Posts Tagged ‘sustainable’
Friday, December 30th, 2011
What are some packaging design trends for 2012?
Look for 3 packaging design trends from 2011 to carryover into 2012 and become more prevalent.
Number 1: Keep it simple. Industry specialists are moving towards packaging designs that are unambiguous, concise, and much more simplified, thereby providing consumers with greater clarity regarding product information. This trend is not new but is expected to become more and more prevalent in 2012.
Number 2: Open innovation. This trend of mutual collaboration between supplier and designer is becoming key to packaging design success. It guarantees that the supplier has a clear understanding of what’s required from both parties, while exposing designers to new technologies – resulting in an improved end-product for client. Custom packaging can be a complicated process when communication isn’t open and the vision of the packaging isn’t shared by all parties. But when the supplier, designer, and client work together, custom packaging can become magical.
Number 3: Sustainable packaging. When ethics and ecological concerns are translated into green packaging, consumers associate a sense of well-being and security with the product and brand at hand. Biodegradability and nanotechnology are becoming hot trends in packaging designs in all industries. Look for that to accelerate during the 2012 calendar year.
Tags:custom packaging, green packaging, open innovation, Packaging Design, packaging trends, sustainable
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Marketing, Packaging Design | No Comments »
Friday, December 30th, 2011
The Coca-Cola Co. just recently announced that they signed a multi-million dollar contract with three leading biotechnology companies in an effort to accelerate the developments of a 100% plant-based bottle. The partnership includes agreements with Virent, Gevo, and Avantium all combining their efforts to create the first commercial solution for next-generation PlantBottle™ packaging made 100% from plant-based materials. The partnership with the biotechnology could lead to practical results of a 100% plant-based PlantBottle available by 2017. Coca-Cola is expecting that all of its PET packaging will be replaced by the year 2020.
Coca-Cola’s current PlantBottle™, which was launched in 2009, is made from only 30% plant-based material. The remaining 70% of the bottle is made out of purified terephthalic acid (PTA), which Coca-Cola hopes to replace with plant-based materials. Since the current bottle was first introduced in 2009, Coca Cola states that they it has already distributed more than 10 billion PlantBottle™ packages in 20 different countries worldwide. Coca-Cola estimates that it has helped save the equivalent emissions of more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
According to Coca-Cola, agreements with these three companies (Virent, Gevo and Avantium) will help support the companies long-term commitments through sustainable practices in sourcing and in packaging supply.
“While the technology to make bio-based materials in a lab has been available for years, we believe Virent, Gevo and Avantium are companies that possess technologies that have high potential for creating them on a global commercial scale within the next few years,” said Rick Frazier, vice president of commercial product supply for The Coca-Cola Company. “This is a significant R&D investment in packaging innovation and is the next step toward our vision of creating all of our plastic packaging from responsibly sourced plant-based materials.”
As leaders in sustainable packaging, Coca-Cola also looks to innovate and advance opportunities to other companies throughout the industry and recently announced an industry first partnership with H.J. Heinz Company. This partnership will allow Heinz ketchup to use PlantBottle™ technology in its production.
Source: www.thecoca-colacompany.com/
Tags:biotechnology, coca-cola, plant-based, PlantBottle, sustainable
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Eco-Friendly, New Products | No Comments »
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
In the packaging world, efforts are constantly being made to create packaging that will benefit consumers as well as the environment. By reusing packaging, there is a great stride in creating an environment that is more geared towards sustainable packing. In an effort to encourage companies to reduce waste and reuse more, eco-friendly packaging company, Globe Guard, invented Globe Guard® Reusable Box Sealer™. The patent-pending reusable box sealer “Makes Every Box a Reusable Box.”
The product is designed to help companies reduce packaging waste during testing, product development, shipping preparation and other applications. The sealer does not require any sort of wasteful packaging materials such as packaging tape or glues. Instead, the product allows a box to be sealed and reopened many times until it is ready to be shipped. The reusable seal also allows you to open and reopen a box without any knives or scissors. In turn, this allows for a considerable amount of reduction in the amount of corrugated waste that companies produce.
As described by Globe Guard themselves, there are two very common scenarios in which the Globe Guard Reusable Box Sealer is particularly important:
- “The box is going to be handled or shipped internally (closed loop) and not shipped via UPS, FedEx, or USPS.”
- “Immediate or repeated access to the contents is advantageous or necessary.”
The sealer works very easily and quite simply. It works by slipping the reusable sealer between the top major flaps of any box and holding them closed until the box is to be reopened again.
Quite simply, the Globe Guard® Reusable Box Sealer™ is a great new product and a great way to motivate companies to create a more eco-friendly work environment by promoting reusable packaging.
Tags:box sealer, environment, packaging, reusable, sustainable
Posted in Eco-Friendly | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Steve’s Real Foodpet food company has adopted a new type of flexible packaging. NVIRO, developed by Eagle Flexible Packaging, is comprised of renewable and compostable materials and printed and laminated with low VOC inks and adhesives. Using materials derived from corn and plant starches, NVIRO packaging can be composted in a municipal composting environment.
Steve’s Real Food is a raw dog food manufacturer. They have committed themselves to holding rigorous environmental standards in regards to packaging. They chose NVIRO flexible packaging because they wanted to be a leader in sustainable packaging. Looking for green packaging can be tricky these days, as so much out there sounds green but ultimately lacks the backing of a misleading marketing message.
The packaging Steve’s Real Food has adopted isn’t just eco-friendly, it’s also quite innovative. They have incorporated a ZIP-PAK Press-to-close solution to make it convenient for their customers to use. The ZIP-PAK is made from the same compostable material as the pouch film.
Tags:compostable, corn packaging, Eco-Friendly, flexible packaging, pet food, pouches, sustainable, VOC inks
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Packaging Design | No Comments »
Monday, October 17th, 2011
It has been almost 2 years since the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Haiti and the relief efforts are still in full force. The Hemp 4 Haiti Project is an effort focused on providing sustainable, reusable goods to victims of the disaster. It’s a great project with a packaging twist.
Using high quality hemp, packaging is created to provide many of the victims with non-perishable goods. After the goods are consumed, the packaging can easily be unwoven and used in many practical applications that are vital to the relief efforts. Hemp 4 Haiti packaging also eliminates waste and pollution by being reusable and sustainable. Check out the photos below.
Tags:Haiti, hemp, packaging, reusable, sustainable
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Packaging Design | No Comments »
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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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
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Packaging Design | No Comments »
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
Posted in Eco-Friendly | 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 »
