Upon launch of the Greener Package Database in summer 2009, product information submitted to the site will not only be available to GreenerPackage.com visitors, but it will also feed ECRM’s MarketGate™ application suite, maintained for Walmart’s private use with its modeling software. Explains Sam’s Club director of packaging Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar, “ECRM initially created MarketGate as a virtual trade show to support our Sustainable Packaging Expo by housing the packaging suppliers’ sustainability information. Greener Package has a broad audience of packaging professionals who may find this information useful, and therefore, merging the two seemed like a good fit of information and an audience.
“With the Greener Package Database, packaging suppliers will have one place to post their company information, and it establishes a uniform way to talk about their packaging materials, their components, and any environmental claims associated with both. CPG companies can use the database as a source to find more sustainable materials and packages, which ultimately provides our customers and members with more choices.”
Following collaboration between GreenerPackage.com and ECRM, the database will include existing product data residing on ECRM’s MarketGate site and will integrate the product specification questionnaires from both sites. Upon launch of the Greener Package Database, suppliers providing product data will have the option of having their documentation reviewed by a third-party group to confirm that all claims made about their product are accurate. Entries that have gone through the document review process will then be clearly marked within the Greener Package Database. As of Aug. 1, 2009, only products that have gone through this review process will be included in Walmart’s Packaging Scorecard Modeling software.
Read GreenerPackage.com’s exclusive interview with Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar at greenerpackage.com/node/833
