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

A recent Los Angeles Times article examines how an increase in counterfeit condoms in China has health officials fearing the worst — the products “may in fact spread infectious diseases, tarnishing the axiom that condoms mean safe sex.”

The newspaper continues, “Authorities estimate that up to a third of the contraceptives used in some parts of China are counterfeits, despite improvements in state food and drug oversight. None of the counterfeits are properly sterilized, and others are of such inferior quality that they could rupture during use.”

The article details how authorities are attempting to track down what they estimate are more than one million condoms distributed throughout China, and notes how the knock-off condoms were uncovered in discount stores in New York, Texas and Virginia in 2008.

Thanks to @TheBodyGlobal for bringing our attention to this article via Twitter. More articles like this can be read at: www.thebody.com

As 2009 draws to a close, we’d like to express our thanks and best wishes to all of our customers, suppliers and associates. Have a fantastic Christmas break and a happy & prosperous New Year and we look forward to doing further business with you all in 2010.

The Design Cognition team have put together the attached video production as a bit of light hearted seasonal frivolity.

We hope that you like it.

A researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who used to be a brand manager at luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) asked hundreds of fake bag buyers about their habits in an unpublished study ‘The Real Value Of Fakes’.

Renee Richardson Gosline interviewed the consumers who knew when they bought them that the bags were fakes and found that 46% of them bought authentic branded bags within two years.

“For some status-seeking people, at least, the social power of luxury goods means that consumption must not just be conspicuous, but real,” said a statement from MIT describing the research.

“The counterfeit actually served as a placebo for brand attachment,” Gosline told news service Bloomberg . “People were becoming increasingly attached to the real brand even though they never possessed it at all.”

You can read the full article here: OUT-LAW New

You can find further information on counterfeiting and evolving technologies, via Design Cognition’s sister site ‘The Pharma Gateway‘. Also, if you are interested in our forthcoming counterfeiting workshops – let us know.

Stockholm, Sweden — Experts from 15 countries are meeting this week to begin developing standards to cover environmental issues related to packaging such as reuse, recycling and composting.

About 70 delegates from China, Japan, Korea, the United States and 11 European countries are meeting in Sweden for the first gathering for the SC4 Packaging and Environment committee.

Published on Greenbiz.com 12th Dec 2009 and brought to our attention by our Twitter friend @packagindiva – thanks JoAnn! It would be good to get some consistency in this area. Well overdue. What to you think? Chris

The full article can be read here: http://bit.ly/4UB8ZK

From Packaging-Gateway 17th September 2009

UK soft drinks maker Britvic has cut the amount of glass in its bottles of J20 juice drink to reduce packaging.

The weight reduction measure means the 275ml J2O bottle is 20g lighter than before, down from 200g to 180g.

The company expects to save around 4,000 tons of glass annually, equivalent to 20 million bottles of J2O a year, Ultimate said.

As part of a programme of measures introduced by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the company expects to remove 5,000 tons of packaging from landfills by December 2010.

Read the original and other interesting articles here: Packaging Gateway – Britvic Cuts Weight of Glass Bottles.

Thanks go out to @process_tech for bringing our attention to this article

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

Originally published on 07/15/2009 11:20am By Bob Luder   The Packer.

Thanks to packagedesign for Tweeting this to our attention it’s an interesting read.

NatureWorks, Minnetonka, Minn., has entered into a development agreement with Netherlands-based Avantium to combine technologies on plant-based polymers used in packaging, including for fresh produce.

NatureWorks manufactures what it calls Ingeo biopolymer, which takes corn-based sugar, and breaks it down into lactic acids used to form biopolymers, a form of plastic.

via Two biopolymer companies combine forces | The Packer.

This article provides a fascinating insight into consumer behaviour. I think that it’s no surprise that ecological issues are higher on Consumers’ agenda but it’s interesting to read that “In 2008, 40% of UK respondents agreed that they seek alternative products if they believe their first choice to be packaged excessively” – I’m not sure that I believe that in reality – but I’m sure that it’s growing. Also interesting to read about the correlation of environmental issues and cost-optimisation being linked because of the ‘recession’.  We have certainly found this at Design Cognition.

Overall I believe that it’s certainly true that “consumer packaged goods companies should continue to evaluate their packaging in order to align themselves with an emerging consumer trend” – they ignore at their peril! Chris Penfold

Sustainable packaging trend gathering pace – A new report* from independent market analyst Datamonitor identifies sustainable packaging as a growing consumer issue, revealing that, although sustainable packaging is not yet a primary motivator of purchases, it is becoming a consumer expectation.

Sustainable packaging is one of a growing number of issues driven by ethics, economics and environmentalism. Economic imperatives, as well as possible greater regulation, mean that more brands need to consider adapting their present approach to accommodate sustainable packaging, comments Matthew Adams**, consumer analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report.

Read the full article here on Bizcommunity: Sustainable packaging trend gathering pace.

Thanks to @packagingdiva and @NYDesign for bringing our attention to this article on Twitter