Category: Sustainable Packaging Coalition

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GreenBlue Sustainable Packaging Coalition Uncategorized

Sights and Sounds of Pack Expo

PACK EXPO International 2014 delivered on its promise to bring the leaders of processing and packaging technologies together for an event like no other. After all of the business cards were exchanged, stories of frustrations and successes were shared, and questions like “what’s next”, “do you know someone that makes…”, and “what is GreenBlue and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition” were answered, we can reflect on the 4-day blur.
A few trends that stood out at Pack Expo 2014:

  • Flexible packaging – I don’t think I was ever more than a stones throw away from a booth that offered some kind of flexible packaging solution. To this point, there were a handful of individuals that stopped by our booth specifically to discuss their technologies for recycling flexibles.
  • Recycling and sustainability – Many people stopped by our booth to ask about recyclability, or recyclable alternatives. GreenBlue’s How2Recycle Label (How2recycle.info) caught the eye of many exhibit wanderers, and combined with our leftover halloween candy, lead to fascinating conversations.
  • Show me the Green – Unlike the last time this event was in Chicago, many exhibitors were not actively advertising environmental attributes associated with their products or processes. Some of the exhibitors that I asked about sustainability gave half-hearted, stock responses, but I also got the impression that it isn’t something that their customers are asking for. The financial green is still the ultimate driver for many purchasing decisions. As one skeptical GreenBlue booth visitor said, “It will take a policy change for greater sustainability adoption.”
  • Evolution – Products and packaging evolve rapidly. To maintain relevance, it is essential to keep up with the changing times. For GreenBlue, being able to understand the evolution of packaging systems and materials will help advance our philosophy of Using Wisely, Eliminating Toxicity, and Recovering More.

For GreenBlue, Pack Expo was an opportunity for us to share our work with many people who were not familiar with our programs, and to hear sustainability challenges from people outside of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s membership. The questions and discussions with non-SPC members reiterates the importance of the work that we do. For some visitors, sustainability is just starting to enter their production streams, while for others (many of the smaller start-ups that stopped by), it’s already embedded in their products and company’s DNA.
While we value all of these new connections and topics to be discovered, Pack Expo also gave us an opportunity to meet with a lot of our current SPC members. With about 25% of our members having a booth at Pack Expo or Pharma Expo, it was a great opportunity to connect and learn more about the companies we work with. It was also nice to see many familiar faces walking around and stopping by the GreenBlue booth.
Photo Credit - Friend of SPC, Scott Ballantine
On behalf of the GreenBlue Team, we hope that everyone that stopped by our booth learned something and we want to thank everyone for sharing their unique stories. If you missed us in Chicago, but are interested in learning more about GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition, you can email Eric DesRoberts or join him on November 18, at 4:00 PM Eastern for an Introduction to the SPC Webinar.
 

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Sustainable Packaging Coalition

A Student's Perspective on SPC Advance

Carol Pan is pursuing a master’s degree in packaging science at Rochester Institute of Technology, and attended SPC Advance as a student volunteer. Her impression of the event:
SPC Advance provided a wonderful opportunity to meet and learn from professionals engaged in sustainability from different sectors. The theme of educating consumers came up in many of the sessions, especially those focusing on the implementation of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s How2Recycle on-package recycling label, the launch of the American Chemistry Council’s W.R.A.P. (Wrap Recycling Action Program), Target’s “Made to Matter” curation of 16 sustainable brands, and the FTC’s clarification of their “Green Guides” for on-package labeling. In addition to the presentations, I especially enjoyed the hands-on tour of the 3M Innovation Center where we were able to interact with a few of its core technologies that are versatile in many everyday applications. SPC Advance added to my packaging knowledge with real life examples and current trends, and also broadened my professional network — all of which are invaluable for a future packaging professional.

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Sustainability Tools Sustainable Packaging Coalition

How Talkers and Walkers Use Data

One phrase that especially stuck with me at SPC Advance came from Domtar’s vice president of sustainability, David Struhs, explaining that sustainability data is better suited as a windshield rather than a rear-view mirror. I think it is a helpful reminder that while measurement tools and scorecards are important, we have come a long way in making them better, what is more important today is how we use the data to set real goals and take meaningful action.
Mr. Struhs is featured in a recent MIT Sloan Management School report Sustainability’s Next Frontier: Walking the Talk on Sustainability Issues that Matter Most that emphasizes this point. The report provides clear data on how sustainability strategy provides measurable business value. But  maybe more importantly, the report also makes clear that while businesses agree with and understand the data behind sustainability’s business value, they are, for the most part, not taking action to mine this business value. The MIT Sloan report, which includes a survey of more than 5,300 executive and manager respondents from 118 countries, explains:
“There is little disagreement that sustainability is necessary to be competitive — 86% of respondents say it is or will be. Sustainability’s next frontier is tackling the significant sustainability issues — or, in the parlance that is gaining currency, “material sustainability issues” — that lie at the heart of competitive advantage and long-term viability. Yet many companies struggle to match their strong level of sustainability concern with equally strong actions. They still wrestle with settling on which actions to pursue and aligning around them.”
There is all kinds of data out there for better decision making. Scorecards for every question. The challenge is how do we use this information? There is little doubt that leadership companies from the banking and forest products industries to IT and healthcare are connecting sustainability with profits. One aspect that sets them apart, however, is that these leadership companies leverage data not just to see where they have been, but also, where they want to go–what MIT Sloan describes as moving from  a “talker” to a “walker.”
For more info you can read MIT Sloan’s report including “Portrait of a Walker: Domtar” at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/projects/sustainabilitys-next-frontier/.  

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Recover More Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Collaboration as a Tool for Advancement

During the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s recent event, SPC Advance, I couldn’t help but notice the underlying theme of collaboration among attendees and their respective organizations.
Discussions and sessions made it clear that collaboration is necessary and frequent among organizations practicing sustainability regardless of their role in the supply chain. The Value of Forest Certification working group elaborated on the need for big-name brand owners to have an affiliation with forest-friendly NGOs in order to push their business forward. Partnerships with forest certification systems assist brands in building the trust of their consumers and the rest of the supply chain, especially at times when the environmental ethics of large corporate practices are put into question.
The same interaction is evident in the plastics industry, as identified by the sessions on the current and future state of flexible packaging recovery. Shari Jackson of the American Chemistry Council called on retailers to join WRAP, a campaign aimed at educating consumers and facilitating plastic film recycling. Wegmans Food Markets was identified as an exemplary campaign partner, as new signage and marketing materials has successfully engaged their customers in film recycling, resulting in a 20% increase between Earth Day 2013 and Earth Day 2014. During Jackson’s presentation attendees participated in the conversation and encouraged the WRAP campaign to engage more logistical partners to help with commercial film backhaul, as the opportunities in film recycling expand beyond brand owners and retailers.
In such a competitive business, it’s impressive and inspiring to see major corporations engage one another to derive best practices. From the mingling in the hotel lobby to the late night chats following the pub crawl to the inspirational case studies detailed in the sessions, there is no question that SPC Advance attendees recognize the value of collaboration in advancing sustainability.

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Member Spotlight Sustainable Packaging Coalition

A Tour of Aveda: Vision and Mission in Practice

One of my favorite parts of SPC Advance was our tour of Aveda’s headquarters, which includes production facilities for almost all of their products.
Aveda is known for their plant based beauty products and vision to connect beauty, environment, and well-being. They have extensive social and environmental goals for products, packaging, production, and distribution. Aveda’s organizational beliefs include themes of leading by example, empowering employees, wellness, social responsibility, and treating the people and planet with respect. In my opinion, the headquarters’ operations reflected these values.
After a brief introduction, attendees broke into groups to tour the facility. We observed receiving, production, filling, packaging, research and development offices, a gym, and onsite daycare. After the tour, attendees participated in a Q&A session with an Aveda packaging professional and visited the on-site store.
Our tour reflected many of Aveda’s values, creating a consistent message from corporate goals through production and product. I observed:

  • A place for employees to suggest improvements for themselves or co workers;
  • Employee suggested safety improvements & their outcomes;
  • Color coded reporting of “almost incidents” and incidents of all types;
  • A recently hired professional devoted to ergonomics & worker health and safety;
  • Recycling bins; and
  • A very knowledgeable staff.

Why does this matter? Aveda’s values are evident in their focus on worker health and safety, empowerment, and sustainability. Integrating values from words to actions delivers on organizational goals and strengthens their brand. They are an example of focusing on many aspects of sustainability, which is at the heart of the SPC’s Definition of Sustainable Packaging.
Aveda shows that sustainability can work, it can work for you, and it can work for your employees. Ultimately, consumers are given a brand they can trust.

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Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Things I learned at SPC Advance

GreenBlue staff record their takeaways from the recent SPC Advance.
ADAM GENDELL

  • Sustainable packaging enhances the connection between brands and consumers: this isn’t news to us at the SPC, but it was encouraging to hear so many success stories and lessons. We heard how General Mills uses our How2Recycle label to link their consumers to industry recycling efforts, how McDonald’s leverages certified fiber to build measurable brand trust, and we heard Sealed Air’s thoughts on consumer perceptions of food waste and the opportunity it creates for packaging.
  • Using sustainability as a differentiator could soon be a thing of the past: John Linc Stine, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, shared a fascinating collection of perspectives from modern consumers that would be considered part of the LOHAS market. The takeaway: they don’t want to buy the “sustainable option”. Instead, they want the best option, and they want it to be responsibly designed. It suggests that qualities of sustainability are transitioning from a market differentiator to a requirement of doing business.
  • Minneapolis should be proud of its businesses and efforts: I knew that Minneapolis was a hotspot for business, but I didn’t know that it was a cradle for such impressive sustainability initiatives. We heard the city’s director of solid waste speak about their outlook on recycling, toured the MRF that handles the recyclables, heard from local companies like Target, 3M, and General Mills, toured the nearby Aveda headquarters. Throw in the impressive local beers that were sampled on the pub crawl, and it’s clear that Minneapolis has a lot going on.
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    Recover More Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    Funding for Material Recovery Services: A Critical Piece for Packaging Sustainability

    Shifting from a mindset of waste management to sustainable materials management will require many industry actors to re-calibrate their definition of success from quick, one-time victories to extended time frames. Considerable differences exist across the vast United States with regards to handling of solid waste, policy incentives, infrastructure, access to services, and fees and penalties. This is a complex system with many gaps and will require collaborative and cooperative efforts to develop consistent services across a diverse population. Nobody is obliged to own the whole system but everyone along the path is obliged to participate fully for the system to work well.
    While talking about material sustainability in the context of packaging, the conversation ultimately rest where the perceived focus sits – at the end of its useful life. In the discussions at SPC Advance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we devoted significant effort on composting of food waste and food service packaging, on recycling infrastructure and access to collection and sorting services, on energy recovery, on labeling for recovery, and honest and meaningful marketing claims. All these conversations are ongoing themes within the packaging community and significant progress is anticipated in the coming years in the form of design for recovery, material innovations, impact measurements and data sharing, and collaborative efforts to raise awareness.
    Conspicuously absent in this rich dialogue is the critical and desperate need to enhance the recovery infrastructure – access to compost facilities for organics (including some forms of packaging), balancing the portfolio of end of life treatments to include energy recovery, anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis for instance. This heady topic inevitably comes to a dead stop when ownership and responsibility enters the discussion. Almost instantly the conversations come to a crawl and the critical pieces of funding, policy advocacy, and ownership of traditional externalities associated with the management of the annual packaging waste generated are omitted.
    There is a critical need at this juncture to expand the concept of design in a grand way to include mechanisms that answer the ongoing challenge of inconsistent, and at times, outdated material management solutions. It is illogical to innovate at the material and package/product side, and expect that rapid rate of development to be matched at the material collection and reclamation side because the two ends operate independently and under very different market and policy drivers. Designing a well-rounded material recovery technology portfolio hinges on a critical need for funding and policy instruments that support innovations in material manufacturing and end of life collection. Such efforts must put the focus on material development and material stewardship with an eye for the big picture and long term viability through improved material management options.
    Industry with its e-NGO and government agency partners have to come together and develop a working plan to support sustainable materials management. Those who benefit directly must rise to the occasion and secure the seed funding to cover a reasonable fraction of the costs of leveling the recovery playing field. One such example is represented by the Closed Loop Fund, a collaborative approach to make funds available via loans for the development of recovery services.
    This is a laudable kick-start program and likely much more will be needed to accommodate deficiencies among population centers across the United States. A material consumption system where recovery is entirely externalized to municipalities is inherently unsustainable. With packaging inextricably tied to efficient and effective recovery, maintenance of this status quo system limits the overall progress for material sustainability in all material categories across all population centers across the country. And, product and package sustainability claims remain tenuous at best since the system is far from being sustainable.
    Learn more about material recycling at How2Recycle.info | U.S. EPA’s Solid Waste Site |

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    Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    Sustainable Packaging’s Role in Reducing Food Waste: A Sustainable Materials Management Perspective

    The urgency of food waste as a global issue is becoming acute as population continues to soar. In a study last year the Natural Resources Defense Fund estimated that 40 percent of edible food goes uneaten in the US, alone. That equates to about $165 billion in wasted food, which occurs throughout the supply chain from inefficient agricultural practices and damage in transit and storage to sale by date labeling that causes consumers to throw out perfectly edible food all too frequently.
    From a sustainable materials management perspective, packaging can play a key role in food waste avoidance. It is omnipresent in the food supply chain, carrying crop seeds to farmers, transporting freshly harvested produce to market, keeping perishables fresh, and helping consumers carry groceries home and store them in their kitchens. Therefore, its primary function to prevent the loss of the considerable resources (material and energy) embedded in our food products must be optimized. In other words, packaging is on the front-line of the food waste crisis, whether it is packaging bulk goods or individual products, and it can it be leveraged to alleviate waste at each phase of food production through consumption.
    Here are some packaging best practices that can contribute to the reduction of food waste. These ideas are excerpted with slight modification from an in-depth report published in June 2013 by RMIT University, Melbourne Australia. The report was commissioned by the international transport packaging firm CHEP.

    1. Increase collaboration between farmers, ranchers, food processors, and retailers to identify where food waste is occurring and direct research and investment towards prevention.
    2. Develop tailored solutions and the design of secondary and tertiary packaging that provide better protection and shelf life for fresh produce and other agricultural products as they move from farm to processor, to wholesaler, to retailer.
    3. Increase the use of transport packaging that supports recovery of surplus and “unsalable” fresh produce so that it can be diverted to food kitchens or utilized as livestock feed, as appropriate.
    4. Accelerate development and adoption of new packaging materials and technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging and oxygen scavengers, to extend the shelf life of foods.
    5. Develop a science-based and standardized process for assignation of “use-by” and “best-before” date marks on primary packaging and educate manufacturers, retailers and consumers about the meaning of these marks to ensure they are understood and followed appropriately.
    6. Move to product/packaging portioning that caters to changing consumption patterns and smaller households.
    7. Synchronize supply chains that use intelligent packaging and data to reduce excess or out-of-date stock.
    8. Increase use of retail ready packaging to reduce double handling to minimize damage and improve stock turnover.
    9. Print tips for reducing food waste, e.g. using stale bread to make pie crust, and or recipes for left-overs on packaging.

    Download the full report
    Additionally, GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition can provide packaging design and material selection guidance to optimize food packaging systems based on our sustainable materials management approach and the principles of use wisely, eliminate toxicity and recover more.

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    Recover More Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    Having a BIG Conversation on the Future of Plastics

    This is exactly how Plasticity, a one day forum in NYC I recently attended, was billed, and it delivered. Throughout the day, the speakers and panelists, of which I was one, remained focused on the big picture and solutions for the future; and with good reason. The sustainability advocacy NGO, As You Sow estimates that “over $8 billion in value from packaging alone is left on the table when plastic packaging is sent to landfill.”
    With impressive representation from around the globe – from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the UK, Canada, Costa Rica – the approximately 150 speakers and attendees approached the topic of plastics from a range of perspectives, but with a common starting point: plastics are a valuable resource that are versatile, affordable, convenient and likely inextricable from our everyday lives. In other words, this was not a bash plastics and ban polymers event. Instead, it was a call to recognize plastics as having a considerable role in our materials economy, and a clarion call to stop designing plastics to be thrown away. It was also an exciting exploration of the challenges,  opportunities and emerging solutions businesses, NGOs and governments are collaborating on to create the very necessary closed loop for both polymers in the market today and those that will be in the market tomorrow (e.g., biopolymers).
    Doug Woodring, founder of The Ocean Recovery Alliance and Plastics Disclosure Project hosted the event. Notables in the sustainability, plastics and recovery arenas such as Bill McDonough, Cradle2Cradle; Steve Russell, American Chemistry Council; and Mike Biddle, MBA Polymers, topped the roster of speakers, which also included a former president of Costa Rica, the head of UK-based TruCost, a lead innovator from Ecovative, and an amazing waste to product (and even buildings) designer from Miniwiz, among others.
    The event showcased ideas and latest developments in:

    • Using waste as a resource
    • Scalable, best practice innovations
    • Use of new materials
    • Designing for sustainability and
    • Solutions for reducing the plastic footprint

    As part of a panel on designing for recovery, I kicked off the session by sharing the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s (SPC) Definition of Sustainable Packaging, which can apply seamlessly to products as well. I also discussed the extended parameters designers need to consider beyond the more traditional criteria of cost, performance, quality, aesthetics, and regulatory compliance. These included optimizing resources, responsible sourcing, material health and resource recovery. My copanelists Stephan Clambaneva representing the Industrial Designers Society of America, and Arthur Huang, CEO and Founder of Miniwiz, picked up on the theme of expanded parameters. Huang has even applied expanded parameters to structures, using his company’s trash-to-product material, POLLI-BRICKS to construct a waste recycling facility in Taiwan.
    Cool and sexy waste-to-product goods from Waste2Wear, Ekocycle, and Miniwiz were on display, including Miniwiz’s “made from 100% trash” sunglasses that attendees sported to tame the evening sun glare and enjoy views of the new Freedom Tower from the rooftop reception venue.
    miniwiz_recycled_sunglasses
    Consumer education was another theme of the event, as we all play a major role in closing the loop on all materials. Waste2Wear’s child educational video was a great example.
    The NYC Forum was the 3rd annual Plasticity event. Woodring promises to key the dialogue going and is considering Barcelona, Spain as the next locale. I sure hope to catch up with some of you there.

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    Sustainable Packaging Coalition Uncategorized

    2014 Summer Fancy Food Show: More than just a tasty opportunity

    When the Specialty Food Association contacted the Sustainable Packaging Coalition looking for Summer Fancy Food Show (SFFS) speakers, I was pretty excited to grab the gig. Fancy food and a whole new group of faces to educate? I’m in.
    On June 30, 2014, I attended and spoke at SFFS in New York City. The show was a mix of over 15 sessions and seminars, a show floor of 2,400 exhibitors, and over 24,000 attendees. It was also SPC’s first time working with the Specialty Food Association and the Fancy Food Show. I love fancy food as much as the next person, but it was more than just a tasty opportunity. SFFS was a chance to educate a new crowd and observe an industry with great sustainability potential.
    SFFS14 Education Program
    The day began with me teaching a one hour session, Sustainable Packaging: What’s New? How Does it Affect Your Business? SPC member Steve Mahler of Caraustar leant a hand during the session and Q&A, offering his unique industry and SPC member perspective. The group was diverse and inquisitive, sticking around to ask more questions. I spent the rest of the day walking the show floor, tasting samples, and talking to vendors.
    Everyone has a story
    From packaging to product, everyone had a story to share.
    The creator of Energyfruits saw parents eating their children’s food products and decided to develop an “adult version.” Admittedly, it felt a little bit like my Capri Sun days, but I could get used to this. It was a convenient counterbalance to all of the sweet treats. Unfortunately, end of life recovery options for flexible pouches remain slim. This was just one of many pouch packages, highlighting the hurdle, and opportunity, in flexible packaging.
    Mason_Jar_Coookie_Company
    The Mason Jar Cookie Company uses their packaging as a defining brand identity. Cookie mix comes in a clear container, with layered ingredients creating an attractive display. As a consumer, it had a familiar “southern feel,” and I can never have too many mason jars. This company connected with me on a personal level, a great asset to creating brand loyalty.
    A similar packaging-driving-brand-loyalty example is Salem Baking Company’s cookie tubes. I grew up eating Salem’s Moravian Sugar Cookies in the iconic tubes. It was uplifting to see so many flavors and products. It was icing on the cake for them to ask what I thought about the sustainability of their packaging.
    salem-baking-company-moravian-cookies
    The 2014 Summer Fancy Food Show was a great event, and I look forward to working more with this new group of faces.