What Exactly Does "Sustainable Packaging" Mean?

"Sustainable Packaging" and "Eco-efficiency" are just two examples of the "new speak language" of over-zealous environmentalists. There are perfectly good English words such as "packaging that reduces the amount waste material". Why invent silly new words that then need to be explained and defined??

Hi Moose

I invented a packaging system in the nineties. It was excepted by insurance companies and all other players. It did not succeed because 3M decided to close its packaging branch that year. Had run out of funds and other openings seemed a bit dodgy.

How to explain to others how things can change is a hard thing to do. Trust me, nobody is yet prepared to invest in saving packaging. Not yet. I will try to get into the market if things become a bit more educated and the need for recycling is not just a slogan but becomes unavoidable. Hope it will come sooner than later. Ky

Moose-you have some interesting topics from time to time. I must say however, I dont get too excited about "eco-efficiency"! A good package to me is a triple-walled CARDBOARD box! I can use it for other uses. (make templates, patterns, etc). James

Hi James

I'm with you! I absolutely HATE these plastic packages that are so strong you have to use heavy shears to get them apart, and even then you are in danger of stabbing yourself with the parts you cut off!

I agree. Also, have you noticed that these "bullet-proof" packages like you were speaking of are generally thicker plastic than is needed (by far). Talk about waste of energy (to make them) and overkill for protection of the product.

Btw, thanks for the heads up awhile back on the Steripen. I purchased on for use when traveling to countries where water purity is questionable. Works great!!

"bullet-proof" packages - I hate them. I thought a bread knife was the answer until I "sawed" a groove into the included CD.

A little boy was at a neighbours house every second day asking to borrow a pair of scissors. The woman eventually ask him "don't you have any scissors at home?" on which he replied yes we have but my mother don't allow my dad to use it for opening hard plastic containers.

And let's not forget the ubiquitous styrofoam peanuts! I feed mind to my styrofoam elephant, and use the end product to fertilize my styrofoam garden.

There was a good book written about this back in '02 called 'Cradle to Cradle'

Sustainable Packaging is a emerging issue because Wal-Mart has begun to make an issue out of it. In early 2006 they issued a few statements about their new coporate direction which was a "sustainable" movement. Sustainable packaging is a piece of that corporate initiative looking to use the traditional R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) plus some new R's (renewable (energy & materials), Revenue, read...) to reduce costs inside Wal-Mart and ensure they'll be able to continue operating in the future (they state that if they were a country they would be among the 50 largest in GDP, employment, etc...). The intiative was initially a move to take the focus off their questionable labor practices, but has grown into an economicly driven effort. Many trade organizations within the packaging community have begun trying to address your very question, "What is sustainable". In essence it is a difficult question because it requires looking at the entire life cycle of a package from creation of the raw material used to make the package, to the disposal/recycle of the packaging. How much energy is needed to make it, how much green house gas is emmitted in the process, how much solid waste is created, what kinds of solid wasste are emitted, etc...

If you're really intersted you should look at www.walmartfacts.com and on left left bar there is a sustainability link. Other resources like the sustainable packaging coalition www.sustainablepackaging.org, and packaging digest's forum at http://www.packagingdigest.com/newsite/InfoChannel/info_sustainable.php provide good background on the topic.

WAL-MART- Are those the guys we keep hearing about serving us with all of those "made in China" products? (NOW WE KNOW china SELLS NOTHING BUT FRIENDLY SAFE PRODUCTS,RIGHT??? James

Hi James! I will, for most things, gladly pay DOUBLE the price for something made in the USA or Europe over a similar thing made in China. Unfortunately, it is getting very difficult to find most common items NOT made in China...