Why am I not surprised that only a quarter of consumers are aware of renewable materials in packaging and even fewer have heard of FSC, research from the carton producers association ACE has found. I wouldn’t say that the benefits have been particularly well marketed to the industry, let alone consumers.

Research carried out among 1,001 shoppers for the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK found that just 26% of consumers had heard of renewable materials being used in packaging, while 16% knew of the FSC chain of custody logo.

Although I’m aware that mixed material cartons are now collected at some supermarkets (in the UK), it seems to be ‘patchy’ to say the least. The Tetra pak website provides some useful information, but I for one am not convinced that widespread and adequate infrastructure is in place to process these once collected, what impact processing has on the environment and what real usage there is for the recovered materials afterwards. Tetra Pak state that materials can be “used in furniture, to generate energy or even separated out into pure aluminium and paraffin.” But I wonder how much of that actually happens?

Cartons may well state that “purchasing this FSC certified carton from Tetra Pak supports responsible forest management worldwide”, but there are no statements about the other materials that need to be separated.

So come on FSC, if you’d like to provide us with the relevant information so that we can all make an informed judgement as to the pros & cons, we (in the industry) can help you spread your message.

Chris Penfold

Here you can read the rest of the article: ‘Three shoppers in four ‘unaware of renewable packaging materials’: study‘ Dated 25th January 2009, Via Packaging News website.

It seems that despite the economic downturn and environmental concerns regarding it’s packaging and transportation the global market for bottled water is still growing.  How much longer can this continue though and what alternatives could we offer? (Jane)

Global bottled water sales increased in 2009 as growth in China compensated for declines in Western Europe and North America, according to Canadean. According to its recently published Global Bottled Water Report, the worldwide market grew 2 per cent despite the combined impact of the recession and growing environmental concerns.

http://bit.ly/7VXbMw

It would appear that whether it be as an ingredient for the product, or as a component of the packaging, Bamboo is making quite an impact.  Used as a component of the packaging it can add to the ‘sustainability story’ of the product – great opportunity for the marketers! (Jane)

Bamboo has become the ingredient of choice for companies who want to bolster their sustainability credentials, according to the recent Consumer Packaged Goods trend report from market researcher Datamonitor.

via Bamboo is sustainable ingredient of choice.

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

Just a quick note to confirm that both Annie and myself have been honoured with the title of Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) by the Society for the Environment, through our membership of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) and because of our life-long commitment to developing sustainable packaging solutions in our day-to-day projects. It’s nice to have it recognised and, by implication, recognition of the fact that packaging actually provides a beneficial (environmental) role in society.

This also sits nicely with our appointment last year as Technical Advisors to WRAP (the UK government-run Waste Resources & Action Programme) in ‘Waste Minimisation – Packaging Product Waste’. I feel that a key component of this has been our understanding of the requirements of present environmental legislation, in particular the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging waste) and Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, which have been key in a number of recent environmental & sustainability assessments

‘Sustainable development’ to me is all about taking a ‘helicopter’ view of any product development to understand:

• environmental impacts throughout the whole supply chain (from raw material extraction, through use & disposal, to reuse and recovery) whilst
• attempting to meet consumer convenience needs,
• BUT minimising the overall environmental impact through intelligent design of pack (primary, secondary & tertiary), using the optimum material specifications & most economical footprint possible.

I believe that key to our CEnv award was our continued application of the principles of sustainable environmental management and development in our work. Over my 30 year career ‘the environment’ has become ever-more prominent on everybody’s agenda, evolving from the early days of the ‘Topfer Decree’ to the more recent ‘Plan A’. We have endeavoured throughout to apply the principles of sustainable environmental management and development in all of our work as ‘environmental packaging champions’:

• Acting as an internal consultants for marketers & other business stakeholders – advising on ‘fitness for purpose’ and ‘environmental best-practice’.
• Highlighting issues with existing packaging to our work colleagues
• Applying ‘sustainable principles in the hundreds of packaging developments on which We’ve worked

Moving forwards, I pledge that Design Cognition will continue applying the principles of sustainable development and environmental responsibility in all of our work. As CEO of a company that not only develops packaging but also acts in a consultancy capacity (advising on packaging ‘sustainability’ & ‘the environment’) I carry the mantle with a great deal of pride and self-fulfilment – enjoying making a ‘real difference’ in the world.

• Our initial discussions with clients always encompass sustainable aspects – and that will continue
• One of our ‘values’ (shown on our website) is to be ‘environmentally aware’:
• “bearing in mind our impact on the environment and eco-systems in all that we develop and in our day-to-day business”
• Through this ethos I will encourage all in Design Cognition to ‘live’ our environmental policy as a holistic approach to encompass not only work we do for clients but also in our day-to-day business activities.

We look forward to working with you

Chris

Following on from an article we ran earlier in the year on a bicycle made from bamboo, this demonstrates another interesting use of bamboo, which is evidently a strong, sustainable and cost-effective solution. As long as good ‘Forest Stewardship’ is demonstrated to avoid local bamboo depletion, this has the ‘thumbs-up’ from us!  Chris

Via Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 18 November 2009 Computer giant Dell has selected packaging made from bamboo as an alternative to the paper pulp, corrugated and expanded plastic packs to ship its laptops. The China-sourced bamboo is being used for the cushions that cradle the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and 10v netbooks inside an outer box made from 25% post-consumer material.

You can read the full article in Packaging News here: http://bit.ly/47LpsP

We just received this picture via email and it made us laugh. We thought that you might like it too.  A very novel re-use of packaging to minimise scarce resources. Have a guess from which northern UK country it originated? Chris

Novel re-use for Tennants Lager packaging

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

I suppose there are pros and cons – is it better to protect the food with more packaging so that it can be stored for longer and there is less food waste – or better to scrap the food and save on the packaging?  I think if they can find a way of making the film from a biodegradable material then this has the potential to be a real step forward.  It would take some selling to the general public though, there appears to be a large number who believe that all packaging is evil, regardless of it’s use or benifit. (Jane)

 

Health-conscious consumers bananas are a welcome part of a convenience store’s offering. That is, until they turn brown. Which is why Del Monte developed a new plastic wrap for bananas that promises to more than double their shelf life by keeping out air and moisture. 7-Eleven has been trialling the second skin in 27 of its Dallas-area stores. If the trial is successful, the bananas-in-bags could be stocked in the majority of the chain’s 5,787 shops by early 2010.

From the perspective of consumer health that’s a thumbs up, but some have criticized the extra packaging as environmentally unsound. After all, bananas come wrapped in their own protective layer. Del Monte is looking to develop biodegradable packaging, but also stresses that the new plastic wrapper reduces the overall carbon footprint by enabling a reduction in deliveries. The company is also introducing specially packaged bananas in vending machines, underlining the wider context of increased consumer demand for food that’s both healthy and convenient. (Related: Vending machines for healthy food — Vending machines for farm produce.)

via New packaging prolongs shelf life of bananas – Springwise.

I found the following article via a LinkedIn packaging group and it gives an interesting overview of size, trends, obstacles, opportunities and predictions pharma packaging industry. Have a read of the full article and let us know what you think. Chris

According to a survey conducted by Pharmaceutical Technology Europe (PTE), almost 50% of you believe that cost is the biggest limiting factor to innovation in the pharmaceutical packaging industry, while regulations were also thought to present a major hurdle to new development, accounting for almost two-thirds of the remaining votes.¹ The pharmaceutical industry recognizes the importance of good packaging design, in particular because of the continuing pressure to aid patient compliance, meet regulatory demands, and increase a brand’s life and appeal; however, manufacturers must also innovate while improving efficiency and adapting to the growing threat of drug counterfeiting.

You can read the full article here (but may need a LinkedIn account):

http://fb.me/3mDlBhX

Via LinkedIn link to Pharmaceutical Technology Europe, Volume 21, Issue 11 Nov 1, 2009
Article by: Fedra Pavlou, Stephanie Sutton, Corrine Lawrence