Several major consumer brands this summer will introduce the How2Recycle Label, a voluntary recycling label developed by the nonprofit GreenBlue and its Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). Sustainable Brands
Month: May 2012
Major brand names Yoplait, Esteé Lauder Companies, Sealed Air, BJ’s Wholesale Club and manufacturer Ampac are joining several members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition—including ConAgra Foods, Costco Wholesale, Microsoft, REI and Seventh Generation—in introducing the How2Recycle Label, a voluntary recycling label, on their products. Packaging Digest
This summer, BJ’s Wholesale Club, as well as such grocery industry stalwarts as General Mills’ Yoplait yogurt brand, Cryovac’s Sealed Air division and flexible-packaging manufacturer manufacturer Ampac, have joined other members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) — including ConAgra Foods, Costco and Seventh Generation — in debuting the How2Recycle Label. Progressive Grocer
If you aren’t familiar with GreenBlue, they’re a non-profit organization (which includes the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) that gives companies the science and resources they need to create sustainable products. Inside Cosmeceuticals
Move by Yoplait, Esteé Lauder Companies, Sealed Air, Ampac, BJ’s Wholesale Club to Help Customers Recycle Their Products
Messages about recycling are common, but are often vague, misleading, or just plain incorrect. But now, major brand names Yoplait, Esteé Lauder Companies, Sealed Air, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and manufacturer Ampac seek to change that. We are pleased to announce that this summer, these leading companies join several members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition – ConAgra Foods, Costco Wholesale, Microsoft, REI and Seventh Generation – in introducing the How2Recycle Label, a voluntary recycling label developed by GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC).
The goal of the How2Recycle Label is to reduce consumer confusion in the U.S. with a clear and consistent recycling label and corresponding informational website. It provides companies with an easy way to conform to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “Green Guides” while using nationwide recyclability data.
“Consumers are faced with a confusing landscape of material and recycling messages that are often inconsistent or misleading,” said GreenBlue Senior Manager Anne Bedarf, who has led development of the label for the SPC. “We believe this label will help consumers and companies more effectively communicate recyclability and contribute to more successful resource recovery.”
The How2Recycle Label is based on the successful On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) system in the United Kingdom and was developed through more than three years of research, stakeholder engagement, extensive consumer testing, and a national effort to collect updated recyclability data in conjunction with industry partners.
With this new system, companies can customize package labels by utilizing up to four available options (with associated icons) including: Widely Recycled, Limited Recycling/”Check Locally,” Not Yet Recycled, and a “Store Drop-off” label for bags, wraps and other films accepted at retail locations. Each unique component of a package will be labeled. Sealed Air’s Fill-Air Inflatable packaging and Ampac’s No. 2 Pouch™ will be the first to use the “Store Drop-off” label. General Mills’ Yoplait yogurt brand on its fridge pack and Esteé Lauder Companies’ Aveda Brand on its Outer Peace Acne Pads will use a combination of icons.
The label is already available in the marketplace on Seventh Generation’s limited edition 180 oz. detergent bottle and new 22 oz. pre-wash spray available at Target stores, in addition to over 50 REI products including Novara bike accessories and Multi-towels. It soon will appear on such products as ConAgra’s Orville Redenbacher popcorn, Microsoft accessories, and a variety of Kirkland Signature brand products from Costco Wholesale.
The How2Recycle Label is endorsed by several state and local governments focused on addressing recycling challenges, including the state of North Carolina, New York City’s Department of Sanitation, and StopWaste.Org which serves Alameda County, California. Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s premier nonprofit working to increasing recycling, also recently endorsed the label.
“We strongly believe that recycling programs across the country and the general public’s commitment to recycling behavior will greatly benefit from a clear and sensible package labeling framework,” said Scott Mouw of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, noting the support of the state for the effort.
The How2Recycle website (www.how2recycle.info) provides information for consumers on the label design, how to check local recycling options, and information for governments and companies interested in adopting or endorsing the label. The introductory launch will continue through early 2013. Companies interested in participating in the launch can contact GreenBlue Senior Manager Anne Bedarf for more information at 434.817.1424 ext. 314 or anne.bedarf@greenblue.org.
I moved from Charlottesville, Virginia to Concord, Massachusetts about nine months ago. Last month, I participated in a 300-plus-year-old tradition that has been called the purest form of democracy: The Town Meeting in Concord. As described in Town Meeting: Traditions and Procedures, “Town Meeting is the legislative branch of Concord government, passing By Laws and policies and approving town expenditures. However, unlike in Congress and the Legislature, where citizens elect representatives to speak and act on their behalf, at Town Meeting every registered voter may speak and vote directly on matters that affect their lives and their livelihood.”
This year’s Town Meeting filled four long evenings and covered a range of issues, some mundane and others hotly debated. Among the more contentious was a successful proposal to prohibit the sale of “non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water in single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less.” Earlier that day, the Massachusetts legislature defeated a proposed expansion of the State’s five-cent bottle bill to include disposable water, sports drink, and juice containers. Though other municipalities in the United States have enacted restrictions, Concord is the first to go so far as to put a ban in place. If approved by the Massachusetts Attorney General, the ban will take effect on January 1, 2013. (For more on the history of this issue in Concord, see Concord Town Meeting passes bylaw banning bottled water sales or Where Thoreau Lived, Crusade Over Bottles.)
As you can imagine, there were strong opinions on both sides. Some saw this as a manifestation of the revolutionary spirit for which Concord is famous; others saw it as a restriction of individual rights characteristic of socialist or communist societies. While I tend to agree with opponents of the ban that legislating consumer behavior in this way may not be an effective means of addressing the issues bound up with products like bottled water, I also tend to agree with proponents that this is an important symbolic gesture. I also found it interesting that many of those advocating for the proposal at the Town Meeting evinced more concern about issues related to the water in the bottles than the PET bottles themselves.
Some observers (and some Concord residents too) undoubtedly view this outcome as further proof of Winston Churchill’s contention that “democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried.” But, for my part, I am happy to live in a community that takes democracy seriously and whose citizens are willing to spend an evening debating an issue like the role of bottled water in our society. Viva “think globally, act locally”! Do you think there can be a productive role for such local efforts?
Categories
If We Love It, Will It Last?
If we love it, will it last? This is a question at the heart of architect Lance Hosey’s new book, Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design (Island Press, 2012). Metropolis Magazine
Categories
One Paper Towel at a Time
The United States uses 13 billion pounds of paper towels every year. With simple considerations and attention to detail, this number can be significantly reduced with minimal effort. This TEDx talk will forever change the way you dry your hands in public restrooms:
…B Corps are similar in design to another kind of company called L3Cs. “The L3C is a hybrid between the nonprofit and for-profit models in that it is essentially a profit-generating entity with a socially beneficial mission,” writes Ashley Holmes for GreenBlue. Huffington Post
Sustainable Materials Management—being responsible from sourcing to recovery and disposal—extends to all aspects in our lives, and dealing with cat waste is no exception. Most of us in the GreenBlue office have canine and/or feline companions—both of which regularly visit the office—and we have often discussed pet waste and the associated environmental impacts. Now that I have enrolled into a local government-sponsored program, the Rivanna Regional Stormwater Education Partnership (RRSEP), to test pet waste vermicomposting (or composting using worms), the time seemed right to delve further into the sustainability journey of the feline kind.
One widely adopted option is to allow cats to use the great outdoors as their bathroom. However, outdoor cats can cause a number of unavoidable problems, ranging from the threat to a child’s sandbox health to the devastation to local bird populations. Flushing and burial aren’t ideal because of the potential introduction of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii into waterways.
That leaves the litter box as the most widespread solution for cat waste. Most commonly used litter types include clay or silica gel, and there are a diversity of bio-based and biodegradable types made from newspaper, corn, wheat, and pine. This article by Carol Frischmann summarizes well the different types of litter and the associated attributes and drawbacks. While a full analysis is lacking, the negative impact of sodium bentonite mining that produces clumping clay litter renders this material the least sustainable.
Given the volume of cat waste produced annually, including the used litter, which currently goes to landfill—estimated to be at least two million tons—it seems intuitively obvious that composting is the best option for disposal. Enter the RRSEP, who provided us with a “Worm Factory” composter to get started. We were excited when the red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) arrived at the office from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm! They have just been placed into the bin, and we’ll keep you posted on how the experiment with cat, and occasional dog, waste goes. We’ve named the squirm “Vern” (I actually looked up the name for a collective group of worms, and indeed it is squirm).
The internet has many examples of successful composting of all kinds of waste, even including “humanure.” All indications are that composting systems that maintain certain conditions, including a curing phase, take care of potential pathogens. There seems to be much more information available on composting cat litter than on the litter itself, particularly this excellent paper that examines the tradeoffs associated with various composting methods. Using the finished material on non-edible plants and trees is an easy, conservative approach. I think most of us are more interested in responsibly disposing of the material, rather than creation of food-grade compost, and so we feel quite good about our wormy endeavor.
Another aspect of this issue that gets little attention is the extensive use of plastic bags to collect and dispose of litter. Many plastic bags and films are easily recycled at retail stores, which is the preferential route for disposal of bags. A mere second use of a bag en route to the landfill is maybe thrifty, but not a smart use of resources
The most awesome option is to train your cat to go in the toilet—we had a cat once who we almost had trained to do it, I swear! Whatever option you choose, it is likely that we all have room for improvement when it comes to managing pet waste sustainably.
