'Sustainability' still has some growing up to do as a concept and label. It brings about many opinions and debates... some see it as a marketing ploy, while others see it as a sincere and legit foundation of doing business. Either way, 'sustainability' success stories need to be shared with hopes that these stories will help other ideas and initiatives to be developed and fueled. Plus, the more success that is being reported, the less negative connotations will be linked to the term.
For example, GE has been telling such a story on the back of their CFL light bulb packaging. GE backed up the talk by reducing the amount of plastic used in the packaging and replacing the plastic with recycled and recyclable materials.Wal-Mart scorecard proof aside... this package is one of the best on-the-market examples of what is possible when considering and developing sustainable packaging.
As we look ahead to 2009, GE was ahead of the times with this sort of 'story telling' approach.
As the new year approaches, consumers will be seeing more and more 'green stories' being told on the packaging of products they buy. Sustainability labels will also become a common sight, with major retailers like Wal-Mart hoping to standardize and require such information.
The labels, which some companies have already starting using (hoping for a competitive edge) will have information on the various categories like: carbon footprint, an index measuring recycled content, what raw materials were used to produce the product and/or package, and how sustainable those materials are.
Sustainability labels will soon become as common as nutrition labels on food, especially since it will be driven by the retailers, which is great for the everyday consumer looking to make a difference.
-- CardPak Inc.
The Panera phenomenon:
Order:
one whole sandwich
one 1/2 sandwich
one side salad
one cup of soup
Packaging/bagging:
one large carrying bag
one medium bag
three small individual bags
All companies can strive towards a better carbon footprint, but in this day and age, for a high profile company to create this amount of excess waste and pass it on directly to the end consumer is mind-boggling. Environmental consciousness is not that hard of a concept... in the case, the picture speaks volumes.
-- CardPak Inc.
A hot and relevant topic to environmental awareness is to learn and discuss more about the true capabilities of hybrid cars.
Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?
Goodwin leads me over to a red 2005 H3 Hummer that's up on jacks, its mechanicals removed. He aims to use the turbine to turn the Hummer into a tricked-out electric hybrid. Like most hybrids, it'll have two engines, including an electric motor. But in this case, the second will be the turbine, Goodwin's secret ingredient. Whenever the truck's juice runs low, the turbine will roar into action for a few seconds, powering a generator with such gusto that it'll recharge a set of "supercapacitor" batteries in seconds. This means the H3's electric motor will be able to perform awesome feats of acceleration and power over and over again, like a Prius on steroids. What's more, the turbine will burn biodiesel, a renewable fuel with much lower emissions than normal diesel; a hydrogen-injection system will then cut those low emissions in half. And when it's time to fill the tank, he'll be able to just pull up to the back of a diner and dump in its excess french-fry grease--as he does with his many other Hummers. Oh, yeah, he adds, the horsepower will double--from 300 to 600.
"Conservatively," Goodwin muses, scratching his chin, "it'll get 60 miles to the gallon. With 2,000 foot-pounds of torque. You'll be able to smoke the tires. And it's going to be superefficient."
He laughs. "Think about it: a 5,000-pound vehicle that gets 60 miles to the gallon and does zero to 60 in five seconds!"
"You can feed it hydrogen, diesel, biodiesel, corn oil--pretty much anything but water."
Goodwin's feats of engineering have become gradually more visible over the past year. Last summer, Imperium Renewables contacted MTV's show Pimp My Ride about creating an Earth Day special in which Goodwin would convert a muscle car to run on biodiesel. The show chose a '65 Chevy Impala, and when the conversion was done, he'd doubled its mileage to 25 mpg and increased its pull from 250 to 800 horsepower. As a stunt, MTV drag-raced the Impala against a Lamborghini on California's Pomona Raceway. "The Impala blew the Lamborghini away,"
You can read the rest of the article here... Motorhead Messiah - great stuff; converting Hummers, Escalades, 1960 Lincoln Continentals, 1965 Chevy Impalas, you name it - into highly fuel efficient, monstrously powerful vehicles.
Don't limit your ability to make an environmental difference. Think outside of the box and don't just assume that things are 'just the way they are'... this is a perfect example.
-- CardPak Inc.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Press Release) - Armed with fresh information from end of year shows and conferences, including Pack Expo success, growing interest in EnviroShell® and excitement about the CardPak Winterborne alliance, Winterborne’s confidence that the New Year will bring ever more demands for environmentally compatible packaging remains strong.
Winterborne is urging brand owners to examine their current packaging with an eye to sustainability. When a package does not measure up now is the time to redesign and reengineer a new approach to product presentation.
Winterborne’s proven ability to design award winning sustainable packaging and the company’s investment in the tools to follow through with energy frugal production practices makes Winterborne a must consult option for brand owners looking to refresh their image while making an exponential improvement in sustainability scores.
A Reliable Shortcut to Successful Sustainability
“We are a reliable shortcut to successful sustainable packaging. We know the mass market landscape and know how to upgrade a brand’s presence in big box stores, club stores, large discount department store environments and any other retail outlet where the competition for distinguished brand presence is fierce. Our expertise includes exceptional knowledge of sustainable materials, highly creative graphics capabilities and proprietary engineering and state-of-the-art production,” Mallen said.
Winterborne is a full service packaging supplier of thermoforming, corrugated and paperboard packaging and displays. Winterborne is widely known for the invention of the exceptionally successful, award winning EnviroShell®, made from recycled RPET and recycled corrugated, now widely used by a variety of internationally recognized brand owners in both retail and warehouse club marketplaces.
Winterborne is fortified by a recent agreement with Ohio based CardPak to join resources to bring sustainable packaging products and services to the clamshell and blister packaging markets. By combining efforts the partner companies become the dominant force in sustainable replacements for traditional plastic clamshell and blister type packaging. Both companies have a strong presence in the warehouse club channel as well other major retail outlets.
-- CardPak Inc.
As we look ahead to 2009, GE was ahead of the times with this sort of 'story telling' approach.
