Posts Tagged ‘Eco-Friendly’
Friday, June 24th, 2011
“Apple’s been growing like a weed” said Steve Jobs, the charismatic CEO of Apple Inc. And that is precisely why Jobs announced plans of Apple pursuing a new eco-friendly home in northern California to house approximately 12,000 employees. The company’s existing headquarters, which accommodates about 2,600 employees, has forced Apple to rent space in smaller buildings scattered throughout Cupertino, located nine miles west of San Jose.
The spaceship donut-like structure that Apple is looking to build will be set on a proposed 150 acre campus. The huge circular structure will be made almost entirely of curved grass with a heavily landscaped center. Steve Jobs has hired Stanford University’s senior arborist to make the campus 80% landscaped.
Other eco-friendly characteristics of the new project were a natural-gas-fired energy center that would serve as the new headquarters’ main power source. Most of the parking will be underground to create space for thousands of additional trees on the property.
The new site will allow Apple to increase its workforce and consolidate in one location. Jobs hoped to submit formal plans for the new Apple headquarters soon with the goal of moving in by 2015.
So what do you think of this thing? Quite futuristic I must say.
Tags:Alternative Energy, apple, Eco-Friendly, iPad, iPod, landscaping, Steve Jobs, technology
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Marketing | No Comments »
Monday, June 20th, 2011
When is the last time you read a paperback or hardcover book?
a. Just recently
b. Never, I hate reading
c. What is a paperback or hardcover book?
If you responded with c, I want to first inform you that books are those things with pages and second, you may be one of many who have ditched actual tangible books and have hopped on the eBook and e-reader bandwagon. Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, and the Sony E-Reader are just a few of the electronic book readers changing the landscape of how we read. And for the first time, Amazon’s sales of their electronic books for their Kindle have overtaken those of printed versions. For every 100 printed books, Amazon sells 105 electronic ones. It would be unrealistic to think that this could never happen, but now that it has, it is interesting to know how popular eBooks and e-readers have become. E-readers possess qualities like easier portability, ease of use, and they have the ability to purchase books instantly from the device, among other features. They are also a more eco-friendly version to reading as well as more functional.
So what does this mean for printed books? Only time will tell. But in the mean time, marketers can step up their skills and create something unique to keep printed books in the minds of consumers.
Tags:Amazon, consumers, e-reader, ebooks, Eco-Friendly, electronic books, Kindle, marketers, portability, print, printed books, sales
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Marketing, New Products, Product Information | 1 Comment »
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is an industry working group that is committed to creating and implementing an environmental vision for packaging. Their mission is to advocate and communicate a robust vision for making packaging more environmentally friendly. They also support innovative and functional packaging materials that promote economic and environmental health. SPC has been working on a new project and they are preparing to launch a voluntary labeling pilot program for packaging this fall that intends to increase recycling and make it easier to understand. The hope is to eliminate confusion that is caused by some labels. SPC will allow members to use this new labeling program on their products, and plan on opening the program to others. The overall goal of this program is for it to become a universal label.
Eco labeling has taken some heat recently because it can be confusing and misleading. Some companies that participate in greenwashing use eco labels to make their products appear to be eco-friendly. This has led to consumer confusion and frustration. Consumers want instruction and direction on what is actually recyclable. This pilot labeling program will help give consumers the right information on what to recycle, with the goal of keeping everyone on the same page.
The labels have three classifications: widely recycled, not recyclable, and limited recycling. A black diagonal line will classify the not recyclable label. Limited recycling will have the phrase check locally above the icon and it will identify the material. Plastic bags and films will be classified by store drop off or recycle if clean and dry.
Tags:consumers, eco labeling, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-friendly, functional packaging, greenwashing, packaging, recycle, recycling, sustainable, Sustainable Packaging Coalition
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Monday, June 6th, 2011
The act of going green is defined as the process of changing one’s lifestyle for the safety and benefit of the environment. People who decide to go green and take on an eco-friendly lifestyle consider the outcomes their decisions have on global warming, pollution, and other environmental concerns. Sounds simple right? Well if you are a business it may be harder than you think. Those who do decide to make their business practices green have the potential to make a big impact in helping save the environment. They also set a positive attitude for their company, differentiate themselves from competitors, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. Going green is an big process to tackle, but the end results are great.
One problem that arises when businesses decide to go green is green washing. Green washing is the practice of companies making unsubstantiated or misleading claims of the environmental benefits of a product or service. Those who rise above this maintain a good company name and brand, while also promoting eco-friendliness.
Here are the top 3 green companies that have made commitments to become sustainable companies:
1. Dell: Dell has made a commitment to transform their packaging by making it safe for the environment. They started by trying out different materials for their packaging. Dell worked with bamboo because it replenishes itself quickly. They also just recently turned to mushrooms as part of their cushioning for their server packaging. Mushrooms are grown, not manufactured, using less energy to produce the packaging. Dell has made many goals in becoming a sustainable company. They plan on reducing waste and making their packaging recyclable. They are constantly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
2. Wal-Mart: The CEO of Wal-Mart decided a few years ago to make a commitment to becoming more sustainable. They decided to make goals of running their stores on 100% renewable energy, implementing a zero waste system, and redesigning products so they are more eco-friendly. Wal-Mart has been successful in meeting their goals and becoming a more sustainable company. They have drastically reduced its waste, cut down on packaging for the goods they sell, improved fuel efficiency, and monitored their suppliers carbon footprint. Wal-Mart has saved millions of dollars by going green, which has helped their business as well as the environment.
3. Waste Management: When you think of this company, eco-friendly probably is the first words that come to mind. But they are taking initiative to change that. Waste Management is no longer just a garbage company, but an environmental answer resource. They are taking charge and finding advances in technology to reduce waste, increase recycling and reuse, creating safer disposal options, and developing sources of renewable energy. They have also found a way to capture methane from landfills, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and has generated enough renewable energy to power 1 million homes. They are more than just a garbage company to 20 million customers and are continuing to find ways to protect the environment.
If these 3 companies can take the imitative to go green, so can others. These companies have done a great job at setting examples for other companies to hopefully follow.
Tags:carbon footprint, Dell, Eco-Friendly, environment, environmentally-friendly, greenhouse gas emissions, greenwashing, packaging, recycling, renewable energy, sustainable company, Wal-Mart, Waste Management
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Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
Custom Turned Edge Set Up Boxes
tru melange, a fellow Minnesota based company, signifies the harmony and beauty of nature in their handmade aromatherapy candles. Designing the packaging was important to tru melange as the packaging needed to be an extension of the candle and the company’s image as well.
Vishal Naithani of tru melange, “We wanted our packaging to be upscale. It needed to convey the image of our product and our company…We went with Sunrise because of their great service, price and ability to meet these needs.”
After thorough consideration the final box was a custom turned edge set up box. They was printed using a 4 color offset on 80 pound litho text with aqueous coating. This was then wrapped around 42 point chipboard. The 4 color printing ensured the vibrant and varying colors came out pristine. The chipboard resulted in a 2-piece turned edge box with a sturdy feel that paralleled the upscale image of the company. Custom packaging is just the edge this company needed on retail shelves.
More on custom turned edge boxes
Watch a video on the turned edge process
Tags:aroma, candle, Custom Boxes, Eco-Friendly, packaging, retail, set up boxes, turned edge boxes
Posted in Case Studies, Custom Packaging Products, Packaging Design | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
PepsiCo is at it once again to fulfill their overall environmental goal of becoming an eco-friendly company. PepsiCo has realized something very important, their beverages are not just packaged in cans and bottles, cups are another way that Pepsi products get distributed. Places like colleges, stadiums, theme parks, and eateries use cups to serve Pepsi beverages. Although cans are fully recyclable and they have created the Plant Bottle, PepsiCo now has another task to tackle.
So how did PepsiCo solve this problem? They realized the need for sustainable beverage packaging and used some innovation and creativity to create 5 different eco-friendly, compostable, and recyclable cups that they will issue to their U.S. food-service customers. They designed 100% recyclable clear plastic cups, compostable paper cups, and wax cups that are made from plant-based materials from sustainably managed forests.
PepsiCo has done a fantastic job at going green and meeting their sustainability goals. They work hard to come up with innovative ways to green their packaging. PepsiCo has taken initiative to realize that consumers want to be more eco-friendly and they want their packaging to be eco-friendly as well. They hope that other companies will realize this and come up with their own ways to be more sustainable companies and produce eco-friendly packaging.
Tags:beverage packaging, compostable, Eco-Friendly, eco-friendly packaging, environment, environmentally-friendly, green, innovative, packaging, PepsiCo, plant based materials, recyclable, sustainable
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Packaging Design, Product Information | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Renew: The VBS Eco Binder
It’s hard not to stop and look twice at this eco binder. It’s imaginative design and eco-friendliness combine to create a green look all of its own. Used as a program guide for Renew: The Green VBS, its creators wanted to make a statement on environmental stewardship.
Sunrise Packaging found a great solution for the customer that not only included an eco-friendly look, it demonstrated sustainable packaging. The eco binder is made out of 100% recycled chipboard and is silk screened with UV inks that contain no solvents making it 100% recyclable at the end of its life cycle. The ring metals can easily be removed and recycled through a local scrap metal recycler. Sunrise Packaging can customize your eco-binder to catch the attention of your audience.
More on Custom Eco Binders
More on Sustainable Packaging
Shop Eco Binders
Tags:3-ring binders, binder, chipboard, Eco-Friendly, environment, green packaging, ring binders, sustainable
Posted in Binders, Case Studies, Custom Packaging Products, Eco-Friendly, New Products, Packaging Design | No Comments »
Monday, May 23rd, 2011
Consumerism is a movement that seeks to protect and inform consumers by requiring practices like packaging, advertising, product guarantees, and safety standards. In theory it is also the outcome of producing greater consumption of goods for the benefit of the economy. Since we have become a society that is concerned with the state of our environment, consumerism has become eco-friendly. Green consumerism is a new movement that is concerned about products and services that are considered ethically made. This means with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals, and/or the natural environment.
Green consumerism is interesting in that it focuses on us buying green products. Well how beneficial are green products to the environment if we don’t use them properly. An article written by Jacquie Ottman titled “The Next Frontier in Green Marketing is Responsible Consumption” pinpoints this issue spot on. The article provides an example: how is an eco-friendly light bulb eco-friendly if the light remains on after everyone leaves the room? They contradict each other. We may feel good about doing our part if we buy green products, but we need to focus more on the behaviors we conduct when we use them. It defeats the purpose of buying green if we are not using the products in an eco-friendly manner.
Going green is based on behavior. If we want to be buy eco-friendly products we must learn green behaviors. If we look at this issue from a business perspective, marketers of green products should focus on adding value for consumers and providing them with the needed knowledge of how to use the product. Buying green products and using them properly is how we will help save our planet. Green consumerism is on the rise and more consumers feel they have a personal responsibility to do their part to help the earth.
Tags:advertising, business, consumerism, consumers, consumption, Eco-Friendly, environment, go green, green, green consumerism, green products, marketers, packaging
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Monday, May 16th, 2011
Pantene Pro-V, a Proctor and Gamble product, is getting fused with natural components. Its new shampoo and conditioner bottles are being produced primarily from plant-based plastic to form packaging that is more eco-friendly. This new material is made from sugarcane and will launch in Europe. It will expand to the rest of the world over the next 2 years. Sugarcane is becoming a very popular material for packaging because it is a natural and renewable resource. 70% less fossil fuels are being used and it releases significantly less green house gases than traditional petroleum based plastics.
Sugarcane is better for the planet and it doesn’t alter the feel and look of the original packaging. The new eco-friendly bottle has the same physical characteristics of the old bottle. This is the first hair care brand to use sugarcane for their packaging. This innovation for Pantene Pro-V is just one of the many steps Proctor and Gamble is taking to achieve their goals of becoming a more sustainable company and providing environmentally friendly products.
Tags:Eco-Friendly, environmentally-friendly, innovation, natural, Nature Fusion, packaging, Pantene Pro-V, Proctor and Gamble, renewable resource, sugarcane, sustainable packaging
Posted in Eco-Friendly, New Products, Packaging Design, Product Information | No Comments »
Monday, May 9th, 2011
Target announced April of 2010 that they were going to roll out a nationwide recycling program in the front of each of its 1,740 U.S. stores. The program was divided into 4 stations: aluminum, plastic and aluminum, one for regular trash, plastic bags had its own, and the last one was for MP3 players, cell phones and ink cartridges. The goal of this program was to reduce unnecessary waste from their stores and communities. Target also has the goal of becoming a more sustainable company overall by creating efforts to reduce their environmental footprint.
So how has this program performed a year later? More than 170 million shopping bags, 700 tons of bottles and cans, and almost 2 million small electronics were recycled. Target has made great progress in developing a plan that has produced this much success in only one year. Target has made an impressive commitment to becoming a more sustainable and eco-friendly company.
Tags:Eco-Friendly, environmental footprint, green, recycling program, reduce waste, sustainable, Target
Posted in Eco-Friendly | 1 Comment »
