 | David Newcorn |
Location
Chicago, IL, United States
Role
MediaJob Title
VP/Digital & Custom MediaCompany
GreenerPackage.comProfile
David Newcorn has been involved in the packaging field since 1992 when he started writing for the packaging trade press. He joined Packaging World magazine as a Senior Editor in 1995. In 2003 Newcorn authored the ground-breaking cover story on Cradle-to-Cradle design, the first to explore its application to the packaging field. Newcorn went on to suggest an industry meeting and personally invited end users and suppliers alike to attend. The nine companies that met in the summer of 2003 went on to become the founding members of what is today known as the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC).
Today Newcorn is VP/Digital & Custom Media for Summit Media Group, parent company of Packaging World magazine. Newcorn conceived of and architected the Greener Package Web site, product database and awards competition, although the real credit goes to the men and women of the Greener Package Expert Network!
Recent Discussions
Did the debate just shift? Recyclability vs. Compostability
Yesterday at our Sustainable Packaging Symposium (SPS) in Chicago, something remarkable happened. You could feel a visceral shift in the fault lines surrounding the end-of-life recovery question for packaging. The debate over biodegradability vs. compostability that has characterized recent industry discourse was largely absent. Instead, it was replaced by a vigorous debate over recycling -- how to increase it, and who pays for it.
Posted March 18, 2011Seeking your input for changes to the Greener Package Awards competition
We've had two successful years of innovative packaging with the Greener Package awards. But many of you have told us that we can improve the awards by sharpening their focus on the measurable impact to the environment. After extensive discussions with many in the Greener Package community and advisory board, we're proposing the following changes to the awards competition: 1. Entries should win based on actual measured environmental impact 2. Empower the judges to impose random third-party reviews to mitigate greenwashing
Posted January 17, 2011
Comments
* indicates an article that was submitted directly to this Web site by the supplier, and was not handled by the Greener Package editorial staff.
Greener Package may share your contact information with our sponsors, as detailed in our Privacy Policy. Greener Package will not share your information with a sponsor whose content you have not reviewed. The members of the Advisory Board and Expert Network do not review, approve or endorse advertisements on this Web site.
Hello! There is no charge for
Hello! There is no charge for you to submit your data. The database is currently free for any packaging supplier located anywhere in the world. For directions and instructions, start here.
Hi Jim, the real value is
Hi Jim, the real value is engagement with the retail and brand owner buying community. Most of the questions are optional. Be sure to fill out the key ones pertaining to sustainability claims. Also, you will find that you don't have to enter more than a few listings. But remember, the more information you enter, the more valuable to potential buyers. The reason there are so many questions is because brand owners and retailers have asked for it. You can have multiple sizes and styles of a given container represented in one database listing, so long as that bottle is made of the same material and has the same sustainability characteristics. (E.g., comes in 6, 10, 14, 20-oz versions.). So if you have a few common materials or material mixes you use, just have an entry for each. As far as your question about the value, brand owners and retailers are starting to use this database. We're rolling out our Greener Package Certified Buyer program, where retailers and brand owners are trained in the use of this database. Finally, we have a service available where we will enter your data for you -- for free! If you're interested in this, please contact Wilson Hogan at hogan@greenerpackage.com.
A bit too upstream?
Hi Marc, I think you might be a notch or two upstream for the Greener Package database. Manufacturers of additives, inks and treatments are encouraged to enter their products, but my feeling is that companies like yours that supply those manufacturers are one step too far upstream from the core users of this database. It has nothing to do with how sustainable your products are--it's more a question of is this the right audience. The intended audience that uses the database is retailers, brand owners, and converters. Sounds like your customer would be the raw material suppliers. Those folks would submit their products to our database in order to attract customers, but I'm not sure they would use our database to find suppliers for their own products.
How to get nominated
"So again, I ask how the hell did these guys win an award when so many other (albeit 'smaller' players) didn't even get nominated?" The awards are open to anyone and everyone. No one chooses the nominees except the nominees themselves. Smaller guys and bigger guys alike can nominate themselves. No evil cabal or conspiracy here, I'm afraid. I'll let the Greener Package Judges address your other charges.
You CAN enter 2009 packages...
You actually can enter packages commercialized in 2009 as long as you don't enter that package again in the 2010 competition.