2016 Trashies Awards celebrate sustainable packaging achievements

Seventh Generation, McDonald’s, 3M and BillerudKorsnäs—it’s fitting on Earth Day 2016 to recognize the winners in the second annual Trashies Awards competition. These sustainable packaging visionaries received accolades April 11 during the opening reception of the SustPack 2016 conference, sponsored by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Smithers Pira and Packaging Digest.

The competition awards sustainable successes in five categories: Package; Partnership; Person; Process/Production Method; and Public Message/Service/Ad Campaign. This year, we have four winners and one honorable mention. There does not have to be a winner in each category, just recognition of an outstanding contribution to sustainable packaging. Points were awarded based on sustainable merit; technical merit; supporting materials; and contribution to the industry. One point was also possible for judge’s discretion.

Judges again this year were Steve Mahler, design manager and sustainable package development manager at Caraustar Industries (who also designed and hand-makes each award); Kim Carswell, senior manager, packaging, Target; Victor Bell, president, Environmental Packaging Intl.; Liz Shoch, assistant director, Sustainable Packaging Coalition; and me, Lisa Pierce, executive editor of Packaging Digest.

Steve Mahler also contributed content to this article.

Watch the 12-minute presentation ceremony video here, and join us in celebrating their successes.

Winner: Seventh Generation / Accredo Packaging / Dow Chemical

Category: Partnership

Accepting Awards: Derrick Lawrence (second from left), director of packaging development, Seventh Generation; Malcolm Cohn (third from left), director of sustainability, Accredo Packaging; and Stacy Fields (second from right), North American director, Dow Chemical [photographed along with Jon Pyper (far left), North American director of sustainability, Dow; Lamy Chopin (third from right), product development leader, Dow; and Han Zhang (far right), sustainability and advocacy manager, Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Dow]

With zero waste a target by 2020, Seventh Generation partnered with Accredo and Dow to develop a new package for its dishwasher detergent pods. Using existing pouch manufacturing technology, resin and RecycleReady technology from Dow, Accredo produced a multi-layer polyethylene pouch that is 100% recyclable. An added bonus is the use of the How2Recycle logo used in the graphics to help consumers recycle it properly.

NEXT: 3M's four-in-one savings

Winner: 3M Co.

Category: Package

Accepting Award: Doreen Purpur, 3M’s business packaging manager

How many times have you started a Do It Yourself project only to find one of the components missing? Thanks to 3M Patch Primer 4 in 1 Applicator is now a one-stop affair. Not only is the package the carrier for the components but it becomes a reusable scraper for future jobs.

3M has gone from four separate product packages to just one for substantial savings in packaging materials.

NEXT: McDonald's fiber sourcing strategy

Winner: McDonald’s Corp. and HAVI Global Solutions

Category: Program

Accepting award: Kathleen Bannan (center), CSR and sustainability leader, McDonald’s Corp.; and Jennifer McCracken (right), director of sustainability, and Amy Duquette, sustainability project manager, from HAVI Global Solutions

Imagine having a room of 80 people and getting them all to agree on an end goal. McDonald’s and HAVI Global Solutions did just that with McDonald’s new global fiber sourcing program. By 2020, every paper mill and packaging converting facility in the restaurant’s supply chain will have to achieve chain of custody certification to either Forest Stewardship Council (FSC),  Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification, or achieve third-party verification of 100% recycled content. Already, more than 80 converting facilities have achieved chain of custody certification to at least one of these standards, and more than 40% of the facilities in the company’s supply chain are passing certified claims or third party assurances of 100% recycled paper.

NEXT: Cold formable paper pouch

Winner: BillerudKorsnäs

Category: Package

Accepting Award: Gary Robinson (2nd from the left), director of business development, North & South America [photographed above with his colleagues (left to right) Adam Gollnick, technical sales manager, formable papers, North/South America; Daniel Badman, director of sustainability and public affairs; and Jimmy Nystrom, senior manager, brand projects]

We have all heard the expression “build a better mousetrap,” and by taking fiber to a new place BillerudKorsnäs has done just that by using its patented FibreForm paper to make a cold formed stand-up pouch that offers a natural, renewable alternative to plastics with both visual and tactile 3D effects. Fibreform can also be cold formed in traditional thermoforming equipment, delivering significant energy reductions and increased production speeds.

NEXT: Honoring further advancement in Dow's Retain technology

Honorable Mention: Dow Chemical

The judges chosen to give an honorable mention to Dow for its new Retain stand-up pouch using its Retain Polymer Modifier. The technology was recognized last year in the Process category for aiding industrial scrap recycling. We wanted to recognize the company’s continued development in expanding this technology to help make flexible packaging recyclable at the consumer/retail level.

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Learn about the latest developments in sustainable packaging at EastPack 2016, June 14-16, in New York City.