Tag: Sustainable Packaging Coalition

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Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Sustainable Packaging Coalition to Host SPC Engage: London On 23-24, October

New sustainable packaging-focused event will help brands and retailers achieve their sustainable packaging goals


The Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a membership organisation of over 320 brands, retailers, packaging manufacturers, suppliers and others, will bring together participants from across Europe for SPC Engage: London, an event focused on helping brands achieve their sustainable packaging goals.
SPC Engage: London’s theme is Activating Packaging Sustainability Through Goals Implementation.  This event will help brands, retailers, and their supply chain partners  understand how to align their goals with larger global sustainability frameworks and commitments like the Sustainable Development Goals, The EU Circular Economy Package, and The New Plastics Economy.

 Images from SPC Engage: Minneapolis 2019, a precursor to SPC Engage: London



The salon-style event will include interactive presentations and panels that provide a balanced overview on key topics and tradeoffs in sustainability goals. There will also be workshops that will help brands, their suppliers, and others in the sustainable packaging community to develop actionable strategies to implement their goals  while providing them with a platform to learn, share ideas, and collaborate with industry peers.
“SPC Engage London will take a deep dive on all the different elements at play when it comes to executing sustainable packaging goals, from the role that legislation, policy and voluntary commitments play, how retailers and labeling schemes can influence consumers and supply chain partners to the key decisions companies need to make to fulfill their sourcing and recovery goals,” said Barbara Fowler, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, GreenBlue. “The SPC is looking forward to bringing new perspectives to these very relevant topics at a global level.”

Sessions include:

See full programme

Making Sense of the The Evolving UK and EU Legislation Around Recyclable and Compostable Packaging, EPR and Single-Use Plastics

  • Speakers from Mars Inc, EUROPEN, DEFRA, INCPEN, Welsh Government

Voluntary Commitments and The Role of Packaging Innovation: What Does Progressive Look Like in the UK and Europe?

  • Speakers from  WRAP, SYSTEMIQ, Coca-Cola European Partners – Great Britain, Veolia UK & Ireland, Plastics Europe, and Carlsberg UK

Pioneering Responsible Sourcing in Packaging Materials

  • Speakers from Nestlé UK & Ireland, RB, NatureWorks, Asia Pulp & Paper

Designing Packaging Holistically to Fulfill Recovery Goals

  • Speakers from Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola Great Britain, Method Ecover, Mondelēz UK

The Driving Force of Retailers and Their Role in Implementing Goals, Commitments, and Leading Sustainable Innovation, A Panel Conversation

  • Speakers from H&M Group, DECATHLON, Co-Op, Rapid Action Packaging, Anthesis

The Role of Labeling Schemes in Goals Execution: What Have We Learned About Behaviour Change?
– Speakers from OPRL, How2Recycle, Packaging Recovery Organisation Europe, Fashion Institute of Technology
The event will be held at The Design Museum in London, which will serve as the perfect backdrop to this creative-focused event.

The event is open to SPC members & non-members. For more information about this event visit www.spcengage.com/london.
This event is sponsored by Avery Dennison, Asean Stalk Market, Klöckner Pentaplast, KotkaMills , UPM Raflatac, and NatureWorks.
About the Sustainable Packaging Coalition®
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition® is a membership-based collaborative led by an independent non-profit that believes in the power of industry to make packaging more sustainable. Using an objective life-cycle-based approach, we work in a constructive atmosphere to provide thought leadership and bring our members together to strengthen and advance the business case for more sustainable packaging. Over 320 brands, retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, academic and government organizations make up the SPC. To learn more visit www.sustainablepackaging.org.

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Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Ensuring a sustainable future was key theme of Woodland Owner – Brand Owner Summit

Robert Brown looks over the valley of hardwoods and pine trees that five generations of his family have planted and harvested before him. He points out the multi-million dollar homes that sit on the ridge that backs up to his property. Those houses will probably put him out of business one day, he says. There is a popular vacation destination just over the ridge and those houses are driving up his property taxes. As real estate taxes grow with the influx of higher property values around him, Robert worries that he will be unable to keep his land.
APP GreenBlue Oct 2015 Collection (16 of 20)Development expanding in the region is not the only challenge he faces as a young woodland owner who is trying to continue the family legacy of managing more than 500 acres of forest land. While some crops such as corn are harvested and regrown annually, trees in the Southeast often take 15 to 30 years to become ready for harvest. Once trees are ready for harvest, finding mills that will buy his timber and pulp at a competitive rate is challenging. Prices for wood and pulp are low, and even if he can nurture and maintain a tree from seedling to fully-grown, environmental factors such as ice storms and hurricanes can wipe out his crop overnight.

New tree seedlings are sprouting

One of the biggest concerns family woodland owners shared at the recent Woodland Owners and Brand Owner Summit, hosted by the American Forest Foundation and the Forest Products Working Group, was their concern for the future of the land when the cost of managing it is so high, and the market return is so low. This was exacerbated for landowners that have longstanding family and emotional ties to the land and hope to pass it along, but their children have live away from woods and may not value it in the same way.

“We have concerns about the future of our tree farm. Will our kids be able to inherit a tree farm that they can pass along?” questioned one landowner.

One landowner brought her middle-school aged daughter to the Summit. She wanted for them to learn about sustainable forest management alongside each other, she said. Another landowner talked about the need to educate students about the importance of forests in school. One landowner joked that the younger generations care more about getting a new car than taking over a forest farm.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I have strong ties to the land because of my parents and I want to see it forward to the next generation, but lives change and I don’t know what the future holds,” said another landowner.

Landowners also expressed concerns about hurricanes, and wildfire, as well as invasive species and insects as a threat to the longevity of their woodlands.
Brand Owners at the event (McDonald’s, Mars,Time Inc, Staples, Havi Global Solutions, andMacmillan Publishing) similarly expressed a desire to ensure the future of the forests that would provide a sustainable source of wood and pulp for their business.
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If landowners are unable to keep hold onto their land or keep that land as forests, it may affect the availability of not only the availability of domestic wood supplying supply chains but also the supply of other benefits, like clean water and wildlife habitat for Americans.

“One of our sustainability drivers is making sure we have our supply chains lined up for the long term,” stated one brand owner.

Many of the brand owners at the event represented the sustainability or packaging departments of their respective companies. They cited the fact that domestically-sourced wood from the Southeast was not only environmentally friendly because it won’t have to travel as much to the manufacturer, but also that it was the best quality of wood products of anywhere.
Brand owners also expressed gratitude toward the family woodland owners for sharing their stories because they can leave knowing that they know that they are supporting the legacy of  family woodland owners with their purchasing decisions. Together they discussed ways in which they can more broadly share these stories with the public, in order to provide assurance that our forest caretakers are taking the necessary steps for the future.

“I’m hearing conversations about not just years as longevity, but generations. It’s an emotional issue and I get that now,” said one brand owner.

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Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Q&A with new SPC EC member Kim Carswell

The SPC Executive Committee is an Advisory Committee to The Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The EC’s role is to provide advice, act as ambassadors for SPC/GreenBlue, and make recommendations on issues related to the SPC, including its goals, strategies, and projects.
We interviewed our three new Executive Committee members, Liza Blackwell (Nike), Kim Carswell (Target), and Chris Davidson (WestRock) to learn more about them and what they hope to accomplish while serving on the SPC Executive Committee.

EC member: Kim Carswell
Title: Group Manager, Packaging
Company: Target

Q: Can you tell me a little about your background and role at Target?
I come from the consumer packaged goods industry, spending over 20 years at General Mills and Kraft. I’ve been with Target for 10 years now and I lead a team of gifted packaging engineers that work with our vendors to develop all of the packaging for our owned brands. These include Archer Farms, Simply Balanced, Market Pantry, and up &up, with products in food, baby, health, beauty, and over the counter items such as vitamins and aspirin. Target also has several large, owned brands in our apparel and home goods businesses, including Fieldcrest, Threshold, RE, and Merona.
One of the things I really enjoy about working for Target is the opportunity to apply my knowledge at  a new point in the packaging supply chain. Working for a retailer, I look at packaging differently but I am able to use the skills I have acquired in past experiences.
Q: When and how did you first become interested in sustainability?
I’ve always been interested in sustainability. In junior high, I was part of the environmental club and in high school I was active in the ecology club. In fact, I helped organize one of the first Earth Day symposiums. I was also active in events like paper drives before easy curbside recycling was available, and volunteered at local nature centers.
How have you used your sustainability interest in your professional journey?
I became the keenest on sustainability in my professional life at Target over the past 10 years. I am realizing the incredible power of looking at the whole packaging supply chain. Expanding our mindset to think about the circular economy versus a linear path makes us more effective and holistic packaging professionals.
The more I thought about sustainability, the more I realized I needed to learn. And I’m still learning a lot. I think one of the keys to being successful is to never stop learning while you’re trying to make a difference.
Q: What inspired you to run for the Executive Committee? Is there anything the SPC is doing that you’re passionate about?
The  content knowledge the SPC staff provides helps me understand how to look at packaging and evaluate technologies. For example, the SPC’s recent position paper against biodegradability additives in petroleum-based plastics is really valuable. I also think there is a benefit for the SPC to have a retailer on their Executive Committee because of our direct connection to consumers.
Target also has a huge amount of passion, regard, and energy behind How2Recycle. I look forward to helping the program grow.
Q: What would you like to achieve during your time on the EC?
I’m very excited to be on the EC and work with the SPC staff. I look forward to helping the SPC navigate new opportunities and I would like to give back as much as I get from the SPC.
 

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GreenBlue Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Sustainable Packaging Coalition says goodbye to 3 Executive Committee Members

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Victor Bell, Steve Mahler, and Brad Rogers are finishing their three-year term on the SPC Executive Committee

 
Every fall, the SPC holds elections for the distinguished Executive Committee. The nine elected committee members join one GreenBlue representative and serve as advisors to GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition for three year terms. In their advisory capacity, the Executive Committee provides strategic and fiscal guidances on meetings, events, projects, and all other aspects of the Coalition. The three Executive Committee members who are ending their term this year are Brad Rodgers, Victor Bell, and Steve Mahler. All three have shown dedication to advancing sustainable packaging and have contributed countless hours and an incredible amount of their expertise to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Before we welcome three new Executive Committee members, we want to give thanks to Victor, Steve, and Brad for their dedication to the SPC over their term.

Victor Bell

Environmental Packaging International

President
Victor has been a supportive member of the SPC since the very beginning of the Coalition, and has brought his deep institutional knowledge of the SPC to EC discussions. Over the past three years he has played a valuable role in SPC events by shaping conference agendas and moderating panels, and continues to support the adoption and use of the SPC’s COMPASS life cycle assessment tool. His support and passion for the SPC are undeniable, and he’s been an outgoing ambassador for the SPC over the years and has been responsible for recruiting a number of great new members.

Steve Mahler

Caraustar Industries Inc.

Design Manager
During his time on the Executive Committee, Steve has been a strong voice representing packaging converters in the membership. He spearheaded the Consumer Education and Outreach Industry Leadership Committee’s work on a fun and innovative student video challenge on orange juice packaging. However, most of us will remember him as the creator and champion of the “Trashies” packaging awards. Steve’s goal was to bring the packaging community together for a fun event to recognize that exceptional people, partnerships, public awareness work, and processes are necessary to achieve sustainable packaging. We think he succeeded and can’t wait to see him emcee the next Trashies at SustPack 2016 in Chicago!

Brad Rodgers

Pepsico

Director of Sustainable Packaging, Advanced Materials Research
As an EC member, Brad has been an outgoing and generous resource for the members, willingly sharing his knowledge and time. Brad served on the organizing committee for SustPack 2015 and has generously supported the SPC’s work by sponsoring Coalition events. His support of the Essentials of Sustainable Packaging course, the Biopolymers Working Group, and the Multi-Laminate Flexible Recovery Industry Leadership Committee has been instrumental to the ongoing success of the initiatives. As he rolls off the Executive Committee, Brad will continue to serve in a leadership role on the SPC Brand Council, recently established to discuss how brand owners can lead the broader sustainable packaging agenda.
 

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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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    Member Spotlight

    SPC Member Spotlight: Sappi Fine Paper’s The Gambo Project

    “Member Spotlight” is the newest addition to our GreenBlue blog where we will regularly highlight the sustainability achievements and initiatives of a Sustainable Packaging Coalition member company.

    Sappi Fine Paper is a leading member in the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s Forest Product Working Group. As a North American producer of coated fine and release papers, as well as dissolving wood pulp and market kraft pulp, Sappi sells its various paper products to customers all over the world, while simultaneously maintaining a steady environmentally-friendly reputation within the forest products industry.
    Sappi has made many recent sustainability advancements and capital investments at its Somerset Mill, where they manufacture coated free sheet graphic paper, grease-proof packaging paper and bleached kraft pulp; recent initiatives include improvements to the mill’s lime kiln and working closely with Summit Natural Gas to bring a natural gas pipeline to Skowhegan, Maine, that will service the mill and 17 local communities. However, the public will most easily relate to their work surrounding the Gambo hydroelectric facility; a project that has been underway since 2009 in Westbrook, Maine.
    gambo

    Brad Goulet, Sappi Hydro Manager/Utilities Engineer, and Richard Curtis of the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust (PRLT) worked together to create appropriate public access to the Presumpscot River. While Sappi was required by their license for the Gambo hydroelectric facility to create access, the opportunity to work in conjunction with the Land Trust enabled Sappi to enhance existing trails at the Historic Oriental Powder Mill Complex and Cumberland Oxford Canal.

    The Gambo Project resulted in a beautiful nature trail connecting to the PRLT trails, convenient fishing access, and a location for kayakers and canoers to portage between the upstream Gambo Pond and the downstream river reach. Along the Presumpscot River, Sappi now has many public access initiatives underway that will allow the local Maine community to better enjoy their surrounding environment.

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    Presumpscot River

    “Working with the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust to accomplish these results, was a true collaborative effort,” said Brad Goulet. “Fostering a relationship between Sappi and such an important land conservation organization ensured that the land will be used for appropriate recreational purposes for years to come.”

    Check out Sappi’s Presumpscot River blog before visiting the area, as Sappi regularly provides educational updates on the area including lake levels, river flows, and consequential water safety rules. Learn more about Sappi’s broad range of environmental efforts by reading their 2013 Sustainability Report or by downloading their infographic on Water Use in the Paper Industry.

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    GreenBlue Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    Moving Beyond the Easy Wins – Integrating Sustainability Into Our Core Business Strategies

    As a follow up to our recent SPC Spring Conference, I’d like to share some thoughts on the big picture trends I see happening in the sustainability industry today.

    The focus on sustainability within companies is shifting. Sustainability has matured and is being embedded in new ways. In the past, sustainable packaging was often considered the gateway to sustainability; the first focus of many sustainability initiatives. While sustainable packaging still plays a role in a company’s larger corporate responsibility initiatives, there is a difference in the “job” of sustainable packaging versus the larger “job” of sustainability in organizations.

    Continue reading “Moving Beyond the Easy Wins – Integrating Sustainability Into Our Core Business Strategies”
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    Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    SPC Spring Conference Recap

    GreenBlue staff recently returned from our 2014 SPC Spring Conference. Having Seattle as our host city set the stage for one of our most successful conferences to-date. With its  progressive sustainability initiatives , Seattle provided the perfect venue to allow us to develop an agenda full of tours and sessions that explored some of the most innovative sustainability projects in the country. Over 300 sustainability professionals representing all aspects of the packaging supply chain attended the Conference. The breakdown of participating organizations included brand owners, retailers, material manufacturers, converters, government organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions, and consultants.

    Continue reading “SPC Spring Conference Recap”

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    Member Spotlight Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    SPC Member Spotlight: Johnson & Johnson’s Project Phoenix

    “Member Spotlight” is the newest addition to our GreenBlue blog where we will regularly highlight the sustainability achievements and initiatives of a Sustainable Packaging Coalition member company.
    Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has a long history of inspiring projects and initiatives ranging from environmental campaigns like their Care to Recycle campaign, to global healthcare work with Operation Smile. A recent Johnson & Johnson initiative that caught our attention is Project Phoenix, a program established in 2009 that helps recycling cooperatives in Brazil improve their operational processes, document their policies and develop a stronger social infrastructure.

    Continue reading “SPC Member Spotlight: Johnson & Johnson’s Project Phoenix”
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    GreenBlue Sustainable Packaging Coalition

    The SPC's Essentials of Sustainable Packaging

    There was one takeaway from the recently released results of the 2013 Packaging Digest Sustainable Packaging survey that struck me as being particularly interesting: when asked what is needed to make packaging more sustainable, more respondents than ever before mentioned a need for their staff to be better trained in the field of sustainable packaging. More training, you say? Fear not, survey respondents, it just so happens that the SPC has a one day training seminar designed to teach the concepts of sustainable packaging to everyone throughout the supply chain.

    Haven’t you heard? We call it The Essentials of Sustainable Packaging, and we’ve been teaching this course for years, to hundreds of packaging professionals, on three different continents, with a lot of success.In fact, just last month we brought the course to Oakland, CA and taught it at the headquarters of StopWaste.
    One of the things I always enjoy most about teaching the course is the interaction with the participants and the ways in which we always end up learning from each other. It’s no accident that this tends to happen: making packaging more sustainable requires full supply chain engagement and collaboration, and the participants always hail from a diverse set of supply chain positions. It’s perfect. Want to know the brand owner perspective on a sustainability issue? Chances are they’re in the room, and we can ask them. Want to get the opinion of a representative from a government agency? No problem. They’re in the room too.
    In Oakland I was particularly struck by the collection of attendees from Recology, CalRecycle, and StopWaste. There we were in the region with the most impressive waste management practices in the country, and in the same room were so many of the individuals responsible for making it happen, all taking part in the same collective conversation about making packaging more sustainable. Mix in our participants hailing from converters, brand owners, retailers, and the line between student and teacher quickly became blurry. But this is expected. It always ends up that the course is much more than a lecture-based seminar – it feels much more like a meeting of the minds, and this instance was no exception. It just reminds that if the packaging community feels that more training is needed, we happen to have the perfect forum to make that happen.