Pacific rubbish soup

As many people know, there is a huge and ever-increasing mountain of rubbish growing in the middle of the Pacific, like a giant festering ’soup’, much of which consists of plastic packaging waste. This has had a massive knock-on affect in the  form of polluted beaches on islands throughout the South Pacific, such as the popular Kamilo beach in Hawaii.

A British company believe that they have a packaging remedy. Symphony Environmental has created a substance that can be added to plastic materials to speed up the degradation time from several decades to just a few months.

Apparently “The special additive, called d2w, is put into plastic products when they are being manufactured. It works by weakening the carbon bonds, lowering the material’s molecular weight and eventually causing a loss of strength. The plastic can be given a set lifespan, depending on what purpose it is ultimately intended for.”

The aim is to get bread bags for instance to degrade in a matter of weeks and other items, designed for a longer shelf-life to degrade over many months.

This sounds great in theory and clearly a lot of research has taken place since this company was set up in 1995. We are in favour of any initiatives that help reduce/manage packaging waste. However, there are a number of issues that need to be clarified and addressed (if they haven’t been already).

What happens when one freezes items such as bread, to extend shelf-life? Will the degradation process be retarded or halted? Many items, such as toiletry products are used way beyond their stated shelf life. Does that mean that these items could degrade in the cupboard whilst still in-use?

It is also interesting to note that there seems to be “stern opposition from rivals” as the “plastics industry is split into two camps”: There are those that back ‘oxy-biodegradable’ (like dw2) that breaks-down simply with contact with air and those that back ‘bio-degradable’, which require more specific conditions such as burial in the ground and elevated temperature, to work.

I’m not so sure that there is such a defined “split” within the industry and can see the merits and issues of both of these approaches and, in our  opinion, both should continue to be developed. In terms of ‘Oxy-biodegradable’, as I’ve already mentioned above, degradation before end of shelf-life/use is an issue and what happens if a product is, for instance, left in direct sunlight – will this alter the degradation time frame? As far as ‘Bio-degradable’ goes – it is my understanding that unless specific elevated temperatures are reached,  degradation will not commence. So, for it to work properly, industrial bio-degradation facilities are required  – these materials will not degrade properly in a normal household composting bin.

Michael Stephen of Symphony also talks about bio-producers  having convinced British farmers that “crop-based plastics are best” but that “this is wrong…because when they are recycled they give off methane”. On top of this there area a number of concerns with these products around the use of scarce food resources to make packaging.

All of these materials could also present a potential issue of contaminating ‘normal’ recycling waste if not clearly identified & managed properly and I’m not sure that this issue is being addressed. Chris Penfold

What do you think? Let us know.

Taken from an article written by Ben Marlow which appeared in the UK Sunday Times on 7th March 2010. You can read the full article at the Times Online here: Great Pacific Garbage Patch article

Follow the link below to read an interesting FT.com article which talks about the expected development & impact of the following topics on business:
1. Blue-sky computing
2. Work longer, work older
3. Information does have a value
4. Greed isn’t as good as we thought
5. Energy sources get smarter
6. Generation Xers come into their own
7. Gain from the pain of failure
8. Do more with less
9. Jump on the hedge
10. Deliver us from shopping

So what do you think that this means for 1.the packaging design process (i.e. HOW we design) & 2. packaging design itself (i.e WHAT we design)?

Some will have a major impact and others less so.

The 3 that stand-out for me are:
1.Blue-sky computing - which will have a fundamental affect on the way we work & collaborate over the internet in both the design process and the interactive shopping process.

8. Do more with less – is already having an affect every day on packaging design as we try to balance the need to add ever-more information on the one hand with the need to reduce materials & pack footprint from a sustainability point of view, on the other hand.

10. Deliver us from shopping – will provide interesting & surreal opportunities as internet shopping ‘comes of age’, ‘pick-up’ areas are introduced by stores such as Wal-Mart and as web and mobile phone technology converge.

Read the FT.com article by following this link & let us know what you think: 10 innovations that will reshape business

Watch this space for my further, more in-depth thoughts on this over the coming days.

Cheers

Chris

The following initiative by Proctor & Gamble sounds like a great means to “drive scale, improve R&D productivity and accelerate the delivery of new products to market”. Integrating the virtual and digital design capabilities and virtual test capabilities of future packaging and artwork projects in an integrated manner makes sense, should elevate P&G from ‘best-in-class’ for ’stand alone’ systems to ‘world-class’ global integrated solution – but easier said than done.

A range of P&G FMCG products

Implementing enterprise-wide product life-cycle management processes on this scale is a mammoth task. However, by taking a stepwise approach, planned properly as part of an e-Business strategy (dovetailed within an overall corporate strategy) P&Gs chance of success will be much greater. Identification of any barriers (cultural or otherwise) and development / implementation of a ‘game plan’ to deal with these will raise the chances of success even higher. Chris Penfold

P&G Incorporates Global Packaging and Artwork initiatives

Procter & Gamble (Cincinnati, Ohio) is extending the scope of its V6 PLM implementation to incorporate global packaging and artwork initiatives with the help of Dassault Systemes (France). This builds on the previously announced strategic selection of DS solutions for an enterprise-wide product life-cycle management process. Together, Dassault Systemes and P&G are developing a highly integrated suite of products to help make the packaging process more efficient, improve speed to market, increase shelf impact, and ultimately create a better experience for consumers. Streamlining these services is another example of how DS is supporting P&G’s focus on “Simplify, Scale & Execute” which is one of the company’s key growth strategies.

“As P&G continues to serve more consumers, in more parts of the world, more completely, it is essential we have the right tools in place to drive greater efficiency,” says Michael Telljohann, PLM director, P&G. “To address these opportunities as they arise, it’s imperative that mission critical business processes like artwork and packaging move from a series of best-in-class point solutions to enterprise-wide integrated solutions. Dassault Systèmes’ suite of V6 PLM products will help P&G drive scale, improve R&D productivity and accelerate the delivery of new products to market.”

Via http://PMPNews.com 17th Feb 2010.

You can read the full article by clicking: P&G PLM implementation article

We’re pleased to announce that our CEO Chris Penfold will be presenting at the ‘Future in Design’ Learnshop. (Easyfairs, NEC, UK)

Chris’s presentation entitled ‘Web 2.0 & Web Squared – implications 4 packaging design now & future’ will take place at 3pm on Wednesday 24^th and is not to be missed. 

In it Chris will be talking about the growing effect, implications and opportunities of the internet on the packaging design process and on ways of working.  He will be looking at the convergence of Web & technology and the effect on consumer and patient interaction and personalisation, with some great examples of emerging and leading-edge packaging design.

If you’re at easyFairs why not pop along and have a listen.  You can register FREE for easyFairs NEC (avoiding a £20 entrance fee) by following this link and becoming a Design Cognition visitor.

You can find out more about all the Learnshops here on the main easyFairs web site.

popeye spinach packaging polymers?

‘Vegetarian’ polymers seem to be on the increase with yet another innovative initiative that, this time, uses natural cress plant waste, which is combined with a variety of different polypropylene grades to produce a range of packaging materials to suit different types of products with a variety of finishes. Allegedly they are produced using significantly lower CO² emissions than ‘conventional’ plastics.

The material called ‘Agriplast’ has been developed by German bio manufacturing company Biowert, which sources the cress-based waste from farms in the immediate area around Brensbach, in southern Germany, where the factory is based.

This sounds like a really innovative initiative and the the project is a collaboration between German company AHA Kunstofftechnik and French-based packaging manufacturer Cosmeco, who have combined resources to develop this material for use, initially, in cosmetics packaging.

Rumour has it that use of spinach for this type of polymer project could be a next-step development, something that could potentially really increase material tensile properties and produce a product as strong as iron – but this has yet to be verified and Mr P.Peye was unavailable for comment LOL

The full ‘Agriplast’ natural cress article, 8th Feb 2010, can be read here at www.cosmeticsdesign.com

Thanks to @MarktheSpaMan for bringing our attention to this article via Twitter

I find it hard to believe that heating material to 500 degrees celseus in order to ‘recycle’ it can be truely environmentally friendly.  Surely the amount of energy needed isn’t going to be offset by the materials that can be salvaged, particularly when you consider that more energy will be needed to reprocess the reclaimed materials as well.

This article by Josh Brooks shows that the technology is now there, but is it really the right way to go? (Jane)

Commercial UK recycling of aseptic cartons, toothpaste tubes and pouches is to move a step closer when a little-known recycling technology company opens a showcase site later this year.  To read more go to the full article at packagingnews.co.uk

This is a fantastic example of materials innovation by Queen’s University Belfast in the growing area of drug-device combination products, moving beyond just the drug component by adding some stimulus-sensitive property to allow the catheter to respond to a potential infection. Watch this space to keep up with any further developments in this area. Chris Penfold

A polymer that combines drug-eluting and self-cleansing agents could reduce the risk of bacterial infection through urinary catheters, say researchers at the University.

The material, derived from esters of acrylic and methacrylic acid, is melt-extruded in a confidential multilayer extrusion mechanism to produce a catheter surface that continuously delivers antimicrobial agents over prolonged periods, minimising bacterial colonisation.

‘Although medical device technology has made significant advancements, the inherent problems associated with implanted urinary devices and the significant role microbial biofilms play in device-related infection are now widely recognised as major disadvantages of an otherwise highly effective treatment strategy’, says Dr Gavin Andrews, who is leading the project at the University’s School of Pharmacy.

Via Materials World Magazine, 01 Jan 2010

Click on the following link to read the full article Self-cleansing medical devices

A portable, talking barcode scanner from Matthews will make life easier for Australia’s vision impaired.

The scanner, known as ID Mate, can help the blind and low visioned at home, school or work — and even while doing the groceries.

ID Mate has been released by Visual Independence, a not-for-profit Australian charity set up to bring happiness through using assistive technology to those who are blind or live with low vision.

Visual Independence is managed through an all-voluntary advisory committee from Vision Australia, Guide Dogs Victoria, GS1 Australia and Matthews Intelligent Identification.

Visual Independence’s Bernie Slagtman says ID Mate is an exciting step forward that would allow the vision impaired to become more independent and empowered in their daily lives.

ID Mate uses Omni directional technology to scan an item’s barcode. Users then listen to spoken descriptions from the scanner’s database, which holds details of more than one million Australian bar code products.

via Talking barcode scanner from Matthews.

Well, the anti-aging colour foundations have already proved very popular, as have the anti-aging lipsticks, so I suppose it’s only natural that the eyes should be the next target. (Jane)

The cosmetic-skincare hybrid category is, according to Nica Lewis, director of beauty innovation at market researcher Mintel, a new class of products in the prestige beauty sector that combine color cosmetics with skincare functions.

via Innovation leads to anti-aging color cosmetics for eyes.

Swiss Army Knife manufacturer Victorinox has ‘bitten the bullet’ and  is replacing plastic clamshell packs with MeadWestvaco’s paperboard-based Natralock packaging, which (allegedly) uses 60% less plastic than petroleum-based PVC clamshell packaging.

Victorinox said that the new pocket-knife packs were “better designed and more environmentally friendly than the previous format.” This sounds like a big step forward for a cherished brand that is over 125 years old and yet, over that period, has seen little change in packaging formats used. Chris Penfold

Via Packaging News 11th January 2010

You can read the full article at: Swiss army knife packaging revamp