Experts explore evolution in eco packaging

Sustainability webcast outlines a renewed focus on value

Sustainability is "a journey of constant improvement" (Sauers) and, when it comes to packaging materials, "if there's not a positive solution for it at the end of life, we can't say that's a sustainable use of that resource" (Johnson).

These were some of the points made by the three packaging sustainability experts who spoke at the 90-minute webcast "Sustainability in Packaging 2010: A Deeper Shade of ‘Green'" presented Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. The event was organized by Packaging Digest magazine, and sponsored by Plastic Ingenuity and Zip-Pak.

1. Anne Johnson, program director at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, identified notable sustainable packaging highlights from 2010 and shared her observations about the challenges ahead.

• Innovation in "renewable" materials is growing.
• Extended producer responsibility is gaining momentum.
• A growing emphasis on lifecycle analysis (LCA) will likely drive more complexity in environmental claims.
• Corporate sustainability initiatives are still out in front of policy developments in the U.S.
• Major companies (P&G, Unilever and Target, for example) continue to announce aggressive sustainability goals. And these goals are likely to push the development of better metrics, because you can't improve what you don't measure.

2. Dr. Len Sauers, vp of global sustainability at Procter & Gamble, described the company's vision on sustainability issues: "They are not barriers to growth, but business opportunities." He also explained what they learned from consumer research: 70 to 80 percent of consumers are eco aware but are not willing to accept any tradeoffs to buy a product that claims to be environmentally sustainable. That means, Sauers says, "No decrease in performance; no increase in price."

He then showed seven examples of successful product/packaging projects that significantly (by 10 percent or more) reduced the environmental footprint versus previous or alternative products—and without any tradeoffs for consumers.

Among the examples were:
• By developing a more compact gel formulation (vs the previous liquid) for Ariel Excel Gel Actilift laundry detergent in Europe, P&G dramatically cut the overall environmental footprint. Sustainability was improved in nearly all stages of manufacturing and use: 40 to 50 percent less water to manufacture; 20 to 50 percent less energy by washing in low temperatures; 30 to 40 percent less energy to manufacture; 14 to 40 percent less packaging; and 40 to 57 percent less trucks to transport.

• By pushing the limits of blister forming technology and developing new techniques, P&G was able to redesign its Prilosec over-the-counter package to fit 14 pills on a blister instead of the previous seven. This cut the number of cards in half and reduced the amount of material by thousands of pounds. The new design also allows easier access to tablets, which was the No. 1 consumer complaint about the previous package.

3. John Kalkowski, editorial director at Packaging Digest magazine and moderator of the webcast, presented select results from the magazine's exclusive Sustainable Packaging 2010 survey.

• There is universal awareness of sustainability in the packaging community but the level of familiarity and understanding varies by the type of market segment a company competes within.
• Sustainability will play an important role in business strategy over the next 5 years.
• The primary focus of sustainable practices in the packaging industry is waste reduction (83 percent).
• Better or new materials, and education and training are the developments that will help companies the most in achieving sustainability goals.
• Close to half (45 percent) of companies surveyed currently have a sustainability policy, with a roughly 50/50 split between a formal and informal policy.
• The packaging industry has seen an increased emphasis on sustainable packaging from its customers, as well as attention from individual companies.
• Almost all respondents agree that being more efficient and saving costs is an important part of any sustainability effort.
• For a majority of companies (60 percent) sustainability plays an important role in packaging decisions.
• Less than 30 percent of companies use certifications or designations related to sustainable packaging as part of their promotional activities.

Many more insights were shared from all three speakers, and an active Q&A period following the presentations proved the attentiveness of the more than 600 listeners in the audience.

The "Sustainability in Packaging 2010: A Deeper Shade of ‘Green'" webcast will be available for download at www.packagingdigest.com on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. It's free to anyone who registers for the webcast (you can still register even though the webcast has already taken place by clicking here).