Sustainability and Functionality at the Heart of Packaging Innovation

1. In the near future the role of packaging will change, we will see packaging as a resource rather than a resource waster 
2. Keeping the molecule in play will gain momentum (recyclability) 
3. Bio-based packaging materials will grow, but not necessarily biodegradable. 
4. Bright Future for Stand-Up Pouches: Standing for protection, Standing for communication, Standing for convenience, Standing for sustainability 
5. Increasing health and environmental awareness, rising food prices and food safety concerns and improved purchasing power will drive growth in the smart packaging market. 

Sustainability & Functionality at the Heart of Packaging Innovation from Islem Yezza

Fenugreen Freshpaper: keep produce fresh for 2-4 times longer

An innovative and active “dryer sheet of paper” made from edible organic extracts (Impregnated with organic spices) that can be placed under the produce where it’s stored.

Inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and the like, making the food last longer: keep produce fresh for 2-4 times longer than normal 

It’s biodegradable and can be composted or recycled. 

As long as the sheet emits a maple-like odor that means it’s active. After about two or three weeks, the smell will fade and the sheet should be replaced.

Sustainability & Functionality at the Heart of Packaging Innovation from Islem Yezza

Greening Fast Food Packaging

Dogwood Alliance’s report “Greening Fast Food Packaging: A Roadmap to Best Practices,” outlines eight key attributes of environmentally friendly fast food packaging, and provides guidance on how to assess environmental impacts in the supply chain. The report highlights leaders in the fast food industry. It also includes a survey to help assess a company’s current packaging.

1. Embrace Corporate Leadership on Sustainability
2. Use Full Life Cycle and Supply Chain Approach
3. Reduce Overall Packaging and Increase Efficiency
4. Increase the Use of Recycled Fiber
5. Eliminate Paper Originating from Controversial Forestry Practices
6. Increase In-Store Recycling and Recovery
7. Eliminate Toxic Inks, Coatings and Labels
8. Reduce Carbon Footprint

The full report is available at DogwoodAlliance

The new, reusable (and recyclable) Starbucks® cup: Clarifications, Thoughts and Questions

I would like to share with you some Clarifications/Thoughts/Interrogations regarding the new, reusable (and recyclable) Starbucks® cup for hot beverages (source).

1-     "When I talked with Jim Hanna, director of environmental impact for Starbucks, regarding the cups made out of 100% virgin polypropylene, he told me that one main reason the company turned to plastic was to cut down on paper waste. Starbucks uses about 4 billion disposable cups annually and the interior wax coating makes them difficult to recycle." MISLEADING: Starbucks disposable cups are made from paper coated with PE (polyethylene). Polycoated cups are recyclable and repulpable. Furthermore, most paper mills are able to process paper mixed with other materials such as polycoated paper. Pulper equipped with scavenger could remove plastic debris. Finally, polyethylene coating represents less than 6.6% of total basis weight.

2-     "The exciting thing about PP is that it's one of the most versatile resins out there," Hanna said. "From cradle-to-cradle, PP offers one of the best environmental stories; it's just a winner all around." MISLEADING: Starbucks reusable cups are made from polypropylene #5 Plastics. In fact, most polypropylene #5 plastics, unless they're reused, end up in the landfill since so few municipalities accept them.

3-     What is the carbon footprint of reusable cup VS disposable cup?

4-     PP based reusable cups cost $1. However, a major price hike has hit the North American polypropylene market, sending prices up an average of 15 cents per pound since Jan. 1. Can we expect a cup price increase in the upcoming months?

5-     How about increasing Starbucks cups recycled fiber content? Cascades, developed recently a new grade of cupstock paper with 25% recycled fiber content.

6-     How about water-based coating for a fully repulpable and recyclable cups? (The idea is to replace Polyethylene by water-based coating)

7-     How long do the cups last? Reusable cups need a lot of carefulness/attention/love: not lose them, not crush them, and not forget to bring them…

Les priorités de l’industrie du packaging en 2012 et en 2022

Le Blogue de l’identification de produit a publié une série de quatre billets  présentant les faits saillants d’une étude réalisée par Packaging World, en collaboration avec DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers.  Il s’agit d’une synthèse des résultats d’un sondage auprès des professionnels de l’industrie du conditionnement et de l’emballage, ainsi que des industries connexes, pour connaître les tendances actuelles ainsi que celles qui prédomineraient dans 10 ans.

Partie1 – Emballage et attentes du consommateur

Partie2 – Emballage et développement durable

Partie3 – Emballage: tendances et facteurs clés

Partie4 – Emballage et stratégies

Plastiroll launches bio-film to extend life of fresh food products

Biodegradable films producer Plastiroll has unveiled a new bio-film which it claims will extend the life of fresh food products such as fruits and vegetables

Following two years of research and development work, the Finnish based firm said its transparent packaging film was made from combination of corn starch based materials which results in a film which forms a breathable membrane that is biodegradable and “GMO-free with good strength properties”.

“Our new bio-film is an ecological alternative to conventional plastic films with the same physical properties. There is a demand for packaging materials with good green credentials as long as they perform as well as or better than conventional films,” said Jani Avellan, product development manager at Plastiroll.  He added: “For our customers this is a solution that offers significant cost savings through longer shelf life, less waste and lower disposal costs.”

The firm said that its new film can be easily disposed of along with the food waste. The packaging film is sealable and can be used on its own or as part of a carton box or tray.

Depending on customer requirements it can be supplied in different thickness and roll width for use in most types of packaging machinery.

In a statement, the firm said: “The performance has been rigorously tested with customers in Europe who have reported significantly increased self-life extensions of fresh produce.

“This is because the packaging film helps create an optimum balance between humidity control and oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability which, in turn, contributes to slowing product degradation. Also, due to the fact that sealing temperature of bio-films is lower than of conventional plastic films, less energy and lower temperatures are needed during the bio-film packaging process.”

Read more…

Paperboard Package of the Year

One-hundred and forty-three entries from 34 Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) members were honored in a special awards ceremony at PPC's Fall Meeting and Leadership Conference on October 18, 2012 in Las Vegas, as part of the 69th annual North American Paperboard Packaging Competition.

This year, the top Paperboard Package of the Year award was presented to Graphic Packaging International (Marietta, GA) for their new package design for the 10-Count Capri Sun carton for Kraft Foods. The new fridge vendor-style design features "I-Beams," an extension of the carton's end flaps that are folded in toward the carton. The new design is 20% lighter than the original carton, saving approx. 35,000,000 pounds of fiber annually. Moreover, a 60% increase in inbound pallet quantities was achieved, resulting in approx. 1,750 trucks eliminated from the inbound supply chain, thus saving 880,000 miles driven annually. A 7% increase in outbound cases per pallet resulted in a 2.5% increase in finished goods on outbound trucks and a 10% reduction in tertiary pallet packaging materials.

To see the list of top winners click Here

Food Packaging: Less is Sometimes More!

Food waste is a growing issue, anything that can assist to reduce the volume of spoilage in a safe manner are welcome advances.  At the same time the growing volume of garbage is also a global issue and food packaging is a substantial contributor to this dilemma.  Reducing packaging at its source means less waste and material to recycle and lowers overall transport costs; thus lowering the environmental impact. Few things influence individual health more than the food they eat, therefore safety in the packaging of food items is a global health issue. The quest to create safe, low waste, low environmental impact packaging is therefore likely to continue to drive innovation in this area.

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Flexible Packaging Reduces Energy Consumption First

The flexible industry is claiming to be the most energy efficient in a paper released last month (Here).  Most sustainability energy mantras say “Reduce first and then optimize”, with renewable where possible.

According to Flexible Packaging Europe, because flexible packaging can be assembled at the filling plant from rolls of material, there is no need to transport the empty, but already formed packaging, from the packaging converter to the filling/packaging facility, hereby saving a significant number of truck journeys on our congested European road network. For example, it would take approximately 26 truck journeys to transport the equivalent quantity of pre-formed packaging from the manufacturer to the filling factory whilst it would require only one truck load for the equivalent quantity of rolled flexible pouch material.

Flexible packaging not only occupies minimal space during the inbound transport, but also on the outbound transport of the filled product to the retailer/consumer.

Optimized transportation of filled packs made from lighter and thinner materials means more product per truck load which in turn equals less energy consumption. Comparing the difference between transporting a beverage packed in a 0.2l flexible stand-up pouch with a 0.2l glass bottle, we see that product packed in foil-laminated pouches requires half the number of standard truck loads due to the lower weight and reduced space between the products says the flexible packaging body.

These energy savings translate directly to a reduced overall environmental impact. On top, the reduced truck loads along the supply chain help reduce traffic congestion in the cities and on the highways. And this leads to more energy savings due to a more fluent traffic and less frustration for drivers.

Flexible packaging provides both effective and efficient packing solutions according to the industry body because it can optimize the combinations of different materials to maximise the practical functionality of the packaging and optimize the cost whilst reducing the environmental impacts throughout the product’s lifecycle.

To learn more about how Flexible Packaging aids more resource efficient consumption and lifestyles

check out ‘A Perfect Fit’ on www.flexpack-europe.org.

Twelve principles of sustainable packaging

1. Reduce/eliminate hazardous substances in the packaging materials
2. Use raw material/feedstock of greener origin
3.  Select packaging material based on its disposability
4. Create a green design
5. Modify/substitute existing packaging material or process
6. Make packaging machines and systems energy efficient
7. Reduce waste generated during processing, conversion, and packaging operations
8. Apply green logistics
9. Segregate and dispose of waste
10. Optimize packaging economics
11. Comply with regulations and create awareness among consumers
12. Use sustainable packaging metrics and tools to evaluate sustainable packaging.

 Source 

Bright future for flexible packaging

Modern developments in flexible packaging are bringing pouches, films and foils to the market on an unprecedented scale. We profile some of the flexible packaging market's most promising innovations to safeguard product quality, enhance visibility, improve environmental sustainability and more.

Flexible packaging has been shaking up the packaging industry for many years now, especially in the food packaging market, where flexible materials are introducing a wide range of new design concepts to minimise waste (both in terms of conservation and cost), attract consumer attention and maintain the freshness of the products within.

The flexible market looks set to continue its impressive rate of growth in the industry and on store shelves. A 2011 report by packaging consultancy Smithers Pira forecast that the worldwide value of flexible packaging would grow from $58.3bn in 2011 to $71.3bn by 2016, with a compound annual growth rate of more than four percent.

Whether in the West or the East, this growth will be driven by a raft of factors within the packaging and consumer retail sectors. Growing demand for features, such as longer product shelf-life, weight reduction and customer convenience, is an open door to packaging developers to solve problems with innovative ideas. Here we round up some of the products and trends that could help satisfy this expanding demand.

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Eco-conception & Emballages: Guide méthodologique

Le CNE vient de publier un guide sur l’éco-conception des emballages. Ce guide vise d’une part, à faciliter la compréhension de l’éco-conception des emballages et sa mise en œuvre, notamment à travers une check–list de 25 questions, et d’autre part, à diminuer leur impact sur l’environnement.

Avec cette nouvelle publication, le CNE rappelle que l’éco-conception doit intégrer le cycle de vie complet du produit emballé ; elle constitue une approche fonctionnelle qui conduit à réfléchir sur le produit lui-même ainsi que sur les fonctionnalités de l’emballage. 

La réduction à la source s’apprécie par la mise en évidence de "point(s) critique(s) ". Etablir un "point critique" revient à démontrer qu’une réduction supplémentaire de poids et/ou de volume de l’emballage mettrait en péril une ou plusieurs de ses fonctions principales appelées "critères de performance".

Vous pouvez télécharger le nouveau guide sur le site du CNE.

Greening Fast Food Packaging: A Roadmap to Best Practices

Today, Dogwood Alliance released “Greening Fast Food Packaging: A Roadmap to Best Practices,” which outlines eight key attributes of environmentally friendly fast food packaging, and provides simple guidance on how to assess environmental impacts in the supply chain. The report highlights leaders in the fast food industry that have undertaken key initiatives that will help move the entire sector forward. Also included is a valuable action plan to focus corporate sustainability efforts.

The Dogwood Alliance's eight step to making packaging more environmentally friendly include:

1. Embrace corporate leadership on sustainability: Adopt an environmental packaging policy and get buy-in from leadership.
2. Use a full life cycle and supply chain approach: Determine the complete scope of impacts from packaging along the entire supply chain.
3. Reduce overall packaging and increase efficiency: Minimize packaging, make it lighter.
4. Increase use of recycled fiber
5. Eliminate paper from controversial forestry practices (with this step, Dogwood Alliance wades into the ongoing debate on sustainable forestry, urging companies should use only paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and avoid paper certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.)
6. Increase in-store recycling and recovery: Provide recycling within restaurants and encourage recycling when customers take packaging away.
7. Eliminate toxic inks and labels.
8. Reduce carbon footprint: Make transportation more efficient through better shipping setups and fuel-efficient vehicles.

6 Myths and Facts about What’s Green Packaging

1. Less packaging or no packaging makes smart eco sense. I get so annoyed when people say leave the packaging at the store or don't use any packaging at all. The truth is that products that we use or consume need packaging to protect, convey, keep sanitary and secure and even educate us about what's inside. Packaging is integral to our modern lives. When someone complains about excess packaging I ask them this simple question. You brushed your teeth today didn't you? I rest my case.

2. Compostable: means you can throw it out in the back yard and it will disintegrate. The truth is this is one of the most misunderstood packaging phrases and the industry doesn't do a good job explaining it either. Consider what happened with the Sun Chips compostable package. Consumers expected one thing and the reality was something else. In most cases compostable applies to a set of controlled conditions in a special facility for the packaging to degrade. The material itself sometimes has unique disposal issues because of limited composting facilities.

3. Packaging is 50%-60 % of the waste stream. I see this number bandied about and it’s untrue. Packaging accounts for around 30%-35%. These companies that claim they sell their products with zero contribution to the waste stream is a misnomer. They may not have the products in the store packaged but they certainly use packaging to get them there undamaged and ready for sale.

4. Recyclability is the only answer. Unfortunately although recycling packaging makes sense, in many cases the infrastructure isn't in place to make it a widespread practice. Consumers have to want to recycle too. In many cases it’s simply too much trouble to save and dispose of in a recycling facility. Another quandary, washing out containers to recycle (you are using energy and water so where's the eco win?)

5. Sustainable packaging will solve all our environmental problems. This is a lofty goal to aspire to; unfortunately the technology isn't quite there yet. Companies have significantly reduced the amount of packaging used. A good example is the "ultra detergents' that offer a concentrated product in a much smaller packaging container, reducing significantly the amount of packaging used an what goes into the waste stream.

6. All plastic packaging is bad. Not true. There are so many new compounds and formulations that have been introduced. Companies are seriously looking at ways to not only reduce the amount of plastic used but alternative methods for disposal and reuse.  I might mention here too that in many cases the eco plastic alternatives use more energy to manufacture and have disposal issues of their own.

Source

Nine steps to environmentally friendly packaging

Improving the sustainability (environmental friendliness) of packaging is a hot topic for packaging professionals. The packaging industry has seen sustainability progress from the latest buzzword to an everyday part of our vocabulary. Still, there is room for basic knowledge and guidance, especially for those companies lacking large packaging staffs or sustainability departments.

Nine steps to take when designing more environmentally friendly packaging :

1-     Identify your company’s goals and initiatives. It is important to understand what environmental impacts your company is most concerned with and design with those in mind. For example, is your company concerned about the amount or types of plastic they use? If so, then that should be taken into consideration when designing new packages.

2-     Identify the destination of the package. This knowledge helps the designer understand what end-of-life options (recycling, landfill, incineration) are available at the destination, which may affect how you design your package. In addition, knowing the destination allows you to account for fees associated with any environmental impacts pertaining to your package.

3-     Identify applicable regulations. Regulations should supersede all other considerations in package design and, therefore, need to be considered early in the process. It is important to understand whether regulatory requirements are consistent for all destinations. If not, can the package be tailored to each destination, or should it be designed to meet regulations in all destinations?

4-     Determine how a package will be shipped. In general, the most energy-efficient mode of shipping is preferable. However, the mode of shipping is often determined by business requirements (e.g., balancing cost challenges, reduced inventory/increased turnover, flexibility/customized features/delivery, suppliers’/customers’ locations, etc.) It is important to design packages consistent with the mode of shipping selected and, when possible, to choose the most energy efficient shipping option.

5-     Identify internal requirements; marketing, regulatory affairs, and/or other applicable departments that should be considered. Internal requirements take into account whether the environmentally responsible package is economically viable, whether it enhances the product’s image and acceptability, and whether it protects the product from physical, biological, or chemical harm, among other considerations.

6-     Identify and understand any applicable customer requirements. It is much more common for customers (mainly retailers) to have specific package design guidelines that must be followed. These guidelines often include packaging materials they will not accept, specific pallet requirements, etc. Your best source in your company for finding this information is your sales team or supply chain organization. In addition, often you can find information on a customer’s website.

7-     Raw material selection. Product manufacturers face many tradeoffs when choosing between raw materials. Choices should be made with the complete life cycle of the package in mind.

8-     Address the actual package design. If you followed steps one through seven, you should be armed with enough information to minimize the environmental impact of your package.

9-     Communicate what your package hopes to accomplish, what has been done, and why it is important. Educating the consumer and the retailer is important to ensure that everyone’s understanding of environmentally responsible packaging is improved.

By following these nine steps, you will improve on the environmental impact of your packaging. 

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2012 Plastics Packaging Predictions

Plastics Today Reveals 2012 Packaging Predictions

1. Lightweighting in primary packaging has run its course: Anyone who's handled a bottled water lately knows that brandowner and packaging suppliers' work to lighten their products has reached a tipping point. Any less material in today's water bottle, for instance, and the transformation from rigid to flexible package is complete. As a result, look for brandowners and retailers, at the vocal behest of their customers, to start targeting wasteful or unnecessary secondary and tertiary packaging, reexamining goods from the case, carton and pallet level, all of which could mean continued changes for the primary packaging component.

2. Plastics bags and bottles will remain embattled: In cash-strapped governments around the globe, where economic uncertainly and hyper-partisanship have paralyzed nearly all other legislating, bag bans or bag taxes seem to be the one piece of legislation that city councils, state houses, and national governments the world over can pass. Almost every day in 2011, my inbox received news of either a new bag ban or a status update one on currently being passed. Plastic bottles have been getting their own attention as well of late, with Grand Canyon National Park weighing a bottle ban for 2012. This will not stop in 2012, and will likely increase until the law of unintended consequences kciks in and consumers and legislators realize some of the shortfalls of paper and cloth bags.

3. Biobased PET takes the lead: Led by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the bottling industry has effectively pushed biobased polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into the lead of the group of materials hoping to replace petroleum-based plastics in bottles. Biobased replacements for PET, including polylactic acid (PLA), ultimately couldn't unseat PET due to end-of-life concerns over recycling or processing difficulties, while attempts at upping recycled content in the bottles were undermined by the lack of an unreliable supply stream of post-consumer PET. Coke and Pepsi's work to create a 100% biobased PET will have broad ramifications for the burgeoning bioplastics market, with non-fossil fuel routes pursued for all those base resins that have established themselves within various markets, including packaging.

4. Recycled content will increase: Apart from the bottle push, recycled content, more than biobased materials, bill have an increasingly important impact on packaging, with brandowners proudly displaying to the public any recycled content in their packaging, and in the process solving two problems: resource reduction and end of life. The use of recycled content will be buoyed in 2012 by advancements in sorting/shredding/cleaning technology as well as increased collection.

5. Industry association/supplier efforts to address litter will increase: Industry trade associations, resin suppliers, and plastics packaging manufacturers have seen the enemy and it is litter. To that point, these groups, which already announced anti-litter campaigns in 2011, will continue to do so in 2012. Continued increases in fossil-fuels, and all their derivative products, including plastics, will drive home the fact that plastic packaging is not a throwaway material.

The Gillette Fusion ProGlide Over-packaging // suremballage

The Gillette Fusion ProGlide have too much packaging.

By the way, As part of its 2020 sustainability goals, in late September 2010, P&G announced plans to reduce packaging by 20%; to replace 25% of all petroleum-based materials with sustainably sourced renewable materials; and to eliminate entirely the use of PVC in packaging within the next few years.

Below video with comments in French

Cisco's Packaging Diet: Just How Sustainable is It?

Packaging is too often a manifestation of excess and waste. All that extra cushioning. All of those individually wrapped parts. Not to mention packaging that is not easily recycled. Product manuals and accessories that are often just thrown away.

Eighteen months ago, I reported on the packaging problem and encouraged vendors to go on a "packaging diet." My two-part series focused on best practices for packaging reduction. One of my case studies in the series, Cisco's promising pilot program, was highlighted in the Esty / Simmons sequel The Green To Gold Business Playbook.

But since, as with many diets, the easy part is often the early stages, I wanted to learn how Cisco was doing over the long-term. Glenn Nomi, Cisco's program manager of green technologies and Oleg Kolosov, manager of Cisco's packaging team, met with me and provided an update.

The top-line takeaway: The packaging diet is working. Cisco continues to expand its program to more products while refining its packaging practices. The program applies to both shipments to Cisco's customers as well as Cisco's internal shipments to its manufacturing partner sites.

Cisco's green packaging program uses three strategies:

1. Remove items that are not wanted from a shipment,
2. Reduce packaging, and
3. Replace with more environmentally friendly packaging

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