SPC Articles
Click on these links to see what leading industry publications
have to say about the SPC.
July 7, 2008
How To Make Your Medicine Cabinet Eco-Friendly
Source: Forbes
A nationwide, online Harris poll of 2,600 people in May showed that more than half of U.S. adults have made changes in their lives that they believe will help sustain the environment, from recycling to paying bills online to installing energy-efficient appliances.
July 1, 2008
Assessment Tools Are Emerging
Source: Packaging World
One of the key aspects of sustainability is the need to assess the ramifications of decisions about sourcing, design, and logistics. That’s because sustainable packaging is not simply about the package, but also about the context of the package. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition and IBM are developing tools that will help in these sometimes complex assessments.
July 1, 2008
Anne Johnson's Sustainable Packaging Column – Consumers Need a Role in the Sustainability Solution
Source: Packaging Digest
Now that we are well into the year of the Wal-Mart Scorecard, companies are setting sustainability targets for packaging, understanding how targets drive actions and how the outcomes of actions speak to various audiences is essential in establishing appropriate expectations of what we are likely to achieve.
June 30, 2008
Milk Jug Gets A Makeover
Source: CBS Evening News
Watch the video online.
June 30, 2008
Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth
Source: New York Times
A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug, adopted by Wal-Mart and Costco, seems made for the times. The jugs are cheaper to ship and better for the environment, the milk is fresher when it arrives in stores, and it costs less.
June 1, 2008
Anne Johnson's Sustainable Packaging Column – FTC Workshop Re-examines 'Green Guides'
Source: Packaging Digest
Much of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Green Guide workshop in April was spent on topics like the prevalence of unsubstantiated and vague claims of general environmental benefit, such as “earth friendly.” However, there were several new terms and issues raised that reflect the desire to communicate in an increasingly environmentally conscientious and global marketplace.
May 15, 2008
Greening Fast Food
Source: Plenty Magazine
Fast-food chains have indeed been hopping on the green train. This is largely because being green is trendy right now, so public displays of greenness attract more customers, which in turn brings in more business. But who cares if the motive is profit if it results in less waste?
April 1, 2008
Anne Johnson's Sustainable Packaging Column – Marketing Claims Often Not Sustainable
Source: Packaging Digest
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that it will host a public workshop about the Green Guides and Packaging on April 30 in Washington, DC. The meeting will examine recent developments associated with environmental packaging claims and consumer perceptions of these claims. “Sustainable” is one of the terms that the FTC has listed as new and for which no guidance is currently provided.
March 10, 2008
One to Grow On
Source: Ad Week
Jason Pearson, president and CEO of GreenBlue, the Charlottesville, Va.-based parent of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, says he is unable to point to any product or package that is sustainable. "None," he says. "I don't think the word should be applied to packaging but to the health of the planet."
March 1, 2008
Anne Johnson's Sustainable Packaging Column - "A Changing World Changes Packaging"
Source: Packaging Digest
Recently, I participated in a panel discussion on sustainable packaging at the first Environmental Sustainability Summit, hosted by the Grocery Manufacturers Association. During the week of the meeting, I scanned the New York Times and found several articles that reflect how profoundly different today's operating conditions for business are versus those of previous decades.
February 2008
Green on the Outside
Source: Continental
Wal-Mart made news in 2007 when it announced an initiative that would require its biggest suppliers to adopt greener packaging, part of the company’s promise to reduce waste by 25 percent before 2010. According to Martha Leflar of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a project of GreenBlue, in Charlottesville, Va., the Arkansas-based retail behemoth is not alone. “Generally, all major consumer product companies and retailers are rethinking their packaging,” she says.
February 2008
New Course on Sustainable Packaging Launched by SPC
Source: Packaging World
After a year in development, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) and the Packaging Association of Canada (PAC) launch this month a new two-day course covering the fundamentals of sustainable packaging. The first Essentials of Sustainable Packaging course was held January 22-23 in Chicago. From now until the end of the year, the course will be traveling to the following cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Montreal, Newark, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Toronto.
February 1, 2008
Anne Johnson's Sustainable Packaging Column - "Reusable Packaging is an Option for Savvy Sustainability Strategies"
Source: Packaging Digest
Somewhere on the list of sustainability best practices is reusable packaging. In our throwaway society, which is oriented toward convenience and consumption, reusability often is far down the list of potential packaging options. In many cases, however, it might be an excellent option.
January 2008
A New Revolution in Packaging
Source: Brand Packaging
Sustainability is marking a second “age of industry” that’s transforming the way products and packaging are made… Many companies are already purchasing packaging made from post-consumer waste… How can you follow their lead? Work with your package design firms, suppliers and industry groups like The 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance and The Sustainable Packaging Coalition to uncover information on recycled materials.
January 1, 2008
Anne Johnson's Sustainable Packaging Column - "Developing Standard Metrics Would be Ideal Goal for 2008"
Source: Packaging Digest
The start of a new year is a good time to look back and reflect on trends that influenced the momentum and direction of sustainability in packaging in 2007. One thing is certain: the sustainable packaging arena was a whirlwind of activity last year.
I think even the most optimistic were surprised by the profound impact that Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth and Nobel Prize had in raising awareness about global warming and bringing reluctant policy makers to the table.
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