lieu of a more typical flag or burst, with a consumer call to action “help us save 1 million trees”, is perched atop a graphic lock-up of “100% premium recycled paper”.

Visual re-staging the brand at retail, which is traditionally a price brand in the category, resulted in a brand block of color to add a more distinct image than the leading national competitive set.

Simplicity is communicated in primarily a soft yellow and green color palette, depicting a sunrise and field of buttercups, which serves to frame the lower portion of the package.

Promotions

Marcal worked with the Topspin Group to secure immediate impact, by relying on tools of promotion, developing a promotional launch plan to support the brand within grocery channels, that builds momentum, driving customers to the store to purchase.

A new website was also designed to create a hub that communicates brand equity and provides a destination for consumers, media and retailers.

Take A Small, Easy Step to a Greener Earth

When customers choose the Marcal brand of paper towels or bath tissue, they are taking a small, easy step toward a greener world.

And, if every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of paper towels or bath tissue with 100% recycled paper, the cumulative savings would be nearly 500,000 trees!

For over 50 years, this leading brand of paper products has been made from 100% premium recycled paper, not by cutting down trees, helping to conserve resources and protect our environment.

Further, this brand of high quality paper products are strong and absorbent, manufactured without chlorine bleaching, hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, unscented and has no dyes.

Plus, it’s less expensive than the other leading brands, so doing something good for the environment finally doesn’t have to cost more. When choosing the Marcal brand, consumers can feel good knowing that they are taking a small, easy step that can help make a big difference to their daily lives and in the bigger picture of saving the planet for future generations!

As retailers seek to provide affordable and meaningful eco-friendly choices that consumers are increasingly seeking, the new Small Steps line of 100 percent recycled paper products gives retailers just that: a convenient way to go green without compromise. The new and improved Small Steps line of bath tissue, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue arrive on shelf at grocers across the Northeast in early 2009.

Past, Present, Future

As generations of consumers have chosen the Marcal brand, they feel good knowing they are doing their part through purchase and taking a small, easy step that can help make a big difference for generations to come.

Jackie DeLise is Vice President New Business & Brand Development of Zunda Group LLC.  Zunda Design Group creates brands that inspire, by designing visual identity and packaging that evoke emotions and connect consumers to their brand, ultimately captivating attention and purchase intent at retail.  Jackie can be reached at j.delise@zundagroup.com.

Flip & Tumble Reusable Bags New Exciting Colors

Flip & Tumble, makers of the remarkably well designed 24-7 reusable bag have recently expanded their lineup to add a number of new colors and charming printed designs for their bags.

I really like the Flip & Tumble bags.  I did a piece on them last year when they first came out into the market with their 24-7 bag. 

Their original 24-7 bag folded down into a tiny pouch.  The latest version of the 24-7 looks identical to the original in design and collapses into a small ball shape which easily fits in a bag, purse or pocket.

The bags are made of nylon which a number of people in the green community are increasingly warming to because of its excellent respectability and durability.

Design has always been a key element of the Flip & Tumble bag.  The company spent a great deal of time creating a bag ideally suited for shopping and easy transport.  The small footprint of the 24-7 bag makes it easier to carry with you all the time.  After all what good is a reusable bag if you forget it?

The new 24-7 bags are available in 10 cool new color combinations for $9 each.  The bags with the print designs sell for $12.  They're available at Amazon.com  

Clear2Go Filtered Water Bottle

I came across a new product which is pretty cool and highly functional.  The Clear2Go water bottle with replaceable filter, can be filled from any tap water source, providing a convenient solution for clean water on the go.

The Clear2Go provides you with up to 100 gallons of filtration (equivalent to 757 half-liter plastic bottles) and allows you to fill your bottle from tap water at work, school or anywhere on the go. 

The Clear2Go is neat because its inexpensive (about $15) and readily available across the country.  It provides a cost effective alternative that is far more sustainable than buying bottled water.

The company estimates using the Clear2Go vs. traditional bottled water can save you over $1,000 annually. 

Clear2Go can be purchased at grocery stores, mass merchants, sporting good chains, bike shops, convenience stores, drug store chains and online.

Ditto Paper Hangers Available to Consumers

Ditto is happy to announce the planet’s first home-use, recycled and recyclable closet hanger.

The Ditto Ecological Heavy-Duty Paper Hangers are now available on Amazon.com. The hangers were developed to provide a superior alternative to the eight billion toxic plastic and wire hangers disposed, every year, in landfills.

Ditto Hangers, 100% non-toxic and 100% recyclable in all paper recycling systems, can even be composted.

We covered Ditto Hangers made by GreenHeart Global several years ago when their products were focused on the dry cleaning industry. 

Made from 100% tree-free recycled paper (minimum 70% post-consumer waste), Ditto Heavy-Duty Paper Hangers are certified to be chlorine, formaldehyde and heavy metal free. Inks are soy-based and adhesives starch-based. The hangers are stylish, long-lasting and hold up to 20 pounds.

Now available in a Ditto 10-Pack, these award-winning Ditto Ecological Paper Hangers made from heavy duty, highly compressed paperboard, have been a first-choice hanger for many top-selling clothing stores worldwide. The Ditto Paper Hanger has proven itself highly functional under the toughest conditions.

Ditto 10-Packs are offered in three sizes: Ditto’s 17” Multi-Use Adult Hangers; 13” Little Ditto Children’s Hangers; and 9” Little Ditto Infant Hangers.

Ditto Heavy-Duty Paper Hangers are compact and strong, creating more closet space; especially useful in college dorm rooms, for travel and storage. Hangers can be customized with writing and art for convenience or fun.

I've used Ditto's Multi-Use Adult hangers and love them.  They are durable and work just as well as their conventional counterparts.  The Ditto hangers are stylish and perfectly designed for household use.  Since they are made from a industrial type cardboard - they have a chic look and feel - very minimal.  I like that.

Poofy Organics Baby Poof

We've had several requests from readers to review a small organic brand Poofy Organics and specifically their line of baby products called Baby Poof.  A couple months ago I contacted Poofy and arranged some samples of their two most popular baby products their Baby Poof Shampoo & Bodywash and their Delightfully Unscented Baby Lotion.  I then arranged for a family here in Rhode Island with a young son to try the products out at home and offer feedback.

What makes Poofy Organics Baby Poof products unique is they use natural preservatives, not the chemical stuff found in many more mainstream products.  This has made their products very appealing to parents looking for natural products for their children. 

It also means the Baby Poof products are made "fresh" and the lotion actually has about a three month shelf life depending on climate.  The lotion comes with an expiration date label right on the bottle.  Initially I thought his shelf life seemed a bit limited, however in the world of babies - its not.  Just like the family that tested these products for us said - there is no problem using the quality by the expiration date especially if your baby likes taking a bath.

In terms of functionality Poofy Organics Baby Poof received high marks for what it is designed to do - clean.  Our test family noted the shampoo/body wash had excellent lather and was clean and refreshing.  They noted the shampoo had a very nice light texture as well.  

Using the Delightfully Unscented Baby Lotion was a treat for our testers, whose young son has extremely sensitive skin.  They said the Baby Poof Lotion was one of the only products they had tried that didn't cause redness or irritation when applied.  This is an excellent statement because as a family our testers only use organic/natural products with their son and said the Baby Poof Lotion was the best they'd tried.    The fact the lotion is unscented is a major plus as well.  They noted the lotion was nice and thick and a little of the products goes a long way.

Poofy Organics Baby Poof products are all made in the U.S. in small batches, fresh to order.  The company, Poof's Closet is located in New Jersey and their products are all available online at their website www.poofscloset.com

Henri Bendel Hosts Eco Exhibit: Living Perfume: the Natural Alchemy of Mandy Aftel

Check Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue in NYC for an interesting "pop-up" exhibit, Living Perfume: the Natural Alchemy of Mandy Aftel.  The exhibit features the perfume, craft, and collections of Aftel who is often considered the world’s leading natural perfumer.  Aftel has also launched her latest perfume, Lumiere at the three week event.

The exhibit, dedicated to the sense of smell, aromatics and the art of natural perfume, features Aftel’s body of work - her perfumes and oils, research and writings and personal library of rare books, graphics, and artifacts. 

“We are thrilled to be able to bring perfumer Mandy Aftel’s art, and collection to the world. The exhibit will be a rare window into her creative process, an important educational opportunity and an unparalleled aesthetic experience,” said Julie Anixter, organizer of the event and Chief Marketing Officer of Brandimage, Desgrippes & Laga. 

“This experiential in-store exhibition is as multi-layered - literally and figuratively - as Aftel’s fine all-natural perfumes.”

Sculptural forms made from smooth, silhouetted layers of white sustainable eco-board suggest the sensuality of natural elements - trees, stone formations, a forest path - while paralleling the layers of perfume and invoking the mystery and beauty of scent. The space is designed to “impose” itself into the store environment in the way that a tree would grow on a busy urban street.

“Henri Bendel is such a vibrant and ‘complete’ environment that the challenge we faced was how to ‘disrupt’ the environment in a way that would draw people to the third floor and into the exhibit from that glorious atrium, and then enthrall them with Mandy’s art and the journey inside,” says Jeremy Dawkins, Executive Creative Director of Brandimage, Desgrippes & Laga.

Eco Design & Packaging

The Living Perfume exhibit was developed and installed using the responsible design principles of sustainable materials and eco-friendly sourcing. Sculptural forms made from silhouetted layers of white sustainable eco-board create natural elements — trees, stone formations, and a forest path. The exhibit is constructed of Xanita recycled post-consumer and 100% re-pulpable materials, E-Core Plus (EC+) structured light weight boards, and contains no formaldehyde, toxins or wax. After the event, most of the fixtures will remain in their current space, converting into Bendel bookstore fixtures as well as for the retailer to use for future exhibit rentals.

Packaging giant MeadWestvaco's Personal & Beauty Care team developed an exclusive gift package for the launch of Lumiere.  Only 12 of the special gift sets were developed for the event each was signed by Aftel and available at the debut.  MeadWestvaco designed and produced the paperboard-based packaging which hold all of the Aftelier perfumes, including the new Lumiere.

Where:  Henri Bendel Fifth Avenue New York - 3rd Floor through May 11th.

Niagara Conservation 1.25 GPM Earth Massage Showerhead

For Earth Day 2009 I wanted to feature a product that can make a real environmental difference for people all across the country that worked as good as a "conventional" counterpart and was affordable.  This year's Sustainable is Good Earth Day featured product is the Earth Massage Showerhead from Niagara Conservation.

Niagara Conservation is a New Jersey- based company that produces environmental products for the home.  Their Earth Massage showerhead uses only 1.25 gallons per minute (GPM) of water.  This is an incredibly low number and is nearly 1/2 of what other "low-flow" green showerheads use. 

I like many other people concerned about reducing water use have been using a brass "navy" style showerhead for several years which uses 2.5 GPM.of water.  The Earth Massage uses half the water of my current showerhead.  Normal showerheads use more than 2.5 GPM of water - so replacing a conventional showerhead with the Earth Massage will save even more significant amounts of water and resources. 

In fact Niagara says using their Earth Massage Showerhead  can save up to 7,850 gallons of water annually compared to a standard 2.5 GPM showerhead.  That is a huge amount of water!

The Earth Massage 1.25 GPM showerhead works very well.  Its easy to install and provides a powerful steady stream of water during the shower - there is plenty of pressure.  The showerhead produces a non-aerating spray which means there is less temperature loss as compared to other styles of showerheads.

“We’ve taken the low-flow showerhead concept a step further by drastically reducing the amount of water required for showering without affecting showerhead performance. In fact, we’ve exactly halved the water use of a conventional, low-flow showerhead,” Carl Wehmeyer, executive vice president at Niagara, said.

“This is an important step in making water conservation a part of every household while saving consumers money on their utility bills.”

The company estimates their Earth Massage Showerhead will save homeowners who use electric water heat approximately $186 per year, and those who use gas water heat save about $120 per year.

Conclusion - where do I get one?

I am very pleased with the Earth Massage Showerhead.  I like how the product is well made with a 10 year warranty, saves water and other resources and is very affordable costing about $25.  The Earth Massage Showerhead is available online at www.ItsEasyBeingGreen.com. (There is a 25% discount on all products from this site on Earth Day April 22nd 2009)

Globe Guard Products Provides Green Packaging at Affordable Prices

Sustainable is Good longtime contributor and friend Dennis Salazar, president of Chicago's Salazar Packaging just last week launched a new arm of his successful packaging business. 

His latest venture, Globe Guard Products, provides sustainable packaging supplies direct to customers via the Internet.  Globe Guard Products is a new concept and provides businesses access to greener packaging supplies at affordable prices.  His latest venture should be a tremendous boon for small businesses across the country looking for sustainable packaging without the traditional high costs. 

Interview & Discount

This week I was able to speak with Dennis about Globe Guard Products and learn about his new business.  Dennis has graciously extended a 10% discount at Globe Guard Products for all Sustainable is Good Readers.  Use the code "SISG" at checkout.

SISG: Tell me about Globe Guard Products and how it fits in with your other successful ventures, Salazar Packaging and the Globe Guard brand?

DS:  After thirty years in the packaging industry, my wife and I launched our own company two years ago, Salazar Packaging so we could focus on the areas of packaging we cared for. One of those was sustainable, eco friendly packaging. The market was telling us they wanted genuine, green packaging products they could trust and not clouded by all the hype and greenwashing that has been so prevalent. That is when we decided that the best way to be able to manage the marketing, quality and relative  “greenness” of any product was to create our own Globe Guard brand. Globe Guard Products.com was a natural evolution since it provided us an efficient way to satisfy the same needs of small and mid size volume customers who prefer the convenience of e-commerce shopping.

SISG:  What makes the line so special and is it unique in the marketplace?

DS:  Rider, as you know, our cornerstone product, Globe Guard shipping boxes are 100% recycled (PCW) content and are easily recycled. That product reflects our approach to market which is not only a concern with what a packaging product is today, but also what it will eventually become. Certainly a high recycled content is good and a high PCW content is even better but both have little value if ultimately the product is not easily recycled. We give that same thought and consideration to every product we add to our product line. We have all heard of products that are touted as compostable and well intentioned consumers buy them, only later to discover that the product will only break down in an  industrial composting facility and there are none in the area where that product can be processed. Products guilty of that type of intentional or unintentional deception are not going to appear on our store.

SISG:  Are you saying that all of your products fall into the same category in terms of composition and eventual disposition as your boxes?

DS:  We really wish that was possible but in many cases the product we need and want is still in development. The packaging industry has not quite caught up to demand but new and much greener products are coming out almost daily. What we do promise is that we will be truthful about what we have to offer today and that we are committed to a continual product line improvement.  

SISG:  Globe Guard Products seems to be ideal for small to medium business owners is that the main segment of the market you're targeting?

DS:  Our green store is definitely designed to serve the small to medium volume user but what we have found is that even very large green companies have packaging products they buy in relatively small quantities. Often times these purchases are made in a mail room or fulfillment center and unfortunately usually fly under their own corporate sustainable radar. This relates back to our concept of  “eco-consistency” we developed and promote which essentially means that everything a company ships out should reflect the same care and concern for the environment that their green products do. We believe we have provided an economical and convenient place to buy genuinely green product if that is what that customer wants and needs.

SISG:   I know sustainability is important to you - so how did you choose the products for the line and the materials they are made from?

DS:  Our customers usually lead us to the products they need, our job is to make them as green as possible. We go beyond the typical packaging supplier and get involved in the design and help to determine the material composition as well as the post use recyclability. We ask our vendors the tough questions the market rarely does so we can be confident in the description and claims we make on Globe Guard products.com. Please keep in mind a big part of what we do is educate the market through our articles, presentations, our blog Inside Sustainable Packaging and even through our Eco Ed cartoon which is a regular monthly feature in Packaging World magazine. It is through these various mediums we are able to correct miss conceptions and much like you Rider and SISG, expose products so our customer are well informed and know what to expect.

SISG:  In the sustainable products marketplace price is always a key issue - how are you able to keep the prices low?

DS:  Two years ago when we were just getting started down this green path, the economy was already beginning to sour so we quickly realized that any product we took to market had to be competitively priced. The thought or idea of getting a “green premium” for any green packaging product was growing increasingly unrealistic so we put our experience and manufacturer relationships to work to be able to buy right so we could sell right. It often meant buying product in much larger quantities than we really needed but we also understood that was the investment that had to be made to make the end user price market competitive. Especially in tough economic times there is always a lower price available but we are convinced that our customers appreciate  the authenticity of our products and the expertise that comes with them, so the value becomes as important as the price.

SISG:  For those concerned about carbon footprint - where are the products in your new line made?

DS:  Most of our products are made in the Midwest but our sources are truly coast to coast as we expand our manufacturing and even our distribution capabilities. Even though fuel prices are lower than they have been recently, we are very aware that transportation costs and carbon foot print concerns are major issue for all of us. That is why we are currently looking at opportunities that will enable us to do what we do more economically so our customer can feel as good about the way our products shipped to them as they do about the quality and greenness of their purchase. 

To find out more check out eco friend packaging from www.globeguardproducts.com 

Maggie's Organics Penguin

Popular organic sock and apparel manufacturer, Maggies's Organics has released the second stuff animal in their Maggie's Menagerie collection – a Penguin.

Just like their Sock Monkey, Maggie's Penguin is made from excess fabric and irregulars and stuffed with reclaimed polyester mill scrap helping keep factory waste from landfills.

The Penguin’s embroidered eyes and securely sewn on hat make it safe for all ages.

Maggie's new penguin is made in the USA by workers at Opportunity Threads, a 100% worker-owned cooperative in Morganton, North Carolina.

Like the Sock Monkey, Maggie's new Penguin is a creative way to help keep jobs in the USA and prevent scraps from everyday mill operation from end up in landfills. The concept of creating products like these cute stuff animals from these types of materials and resources is innovative and speaks to the character of the company itself.

Maggie's latest stuffed animal the Penguin is available directly from the company for $20.