Radio-Frequency Identification, or RFID tags, are very helpful for automatic store checkout, simplifying warehousing, and preventing theft.  Some say RFID tags may even completely replace the barcode, which is most commonly used today.  They are able to store more information on minimal space and can be read quickly by readers.  Although RFID tags are very helpful for these purposes, The Blog of Packaging pointed out that RFID tags could interfere with recycling.

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) performed a study that showed when melting waste glass, it could become less shatterproof or discolored if the recycled glass contains trace amounts of aluminum and silicon from RFID tags.

Something needs to be done to make RFID tags more eco-friendly, such as making them metal-free, easily removable, or stuck to the bottle labels instead of the glass.  Otherwise many losses will be seen from not being able to recycle these materials, which would increase the input of extraneous materials needed.

With the growing concern for sustainable packaging, Greener Package decided to recognize the green efforts of companies moving in the right direction with environmentally-friendly innovations.  The winners come from a range of different industries, including food, pharmaceutical, personal care, and household care.  Here is the list they came up with:

Greener Package Award

• Entropy Solutions–Greenbox thermal management (Winner of Innovator of the Year)
• Estee Lauder–Aveda Vintage Clove Shampoo & cap collection program
• Bryce Corporation–SunChips bag from 33% PLA
• Robbie Mfg.–Hot N Handy Bio-Pouch
• ConAgra-rPET in CPET trays for Healthy Choice
• Ampac–Patch Perfect
• Rexam PLC–rPET in APET drug ovals
• Unisource Worldwide–recycled toys with 100% recyclable packaging

Retail Leadership Award

• Marks and Spencer

Clean Manufacturing Award

• J.L. Clark

All of these companies are setting the mark for their competition.  If they want to stay in the game, they must follow suit with their green efforts, or go above and beyond, because eco-friendly packaging is here to stay.

As consumers are being educated and motivated to become more environmentally-friendly, we are seeing more and more eco-friendly products being introduced.  One of these areas is the cell phone industry.

One example is the Samsung Reclaim that was recently offered for Sprint users.  Not only is this phone a more environmentally -friendly option, but it is also Sprint’s first 3G QWERTY phone to get down to only $50 after rebates with a signed contract.

80 percent of the material used are corn-fed and recyclable.  They skipped the paper manual, so less paper would be wasted.  They also used recyclable packaging printed with soy-based inks.

You don’t have to gibe up quality cell phone features to be environmentally-friendly.  This phone still has  a 2MP camera, GPS, and Bluetooth.  Better yet, with each purchase, a few dollars are donated to a land conservation  charity.  This phone proves once again, that you can have a quality product at a low cost, while still being eco-friendly.

Microsoft is rolling out their latest window’s upgrade. So, of course we were curious about the packaging and checked out the Windows Blog to see what they had to say. One of the challenges Microsoft was facing in designing its packaging was the stigma of the Vista packaging which almost needed dynamite to open it.

A quote from Microsoft about their packaging reveals, “We approached the packaging for Windows 7 the same way we approached the product – by listening to what our customers told us they wanted: make it a simple clean design, easy to open, and reduce waste.” So, rest assured, Microsoft listened and has improved the packaging.

Their theme is: Simple, Clean and Easy To Open…

Simple:
The graphics are clear and bold. They text font is larger and easier to read. Each version has its own distinct color which makes it easy to identify which version of the operating system you are picking up.

Clean:
The cover graphics are simple and minimal which gives the packaging a fresh and clean feel.

Easy To Open:
The upgrade disc comes in an easy opening, recyclable, frosty clear DVD style case. The case is shaped with the iconic curve on the upper right corner. For security reasons, there will be a seal on the top of the case which is claimed to be removable with little effort.

Reducing Waste:
So how green is it? The entire package is 37% lighter than previous packaging. They accomplished this by using less material to make the case. And the case is recyclable. In fact, the entire package consists of only 3 elements:

1. The upgrade disc
2. A “Getting Started” manual
3. And the recyclable case

So, we give kudos to Windows for listening to consumers and giving them the packaging they want.

We decided to continue on our “green” theme, since today is Arbor Day.  This time, with reasons to go green.  The environmental, social and political reasons to go green are very real and valid. By making environmentally friendly choices you can reduce carbon emissions, reduce energy waste, make more efficient use of resources and reduce the amount of waste and pollution that is damaging our environment. This is the most important reason to go green and this is the information that proliferates in the media landscape. With all the focus on the environmental reasons to go green, you may have missed the business-savvy reasons to go green, a complimentary perk to environmentally-savvy intentions. The following are the top three reasons for small businesses (or any business for that matter) to go green:

1. “Save on costs”: Through buying fewer materials, creating lighter products and utilizing other green business methods you retain more savings for you and your business by cutting down on purchasing, energy, and transportation costs.
2. “Establish a reputation for ethical business practices”: Going green is good PR. Polishing your image through green business practices can improve your reputation in the eyes of stakeholders, including current and potential customers.
3. “Take advantage of green marketing benefits”: If you haven’t noticed, “green” has been a marketing buzzword and a powerful message and trend that your business can capitalize on if you are truly participating in “green” business practices. Going green can help you to truly grow your business.*

Going green may be intimidating at first, but there are a lot of small things that you can do to get started and changing the way that products are packaged can be a great first step because results can easily be seen and measured.

Lighter packaging reduces the amount of space that is necessary for transportation and also reduced weight, creating fewer emissions, and less money spent on gas and shipping. Packaging can also be created with biodegradable, recyclable or recycled materials, making it easy to go green without changing your packaging too dramatically.

*These top three reasons for businesses to go green were inspired by http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/entdev/article.php/11070_3753086_2

Ever wonder what to do with all of your old DVD cases when you switch to storing your discs in multi-disc DVD cases or DVD albums? They are not curbside recyclable, but there are still other options to get rid of your old cases without having to throw them in a landfill.

Reuse
First, a good idea is to see if anyone else can reuse your old DVD cases. A number of places would love to take them off of your hands:

• libraries,
• schools, and
• churches

These types of organizations always need replacement DVD cases for their media collections. Some schools have classes where students create videos on DVD and they could use cases to display and protect their projects.

Donate
Another place to donate would be Goodwill or another thrift store. They receive donations of discs without cases or with broken cases, and it would be much easier to sell a DVD with a case. They could also just sell the empty cases. Video rental stores or any store that sells used DVDs would also gladly take your used cases as replacements.

Or there are websites like Freecycle where you can post items that you would rather give away than create waste by throwing them in the garbage.

Recycle
If the cases are broken or they cannot be reused for some reason, there are still other alternatives to throwing them away. You can’t put DVD cases in your curbside recycling bin, but you can check with your local recycling center to see if they will take them. Earth911.com can help you find a local recycling center for certain types of materials.

There are other centers that we found where you can send in your old DVD cases. There is not charge, but they may ask for a small donation to help cover costs:

Plastic Recycling, Inc.
2015 S. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225

CD Recycling Center
68H Stiles Road
Salem, NH 03079

There are plenty of options available to reduce waste by having your DVD cases reused or recycled, rather than just throwing them in the garbage. Just another way you can be more environmentally-friendly.

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 in 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 British 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.