■ The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN)
and Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) Europe are jointly producing a
nontechnical guide to packaging and sustainability, covering the entire
lifecycle of the packaging supply chain. The guide, expected to be
published next June, will attempt to clarify and define the term
sustainable packaging so that supply chain, consumers, and regulators
understand what is meant by the term sustainable packaging.
■ The
Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN) and UK
Government Agency Envirowise have collaborated on a new design guide
aimed at helping product and packaging designers, as well as marketing
and procurement managers, improve the sustainability of a package’s
design. The guide explains how to minimize the total amount of
resources consumed. The guide covers all stages of the packaging
lifecycle from production to end-of-life management.
■ In his new book
Strategies for the Green Economy, Joel Makower distills his more than
20 years of reporting on and consulting with green businesses. Makower
offers insights for understanding the complexities and controversies of
profiting in a green economy.
■ PMMI added a new interactive
educational feature to Pack Expo ’08. The Sustainable Packaging
Scorecard Information Center was staffed by a team of scorecard
consultants and trainers who offered free one-on-one consultations
during the show.
■ GO-GREEN rigid polypropylene trays from Coextruded Plastic
Technologies are manufactured using a proprietary thermoforming process
that is designed to lower environmental and energy footprints. The
process utilizes 30% less energy and less material and emits 21% less
CO2. Pack Expo attendees chose a GO-GREEN package for Kids Organic as
the winner of the 2008 Pack Expo Selects competition.
■ International
Dispensing Corporation (IDC) announced at Pack Expo ’08 the results of
a sustainability lifecycle analysis of its bag-in-box product line, the
MultiServe SafePak. The analysis highlighted the environmental
advantages of this packaging system in areas related to comparatively
lower resources and energy consumed and greenhouse gases generated. The
MultiServe SafePak enables shelf-stable liquids in packages from 500 mL
to 6 L to be dispensed safely and repeatedly over extended time without
refrigeration. The form-fill-seal bags are made from co-extruded nylon.
The key to the long shelf life after being used the first time is a
proprietary dispensing system.
■ Online retailer Amazon announced a
Frustration-Free Packaging program. Frustration-Free Packaging is
recyclable and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard
plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. Product
packaging is designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or
knife and will protect the product just as effectively as traditional
packaging. Products with Frustration-Free Packaging can frequently be
shipped in their own boxes, without an additional shipping case. The
company says it currently offers a selection of toys and consumer
electronics products in Frustration-Free Packaging and that the program
will grow to include a number of products. Amazon offers video and
photos illustrating the new program.
■ Fetzer Vineyards says it will
save 2,200 tons of glass annually through a 14% reduction in glass
content of its wine bottles. The new 750-mL bottle weighs 15.5 oz.
■ Crown Bevcan Europe & Middle East, a business unit of Crown
Holdings, Inc., is supporting Hydro, the third largest integrated
aluminum supplier in the world, in Hydro’s efforts to raise awareness
with consumers about the sustainability benefits of aluminum. Hydro is
giving away 600,000 specially designed beverage cans during promotional
events at university campuses and communities across Germany and
Norway. Manufactured by Crown, the cans will carry a series of
different messages, including “I’ll Be Back.” The cans contain
sparkling water.
