Thinking on the outside of the box

By replacing large volumes of preprinted boxes and outdated date-and-time coding equipment with low-cost, high-resolution direct-to-case coding equipment, packaging companies slash expenses and help the environment. Find out more about this and other helpful tips to becoming sustainable in this white paper from ID Technologies.

May 11th, 2010

"Sustainability" - a new name for an old concept. Namely, the way in which a product, materials, packaging and palletization methods impact space utilization, storage, transportation and distribution costs through the lifecycle supply chain.

Call it what you want, it's always been a factor in manufacturing, as misused space and materials always create unnecessary costs.

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Avery Dennison BOPP Films Certified for HDPE Recycling

Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials’ Clear Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) film is the first to be certified to comply with the Association of Plastic Recyclers' Critical Guidance Protocol for HDPE recycling.

Dow Signs Carbon Project Agreement with AEON

Dow and Japan-based AEON Co., Ltd. signed a Carbon Project Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and food loss by utilizing Dow technologies in food packaging solutions and practices.

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Fabri-Kal Updates Greenware Brand

The updated Greenware cup and portion cup stock print design instructs customers to properly dispose of Greenware packaging in commercial composting facilities.

According to Ekroth, the paper bottle initiative is a step-by-step journey to reduce and replace the need for polymers.

Absolut Sustainability

Karin Ekroth, Senior Manager of Communications & Sustainability for The Absolut Company, shares how the world’s sixth-largest international spirits brand—with production of nearly 26 million gallons in fiscal year 2018/19—works toward a circular economy.

ASDA will introduce a 100% recyclable own-label crisp (potato chips) tube.

Recycling drives sustainable packaging

COVID 19 has caused significant disruption to the packaging industry across the world. However, sustainability remains an important area of opportunity for anyone involved in bringing new packaging to market.

Amazon box reuse for play

In a USA Today article, Amazon reveals inspiration came from the well-known fact that kids and cats often like to play with the box things come in.

Intimations of Sustainability

I’ve always told anyone who would listen that the main reason I’ve so enjoyed being a packaging journalist for all these years is because my job consists of talking with some of the smartest problem solvers on the planet.

It took nearly 10 years for Numi to develop its compostable overwrap for individual tea bags.

Compostable Overwrap for Tea Bags

Listening to the stakeholders behind this determined effort is a vivid reminder of how many factors must be weighed before a compostable film can be commercialized.

Glenroy Inc. Announces Company Sustainability Initiative

Glenroy Inc. announced its sustainability initiative with a dedicated web page that features the company’s environmental responsibility with a focus on air emissions control, energy conservation, and recycling initiatives.

Vellamo, its name pronounced “vel-emo” and originating from the goddess spirit of water in Finnish mythology, uses packaging that conjures the water’s origins while using materials—glass and wood—that come from equally natural sources.

Ice Age-Era Water Taps Mother Nature for Product, Packaging

Finnish natural mineral water Vellamo combines glass packaging with a transparent, wood-based polypropylene label to complement its brand story and sustainability goals.

Plastic-Free, Sustainable Coatings for Paperboard

The coatings are free of fluorine chemicals, therefore eliminating the component which prevents other materials from being recyclable.

Orbis Plastic Material

Orbis Named 2020 Inbound Logistics Green Supply Chain Partner

Orbis Corp. was named an Inbound Logistics 2020 G75 Green Supply Chain Partner.

Moxie uses cardstock for its MX line of live resin products.

Moxie Cannabis Makes Move from Plastic to Paper—at a Cost

Company replaces plastic and paper sleeves for its range of cannabis products with more costly FSC-certified, chlorine-free paper, as part of its vision to become the first fully-integrated, carbon-negative cannabis company.

Diageo plans to test this paper bottle for Johnny Walker Scotch Whiskey in Spring of 2021.

Paper Bottle for Diageo Spirits

For Spring of 2021, London-based Diageo plans a limited release of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky in what it calls “the world’s first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle, made entirely from sustainably sourced wood.”

The refillable packs, made from recyclable bamboo pulp, are inserted into the aluminum case for use. The refills are sent in a U.K. letterbox-friendly shipper.

Wild Bamboo-Based Deodorant Refill Pack

Subscription-based e-comm company Wild unveils a new reusable packaging platform for its natural deodorant product that includes a first-of-its-kind refill pack made of bamboo pulp.

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McLean Packaging Commits to Completely Renewable Energy

The company has contracted with national energy advisory firm 5 and ENGIE Resources, LLC on a five-year energy agreement that supports the development of renewables.

For the pilot, Unilever is offering its Omo and Quix detergents in its standard retail packaging, to which are added an RFID tag and an Algramõ-Unilever co-branding label.

Unilever Partners in ‘Refill on the Go’ Reuse Model

CPG joins Chilean company Algramõ in a pilot that employs RFID-equipped, reusable containers, IoT technology, and electric tricycles to deliver product ‘by the gram’ to consumers’ doorsteps.

Weighing just 83 g, the paper bottle is up to five times lighter than a comparable glass bottle.

Paper Bottle for Wine

With the launch of its 3Q Sangiovese red Italian wine, Italian vineyard Cantina Goccia is the first to commercialize an innovative new paper bottle.

Survey shows how important sustainable packaging is to e-commerce shoppers.

E-comm Consumer Study

Annual study shows that when it comes to picking which brands they want to shop with, consumers say that sustainable packaging is a key factor.

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TC Transcontinental Introduces Sustainability Web Section

TC Transcontinental Packaging’s website now features a section on sustainability. It offers steps that brands and CPGs need to know to achieve their sustainability objectives.

More in Sustainability

We currently have five bills before Congress related in one way or another to packaging and its end-of-life management.

Five U.S. Packaging Bills Under Consideration

While each one of the five proposed bills taps into elements valuable to advancing a circular economy for packaging, none provides a complete strategy across the entire recycling system.

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Lawn & Garden Brand Practices what it Preaches with Bio-based Pouch

Espoma Organic showcases its continued commitment to the environment with more sustainable flexible packaging alternatives.

Conventionally antithetical to one another, sustainability and profit are starting to become a necessary pairing in the business world.

Drive Profit Through Sustainability

Learn what attributes consumers value in sustainable packaging and their willingness to pay for those attributes to develop a strategy that results in profits.

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Recycling Takes Another Hit During Pandemic, Part II

The Coronavirus pandemic is creating a growing waste crisis even as we see images of the earth’s environment clearing from less pollution. A few months into the crisis, and the numbers are staggering.

Sustainable Packaging Symposium 2020—Virtual Event

The 2020 Sustainable Packaging Symposium virtual event, sponsored by AIChE, will be held June 29-July2.

Clariant ColorWorks applies IR-detectable black technology to make other dark colors more recyclable.

Clariant ColorWorks™ Applies IR-Detectable Black Technology to Make Other Dark Colors More Recyclable

New colorants eliminate the need for carbon black entirely, and opens opportunities for colors like extremely dark blues and greens.

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Amcor Extends Partnership Network by Joining World Wildlife Fund-led ‘ReSource: Plastic’

Amcor has joined the World Wildlife Fund-led activation hub, ReSource: Plastic, a global consortium of companies and organizations collaborating to keep waste out of the environment.

The MyKirei by Kao line debuted in April, with the first phase offering three products: Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hand Wash.

AIR Bottle for Personal Care Line Reduces Plastic by 50%

New personal care line, MyKirei by Kao, reflects the company’s Kirei, or ‘beautiful,’ Lifestyle Plan, with sustainable packaging that uses two pouches to create a ‘revolutionary’ rigid bottle.

Colbert Packaging Adapts TICCIT 2020 Program

Schoolchildren sheltered-at-home can learn about the life cycle of paperboard containers due to the partnership of Colbert Packaging and the Paperboard Packaging Council’s “Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees” (TICCIT) program.

Today, Reps. Haley Stevens (MI-11), the Chairwoman of the House Science Subcommittee on Research and Technology, and Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) introduced bipartisan legislation to reduce plastic waste and improve the global competitiveness of the U.S. plastics recycling industry.

Proposed U.S. Legislation Puts Focus on Plastic Waste Reduction, Recycling

Key components include improving the global competitiveness of the U.S. plastics recycling industry, U.S. leadership in waste reduction and recycling research and in standards development, and an investment of $85M in 2021.

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Neste and Jokey Collaborate to Develop Rigid Packaging from Renewable and Recycled Materials

Neste and Jokey, a manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging, have started collaborating to develop the market for rigid packaging from sustainable renewable and recycled materials for food and non-food applications.

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Tetra Pak Commits to Net Zero Emissions

Tetra Pak announced its commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its own operations by 2030, with the ambition to achieve net zero GHG emissions for the entire value chain by 2050.