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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.

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I think there is a segment in the packaging arena that does an especially good job of promoting social equity: organizations that employ the developmentally disabled. These organizations are especially prominent in contract packaging, where the work force handles repackaging operations that require a lot of manual labor.

These operations are economically competitive. They respond to the three drivers of successful resource allocation—price, quality, and throughput. The operations also free up resources so that consumer packaged goods companies can then focus on their core business activities.

Located in communities across the country, these worksites are administered through organizations dedicated to assisting the developmentally disabled. The goal is to have these members of society live as independently as possible. There may be some “feel good” benefit for companies partnering with these worksites. But the primary reason they are selected is because they deliver—on price, on quality, and on throughput.

Worksites for the developmentally disabled have existed in one form or another for decades, adapting to reflect changes in the marketplace as well as philosophy. Today these worksites are known for their competitive rates, high quality, attention to detail, and quick turnaround even when presented with short lead times. As not-for-profits, these worksites generally enjoy lower overhead costs while providing more employee training and supervision.

Case study: Ontario ARC Abbey Industries

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