Paper or Plastic
Paul Briant
Perhaps I'm a generation ahead of the whole sustainable packaging global conversion discussion. There have been a few articles about small companies and their endeavors towards sustainable solutions. But many of the articles about sustainable packaging I read are about high production goals. Many of the experts represented through this discussion group are high production companies (100,000 or 1,000,000 units a day kind of organizations). Yet the company I work for, and many other companies, are small or mid-size organizations. Medium size companies are also struggling with the whole sustainable packaging issue. They are eagerly watching the larger companies to see what they resolve. But, how do we implement these strategies on a much smaller scale?
My company produces woodworking and gardening tools. About 400 main products plus additional accessories and replacement parts. Packaging involves many sizes and configurations. Blister and blister cards, chipboard boxes and envelopes, corrugated boxes, plastic cases, and PET or PP bags. Often using off-the-shelf products. With the exception of a few, many of our products are 200 to 500 or 1000 units per year. We would like to consolidate and refine our packaging options without over-sizing the packages by using something from another product. We are often at the mercy of the suppliers. Requesting a simple substitution as a kraft chipboard box vs a stock white chipboard box can increase the cost because it is not a stock material. Cost, of course, is always the final hurdle.
My second question essentially comes down to 'paper or plastic'? A shipment of 5000 blisters and blister cards may take a few years to consume. The adhesive has a shelf life of 6 months to 3 years (under ideal conditions). Cards get damaged through transport and handling. Thus we would like to find an alternate. Yet, hung merchandise has a greater visibility and appeal with retailers. Clamshells require mould costs, which are not always practical for small runs and require larger amounts of raw material than just a blister. Then there are all the sustainable, environmental, health and safety, carbon footprint issues. PET may be easy to recycle but has health risks for the producer. Vinyl may be just the opposite and less expensive. So, in the grand scheme of things, which is better, a 20% recycled corrugated box, chipboard box that's mostly glue, or a clamshell or blister card approach? There is a perception that paper products are more environmental because they are not made from petroleum products. But is this true? — I look forward to viewing the research data to be offered from the Greener Package web site. — Can anyone provide pros and cons, benefits and costs of one over the other? Also, any suggestions on how to sell more expensive sustainable solutions to management?
Reduce, reuse, recycle but security, protection, production.
Thank you for your time.
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Paper or Plastic: it depends of your needs.
Gerald Lefebvre
Dear Paul
1) Sustainability is as well for small and mid-size companies
A lot of them (the majority in Europe) are ahead the "BIG ones" and have programs to avoid Toxicity and to improve energy, materials and process efficiency reducing scraps :
They win GHG Points/Taxes for example in using innovative technologies** which save limited fossils resources (depletion impact indicators) to allow future existence of humans in future ECO Systems - which the basic of Sustainability.
* With better MEEP-Measures of Energies Efficiency Performances and CO2 reduction potentials
* With less Toxicity for Human and Nature ...
2) Refine your Packaging Options
should not mean high costs or to go to all "paper, wood or corn"
The first "RE" of the Sustainability Program of United Nations is "RE-think" your product system
and its functions.
The first step of ECO-Design/ECO Conception ISO14062 or the US-EPA Standard
is a functional approach to analyze all functions your product gives to consumer/customer
3) It means if for the function "protection" of your packaging system the best material today is plastic
then your alternative is not to change to paper!
but in first priority - within the plastics family and process - to find out
what is the Best Available Technic to do savings on "T.E.M.P.S.
(Toxicity Energy Materials Process Scraps) and THEN - eventually and if needed - to identify
the BIO-PLASTIC or RENEWABLE MATERIAL - really "GREEN and SUSTAINABLE
This must fulfill your function "protection" as good or better than the old material without
added values you would not be able to sell.
The savings you will do on T.E.M.P.S should almost "automatically" reduce your
negative environmental impacts and allow you to make economical choices
4) So do not sell a more expensive sustainable solution but savings to your management and communicate the better sustainable scores cards to your customers with fair price
Hope this will help
Gerald - ECOscore6
To Lead or Follow
Dean Bellefleur
To lead or follow, that is the question that your management should be asking themselves at this point.
Traditionally packaging has been an afterthought restrained by a depleted marketing budget, the consequence of which the consumer is all too familiar with. For example, in 1915 the first paper bottle was patented, what we commonly refer to as a gable top carton.
However it’s not until 1992 when the first closure appears and is offered to the consumer. Consumers endured & struggled with an inferior package for 55 years. Yet 23 years earlier in 1969 Neil Armstrong walked on the moon a tremendous feat of engineering but we couldn’t put a closure on a carton.
Today the package is accredited to driving sales by directly communicating to the consumer. Branding, product differentiation and consumer perceptions are all linked to the package and ultimately your product. What is your packaging communicating?
Packaging designers are savvy to consumer trends, legislation and public opinion to the extent that they deliver award winning packaging to their clients. If your company is not today working with a professional packaging designer I encourage you to consider the investment. Rather than lagging behind market leaders, commission your unique packaging design incorporating today’s environmental criteria in order to communicate your company values to the consumer.
There is also a phenomenon called “Packaging Wear-Out” where your package simply loses its luster over time. Like an old pair of shoes it’s difficult to cast them off however everyone notices a new pair of shoes.
Let the package communicate your product as the product of choice.
Recycled & Recyclable Materials can help make choice
Stephanie Baker
So often when we examine the "paper v. plastic" conflict or weighing the many other material choices available in an attempt to make a sustainable conversion, the value of recycling is a lost factor.
There is a perception that paper products are more environmental because they are not made from petroleum products.
Plastic products made from post-consumer resin (PCR) alters the measurement, as would post-consumer paper. When examining the LCA of reprocessed or PCR, the carbon footprint of the recycling process is actually net zero in comparision to both virgin production bio-based materials.
An additional lost factor in measuring your material choices is the continued LCA of what happens to the package after leaving the store shelf. In many retail measurement methods, its assumed all packaging is waste and therefore the smaller & more compact the package, its more sustainable because it takes us less room in the landfill (and on trucks, shelves, etc). Once again, if the recyclability of the package design were measured with conventional recycling practices, it may affect your material choice.
Recyclers have the task of dealing with what comes through the recycling streams (meaning what package design dictates) and producing a quality product that meets materials managers specifications and expectations.
I would encourage anyone debating material choices to consider 1) if quality recycled content is available in the material(s), 2) will the material be accepted into conventional recycling programs and 3) what elements of design (including security, aesthetics, etc.) will alter the material and what, if any affects, that will have on the recyclability of the package.
Each recyclable commodity has a trade organization that can give package designers and material managers this information. For plastics, I would recommend the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers and their published guidelines, Design for Recyclability.
green packs
Alex...Hi,
With your quantities, you could almost consider printing your own card packaging, You could either by cut chipboard and print it with 1-2 colors, or by cut chipboard and print onto adhesive label stock, then mount that on the chip.
Molds do not make sense for your quantities, but you may make a case for running your own with the JIT argument...zero inventory.
Packaging from Waste
Sherri
I was surprised to learn that both virgin plastics and virgin packaging paper are made from waste products to begin with.
Oil is drilled to refine it into fuel. The refining process leaves a fair amount of waste product, and we use some of that to make plastics.
Logging occurs to produce lumber. That process also leaves waste product, some of which we use to make packaging paper. (Additionally, in North America, our forest lands are actually growing in size.)
Both of these facts seem rather difficult to run across, despite the ever-increasing volume of discussions regarding sustainability. So I thought I'd share them with all of you in case you haven't run across them already.
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