Business Drivers/Specialty: Page 449

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.

May 10, 2007

Contract Packaging

Hi-Res printing--it doesn't have to be computer science

Squid Ink’s PZ Pilot Plus is designed for people who run packaging lines, not computers. Watch this short informative video for more.

May 1, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

How to grow and innovate

The annual Executive Leadership Conference held by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute is known for, among other things, its ability to attract some pretty terrific business session speakers.

April 24, 2007

Flexible packaging

Co-packing industry assesses opportunities and challenges

The contract packaging industry has no shortage of opportunities and challenges, and some of them were discussed formally and informally at the Contract Packaging Association’s annual meeting, which concluded April 2 in Tucson, AZ. First, the opportunities. One of the hottest segments of contract packaging today is pharmaceutical products, and it’s promising even more growth for co-packers with the right facilities, capabilities, and certification approvals. Speaking to association members, Bill Sharpless said the $400 billion pharma industry is growing at 3% annually. Sharpless is marketing director of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and medical packaging at Alcoa Flexible Packaging.

April 17, 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).

April 17, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

April Sustainability News Digest

Important news items on Sustainability, April, 2007.

April 17, 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 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.

April 17, 2007

Contract Packaging

Modified Packaging Summit spotlights contract packaging

Changes will integrate former Packaging Services Expo and Containers & Materials Expo. Outsourcing will be one focal point of this year’s conference sessions.

April 12, 2007

Contract Packaging

Study identifies product damage risks of poor unit load wrappings

Losses during transport could cost CPGs $388 million annually. Closely examining a load unitization may yield answers, with stretch hoods being one possible solution.

April 12, 2007

Contract Packaging

J Lieb Foods expands services with purchase of Welch's Plant

Ready-to-operate facility in Kennewick, WA, triples the company’s capacity and adds flexibility in co-packaging services to Pacific Northwest.

April 12, 2007

Contract Packaging

Amenities put the TLC in hospitality

It’s a $400 million industry for motels through five-star resorts. The flexibility needed to package in-room ‘freebies’ provides insights into contract packagers’ work.

April 12, 2007

Contract Packaging

Report: Heavier reliance on 'network pharma' model

Product manufacturers in the pharmaceutical industry are finding it increasingly difficult to drive strong growth, for reasons such as governmental cost-containment measures like promoting more economical generic drugs, in an attempt to limit spiraling healthcare costs

April 12, 2007