Green Options » green packaging http://greenoptions.com/tag/green-packaging Posts tagged 'green packaging' Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:48:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Inspiring Change One Person at a Time http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:48:45 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/ Sometimes we think we have to change governments and corporations in order to see environmental change, but change is just as powerful when it happens one person at a time. And sometimes it’s easier to do. 

About a month ago, I made two posts about the environmental efforts of SunChips, a snack food company. I had become excited when I discovered, quite by accident, that one of my favorite chips was packaged by a company with a deep environmental commitment. It’s always nice when you discover something that you love anyway has a secondary environmental benefit. Makes me feel better about eating junk food. 

Yesterday, I ran into a guy who was eating a bag of them. I joked, “Hey, did you know that SunChips’ packaging is one-third compostable?”

He immediately perked up. “Really? I didn’t know that. Cool!” 

Then he added thoughtfully. “I enjoy using the environment. But I don’t know much about saving it. I drive a diesel truck.” 

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/feed/ A Closer Look at SunChips’ Compostable Packaging http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 12:43:43 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/ Yesterday, I blogged about SunChips’ smart marketing use of its green message on its packaging and on its website. This morning, I began reading some of the informational PDFs I downloaded from its website about those environmental initiatives. I was intrigued about the company’s use of a new corn-based biopolymer being used take 30% of its current packaging compostable—and growing.

To make its packages partly compostable, SunChips is using a polymer produced by NatureWorks LLC. Polylactic acid (PLA), or polylactide, is made from plant starch. More specifically, PLA is made from lactic acid, which is made from dextrose by fermentation, and dextrose is made from plant starch. In case the order is important.

What is important is that the polymer is made from renewable plants rather than petroleum, so it makes a lower impact on greenhouse gases. NatureWorks has trademarked this material with the name Ingeo, which is calls the world’s first and only performance plastic made from 100% annually renewable resources.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/feed/ Kudos to SunChips — Marketing Its Green http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/#comments Sat, 30 May 2009 21:34:16 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/ One of my greatest dietary weaknesses is SunChips, especially the cheese ones. I stopped buying them because, while I’m publicly known as an exercise and healthy food nut, in secret, SunChips are kryptonite to me. I don’t just eat a normal-sized serving. I eat them until I can’t fit any more into my stomach, then I lay around with a belly ache, thinking about running 10 miles and never do.

So imagine my delight when, after resisting the snack-sized bag on a friend’s counter for a full afternoon (okay, half an afternoon), having a willpower breakdown and tearing open the bag like a wild animal only to discover that the company manufactures its chips using solar power.

Imagine! SunChips are not only health food (or so they say), but they are good for the planet. Suddenly, I felt better about eating the entire bag.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/feed/ Digging for New Material: Bioplastics are Growing Into the Green Economy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/27/digging-for-new-material-bioplastics-are-growing-into-the-green-economy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/27/digging-for-new-material-bioplastics-are-growing-into-the-green-economy/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 23:29:17 +0000 Jeffrey Berlin http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/27/digging-for-new-material-bioplastics-are-growing-into-the-green-economy/

As the Economist wages the largest debate about bio-fuels in memory, another market opportunity appears to be showing itself in the bio production space as well. Bio plastics have been sprouting up in various applications, but a recent study puts the total market of green packaging at $43.9Billion by 2013. The highest growth gains in this market will be in bio plastics for reasons of price stability and increased capacity the report said. Bio plastics will, it is reported, preform at an annual growth rate of thirteen percent. This spells big news for an industry which currently holds only about .1% percent market share.

Part of the reason for this growth will be due to policy changes which restrict the use of some of the most environmentally damaging materials, but the largest effect seems to be coming from packaging producers themselves. Corporate social responsibility leader Coca Cola has developed a new bottle which is composed of around thirty percent bio plastics with the intended goal of developing a one hundred percent renewable option in the future. Likewise, Wal-Mart has begun sourcing toys and children’s goods made from bio plastics.

The draw is that decomposition coupled with less petroleum based material seems to be better environmentally, but some counter this analysis. According to the Guardian Newspaper, foods producers in the UK such as Innocent Drinks have chosen to stop using bio plastics due to lack of recycling options for the products at present. Likewise there have been claims that bio plastics can be environmentally damaging on par with their petroleum based counterparts. Recent innovations have made it so less energy is needed to create bio plastics and thus it seems the growth of the sector makes environmental sense. Followers of Bill McDonough’s cradle to cradle concept often tout the re-usability and closed-loop life cycle of these products, while others derided their historically slow decomposition rates.  Some applications in the burgeoning bio plastics space are:

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/27/digging-for-new-material-bioplastics-are-growing-into-the-green-economy/feed/ How to Cut your Costs And Make Your Package Greener http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/01/how-to-cut-your-costs-and-make-your-package-greener/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/01/how-to-cut-your-costs-and-make-your-package-greener/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:49:52 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/01/how-to-cut-your-costs-and-make-your-package-greener/ I started reading this piece, Unilever Sees Green With Pared Down Color Palette in Ad Age, expecting to read about natural inks. Instead I found a discussion of more or less reducing use of spot color to reduce costs.

Using a color-harmonization program called Project Rainbow, Unilever is reducing the more than 100 hues it uses on its spreads and dressings packaging in Europe to six. Unilever’s hope is to save tens or eventually even hundreds of millions of dollars a year. By some estimates, the entire industry could save $5 billion annually if it follows suit.

Most entrepreneurs, starting out, unless they are in a fashion forward field stick to 4-color process for package printing, much easier and cheaper, but as green has gone gangbusters recently, many ecopreneurs have increased their use of spot color to make their packages stand out. OK, so I buy into this strategy of color reduction as a cost savings method.

But, then I read how this also qualifies as an eco improvement

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/01/how-to-cut-your-costs-and-make-your-package-greener/feed/ Shipping Items with Green Packaging Sends a Message http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/10/shipping-items-with-green-packaging-sends-a-message/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/10/shipping-items-with-green-packaging-sends-a-message/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:01:37 +0000 Robin Shreeves http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/10/shipping-items-with-green-packaging-sends-a-message/ I’m frequently sent products to review - everything from kids’ DVDs with environmental messages to bottles of organic alcholic spirits (hey, someone has to do the tough reviews, right?). I really enjoy doing product reviews (and the perks that come along with them), but sometimes I’m horrified at the packaging that these environmental products are shipped in. Products have shown up on my front steps that have been packed in boxes that are far too big and overly wrapped in bubble wrap surrounded by plastic air pillows surrounded by packing peanuts (that is not an exaggeration).

When the companies that send me products to review ship their products in environmentally unfriendly packaging, they are sending more than just a product. They are unintentionally sending me a message that their company hasn’t thought about the entire environmental impact of their actions. When I get an item shipped with the earth in mind, I get a different, more positive message.

One of the many fantastic things I saw at GreenFest Philly last Sunday was a company called Green Packaging. Green Packaging sells various forms of, you guessed it, green packaging options.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/10/shipping-items-with-green-packaging-sends-a-message/feed/ Got A Great Green Packaging Idea? Now May be The Time to Pitch It. http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/02/got-a-great-green-packaging-idea-now-may-be-the-time-to-pitch-it/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/02/got-a-great-green-packaging-idea-now-may-be-the-time-to-pitch-it/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:29:56 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/02/got-a-great-green-packaging-idea-now-may-be-the-time-to-pitch-it/ Creative Edge Design has a big hit on their hands. The new eco alternative to the standard gallon milk jug has been adopted by both Wal-Mart and Costco and should be making an appearance in a store near you soon.

The “milk pitcher”, rated a story in the New York Times and is gathering both praise and criticism from retailers and consumers.

A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug, adopted by Wal-Mart and Costco, seems made for the times. The jugs are cheaper to ship and better for the environment, the milk is fresher when it arrives in stores, and it costs less. What’s not to like? Plenty, as it turns out.

The jugs have no real spout, and their unorthodox shape makes consumers feel like novices at the simple task of pouring a glass of milk.

Despite the initial reaction of consumers, who really tend to hate anything new…even if research says they should like it, the new milk pitcher is here to stay. And we can expect a host of other products to undergo a face lift too!

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/02/got-a-great-green-packaging-idea-now-may-be-the-time-to-pitch-it/feed/ Is Anybody Watching? The Green Gap Survey Reveals Consumers Want Regulation of Environmental Claims http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/04/21/is-anybody-watching-the-green-gap-survey-reveals-consumers-want-regulation-of-environmental-claims/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/04/21/is-anybody-watching-the-green-gap-survey-reveals-consumers-want-regulation-of-environmental-claims/#comments Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:37:08 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/04/21/is-anybody-watching-the-green-gap-survey-reveals-consumers-want-regulation-of-environmental-claims/ greengap.jpgSome scary truths about consumers’ assumptions could lead to a “green” backlash concludes The Green Gap Survey, released this week by Cone LLC and The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.
We in the business of making environmentally friendly and natural product know that little regulation exists around the terms, “green,” “environmentally friendly,” and “natural.” But, consumers don’t and are, perhaps naively, trusting.

  • 47 percent trust companies to tell them the truth in environmental messaging
  • 45 percent believe companies are accurately communicating information about their impact on the environment
  • 61 percent of Americans say they understand the environmental terms companies use in their advertising

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/04/21/is-anybody-watching-the-green-gap-survey-reveals-consumers-want-regulation-of-environmental-claims/feed/ How To Package A Green Product http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/03/17/how-to-package-a-green-product/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/03/17/how-to-package-a-green-product/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:15:11 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/03/17/how-to-package-a-green-product/ green-package.jpgWe’re green entrepreneurs right? We eschew over-packaging. We skip the plastic overwrap. We limit the packing materials. We think reusable.

But…will consumers pay for it?

A recent Nielsen study shows that half of all US consumers would give up all convenience packaging if it would benefit the environment.

    • 58 percent feel that packaging designed for easy stacking/storing at home is dispensable
    • 55 percent would give up packaging that can be used for cooking, or doubling as a re-sealable container
    • 53 percent don’t need packaging designed for easy transport

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/03/17/how-to-package-a-green-product/feed/ Acting Green by Acting Retro – Food Storage the Old Fashioned Way. http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/05/acting-green-by-acting-retro-%e2%80%93-food-storage-the-old-fashioned-way/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/05/acting-green-by-acting-retro-%e2%80%93-food-storage-the-old-fashioned-way/#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:39:35 +0000 mcmilker http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/05/acting-green-by-acting-retro-%e2%80%93-food-storage-the-old-fashioned-way/ A New York Times article today,The (Possible) Perils of Being Thirsty While Being Green, caught my attention since it brought up the issue of reusing plastic water bottles. That’s soooo yesterday. We haven’t re-used plastic water bottles in years, mostly because of the massive over distribution of scary literature by one of the moms at our preschool a few years ago.

I realize not everyone has had the bejesus scared out of them by another mom, so this article is worth a read. Like many green issues regarding toxins in everyday items, avoiding reusing any plastic water bottles seems like the best course, since selecting the ones that can be reused seems to take excessive amounts of time and research. Buying a few stainless steel bottles available here and hereand at many sporting goods stores, seems like a better choice.

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