Posts Tagged ‘eco-friendly packaging’

Wrap Without Waste

Friday, June 5th, 2009

wrap without waste Wrap Without WasteWith growing environmental concerns, we are constantly hearing the phrase, “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” This is especially apparent with shopping bags and wasted wrapping. According to a study by the Clean Air Council, the United States generates an extra five million tons of waste in the winter holiday months, four of which come from gift wrapping, gift bags, and shopping bags. That is an enormous amount of waste that could be reduced by using reusable materials.

If you are looking to help the environment and reduce waste from gift wrapping, we found the BOBO Wrapping Scarf online, which can do both for you. Not only are these wrapping scarves classy and fashionable, but they are also good for the environment. They are reusable and typically made from already existing fabrics, rather than wasting and using raw materials. I thought this wrapping scarf was a great green alternative to gift wrapping. It is reusable, durable, and stylish. fabric wrap Wrap Without Waste

When you think about packaging any of your products, think of a reusable package that will last. At Sunrise, we make durable packaging, which you will not have to replace nearly as often, so you can help reduce waste. Many of our products are also made from recyclable, biodegradable or recycled materials, and we recycle all of our excess materials. So get out there, do your part to reduce waste, and help our environment.

Greenhouse environmental management – the green house provides businesses with tailored waste management programs to minimize their waste output and costs.

Mother’s Day CD Case Card

Friday, May 1st, 2009

May is Green Packaging Month at Sunrise. In May, we focus on communicating ways to create packaging that is unique, helps you stand out from the crowd, and is also environmentally responsible… yes, you can have all three. Check out our Green Packaging Pages for more information.

CD+eggcard+finished Mothers Day CD Case CardTo get us started, since Mother’s day is next weekend, we found a web site that will help you turn an unused CD case into a beautiful card for Mom!

Here’s a picture of the completed project. check out the craftylife blog for complete instructions.

Be sure to let us know how your card turned out. In fact, send us a picture and we’ll highlight it in a post! (We’ll wait until after Mother’s Day to keep the surprise)

The next time you need a binder, CD/DVD/USB case, box or sales kit, give your favorite Account Manager a call and we’ll help you create a work of art that will be environmentally friendly too.

Green Packaging Plays Vital Role in Purchasing Decisions

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Having green packaging allows you to help the environment, but is it worth it financially for your company? We have been hearing a lot more about being green and environmentally-friendly the past few years from numerous companies and industries. Is it just a bunch of talk, or do people really care about the environment? How significant is sustainable packaging to consumers?

green packaging Green Packaging Plays Vital Role in Purchasing Decisions
(Picture from The Pohly Company)

Scott Young and Perception Research Services studied packaging and the environment with extensive research over two years. What they discovered is that most important to shoppers making purchasing decisions is the overall package appearance and functional concerns. Once these needs are met, they will factor in the environmental considerations. This makes green packaging the deciding factor for shoppers trying to pick between two products with equal appearance and functionality. Similarly, shoppers do not want to buy an eco-friendly item that looks and feels “cheap”. Therefore, it is important companies to offer both eye-appealing and functional packaging, as well as packaging that is good for the environment.

One more thing that Young discovered was that only 11% of shoppers thought that they knew what “sustainable packaging” was, and only about half of those actually knew what it meant. It is important for companies to educate consumers about what being environmentally-friendly means and use terms that they will understand.

A.T Kearney also performed a study and came to the conclusion that environmentally-friendly companies performed much better than their competition over a three-month and six-month period and did not have “value erosion”. Even in our struggling economy, green companies are performing above-average in the financial markets.

The eco-friendly trend does not seem to be disappearing anytime soon. Environmentally-friendly packaging does play a vital role in purchasing decisions and is helping companies beat out their competition.

2009 DUMP & KEEP Awards for Packaging

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Environment Victoria in Australia announced their National DUMP Awards (Damaging and Useless Materials in Packaging) to draw public and business attention to the negative environmental impact caused by unnecessary packaging. Along with that, they presented their National KEEP Awards (Kerbing the Environmental Effect of Packaging) to spotlight environmentally friendly packaging.

According to their studies, 44 percent of packaging dump keep awards lemons 2009 DUMP & KEEP Awards for Packagingin Australia gets thrown in a landfill, and packaging materials make up 58 percent of litter. The awards were started to acknowledge those doing packaging right and to pressure companies with wasteful packaging to change their ways.

Topping off the DUMP list was the 5 pack of lemons by Coles Supermarkets. Not only is packaging unnecessary for lemons, but they are also using materials that are not environmentally friendly. The lemons were placed in a flexible tray and then surrounded in a flexible wrap. Neither form of packaging was labeled recyclable.

Not all companies were being criticized. Jarrah instant coffee by Associated dump keep awards coffee 2009 DUMP & KEEP Awards for PackagingBritish Foods ranked high on the KEEP list. Instant coffee used to typically be placed in glass jars, which weighed much more than the product itself. Instead of using a non-recyclable multi-material jar, they switched to a recyclable, single plastic container. They have clearly visible recycling symbols and a perforated line for effortless removal of the label before recycling.

By showcasing the winners of both the DUMP Awards and the KEEP Awards, Environment Victoria is able to both inform consumers about recycling and encourage businesses to use sustainable packaging.