Featured discussions

Anne Marie MohanSenior Editor

Oct 29th, 2009

Performing accurate life-cycle analysis of plastics
Rosanna Cavanaugh, President, Key Tech Corp., Packaging materials supplier

I am trying to clarify something I was told recently. When a life-cycle analysis (LCA) is completed on plastics, it is done considering the raw material being crude oil and the processes employed, including drilling, refining, cracking, etc. However, what I was told was that plastics are actually made from the byproducts of gasoline or fuel manufacturing and are never really made straight from crude. Given most of the oil drilled is used for gasoline or fuel, then is it correct to start there when doing LCA, or is it more correct to start somewhere else? Seems there is something not quite right about starting from crude oil? What am I missing here? Anyone?
Read 3 responses to this question: greenerpackage.com/node/1714

Weighing the impact of one-way glass vs. the bottle return/refund model
Conscious Brands, Consultant

Just wondering if anyone has done any work in quantifying the environmental impact of one-way glass in the brewing industry vs. the bottle return/refund model?
Read 2 responses to this question: greenerpackage.com/node/1657

Need to recycle dry pet-food bags
David Bennett, Consultant

I am working with a team of MBA students to develop a system for capturing and recycling dry pet-food bags. We are working in partnership with Nestlé Purina and PetSmart to find vendors who can recycle either one or both of the bag types: 1) #5 PP bags, and 2.) multiwall paper bags with a thin plastic liner. Does anyone have suggestions for facilities that can recycle a large amount of these material types?
Read 6 responses to this question: greenerpackage.com/node/1686

Greener Corp.

Hotel Toiletries in Bioplastics Serve the Eco-Friendly Traveler

One CPG, Public Goods, is helping hotels avoid single-use plastics with a reusable, refillable toiletry solution. Also featured: Digital printing technology has exceeded being useful only for sales samples and regional event personalization.

The new Nordic Criteria were presented by Susanne Backer, senior consultant, circular economy, procurement and clinical engineering, Central Denmark region, at LyondellBasell’s Advancing Quality Healthcare Event.

New Nordic Sustainability Criteria Poised to Expand in Europe

Released in March 2022, the Common Nordic Criteria for more Sustainable Packaging in Healthcare were developed by stakeholders with the aim of reducing material waste, increasing recycling, and increasing the usage of recycled or renewable materials.

A panel of four brands at the recent Digital Print for Packaging US conference were introduced to the part that digital printing can play to help CPG companies reach their sustainability goals.

Conference Report: Digital Print’s Potential to Boost Sustainability

Industry experts outline the sustainability benefits of choosing digital printing, and how to convince brands to adopt the technology.

Companies Innovate With Compostable and Bio-Based Packaging

See a few examples of naturally sourced and compostable packaging innovations from ThePackHub’s June Packaging Innovation Briefing Report.

Forest Vision 2025

Documentary Showcases Graphic Packaging’s Commitment to Sustainability

The short film reflects on Graphic Packaging International’s participation in an initiative called Vision 2045.

Coca-Cola’s Cloeann Durham details the beverage giant’s sustainability initiatives at ISBT’s annual BevTech meeting.

Coca-Cola Targets Sustainability From Every Angle

As the beverage giant takes aim at climate, water, recycling, and other initiatives, it's relying more than ever on a science-based approach. Data is all you really have to tell your story, says Coca-Cola's Cloeann Durham.

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Sabic, UPM Raflatac Launch Label Materials Made from Certified Circular Ocean Bound Plastic

Sabic joined an innovative project with value chain partners to help UPM Raflatac launch a packaging label material made from SABIC®certified circular PP based on advanced recycled ocean bound plastic (OBP).

Brent Lindberg, founder and Head of Curiosity, Fuseneo

Planning Your E-Comm Package’s Funeral: Considerations for Designing for End of Life

Graphic Emerson S Net Zero Targets En Us 8188826

Emerson Announces Net Zero Targets

Company plans to achieve net zero operations by 2030, net zero value chain by 2045.

Jeremy Long, Senior Manager, Product Management, Customer Packaging Experience, Amazon

Amazon: Transformational Change in E-comm Packaging Begins Upstream

At E-Pack Europe 2022, Amazon’s Jeremy Long explains how true innovation around e-commerce packaging requires an upstream strategy that involves both the product and the packaging.

Michelman Bobst Upm Sustainable Packaging Collaboration Blockimage

Michelman Collaborates with Bobst, UPM on Sustainable Packaging Innovation

On June 15th, Bobst will host a webinar to discuss an innovative new solution for the creation of high-barrier, sustainable, fiber-based food packaging, developed in conjunction with Michelman and UPM Specialty Papers.

Bulk Bag Discharging: Control Dust and Eliminate Material Waste

Bulk Bag Discharging: Control Dust and Eliminate Material Waste

Protect your personnel, product, and equipment. Engineered-to-application bulk bag dischargers from NBE, with enclosed dust recovery, keep material in the product stream and throughput at its peak.

Ranpak Holdings Corp. Announces Progress Towards Key ESG Targets

Ranpak, a manufacturer of environmentally sustainable, paper-based packaging solutions for e-commerce and industrial supply chains, released its 2021 ESG Impact Report showing it made significant progress in 2021 towards achieving its 2030 ESG targets.

Divine Flavor opted for StePacs PET stand-up pouch to preserve quality with a minimal footprint.

Produce Packaging Ripe for Innovation

From European plastic bans to consumers pushing for what they perceive to be more sustainable packaging, produce companies are finding ways to maintain or improve shelf life while contributing to a circular economy.

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Tetra Pak Announces Collaborations to Accelerate Innovations for the Future of the Food Industry

Ahead of United Nations World Food Safety Day, Tetra Pak announced its new set of research collaborations and programs to further accelerate efforts to address challenges facing food systems worldwide.

Currently Defunkify’s packaging for its liquid laundry detergent products consists of high-density polyethylene bottles made with 25% post-consumer recycled material.

Defunkify Helps Remove 41K Pounds of Ocean Plastic

To offset its plastic packaging footprint, bio-based household cleaning products company Defunkify partners with rePurpose Global to help fund the removal of plastic waste headed into marine ecosystems

The stroke of the LinMot actuator in the Forpak application - this graphic demonstrates the footprint of the axis.

OEM's Head-to-head Pneumatic vs. Servo Test Shows CPGs Savings

Stacking equipment manufacturer Forpak devised a test to see how incumbent pneumatic actuators stacked up against newer mechatronic servo technology, specifically on a frozen food stacking and laning application. These are the results.

One of Mars’s reusable packaging pilots involved running tests with the Loop reusable packaging platform across multiple brands, including cat food.

Mars Faces Challenges of Flexible Packaging-based Portfolio

Allison Lin, Global VP of Packaging Sustainability at Mars shares how the company is exploring a range of alternatives to multilayer flexible packaging for greater circularity.

'It’s easier to start with sustainability from the beginning rather than try to pivot when you’re big. I think that’s a huge opportunity for a startup,' Azan says.

Emerging Brand Prioritizes Product Education on Package

Annette Azan, the Founder and CEO of Nuudii System, has been an executive in the fashion business her entire career. More than 11 years ago, Azan got the opportunity to make a garment of her own.

Liplid By Liplid

Fiber-Based Drink Lids Adopted in Swedish Foodservice Chain

Every year, more than 300 billion plastic lids, equivalent to 1.5 million tons of plastic, are produced, and many of them end up as litter in the world’s oceans.

More in Sustainability

Kengos shoes’ most visually striking design element stems from the whip-stitching that mechanically attaches the sole to the upper without adhesive. That design element is reinforced in the packaging design, which is also entirely mechanical.

D2C SIOC Shoes Make Sustainable Statement

Micah Heftman hadn’t heard the acronym SIOC (ships in own container) when he designed a shoebox for his footwear. He just wanted to avoid a ‘box within a box’ experience. Only when he heard about SIOC did he realize there was a name for his pack design.

(l. to r.) Danielle Jezienicki, Senior Director of Sustainability for Grove Collaborative, and Emily Tipaldo, Executive Director of the U.S. Plastics Pact

Live from Circularity 22: Grove Collaborative Continues to Push ‘Beyond Plastic’

Danielle Jezienicki, Senior Director of Sustainability for Grove, shares how the company’s ambition to be plastic-free is the first step toward a circular economy.

A two-side printed paperboard carton cake box delights Taartenwinkel customers upon opening.

Dutch Bakery’s E-Comm Pack Keeps Cakes Cool

E-commerce is hard enough for durable, shelf-stable products. It's even trickier for cakes, etc., that need to maintain a temperature of less than 7°C (45°F) while out for delivery. Here's how a popular Dutch bakery and e-tailer sustainably made it work.

Paperseal Range V2

Graphic Packaging’s Award-winning Hybrid Packaging Delivers on Sustainability

Since its launch in 2020, the PaperSeal® range of trays from Graphic Packaging International has proven it can satisfy the growing imperative for packaging to have greater circularity and be more sustainable.

Ecolean Ecovadis Everyday Champion 2022

Ecolean Rated in Top 1% in Sustainability by EcoVadis

For the second year in a row, Ecolean was awarded the Platinum EcoVadis medal, placing the company’s sustainability work in the top 1% of assessed companies globally in 2022.

Heinz and Pulpex are developing a prototype to test how the patented packaging technology could be used for the Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle and other packaging formats .

Kraft Heinz Explores Potential of Paper-Based Ketchup Bottle

The company aims to become the first brand to use Pulpex’s patented recyclable, paper-based bottle technology for a sauce product.

Bill Nye the Science Guy and Coca-Cola Teach Recycling in Fun, Accessible Video Short

Coca-Cola and Bill Nye (the Science Guy) team up to create a stop-motion video that aims to demystify recycling. In a unique twist, the actual materials used to model Nye and the set in the stop-motion animation are recycled or recyclable.

Over the past two years, at least 20 bills in 10 states plus two federal bills related to recycled content have been introduced.

AMERIPEN: ‘New Recycled Content Mandates Doomed To Fail’

An examination of legislation meant to boost demand for PCR reveals lawmakers are not considering the full implications of these requirements and the other industries that compete for demand.

Long-term growth strategist Brad Meridith, director of customer service management, offers CPGs one point of contact for innovative packaging solutions at GreenSeed Contract Packaging.

GreenSeed Contract Packaging Names Brad Meridith Director, Customer Service Management

Long-term growth strategist Brad Meridith, director of customer service management, offers CPGs one point of contact for innovative packaging solutions at GreenSeed Contract Packaging.

Atlantic Packaging Leads Sustainable Packaging Coalition, A New Earth Project

The initiative, which includes an online catalog of sustainable packaging, connects the surf and outdoor community with the global supply chain to create solutions for a healthy planet.

Sustainable Packaging TODAY: Food and Beverage Trends

Tired of food and beverage packaging increasing your carbon footprint and eco-shame? Discover sustainable options available now, all explained by U.K. sustainable packaging expert Paul Jenkins of the PackHub and Packaging World’s Matt Reynolds.

Bubbletree Bottles 4 (2)

Refillable Aluminum Bubble Container Goes Against the Norm

Bubble Tree launched with an aluminum bottle designed to reflect the brand’s goals of sustainability and environmental safety.