Your company decides to be more eco-friendly and use energy-efficient IT products, but how do you decide which products actually use less heat, cut energy bills, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint? I read an interesting article in eWeek titled, “The Green Seal of Approval” that touched on this issue.

There are many certification programs that will analyze the products for you and eWeek focused on the three most common certifications:

• Energy Star.

This is one of the most familiar environmental certifications and it is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. Some of the products they rate are monitors, printers, scanners, desktop computers and notebooks. The products have to meet specific energy-efficiency standards, which include consuming less than a defined amount of power during use and entering into a low-power mode when not in use. The point is to save energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Find a product with the features that you need, and then look for an Energy Star model with those features.

• EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool).

This certification applies to desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors. EPEAT defines 51 criteria in eight areas. It is notable for covering an unusually wide range of issues: reduction of environmentally sensitive materials; materials selection; design for end of life; product longevity and life extension; end-of-life management; and packaging. Depending on how many of the certification’s criteria a product meets, it could receive one of three levels of ratings: Bronze, Silver, or Gold.

• ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances).

This is the European Union’s instruction for the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The products must meet the EU’s limits on levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, and other substances harmful to the environment. This does not mean that the products do not have any of these hazardous substances. There are exemptions for specific uses without alternatives and there are permissible limits allowed.

With the growing trend of eco-friendly products, it can be difficult to determine which IT products are actually energy-efficient. If you want to find the products that use less heat, cut energy bills, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint, look for IT products with these certifications.

Driving in this morning, the trees were coated with a thick layer of snow that looked just like frosting. It’s beautiful to look at, but can be dangerous when we ship products to you.

During the winter a strange phenomenon sometimes comes over our plastic products. When the temperature gets frigid, so do our products, some of which are made from plastic, and everyone at Sunrise cringes and looks on with concerned faces as we try to avoid the damage commonly known as “cold crack”.

We do everything we can to protect your products from winter cold cracking.

It happens most every year and you may have experienced it previously. In the winter you may take the extra precaution of ordering plastic products further in advance than you normally would. This is smart because Sunrise Packaging may need delay your shipping if temperatures reach below zero degrees.

This is the point at which the risk for cold crack increases dramatically and we will not ship your products if we believe they will arrive at your doorstep damaged. In order to protect your purchase, we wait until the risk for cold crack decreases.

Cold crack most often occurs during handling by the carrier. Sunrise will palletize and stretch-wrap larger shipments for further protection. As long as the carrier leaves these shipments intact, cold crack damage should not occur. Individual carton shipments that are handled by the carrier in a “baggage handler” fashion are most susceptible to cold crack damage.

It is wise to let products warm up from frigid temperatures in your facility before handling.

Keep this in mind when the temperatures begin to descend this winter. Order a few extra days in advance and know that even if your order comes a few days later than usual, Sunrise is doing everything it can to fight the forces of nature and defend your products.

Just call us your Super-Plastic-Protecting-Heroes-Of-The-Winter… here to save your products from the cold and protect the investment you have made in our products.

Imagine a brand new customer walking down the aisle of a typical retail store, this potential customer has never purchased your product before and just wants to get in and out. A quick glance of the shelves and in a split second picks up the product next yours and walks away.

It is in this split second that customers either choose your product – or they don’t. As choices increase and it becomes harder to be competitive, packaging is one way to catch the eyes of potential customers and increase sales.

Who wouldn’t want to increase sales? The great thing about creating attractive packaging is you can do it with out busting the bank. Simple and efficient is all you need.

Take the less is more approach. When designing packaging you want to create a unique package that will grab the customers’ attention, not suffocate them. To do this, create packaging with sleek lines and cohesiveness.

One way to give your packaging a professional look is to use the turned edge technique. Turned Edge is a sturdy construction that produces an extremely durable, finished product. Take a look at this YouTube video to better understand how turned-edge covers are made.

Choose a color palette and stick with it. To pick the color palette that will best represent your product, know your audience and what colors appeal to them the most. Then use those colors with the colors that represent your company to make packaging relatable to the customer.

Using metal, foil, or hot stamping is another great way to give your product an elegant look. Using these techniques creates extremely sophisticated packaging.

Another way to create eye-catching packaging is through, giving back to charitable causes. Consumers are more willing to buy products from companies that are interested in the same issues as they are. In fact, sales can increase upwards between 14 to 18 pct when companies use their packaging to support a special cause.

Along with the issue of cause packaging, be sure your company is staying in tune with hot button issues regarding packaging. For instance Going Green, reducing packaging waste, the economy, ease of use and convenience, to name a few. When customers can see you’re aware of what’s going on in the world, they are more drawn to your product.

It truly is all about a split second decisions when trying to reach customers. Packaging can help you make your brand the one that stands out; the one that is taken off the shelf; the one that is purchased; the one that makes money.

It’s been a while since we’ve featured a post on eco-friendly products, so I thought I’d tell you about one of our newest clients who are very passionate about our environment - Green Earth Construction Group out of Tampa, Florida.

Their name says it all. They build residential and commercial buildings using environmentally-friendly methods and materials.

Don’t forget: Sunrise offers a recycling “take-back” program for all products that we make. Once you are done using it, you can send any product we make back to us and we will break it down to its component parts to be recycled.

These environmentally-friendly name tags made from cardboard are beautiful!

Recently, they hosted a symposium on green construction and they wanted their event to be as environmentally friendly as possible. That’s why they decided to use our eco-friendly name badges

The name tags are made from recycled chipboard and steel magnets. The name badges are beautifully printed using dry toner on a digital printer which is part of Sunrise’s vibrant recycling program. The name tags can be taken home and re-used, kept as a memento, or both parts can be detached from each other and recycled.

For more information on Green Earth Construction Group or for dates of upcoming symposiums, contact Virginia Grabowski at 813.241.0222

• On the web: greenearthgroup.net
• On the phone: 813-241-0222
• Direct phone: 813 579-0018 direct

It can be difficult for small businesses to compete when larger companies can devote mass amounts of time and money towards the branding of their products. Moon Maiden Soap provided a blog that suggested 3 simple tips for successful branding through packaging:

Moon Maiden Soap

• Create a Look. This involves picking a color scheme and implementing it in your packaging, company logo, and promotional materials. You may want to decide on a color scheme that associates with the feel or aura of your product. Moon Maiden Soap used a soft, feminine color scheme in their product line to connect with their target market. It is important to have a universal look throughout all of products, so that consumers can link the look with your products.

• Design a Logo. Along with having a universal look, you will want a universal logo that consumers can associate with your product. You want consumers to be able to visualize and image when they think of your product. In turn, consumers may think of your product when they see the image or a similar image. This is successful brand association. If it is difficult for you to come up with an image on your own, try bringing a few ideas to a graphic designer that can come up with a quality, effective logo.

• Decide on Product Presentation. You have to decide on how to package your products. You may want to invest in creative and innovative packaging that consumers can immediately associate with your product. This can give off a professional, sophisticated, or creative feel to your products, depending on how much you are willing to invest. Not only should packaging be creative, but it should also be functional and durable. Whether you decide to go with custom packaging or not, you will want the packaging throughout your product line to compliment each other and unite your product line as a whole.

These 3 simple tips can allow you to have successful branding in your packaging. Implementing these cost-effective steps can help your business compete against the larger companies and go a long way in the business world.

The four controllable factors of the marketing mix (product, price, promotion, and place) can be manipulated to develop an effective marketing plan, but what can companies do about the uncontrollable factors? Successful marketers focus on these aspects of marketing, as well.

The acronym, CERTS, represents the uncontrollable factors:

Uncontrollable Factors: CERTS

Competition. It is important for marketers to understand their competition’s marketing mix. This involves looking at what they are doing and how they go about doing it. This allows you to see what they could be doing better, and use that information within your marketing strategy. And depending on your size, you may be able to influence your competition when you make the most of your signature strengths.

Economy. The current economy must also be taken into consideration. Luxury items may not do as well in a hurting economy. You can see the opportunities available to offer the most affordable product. Your marketing strategy will need to be adjusted in order to maintain or increase your market position in challenging circumstances.

Regulations. Changes in current laws and regulation are also key factors for companies to keep into consideration. As laws and regulations change, what kinds of products are allowed, how they are produced, exporting and importing regulations, and shipping can change drastically. There could be barriers of trade, such as quotas restricting the amount of imports or tariffs that would affect the entire market and, perhaps, necessitate and complete change in strategy which to a nimble company can create new opportunities.

Technology. Having the latest technology can reduce costs, improve the quality of your product, and make marketing more effective. This can allow you to better target your customer, produce more efficiently, and create innovative products. As technology changes, your product or service may become obsolete, like the many manufacturers of buggy whips after the invention of the automobile. It is the role of marketers to monitor the marketplace and changing technology and to adapt to those changes.

Social. Marketing can be improved by paying attention to current social trends, such as concern for the environment and going “green”. Knowing what is most important to your customers will allow you to fine tune your marketing strategy to better target customers and create the kind of products and services they.

CERTS are the uncontrollable factors of marketing which cannot be changed or manipulated by companies to sell their products. These factors must be closely paid attention to and researched in order to best reach the target customers. If companies develop their marketing plan around these factors, they could market their products in a more effective manner.

The key strategy is to recognize and utilize the opportunities uncontrollable factors can bring for your company.

Sunrise Customized Products

There are several things to consider when deciding on a packaging service for your company’s products. Depending on your company’s specific needs, you may want to focus more or less on certain areas. Here are some of the qualities we find most important:

• Quality. A quality product requires quality packaging. You may also want creative and customized packaging to improve the perceived quality of your product and set it apart from the competition. Quality also requires durability. You want to make sure it will last.
• Experience. You are paying for this customized packaging service and you want to make sure they know what they are doing and can meet your needs.
• Innovation. The packaging company should be continually striving to better meet your needs. This may involve customizing your packaging, providing quality packaging, and constantly innovating products available. To do this, the company should be striving towards new products, ideas, and methods of efficiency.
• Communication and Service. The packaging company must know and understand your needs before they can offer you a product that will fulfill those needs. They must listen and know what they are doing. The more attention they are paying to you, the more attention they are going to put into the product that you receive.
• Cost. The quality of the packaging services provided is a part of the cost. Make sure that you are not paying more than it is worth, or pay too little and receive low quality service. You generally get what you pay for. If you want a quality product, it will be worth the investment.
• Location. Some companies will try their hardest to find you the best deal in shipping. A convenient location can also lower your freight costs and delivery time. This should be taken into consideration along with the quality and costs of the services, in order to decide the best choice for your company.

This set of criteria should give you some insight in choosing a customized packaging company to best meet your needs.

Packaging could be one of the most essential components of a product. Not only does it have to grab the customer’s attention, but it also has to portray the product and the message it is trying to convey. If a product does not have good packaging, it is less likely to sell.

Packaging can enable the product to stand out on a shelf versus the competition. Many leading brands try to differentiate their product by making their packaging completely different from that of their competitors. They want their customers to be able to distinguish the difference between the two. If it is easy to find, they can grab it in a hurry, rather than turning to another product. As you can see,

Tic Tacs and Altoids have distinctive packaging for their breath mints. Consumers could see the packaging and know which product it is without seeing the label. This helps these products stand out from the competition.

We also believe packaging gives identity to the product and shows the sophistication of the brand. It allows the customer to relate and connect to the product. Many times the brand and packaging gives added-value to the perception of the product. If it looks like an upscale and trendy product from the packaging, customers may be willing to pay more for it or choose it above the competition. This also has to do with websites, brochures, and business cards. If they are eye-pleasing to the customer, they are likely to spend more time looking at it and increase their appeal for the company or product.

The packaging can help make the product “pop” on the shelf. Sunrise Packaging provides services of creative and customized packaging to help your product do this. The custom design can be tailored to reach your specific needs and give your product the unique edge over the competition. To hear more about what we have to offer, give one of our Design Experts a call at 800-634-8160.

There is an increasing demand for environmentally-friendly products. Many artists and record companies have been working to meet this demand for their products. The most environmentally-friendly option may be iTunes, which is to purchase the albums as digital files. But many customers would still prefer to physically own the CD and album artwork to have as their own. This brings the need for eco-friendly packaging.

Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour, released his first carbon-neutral CD in 2006, “On an Island”, which was Columbia Records’ first album to be released under eco-friendly guidelines. The album was produced with biodegradable cardboard packaging, environmentally friendly inks, and water-based lacquer. They had to change the manufacturing process to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. They also offset the carbon dioxide release by paying for alternative energy sources and planting trees. Columbia Records contributed money to a hydroelectric power plant project in China’s Sichuan province.

Many record companies are jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon. This past spring, Universal Music Group released more than 20 CDs in Wal-Mart stores in recycled paperboard packaging. These CDs also included an insert that offered three free digital downloads. That insert could then also be used to plant wildflowers. Universal also released its Millennium Series in recycled packaging with biodegradable PaperFoam trays, which held the discs.

Sunrise Packaging can help make this possible. We develop creative packaging that is both recyclable and reusable. In order to create an eco-friendly album, we use environmentally-friendly inks, papers and glues for the cover artwork and apply it using biodegradable chipboard. The interlocking trays are made out of recycled plastic or a bio-plastic, which can then have 100% recyclable rings added to complete the album. Sunrise Packaging can give your product the added touch of creativity and offers the social responsibility of an eco-friendly product to attract new and existing customers.

(Pictures taken from Sustainable is Good).