Analyzing bioplastic packaging’s future

  Bioplastics: The very name suggests sustainability, but that shouldn’t exempt the materials from an objective, probing analysis.

Cooking up a recipe for innovation? Serve it up in manageable steps

  Start by defining innovation within your company culture. Then organize it, approach it strategically, and source it properly. If you fail, resolve to try again.

On packaging, patents, and protection

  Packaging personnel need knowledge and readiness to maximize their contributions in corporate battles over patents.

Tried and true is alive and kickin’

 For brands that have earned icon status, the single most powerful marketing tool is an identity that synthesizes authenticity and relevance.

Lessons from China are for your quality program

  At some point, headlines about problematic products from China give one leave to ask, What’s up with China?

Goodman documents modular servo benefits

07/23/07    

  Goodman Packaging Equipment, the first company to introduce a machine using ELAU’s new Intelligent Servo Module technology, documents cost, cabinet space and time savings that help implement its lean manufacturing strategy.

Responsible sourcing and usage of paperboard-based materials

  Although the modern concept of sustainability has actually been around for decades, this topic has never been more relevant to the packaging industry than today. Initiatives such as the Wal-Mart sustainability scorecard show that marketplace demand for sustainable packaging solutions is growing exponentially. Sustainable packaging is larger than recycling and being a good corporate citizen—it’s a concept beginning to realize its potential to change the marketplace and provide benefits to individuals and society.

The wrap-up: All in a day's work

  Reader inquiries are an interesting part of a packaging editor's workweek.

Responsible Sourcing and Usage of Paperboard-Based Materials

05/10/07    

  Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a three-part series from MeadWestvaco that looks at the entire lifecycle of paperboard-based packaging systems. The series begins with the issues of sourcing.

Bottle drying system produces for Britvic

  A bottling line started up in fall 2006 at Britvic Soft Drinks at Chelmsford, United Kingdom, to handle the company’s Robinsons Fruit Shoot beverages is anchored by a space-efficient block filler for 200- and 300-mL PET bottles.