Sustainability news and events

By Steve Sterling, Editor

• Delkor has received a Sustainable Packaging Leadership Award from the Packaging Association of Canada. The Delkor Spot-Pak packaging system reduces the volume of secondary packaging materials, thereby cutting material costs, reducing dry storage requirements, and lowering transportation costs. Used extensively within the dairy industry, the Spot-Pak packaging system has eliminated approximately 10,000 semi-truck shipments of corrugated materials, plus another 6,000 to 8,000 fewer truckload shipments of finished products, principally due to the ability of Spot-Pak packages to increase the cube utilization of pallet-size loads, www.delkorsystems.com

• The Minneapolis College of Art and Design Sustainable Design Online program offers the opportunity to gain in-depth, actionable knowledge about sustainable design. The courses are relevant to anyone involved in graphic, packaging, and product design, including designers, brand managers, product planners, buyers, and executives. The college offers single workshops to update skills or the courses (18 credits in all) needed to earn the accredited certificate in sustainable design. Courses cover all aspects of sustainable design - theory, tools, and techniques. Summer Classes begin July 7. Fall classes start August 24. For more information visit www.mcad.edu

• Metabolix announced that Telles, its joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland Company that produces Mirel bioplastics, has entered an agreement to supply Mirel resin to Heritage Plastics, Inc., for the production of BioTuf compostable film.  Heritage Bag Company, the largest U.S. manufacturer of compostable trash bags, can liners, and kitchen compost bags is working in conjunction with Heritage Plastics to develop a new line of BioTuf compostable bags, www.metabolix.com

• Lite-Pak™ is a sustainable primary packaging solution developed by The Drake Company for products merchandized through the club store retail channel. All materials in Lite-Pak are 100% recyclable. Lite-Pak is constructed of a durable combination of corrugated board with an rPET blister. The corrugated replaces plastic as the majority component in the pack, and graphics are printed with soy-based inks and water-based coatings. The corrugated has a minimum content of 60% post-consumer waste, and the plastic blister is made from 100% post-industrial recycled rPET.

• The Flexible Packaging Association's new education and marketing brochure incorporates a wealth of information and data on the value proposition of flexible packaging and its sustainable aspects. Hard copies of the brochure are available by writing to [email protected]. The brochure can be downloaded at www.flexpack.org

• Better Packages, which offers customers water-activated paper tape dispensers and carton sealers, has joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.

• The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced that the Order of the Arrow (OA), the BSA's national honor society, will conduct its largest national service project since World War II. The project will emphasize forest conservation and sustainability education and will provide more than 250,000 hours of service, www.scouting.org

  Upcoming Events

• • Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets, June 12-13, in Alexandria, Virginia. 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...
  • Earth Resource Foundation is sponsoring the "Zero in on Zero Waste" business conference. The one-day event will show Orange County businesses how reducing their waste stream can really make a lot of "cents." "Zero In on Zero Waste" will be held at Ford Motor Company in Irvine, June 26, 2008, 8 a.m. Registration details are available at www.earthresource.org
  • 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...
  • The 4th Annual Sustainable Packaging Forum will be held September 9-11, 2008, Denver Marriott Tech Center, Denver, Colo. Last year's event was a sell out, so if interested book early. Read more...
  • A NatureWorks LLC-sponsored technical conference featuring Ingeo™ biopolymer innovations will be held September 16-18 in Las Vegas. Register by June 15 and receive $500 off full conference price. 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 [email protected]