Lately, we in the packaging industry have been thinking a lot about the concept of sustainability, particularly as it relates to package design.

The following, is the Message From the Chairman message I wrote for the most recent ASTM D10 Newsletter that helps clarify this issue and exactly what sustainability and sustainable packaging means, and will continue to mean, for our industry.

As a company, DDL looks at sustainability as vital not just to our industry, but to the world we are charged with improving for future generations.

In response, we will be posting our thoughts, and inviting yours, via this forum all throughout the year.

At the end of my message, I invite members of the ASTM D10 committee to share their thoughts on how best to support sustainability and sustainable packaging.

This invite is now open to DDL’s blog readers as well, and suggestions can be offered via a comment to this post.

Message From the Chairman

I learned recently that the packaging industry is just now starting to think about the affects of packaging on the environment. That’s right; we are beginning to understand the tangible value proposition of “going green” and are now looking out for the environment when we design and specify materials for packaging. We are calling this ‘new’ movement ‘Sustainability’… a big buzzword in the packaging industry these days.

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition defines ‘Sustainability’ as:

• Beneficial, safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its lifecycle;
• Able to meet market criteria for performance and cost;
• Sourced, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energy;
• Able to maximize the use of renewable or recycled source materials;
• Manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
• Made from materials healthy in all probable end-of-life scenarios;
• Physically designed to optimize materials and energy; effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle-to-cradle cycles.

While standing on the outside looking in at the packaging industry, these ideas may seem revolutionary. However, those of us within it know that we’ve been working within the parameters of sustainability for over 50 years. Our industry has been obligated to provide ‘sustainable’ packaging through state, and local legislation (Green Laws, Packaging Waste Directives, ‘Reduce/Reuse/Recycle’ initiatives); economics (increased margins on products and lower product costs to the consumer); reduced damage claims (engineering, design, testing); and new technologies. Packaging engineers have been designing packaging with these criteria in mind since the first packaging engineer graduated from MSU. Or was the first packaging engineer from RIT? (Oh; I’m off topic…).

ASTM and other standards writing organizations have played an integral part in facilitating the concepts and vision of providing sustainable packaging through the development and use of standard test methods, practices, and specifications for materials. The concerns for the environment and human capital were no less important and significant in 1957 then they are today. However, the market forces of corporate initiatives, high profile pro-environmental groups and individuals, and the marketing of the “green movement” are at work on all aspects of our daily lives to laser focus a vision of “Packaging Sustainability” by redefining the concepts and initiatives that have been the center of package design and development for years. All of these concepts have been and are vital to sustain and improve the world for future generations.

There are lots of places to learn more about packaging sustainability; just go to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) or the Sustainable Packaging Alliance (SPA) websites. There is a 100+ page document called ‘Design Guideline for Sustainable Packaging’ developed by the SPC that provides comprehensive guidance on how to comply with sustainable packaging initiatives such as Wal-Mart’s ‘score card’. Beginning in 2008, Wal-Mart will measure and recognize the entire worldwide supply base for using less packaging, utilizing more effective materials in packaging, and sourcing these materials more efficiently through a packaging scorecard. The score card is based on Wal-Mart’s ‘7R’s’ * Remove

• Reduce
• Reuse
• Renewable
• Recyclable
• Revenue
• Read

Other corporations such as Target, Starbucks, and Microsoft are initiating similar programs and contributed to the ‘Design Guideline’.

What supporting role can ASTM Committee D-10 on Packaging play? First of all, by providing leadership for Packaging Sustainability through well thought out tools and technical expertise. Secondly; how about a seminar on Sustainable Packaging next spring in conjunction with D10? We can invite the SPC and SPA to provide more information on the subject and begin to get the strength, vigor and organizational power of ASTM behind the sustainable packaging initiatives. Any other ideas?!

I’m all for a better and more sustainable future for our children and our children’s-children and the packaging industry does indeed have a significant role to play; so let’s continue to “reduce, reuse, and recycle”…oh yea; and design and use ‘sustainable packaging’.

Created on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 5:25 pm. | Fled under DDL, Industry Insights, Sustainability. | Comment Feed