FEATURED ARTICLE

Keeping an eye on energy usage can keep packaging companies sustainable

By John Hoekstra, Manager of Energy Sustainability, Summit Energy

The packaging industry produces widely diverse types of end products, including aluminum cans, plastic bottles, corrugated cardboard, polymer pouches, paperboard cartons, and more. One commonality that can be seen across the industry, however, is the fact that energy consumption related to the manufacturing process and the costs associated with that consumption represent increasingly significant operational considerations. What's more, energy consumption directly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, impacting an organization's carbon footprint.

In response to climate change pressure, leading retailers and consumer packaged goods companies are placing more emphasis on their supply chain to manage carbon. Wal-Mart, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, and many other companies have established formal plans to query their respective supply chain partners on energy consumption and associated carbon emissions and, in some instances, use those results as a metric for purchasing decisions. So to stay competitive, packaging organizations are wise to more deeply analyze their energy usage, develop a sustainability strategy, and implement optimization activities.

In general, packaging operations personnel can focus on three areas to help them do this: energy efficiency or reduction, renewable energy procurement, and carbon management.

Energy efficiency or reduction

Obviously, a reduction in energy consumption will reduce energy costs, but how can this be done in a packaging operation? Depending on the type of packaging operations, a number of opportunities exist to reduce energy consumption and, therefore, carbon emissions. A cultural shift within the organization—making each employee accountable for saving energy—can lead to substantial reductions.

To support an energy efficient culture, numerous energy efficiency projects can also be implemented to drive reductions. For example, analyzing compressed air and air handling systems and subsequently optimizing the energy usage by compressors and related piping systems is one way to have an impact on overall energy usage. Lighting retrofitting is another. The use of light sensors and new energy-efficient lighting technologies and bulbs can be introduced into plant environments to minimize wasted electricity. Shutdown optimization, demand control, and HVAC optimization are other key methods for reducing energy usage and boosting efficiency. Installing variable frequency drives and more efficient and optimally sized electric motors can significantly lower energy consumption.

Companies should remember that it's critical to benchmark carbon emissions before reduction activities are implemented so that quantified, verifiable emissions reductions are measured and accounted for following improvements.

Renewable energy procurement

Packaging organizations can also look at developing opportunities to purchase and/or generate renewable energy as a way to have an impact on their sustainability goals. The use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass offsets the greenhouse gas emissions generated by traditional sources such as coal and natural gas. Renewable strategies include examining and determining which green energy options, offset/credit programs, and green utility pricing might mesh cost effectively with an overall operations and sustainability plan. Additionally, many state and federal incentives are provided that facilitate end-users securing a portion of their electric power from on-site renewable generation projects. Companies that make informed, balanced, and diversified renewable energy portfolio decisions are companies that can have a true advantage in the marketplace.

Carbon management

Taking a closer look at metrics related to greenhouse gas emissions as a result of identified energy efficiency or renewable projects has an impact on sustainability. As overall energy use is reduced, the company's carbon footprint also naturally shrinks and sustainability grows. Opportunities to manage carbon as a commodity are also available and required for many end users. Whether operating in the European Union under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and other compliance markets, or in the U.S. where voluntary carbon markets are becoming more prominent and liquid, opportunities to utilize offsets or credits to achieve carbon reductions are becoming more readily available. Intelligent carbon risk management can lead to impressive gains in overall sustainability programs.

With competitive market pressures driven by retailers and consumer packaged goods leaders and the probability of more formalized federal, state, and regional environmental legislation, keeping an eye on energy is a great way for packaging companies to maximize their sustainability program—and stay ahead.

About Summit Energy

Summit Energy currently represents more than 10,000 commercial and industrial facilities in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Summit harvests value for clients through strategic energy management, integration of sustainable strategies, and price risk management in the increasingly volatile energy marketplace. For more information on Summit Energy Services, please visit www.summitenergy.com.

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Noteworthy Items Gleaned From the World News

By Steve Sterling, Editor

New two-day sustainability event

Executives from Wal-Mart, Clorox, Nike, GE, and Procter & Gamble are among the companies sharing their knowledge and expertise at Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets, June 12-13, in Alexandria, Virginia. The conference, produced by GreenBiz.com and Global Executive, offers a ground-level view of the strategies employed by companies seeking to reduce costs and increase sales by attracting the growing number of environmentally minded customers.

The Packaging Revolution, a panel discussion with Jean Charles Boisset, President, DeLoach Vineyards, Boisset Family Estates, and Anne Johnson, Director, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, will answer the question of what it takes for packaging to be green. The panelists will describe a range of innovative, environmentally friendly materials and technologies that are changing the landscape, allowing creative individuals to think, literally, outside the box.

Matt Kistler, Senior Vice President for Sustainability at Wal-Mart, will explain how his company is working with many of its 60,000 suppliers to reduce packaging and toxic materials, increase energy efficiency and recyclability, and create other design changes that benefit manufacturers, retailers, and customers.

In addition to more than a dozen panels and discussions, Greener by Design will feature some innovations of its own, such as Innovation Flashes and Green Gurus at Play, affording participants hands-on experiences in product and packaging design. Learn more by visiting the event Web site.

Desperately seeking your comments and insights

In April, we asked whether readers know of any companies that analyze carbon footprints.

Here are the replies we received:

• Reader Margaret H. Whittaker writes that her firm the Linden Consulting Partnership performs product-specific and facility-wide carbon footprint analysis for clients in the United Kingdom and around the world. "For those readers who are new to this term, a carbon footprint is a measurement of a product's or facility's impact upon the environment by calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacture of a product or the operation of a specific facility. A carbon footprint is one way consumers can measure a product's impact upon global warming. Types of measurements that go into a carbon footprint measurement include:
  • the amount of renewable energy used in manufacturing a product,
  • the percentage of recycled material in packaging,
  • the extent of a company's carbon reduction in the previous two years,
  • the amount of carbon emissions verified as having been offset."
• "Carbonfund.org will assist companies with analysis and offset strategies."—Hugh Robertson
• "We worked with, and continue to work with, 4elements Group in Stamford, CT, to analyze our carbon footprint, and they are fantastic." —Des McEttrick
• "Clear Carbon Consulting has been analyzing footprints in our industry for the past year now." —David Padula

If you are "desperately seeking insights" to a sustainability issue or question, write to Steve Sterling at sterling@packworld.com.

New materials and products

• DuPont introduced two new families of renewably sourced polymers for the packaging market.
  • Biomax TPS is a renewably sourced thermoplastic starch for packaging applications. The offering consists of sheet stock that contains 85 to 90% renewably sourced content for thermoformed trays and articles, and resins for injection-molded parts and containers.
  • Biomax PTT (polytrimethylterephtalate) injection moldable resin contains up to 35% renewably sourced content for packaging applications. It is suitable for use in injection-molded containers, cosmetic packaging and other parts where polyesters are used.
• Hartness International introduces Uvaclear, an ultraviolet curable ink that is supplied in a wide range of colors, including metallics. Uvaclear is ecologically friendly and directly supports sustainability by eliminating heavy metals. It utilizes substantially less energy than a traditional applied ceramic label process and eliminates waste generated by paper labels. The organic nature of the ink makes it suitable for recycling as it is burned off during the recycle process without contamination. This technology also offers a sustainable alternative to sleeve labels. Read more...
• Salazar Packaging, Inc., a distributor of packaging materials and equipment, introduced Globe Guard, its own brand of corrugated boxes made from 100% post-consumer waste material. Globe Guard boxes are available in both standard and custom sizes and board constructions. Read more...

Recycling

• Sealed Air now provides the opportunity to recycle its Fill-Air inflatable packaging film through a new mail-in program. Once received at a centralized facility, the deflated Fill-Air cushions are ground up and re-pelletized for use in a variety of products from trash bags to automotive parts, which also can be recycled. Read more...

Certifications and assessments

• Mead Westvaco Corporation (MWV) announced it has received chain of custody certification from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. The dual certification covers the company's four U.S.-based paperboard mills. The certifications also apply to the company's sheeting and extruding facilities, and 12 of its integrated package converting plants in North America, Europe, and Asia. The certification provides third-party validation of MWV's sustainable fiber sourcing practices.
• Earthcycle Packaging invested in an assessment of its ethical sourcing of palm fiber by SGS Qualipalm, an authorized auditor for the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The assessment confirmed that Earthcycle's sources of raw material have not replaced any primary forest nor converted any environmentally sensitive areas for the purpose of palm oil production. The raw fiber used in the production of Earthcycle packaging is sourced from palm plantations in West Malaysia that have been reviewed against principles and criteria established by the RSPO—an organization that defines and certifies sustainability in the palm oil industry.

Upcoming Events

• Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets, June 12-13, in Alexandria, Virginia. (See "New Two-Day Sustainability Event" story above for program details and Web link.)
• The Australian Institute of Packaging National Conference will be held at Luna Park, Sydney, June 12-13. The 2008 National Conference will highlight the latest packaging technology related issues in the delivery of products to consumers with the theme of Climate of Change: Towards a Sustainable Packaging Industry. Read more...
• Going Green, the educational seminar hosted during Cosmoprof North America, will feature industry experts from leading beauty brands with advice on green packaging and how to select genuine sustainable packaging. Sunday, July 13, 2008, from 3:30-5:30 p.m., Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
• The 4th Annual Sustainable Packaging Forum will be held September 9-11, 2008; Denver Marriott Tech Center, Denver. Last year's event was a sell out so if interested book early. Read more...
• SustainCommWorld—The Green Media Show brings together top executives, media professionals, and suppliers who are all striving to find sustainable solutions. To be held October 1, 2008, at the Marriott Copley Square Hotel, Boston. Read more...

Send your sustainability news and questions to sterling@packworld.com

ANNOUNCEMENT

Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets for Product Innovation

Network with companies of all sizes and sectors and learn from those who are integrating environmental thinking into their operations. Greener By Design features strategies for reducing costs and increasing sales. Plan to attend June 12-13, in Alexandria, VA.
Learn more >>