Sustainable Packaging Focus on Reuse in 2010
It is that time of the year for projections and when prognosticators tell us what to expect this coming year and new decade. I admit not having a crystal ball and prove it on an almost daily basis, yet I believe there are some trends developing that are fairly obvious, if you know where to look.
The Other “R”
One of the trends that I see becoming most obvious is a serious interest on the third or forgotten R in sustainability, which is reuse. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where the plot revolved around “the other guy” in the famous singing trio, The Three Tenors. Reuse is the R many people have a difficult time remembering when asked. Most people remember recycle and reduce, just like music enthusiasts and Three Tenors fans, quickly deliver the names of Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. However much like the third tenor, Jose Carreras, reuse seems to be overshadowed by the company it keeps.
Why is Reuse Coming out of the Shadows?
Reducing packaging materials is a never ending task and opportunity since new and improved, stronger materials are introduced every day. For example, thin gauge LDPE, one mil and thinner films are now satisfying applications that a couple of years ago required a 1.5 mil or even 2.0 mil thick film.
I do believe however much of that low hanging fruit, or most obvious material reduction opportunities have been taken by the companies inclined to do so. In other words, if a company has not already taken advantage of the potential cost savings material reduction offers, they are probably less likely to see the light in the coming year.
Then there is the most popular R, which is recycle. Everyone talks about it and agrees it is a good idea, but most also agree as a society we probably recycle less than 40% of what is recyclable. Don’t misunderstand, there is no greater advocate than me of using recycled as well as recyclable packaging materials but that too is likely to only deliver incremental gains in 2010. Until recycling becomes more profitable or mandatory and using recycled materials is required of the largest packaging users in our country, this is an uphill battle and a good topic for a different blog post.
Simply put, reuse will grow in 2010 because it represents the largest potential savings and the economic and bottom lines are still the largest motivators for any action, including a move in the green direction.
What Makes Reuse Such A Good Option?
Common sense tells us that the easiest and greenest alternative is the reuse of a packaging product that has already been made and previously used. There is virtually no transportation fuel required to ship raw materials, components or the finished product itself. The energy it required to manufacture and ship has already been consumed so any use beyond the initial use is an environmental bonus. In most cases, the more often you are able to use a packaging product, the smaller its carbon footprint becomes. We believe that 2010 is the year when we start becoming a less wasteful society in our homes and our businesses and reuse is an important part of that eco focused strategy.
The Challenges
First and foremost the manufacturers of packaging products need to start thinking in terms of product reuse. Most packaging materials are designed to be single use and disposable. If sustainability is a paradigm shift for consumers, making reusable packaging materials is an even greater change for the companies manufacturing them.
For as long as they have been around, packaging manufacturers have seen the economic benefit of selling throw away products because that obviously helps them to sell more products. So now we as consumers need to encourage and motivate those same companies by choosing, buying and reusing the products that are designed to be used multiple times. We need to provide them with the market share they crave and that will drive their competitors to respond with similar products.
2010 and Beyond
As I have mentioned many times, there is no single solution to the enormous environmental problems we have created so a combination of “all of the above” is perhaps the best long term solution. After all Jose Carreras has an incredible voice but he seems to sound best when he sings with those two other guys.
Buffy commented:
Well macdamiaa nuts, how about that.
Luie commented:
Hi Dennis,
As a divergence to this subject, I'm working on developing a sustainable packaging design guideline for the company I'm with. And I;'m trying to purchase the "Design Guideline for Sustainable Packaging" from PD but it seems the "Buy Now" link does not work.
(Sustainable Design is now enforced in Australia for commercial enterprises signatory to the Australian National Packaging Covenant)
It's not my browser as I used several different one from different location, with the same issues that the javascript used does not work.
If you can pass this on to the relevant people, please do.
Many thanks
Luie
TK commented:
Just be careful of the "resuse" bandwagon. The thing you want to look at is the TOTAL footprints involved - recycling a product and extracting it's raw material footprint may benefit far greater than taking a unit and shipping it around the globe just to say you "reused" it. Local use and reuse is DEFINITELY the way to go, but global movements, not likely. Capture the raw material and give it a next life.
Cherie Moore commented:
Nice Article and reuse and sustainability is vital in the world today.
Check out: www.concepts4today.yolasite.com and let me know what you think about this new label development for beverages, bottles, pouches, drink boxes. Being able to identify a beverage greatly reduces waste, bottle confusion, in turn helps the environment. This is new, patent protected and available for licensing.
M. Baker commented:
Dennis, Are you aware of the call for industry experts on packaging and environment to work on global standards for ISO and "Reuse" is one of the standards to be developed? MH10.4 Sub-committee under ANSI is handling the U.S. work, Mike Ogle(Vice President, Educational and Technical Services, Material Handling Industry of America) contact.
Aron commented:
Dear Dennis,
We have some very interesting technology which we would like you to review for us, could you please have a look at this on our web-site at www.theDropTop.com you will need a password to enter the site, which is, TDT56789 we believe this will certainly change how many products will be packaged in the future in the categories of beverage, food, personal care, pharmaceutical and chemical.
We have patents in more than 50 countries around the world protecting this new technology and we are offering to sell the intellectual property out in each country to a manufacturer which can successfully multiply the technology throughout each of the separate divisions,
Therefore would you be so kind to contact me so I can explain to you more about this exciting technology available now for sale,
If you could please e-mail me on info@StarOne-Group.com
Many thanks for your help
Kind regards
Aron
P Michael commented:
Really appreciated the article Dennis. We have been involved in "closed loop" reuse of bulk bags for several years. Giving our customers a greener way to "save green". Check us out at www.lawgixintl.com
Janet Shipton commented:
You may want to check out Designing for Reuse; 2009, Fisher and Shipton. Earthscan.
It thoroughly covers the subject of open-loop reuse.
Janet
Janet Shipton commented:
You may want to check out Designing for Reuse; 2009, Fisher and Shipton. Earthscan.
It thoroughly covers the subject of open-loop reuse.
Janet
Janet Shipton commented:
You may want to check out Designing for Reuse; 2009, Fisher and Shipton. Earthscan.
It thoroughly covers the subject of open-loop reuse.
Janet
Janet Shipton commented:
You may want to check out Designing for Reuse; 2009, Fisher and Shipton. Earthscan.
It thoroughly covers the subject of open-loop reuse.
Janet
Dennis Salazar commented:
Hello Ken and thank you for your question and comment. We are a leading supplier of green packaging solutions so we are often involved early in the development and marketing of new products. I can tell you that you are going to see several companies introducing new reusable products later this year. Some companies are already doing a nice job in this area, for example: www.ecoenvelopes.com
Dennis
Ken commented:
The "reuse" idea is great, but do you have any examples of where this is happening? I have heard of very few instances and wondered what untapped areas might be ripe for this idea.
Dennis Salazar commented:
"Music to my ears"? Peter, you must be a Seinfeld fan. Thanks for the note and BTW, very interesting web site. I have to get back to it and browse around when I have more time.
Dennis
Peter - Junkk.com & RE:tie commented:
Music to my ears! The key word in there is reward. Reduction and recycling are great, but hard to engage consumers with. And while reuse can manifest in many forms, designed-in second use has many marketing opportunities on top of CSR, PR & legislative box ticks, too.
Dennis Salazar commented:
Hello Heidi and thank you for the nice note. We truly believe usable product life extension is an often overlooked way to make a positive impact and reduce costs at the same time.
You keep up the good work too. I see what you are doing in the promotional products area and it is impressive.
Dennis
Heidi Thorne commented:
Great article, Dennis! People are getting used to reusing bags at the grocery store, mugs to get coffee, and more. Finding ways to help consumers reclaim/reuse packaging--and get them to do it--is going to be a major challenge in our throwaway society. Thanks for all you do!
