Packaging exec to share motivations behind the Heinz PlantBottle

H.J. Heinz Co. made headlines in February when it announced that starting this June it will use The Coca-Cola Co.'s plant-based plastic bottle to package its venerable ketchup in the U.S. and then expand its use worldwide. What were the motivating factors behind this important move?

Packaging exec to share motivations behind the Heinz PlantBottle

The rationale for the decision by H.J. Heinz is that consumers seek products that are both innovative and that protect the environment. It is consistent with the title of Dr. Okoroafor's keynote presentation, "Leveraging Creative Biobased Packaging to Drive Brand Differentiation."

Companies like Heinz are facing the challenge to develop products with this public sentiment in mind even though the business case is not as clear cut as building product differentiation or driving operational efficiencies. But as Dr. Okoroafor points out, "We at Heinz have responded to these realities and have converted them into opportunities. The sustainability paradigm has provided us with a new holistic way of looking at products, services, consumers and the value chain in ways that not only foster tremendous innovation but also give competitive edge."

Dr. Okoroafor's leadoff presentation at the BioPlastek 2011 Forum will address packaging opportunities that are derived from plant-based materials and enabling key supply chain requirements. Following will be more than 40 presentations from the bioplastics value chain providing insightful analyses of where the bioplastics industry is today, where it will be tomorrow and why.

Source: Schotland Business Research

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