Sustainability

The vinyl frontier: Dispelling myths about PVC and sustainability

Assessing the facts about polyvinyl chloride ends up dispelling myths about this oft-maligned, but invaluable polymer used extensively in packaging.

August 2, 2007

Sustainability: Page 309

Sustainable Packaging

Letting the 'greenie' out of the bottle?

Every consumer packaged goods company (CPGC) has a stake in the debate over whether bottled water is bad for the environment.

August 2, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

Sustainability news & events

Noteworthy Items Gleaned From World News

July 11, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

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.

July 11, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Hewlett-Packard, ranked 11th on the 2006 Fortune 500 list of largest American corporations, practices sustainability on a global scale. If you ask Jill Wollam, a packaging engineer and new product planner for HP’s LaserJet supplies, for insights on how a packaging organization can make sustainability actionable, you receive recommendations that any packager—on the Fortune 500 list or not—can immediately apply.

July 11, 2007

Secondary Packaging

Packaging's contribution to social equity

Sustainable packaging is widely perceived as a three-legged stool. Packaging professionals focus a lot of attention on two of those legs, the “environmental” and the “economic.” What about the third leg, “social equity?” That’s the one that has us measure a business’s success not only in terms of profit made but also in terms of the positive impact the business has on society in general.

July 11, 2007

Flexibles

Europe at the forefront of fiber-based packaging technology

SustainPack, a four-year European research program, aims to make sustainable packaging an industry standard by 2015. The consortium, which is made up of 35 partners from 13 countries, will encourage the use of traditional, natural-based packaging products by producing easily degradable, renewable, and recyclable packaging based on biopolymers, paper, and board.

July 11, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

'Greening' brings concentrated thoughts

Seven key questions to ask if you are considering packaging source reduction via concentrated reformulations.

July 9, 2007

Flexibles

Recycled films

Klöckner Pentaplast has partnered with Packaging 2.0 LLC to introduce SmartCycle™ 150 PETE films.

June 12, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

Sustainability news & events

n San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted in March to become the first U.S. city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets. Under the legislation, large supermarkets and drugstores will not be allowed to offer plastic bags made from petroleum products. Backers said the ban would annually save 450,000 gallons of oil and divert 1,400 tons of debris from area landfills. The new rules would, however, allow recyclable plastic bags. News reports say that Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law.

June 11, 2007

Sustainability

New plastics data in the U.S. LCI database

Within a matter of days, important new data sets will be available in the U.S. LCI (Life Cycle Inventory) Database. The data will include all steps from “cradle to resin” for nine common plastic resins (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, PP, HIPS, GPPS, PVC, ABS, PET) and two polyurethane polyols. These materials are commonly used in packaging systems as well as in durable products (for example, building products such as insulation).

June 11, 2007

Flexibles

A global perspective on sustainable packaging from kraft foods

The recently redesigned PET-based bottles for Kraft’s Crystal Light and Fruit2O brands (pictured) are 18 percent lighter than the bottles they are replacing. Following the completion of the phased introduction of the new bottles in the U.S., Kraft will reduce its PET usage by 8.7 million pounds per year.

June 11, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

The truth behind Wal-Mart's green makeover

Despite the inflammatory title, this is actually a pretty favorable article on a rather left-leaning website.

May 31, 2007