Archive for the ‘Eco-Friendly’ Category
Monday, September 26th, 2011
Method has unveiled its latest innovation in sustainable packaging- a bottle that is made out of plastic collected from the North Pacific Gyre, also referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The bottle contains 100% post-consumer polyethylene, 25% of which is plastic collected from the Gyre. Method has partnered with Envision Plastics who is one of the largest recyclers in the US making it possible to make this Ocean PCR that is the same quality as virgin HDPE plastic.
The process starts will collecting and cleaning the plastic removing unwanted contaminants where it is then blended and remanufactured into high quality plastic. The beauty is that the upcycled ocean plastic can be recycled again and again. Method’s ultimate goal is to raise awareness that the real solution to plastic pollution lies in reusing and recycling the plastic that’s already on the planet. Method also aims to prove that green business can grow the US economy and create jobs.
Method made its first bottle entirely from post-consumer recycled plastic in 2006. Since then they’ve been known as a leading innovator in premium eco-friendly household and personal care products by developing plastic packaging that is completely free from virgin plastics. Method products can be found in over 35,000 retail locations.
Tags:Method, ocean, packaging, plastic, pollution, recycle, reusing, sustainable packaging, upcycle
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
In case you didn’t know, tomorrow is World Car-Free Day. So what does that mean? Well, this green holiday will be celebrated world-wide by individuals focused on giving the climate a break by taking cars off of the roads. People around the globe are organizing their own events exploring alternative transportation via wiki to the WCN website. WCN, or World Carefree Network, is loosely running World Car-Free Day.
What are people doing to honor this holiday you ask? Events include everything from group cycling on the way to work to people protesting the lack of non-car transportation options in the street. But if you live in a location where this celebration simply isn’t practical, there are still options for the dedicated. You could sample an electric car from a car sharing program such as Hertz on Demand for the day. Carpooling is another option that is an act of lessening the amount of automobiles on the roads.
World Car-Free Day began in 2008 and tomorrow will mark the 4th time it will be celebrated.
Tags:automobile, bicycle, bike, carpool, cars, electric car, environment, gasoline, pollution, transportation
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Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Just two days ago, we wrote about Coca-Cola switching to plant-based packaging for their 500ml plastic bottles. The change was part of their green initiative to recover the equivalent of 100% of their packaging by 2020.
Now, AT&T has announced that they will be using plant-based packaging for their accessories. The new packaging will contain 30% plant-based materials sourced from sugarcane ethanol. This will make AT&T the first U.S.telecom to use sugarcane-based plastic for packaging. This integration will not completely eliminate plastic but will cut their fossil fuel use by a third compared to the old accessory packaging.
Already, AT&T has been making strides to reduce their environmental impact. In March of 2010, they slimmed down their accessory packaging which cut the use of 500+ tons of paper and plastic from packaging in 2010 and 2011. AT&T also uses soy and vegetable inks in packaging. The new plant-based accessory packaging will be available by October 2, 2011.
Tags:AT&T, eco-friendly packaging, mobile, plant-based packaging, sugarcane, sustainable packaging
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Monday, September 12th, 2011
Coca-Cola has made their vision clear of making all of their plastic bottles from plant-based materials and recycled plastic by 2020. Their latest development is rolling out new packaging for their 500ml drinks. The new PlantBottle packaging is made from 22.5% renewable plant-based PET and 25% recycled plastic. The reason these new bottles are more eco-frlendly is that they’ll reduce the company’s dependency on fossil fuels. They are being released today in the UK and can be identified with a PlantBottle logo. More than 5 billion of Coke’s PlantBottles will be available in 20 countries by the end of 2011.
Coca-Cola is not new to the green movement. In fact, last year they won the Best Sponsor Activation award at the UK Festival Awards for their recycling program. Coke is committed to recover the equivalent of 100% of their packaging by 2020.
Tags:coca-cola, coke, eco-friendly packaging, fossil fuels, PET, plant based materials, recycle, soda, sustainable packaging
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Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
By 2015, paper use in magazines, newspapers, and books is expected to fall between 12 and 20 percent from 2010 levels. With the increased use of tablets nationwide, there is no surprise at this report. In 2010, tablets exploded onto the market where by the end of their first year, 15 million tablet computers were in use. North America alone accounted for 10 million and by 2015, that number is expected to grow to 200 million.
Some people out there thought that the newspaper industry would be a thing of the past by now. Where will it be in 2015- just three short years away?
As paper use falls, the packaging market will also see big changes. Environmentally friendly packaging growth is expected to really take off with degradable packaging experiencing the most demand growth. As manufacturing technology continues refine degradable packaging to expand its uses, the sky will be the limit. The development of degradable packaging has been slow as researchers are testing materials such as mushrooms, banana leaves, and coconuts.
Right now, recycled content packaging is the largest green packaging sector by far because it is far more developed. What will packaging look like in 2015?
Tags:degradable packaging, green packaging, iPad, Magazines, newspaper, paper, recycle, samsung galaxy, tablets
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Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
The Frii is a bike made exclusively out of recycled plastic. This snap together sensation is both lightweight and durable- a true innovation for green design. Mastermind Israeli designer Dror Peleg came up with the concept and design for this recycled 1-speed bike that’s intended for quick trips through the city streets.
Production of the Frii entails using recycled plastic that is melted and injection molded to form each unique part of the bike. The body of the bike is the largest component where at the bottom sits a pedal crank that runs a belt to the rear wheel hub instead of a chain. There are no external brakes- just a BMX style brake system where peddling backwards causes the bike to stop.
Forks to the 20-inch plastic wheels are kept short for added strength. Solid tires are injected over the rims during the manufacturing process. The seat does look uncomfortable but the Frii is not for long, smooth rides. And of course, the colors and modular design are electrifying.
Tags:bicycle, Eco-Friendly, injection molded, pedal bike, recycled plastic
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Friday, August 26th, 2011
World demand for green packaging is expected to rise 5.7% per year to $212 billion in 2015. We’ve been tracking these projections for a couple of years now. Without becoming redundant, it should be noted that these growth numbers have been consistent. A lot of speculation rose over the green packaging market a few years ago that is was a passing fad. But surviving a terrible world economy is a tell tale sign that the demand is real.
This new growth projection for green packaging comes from a new study by the Freedonia Group. The study shows recycled-content packaging as being the largest product type by far. However, recycled-content packaging will see the slowest increases due to the maturity of products such as metal cans and glass containers. Reusable and degradable packaging will experience above-average growth with degradable packaging in particular seeing double digit annual growth rates. Though degradable packaging’s demand will increase significantly, it will only make up approximately 1% of the overall green packaging market by 2015.
The largest regional green packaging market in the world will remain Asia/Pacific at $79 billion because of its large food and beverage industries. Asia will see some of the fastest growth in India, China, and Indonesia. Other countries such as Russia, Turkey, Brazil, and Mexico will see healthy gains as well.
Accounting for 23% of the green packaging market in 2010, the US has the largest market share by a long shot. Other mature markets can be found in Germany as well as Japan though Japan’s growth is expected to slow down quite a bit.
Stay tuned…..although at this point we can predict the same type of story in the next study.
Tags:biodegradable, Eco-Friendly, green packaging, recycled, reuse, sustainable
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Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
Ford and Toyota are teaming up to make a gas-electric hybrid engine to power pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. The signed deal has both companies sharing development costs to make a hybrid engine that is more affordable to bring it to the market faster. Hybrid automobiles have been the talk of the auto industry since gas spiked in 2007 but because of how expensive the options are, American consumers have yet to buy in. And whose to blame them in the middle of the biggest recession since the Great Depression?
Another reason that hybrids have not grown popular in the US is because Americans find trucks and SUVs necessary- more so than other countries. And hybrid options up to this point for trucks and SUVs have been underwhelming. That is the main reason that this deal between automobile giants has been struck. Toyota’s Executive Vice President for R&D, Takeshi Uchiyamada, said about hybrid technology for trucks and SUVs “Those kind of models are indispensable to American customers. And providing them with our hybrid technology will help conserve energy and reduce output for greenhouse gas here in the US”.
Hybrid trucks will help automakers meet stricter government regulations into the future. In the US, the fleet of new cars and trucks will be required to average 56.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
It will take a year for Ford and Toyota to figure out who will do what research and about 2-3 years before a system can be developed. No speculation yet as to how gas mileage their engine will get.
Tags:automobiles, cars, environment, Ford, green cars, Greenhouse Gas, hybrid, SUV, Toyota, trucks
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Friday, August 19th, 2011
Approximately 1,369 tons of polystyrene foam goes into U.S. landfills daily. By volume, polystyene foam takes up 25 to 30 percent of total landfill area. These figures make it one of the most environmentally unfriendly types of waste around.
Big cities in California such as San Francisco, Oakland, and Huntington Beach have banned the use of polystyrene foam takeout packaging. You can now add Salinas to the list. Salinas city council banned the containers at a 6-1 vote on August 16th which will officially go into effect February 12, 2012. The law also extends into banning all disposable food serviceware including plates, cups, bowls, trays, cup lids, straws, utensils, etc. The law will apply to all establishments that sell or provide prepared food for takeout.
There are a total of 39 bans on polystyrene takeout packaging in California. Los Angeles has bans in place at citywide facilities and events. A bill will be voted on by the state on August 25th that looks to phase out polystyrene takeout packaging statewide by 2016.
Various cities up the West Coast including Seattle and Portland have also banned these containers. If packaging companies are slow to evolve into the new world of sustainable packaging, they most likely will be forced to by law to help preserve the environment. It’s no question that our eco-conscious society is changing the dynamics of the industry.
Tags:environment, foam, Food Packaging, polystyrene, Styrofoam, sustainable, takeout
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Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
Pacific Perfumes of New Zealand creates solid perfumes that capture the essence of the South Pacific. Their perfumery takes special skill blending botanical essences of flower, wood, fruits and resin, producing unique fragrances. Perfumes from Pacific Perfumes have never been tested on animals and ingredients are all from the plant world.
Elegant perfume needs elegant packaging, sustainable packaging in this case. Pacific Perfumes went with a design by Mike Peters that ended up winning the HBA’s International Package Design Award (IPDA). Lets explore….
The perfume itself is packaged in a simple wooden pot that is compact and beautiful to touch. A clever snap-to-system carved in the wood keeps the lid secure. The wood is made from sustainable Beech sourced from certified sustainable New Zealand forests. For every tree that is logged, another one is planted in its place.
Another piece of sustainable Beech is used to hold the wooden pot of perfume inside of a recyclable paperboard box. It is also a little gift. The shape of a Nikau tree (Palm tree that is native to New Zealand only) pops out, as pictured, of the Beech perfume holder to further symbolize the culture of New Zealand.
Tags:green packaging, New Zealand, paperboard, perfume, recyclable, sustainable, wood
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