Vaisselle compostable : il faut éduquer le consommateur…

Il y a quelques mois, j’ai publié un post sur la fin de vie des bioplastiques : le casse-tête :

Promouvoir et généraliser l’usage des bioplastiques compostables est louable. Mais la question se pose de savoir si ces déchets finissent bel et bien dans le compost.

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Dans la conclusion de ce billet, je faisais savoir que « la promotion des articles et produits compostables doit impérativement s’accompagner du développement et de la généralisation d’infrastructures adéquates permettant le compostage ».

Toutefois, je pense qu’il faut ajouter un autre volet tout aussi important : l’éducation du consommateur.

Les bioplastiques sont des produits relativement nouveaux. Il s’avère impératif de mieux informer les consommateurs pour qu’ils comprennent quelle est la véritable valeur ajoutée environnementale de ces produits. Il ne faudrait pas qu’ils leur attribuent des vertus miraculeuses qui les déresponsabiliseraient d’une gestion plus éco-responsable des matières résiduelles commençant par une réduction à la source.

Plusieurs cafétérias du Québec fournissent de la vaisselle compostable, sans toutefois proposer un bac destiné au compostage. Cette vaisselle prend donc la direction des sites d’enfouissement. Mais le problème est d’autant plus complexe que si une partie de la vaisselle est compostable, l’autre (couvercles du bol de soupe, ustensiles…) est composée d’autres types de plastiques pétrochimiques (PS, PP, PET…). Donc, même si l’on prévoyait un bac de compostage, il faudrait compléter le dispositif par un intensif placardage de panneaux d’informations sur les différents modes de disposition pour chaque type de plastique.

En conclusion, le consommateur et le fournisseur pensent faire un geste éco-responsable, mais ce soit disant « virage vert » s’avère coûteux et contre-productif sur le plan environnemental.

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Package design of the week: Kleenex “Perfect Slice of Summer”

Los Angeles-based Illustrator Hiroko Sanders created the illustrations for the Kleenex “Perfect Slice of Summer”, new limited edition tissue box series for Target Stores. Since the illustrations are the primary part of each carton, the challenge was to create artwork utilizing a style that embodies the spirit of summer, and that works uniquely with the carton design. The three boxes are images of different fruits rendered with a stylized realism that unifies the design of the package with the brand and product.

Source

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NAPCOR Calls for Restraint in the Use of Degradable Additives in PET Packaging

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) today urged restraint in the use of degradable additives in PET packaging. NAPCOR, the trade organization for the PET packaging industry, is concerned that no data has been made publicly available to substantiate or document:

• 1) the claims of degradability of PET resin products containing degradable additives;
• 2) the effect of degradable additives on the quality of the PET recycling stream;
• 3) the impacts of degradable additives on the products made from recycled PET; and
• 4) the true impact on the service life of these products.

“We urge manufacturers of PET resin and packaging to refrain from introductions of degradable additive-containing products until data is made available for review and verification so we can better understand these products and their potential ramifications,” said Tom Busard, NAPCOR’s Chairman.

In 2007, 1.4 billion pounds of PET post consumer containers were recycled in the United States. The post consumer recycled PET infrastructure depends on the quality of the recyclate and its suitability for a variety of next-life product applications. The value of recycled materials, such as PET, is an important economic driver for curbside recycling programs throughout the country.

“Without the testing and data necessary to understand the potential impacts of degradable additives in PET, it’s not an overstatement to say that they could potentially put the whole PET recycling system at risk,” said NAPCOR Executive Director Dennis Sabourin. “We don’t yet understand the impacts that these additives could have on the quality of the PET recycling stream, let alone the impacts on the safety and functionality over time of next-use PET products like recycled-content PET packaging, carpeting, or strapping.”

Aside from the potential impacts on recycling, NAPCOR questions the value of the concept itself. Whether or not it’s proven that packaging will safely degrade in landfills, or as roadside or marine litter, the value of the inherent energy used in the manufacture of plastic packaging is lost, not recaptured as it is through a recycling and re-manufacturing process.

“Even if a package were to disappear or fragment – and we’ve not yet seen this evidence – it would not make the package sustainable, nor does it provide any positive impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions or resource conservation,” said Mr. Sabourin. “Degrading plastic provides no useful nutrients to the soil, and the impacts to soil and sea of reducing the plastic to molecules using degradable additives is unknown.”

NAPCOR calls for restraint: proper testing and verification must be conducted before degradable additives are introduced into the consumer product stream. Moreover, NAPCOR calls on brand owners and decision makers to fully consider the impacts behind the use of degradable additives in light of the larger issues of sustainability, climate change and resource conservation.

Press release

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Burgopak: Giving your brand visibility

Strong, imaginative packaging should embody all your brand values, becoming a major representative of all your business stands for.

Burgopak’s famous patented ‘slider’ box has been getting brands noticed and talked about since 2002. From mobile phones and CDs to SIM cards, gift cards and DVDs, the Burgopak doesn’t just display products, it differentiates them.

Read more:

Diary of a packaging innovation

Inventing a smart package
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Packaging of the week: Beer in a CarboPouch

The CarboPouch™ development allows craft draft beer brewers to fill on-site, a clean, ready-to-go Single45™ or Single25™ pouch with spout and cap. Storage and shelf-life requires refrigeration. Low-carbonated water and shelf-stable energy drinks can also be filled. The organoleptic film structure ensures no off flavor. The patented film structure is designed to handle the pouch “stretch” after filling and carbonation expansion. The automatic filling process is such that there is no headspace after filling. The three-side seal pouch has a smooth side comfort grip feature. The combination of these factors makes the CarboPouch™ a true economical innovation for distribution of craft draft beers to the consumer’s home.

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Concilier Emballage et Environnement

Les emballages sont souvent réduits au mot «déchet» par les consommateurs... qui sont de plus en plus sensibles à leur diminution !

Mais la réduction du poids et/ou du volume d’emballages n’est que la partie émergée de l’iceberg. Les PME, grandes entreprises et laboratoires travaillent aussi sur les process, les décors, les flux, les déchets générés en interne...

Autant d’actions généralement «transparentes » d’un point de vue consommateur, mais qui peuvent pourtant avoir des conséquences importantes sur la préservation de l’environnement.
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Breizpack vous propose une journée pour réfléchir à ces actions, échanger avec les chefs d’entreprise, et mieux concilier emballage et environnement grâce à une vision globale.

Cette journée se déroulera à Quimper le mardi 9 juin prochain.

La matinée débutera par une série de conférences, qui permettront d'aborder la face la moins visible de l'éco-conception grâce à des témoignages d'industriels du secteur de l'emballage. De nouvelles pistes réalistes pour des matériaux innovants seront alors présentées, suivie d'une application commerciale de ces réflexions dans le secteur agroalimentaire.

L'après-midi débutera sous forme de table ronde, afin de mieux comprendre les fins de vie réelles des emballages et les voies d'optimisation.

La conférence finale permettra alors de s'ouvrir à une vision plusprospective.

Cliquez ici pour visualiser le programme détaillé

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Plastiques agricoles : les bioplastiques à la rescousse?

D’après le site LeProgrés.fr, on apprend qu’en Haute-Loire (France), la collecte des plastiques agricoles (bâches d'ensilage et autres sacs d'engrais) va devenir payante. Le coût du pétrole, qui a fortement baissé depuis la fin 2008, n'incite pas les usines à recycler ces plastiques.
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Les agriculteurs n'entendent pas payer deux fois. Assez logique puisque depuis le 1er janvier dernier, ils versent une éco-contribution à l'achat de leurs plastiques, pour permettre leur recyclage. D’autant plus que ceux qui n'auront pas les capacités de stocker leurs plastiques pourraient être tentés de les brûler. Une solution pas très écologique… Si la chute du prix du baril a rendu l'addition moins salée à la pompe, c'est la nature qui risque, au final, de payer l'addition.

Pourtant, une solution pourrait venir de l’utilisation des bioplastiques ; je parle ici de plastiques compostables et non pas de plastiques dégradables comme les polyoléfines oxo-additivées.

Je crois que le principal débouché des plastiques compostables se retrouve dans le secteur des plastiques agricoles. Ce serait alors une illustration concrète de la philosophie « Du berceau au berceau » (cradle to cradle): la matière première qui provient de la terre, retourne à la terre (sous forme de compost).

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Bioplastics are Flourishing

Shopping bags, fast-food utensils, and garbage sacks that decompose into compost after use: bioplastics are not only environmentally-friendly, but they can also be economically advantageous. They improve image, flourish despite economic crises, and are practical even without a surge in oil prices. Ceresana Research's newest market study informs you about these promising materials.

Expectations for bioplastics are great: a better image for plastics, independence from petroleum products, solutions for waste problems, contributions to environmental protection, as well as a new source of income for the agricultural sector. However, the characteristics and potentials of different bioplastics vary substantially - accordingly, there is a high demand for information.

Increasing competition for petrochemicals

Plastics made from renewable materials and biodegradable polymers are rapidly catching up. Bioplastics are already unbeatable in certain, special applications - for example, medical implants, which dissolve in the body, or compostable mulch films for agriculture. As a result of remarkable advances in development, bioplastics are also increasingly capable of replacing common, standard polymers.

More and more use in everyday products

Packaging materials constitute the most important application area for bioplastics; for example, filler materials that are utilized in very large amounts. Supermarkets are increasingly offering compostable shopping bags. However, the largest growth rates, concerning the application of bioplastics, are seen in the automotive and electronics industries - for instance in consoles or cellular phone cases. During the past eight years alone, consumption of biodegradable plastics based on starch, sugar, and cellulose (up so far the most important raw materials) has increased by 600%. Starch-based plastics currently dominate in Europe, and polylactic acid is considered to be particularly promising.

Source

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EU project aims to create bioplastics with complete hydrosolubility

A new type of packaging obtained from non-food agricultural raw materials which after use can be disposed of with ease thanks to its complete hydrosolubility. That is the aim of the ReBioFoam (Renewable Bio-polymer FOAMs) research project, financed under the EU Seventh Framework Programme and which involves 10 partners from 8 European Countries (Italy, Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), in association with ERRMA (European Renewable Raw Materials Association), a body devoted to Europe-wide promotion of the use of renewable raw materials in the energy and materials sectors.

The aim of project, coordinated by Novamont, a leading Italian company in the bioplastics sector, is to develop a new flexible and eco-sustainable process with a low energy impact for the production of expanded biodegradable packaging containing renewable raw materials. The expansion of the biopolymers will be obtained using microwave technology (using specially designed molding presses with innovative coatings), which will take advantage of the water naturally present in the materials used (Novamont biopolymers) as expansion agents.

Read more…
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Pack news of the week: Sustainable packaging and eco-friendly materials

One-Third of All Packaging Materials to be Eco-Friendly by 2014

In the industrialized world, packaging for all types of products has become both necessary and truly ubiquitous. As more people become “modern consumers” around the world, it is an increasing burden on producers, individuals, and the environment. According to a new study from Pike Research, sustainable packaging is a fast-growing segment of the global packaging industry, and will grow to 32% of the total market by 2014, up from just 21% in 2009.

Cryovac sustainable packaging honored by PAC

Flexible-packaging converter Sealed Air’s Cryovac® In-the-Bag™ merchandising for roasts (left) was honored with a silver award in the 2009 Sustainable Packaging Competition sponsored by the Packaging Association of Canada.

Cryovac® vacuum packaging materials are thinner and lighter, allowing for a reduction in materials. In addition, Cryovac® vacuum packaging reduces the number of leakers and keeps products fresher for longer, so retailers lose fewer products and can keep their cases stocked with a mix of value cuts that are ready to merchandise as needed.

Sony Going Green With Blu-ray, DVD Packaging

All future Blu-ray and DVD titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will be sold in more sustainable packaging. Sony has pledged to reduce carbon emissions associated with its DVD manufacturing by 2 million pounds in North America by 2010. The packaging, which uses less plastic and more recycled paper, makes its debut in the Blu-ray release of “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”

Going forward, all single-disc Sony standard definition DVDs will use paper made from 30 percent post-consumer waste, according to a press release. Previously, the firm used 100 percent virgin paper.

Ultra-light discs will contain 20 percent less plastic and will be covered with plastic shrinkwrap that is 20 percent lighter.
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