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

Despite the current economic climate manufacturers are still pushing forward with making their products more sustainable.  More sustainable doesn’t have to mean more expensive and I think that’s the key to this – it might appear all very ‘trendy’ at the moment to talk about sustainability, but in the long run it can help to cut your costs and more importantly help your profits. (Jane)

Most grocery manufacturers have either maintained or increased their investment in sustainability during the recession a survey has found, indicating the importance it will play for businesses in the coming decade.

via Sustainability no less important in recession, survey.

That’s another of the ‘big boys’ out.  I really hope that it might prompt a re-think of the BRC scheme.  I believe there is a lot of value to the scheme it’s self, but it needs a bit of fine tuning if it’s to gain credibility with the larger multi-national brands (Jane)

Unilever has told Packaging News that it will not be signing up to the British Retail Consortium’s on-pack recycling logo, following the news that its FMCG rival Procter & Gamble ruled out joining the scheme.

via Unilever joins P&G in rejecting BRC logo scheme | packagingnews.co.uk.

So is this going to be the next must have claim for chocolate? (Jane)

Media reports have suggested that Nestlés leading chocolate brand Kit Kat is set to become Fairtrade certified, in a move that would mirror Cadbury’s recent move to Fairtrade for its Dairy Milk chocolate. KitKat is the biggest selling chocolate bar in the UK and it sales in that country have risen 8.6 per cent since the start of the year. Certification of the brand would certainly catapult the notion of Fairtrade into the minds of chocolate consumers.

via Nestle may move Fairtrade with Kit Kat.

Looks a lovely pack and will be much easier to wrap at Christmas -  just goes to show that becoming more environmently friendly doesn’t have to mean loss of style or shelf presence.  It will be interesting to see how the packs withstand possible transit damage.  The tins always seemed very prone to picking up ‘dints’ on shelf.  I hope the pack does really well and look forward to seeing more of the ‘bought to share’ chocolate brands move this way.  (Jane)

Cadbury is trialling a cardboard replacement for its traditional Roses chocolates tin in a bid to reach its packaging weight reduction targets for seasonal and gift packaging.

via Cadbury replaces Roses tin with cardboard box | packagingnews.co.uk.

SIG pips rivals to produce first one-litre aseptic FSC carton.

SIG Combibloc has won the race to produce the first FSC-certified one-litre aseptic beverage carton for packaging long-life juice drinks and ice teas.The first run of the new cartons, which are marked with the FSC logo on the corner of the packaging, have gone on sale in all German branches of supermarket Lidl.Its launch means that the company has pipped Tetra Pak to bring a one-litre FSC-certified aseptic carton to market.

via SIG pips rivals to produce first one-litre aseptic FSC carton | packagingnews.co.uk. Ben Bold

GSK takes a shine to filmless, ‘green’ holography cartons

A new carton for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare’s Aquafresh White & Shine toothpaste shimmers with a subtle holographic rainbow effect with a heavy emphasis on the green end of the spectrum. Through the use of new printing technology, the carton is as easy to recycle —something that most holographic packages cannot claim.: “Traditional holographic packaging contains a laminated layer of metallized polyester that does not remove easily from the paperboard, making recycling very difficult,” says Michael J. Larocca, packaging development manager for GSK Consumer Healthcare. “This package has no polyester or metal content. As a result, there is no impact to typical paperboard recycling streams.”

via GSK takes a shine to filmless, ‘green’ holography | Greener Package.  by Anne Marie Mohan, Managing Editor, GreenerPackage.com

Just goes to show what can be done to make savings without actually compromising the quality of the pack.  Yes I know the pack is smaller, but maybe that isn’t such a bad thing in the eye of the consumer.  After all, who likes to open a pack to find that there is a lot of unnecessary ‘empty’ space in it?  There is now a definite group of consumers who will consider this when buying items and it’s good to see that Young’s are advertising the use of less packaging on the front face of the pack.  It does beg the question though, if Young’s can make this kind of saving on a humble product carton what sort of savings could be made on your own products? (Jane)

Seafood brand Youngs has cut the packaging used for its fish pies and on its chilled salmon as part of an ongoing sustainability drive.

via Youngs Seafood cuts packaging for fish pie and salmon ranges | packagingnews.co.uk.