Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 09 September 2009

Packaging firms could be hit by Kraft Foods plans to halve its supplier base in a bid to save more than $300m a year.

via Kraft looks to cut supplier base in multimillion-pound savings bid | packagingnews.co.uk.

Just seen this article on the BNO twitter site -

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to pay $2.3 billion for illegal promotion of products, the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history.

That’s a lot of money!

Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 27 August 2009

Inventor Michael Pritchard secured a £125,000 investment on last nights Dragons Den to bring a pump spray that works at any angle to market.

via Inventor secures £125k investment from Dragons | packagingnews.co.uk.

By Jess Halliday, 25-Aug-2009  www.nutraingredients.com

Unilever has denied that it is actively developing ambient ice cream, following newspaper reports that such a product is part of a programme to reduce the environmental impact of its consumer goods.

The Times of London reported yesterday that the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods firm is conducting research in this area at its own laboratories, and in partnership with scientists from Cambridge University.

As normal ice cream must be frozen throughout transport

via We’re not planning warm ice cream, Unilever says.

24-Aug-2009 www.cosmeticsdesign.com

Procter & Gamble has found a buyer for its prescription drug unit allowing it to concentrate on its consumer goods business.

Ireland-based company Warner Chilcott is planning on buying the unit for $3.1bn in a deal which also includes P&G’s drug pipeline and the plants in Peurto Rico and Germany.

via P&G finds buyer for pharma business to concentrate on OTC and personal care.

From an article by Ram Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad, and M.R. Rangaswami on http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/  19th Aug 2009

I certainly concur with Nidumolu, Prahalad & Rangaswami in their assertion that “the quest for sustainability can unearth a mother lode of organizational and technological innovations that yield both top-line and bottom-line returns. That quest has already begun to transform the competitive landscape, as companies redesign products, technologies, processes, and business models.”

And also that “By equating sustainability with innovation today, enterprises can lay the groundwork that will put them in the lead when the recession ends.”

However, they also say that “When companies pursue sustainability, it’s usually to demonstrate that they are socially responsible. They expect that the endeavor will add to their costs, deliver no immediate financial benefits, and quite possibly erode their competitiveness.“  I don’t think that this is necessarily true.

They do generally want to demonstrate ’social responsibility’ (although many I believe are failing to recoup the full marketing benefits of this – i.e. if you are doing it – SHOUT about it!) BUT I don’t think that they believe it will add to their costs. Quite the reverse in fact, I think many now set out to cut/optimise costs and capitalise on a sustainable story at the same time – as demonstrated by the recent ‘cost-optimisation & sustainability’ competition that we ran.

What do you think? I’d be interested to hear

Chris Penfold

Read the full Article here: Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation – HBR.org.

Thanks to @Huttson on Twitter for bringing this article to our attention

By Simon Pitman, 17-Aug-2009 www.cosmeticsdesign.com

Having bought the Noxzema skin care brand from Procter & Gamble last year, Alberto-Culver is suing over claims that the skin care cream was defective.

Alberto-Culver bought the line from Procter & Gamble in October last year for $81m, and has filed the lawsuit claiming that some of the products in the line had not fulfilled product claims over quality, a Reuters news report claimed.

via Alberto-Culver sues Procter & Gamble over defective skin cream.

from Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 11 August 2009

THINGS ARE HOTTING-UP ON THE LEGAL FRONT! Under the Producer Responsibility Requirements (Packaging Waste) Regulations, firms that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year and generate a turnover bigger than £2m are required to register with the EA or compliance scheme.

Many companies have ignored this legislation and clearly ‘flouted the law’. Following recent prosecutions (see our other reports in our ‘legal section‘ ), a West Sussex jewellery importer is now the latest firm to be prosecuted under these regulations after it was fined more than £6,200 last week. Burgess Hill-based Icon Live imports and sells jewellery and pleaded guilty to not recovering and recycling packaging waste in 2006 and 2007.

Read the whole article at: Jewellery firm fined £6,000 under packaging waste rules | packagingnews.co.uk.

By Simon Pitman, 04-Aug-2009  www.cosmeticsdesign.com

Oral care giant Colgate-Palmolive is suing both Johnson & Johnson and Chattem over claimed misuse of its toothpaste brand Total.

The company has filed two separate lawsuits in New York City courts, both of which claim that the brand name has been used in ‘violation’ of its registered trademark, a Reuters article claimed.

via Colgate sues over use of Total brand name.

By Simon Pitman, 04-Aug-2009   www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com

Although the company’s adhesives business has been battered by the recession, Q2 sales for its personal care operations were buoyed by developing markets

via Personal care holds up for Beiersdorf as adhesives slump.