Sony DVD packaging goes green

Sony DVD packaging goes green
- Suzanne Ault

Paul Blart: Mall Cop has a new job, as Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's green ambassador.

The title, releasing on DVD and Blu-ray May 19, will kick-off a launching a massive green packaging initiative at the studio.

From Mall Cop on, all of Sony's single-disc standard-definition DVDs will incorporate ultra-light cases that feature 20% less plastic than Sony's previous single-disc standard DVDs and will be covered with plastic shrinkwrap that is 20% lighter. The printed artwork that wraps around boxes will use paper that contains 30% post-consumer waste. Previously, Sony had been using 100% virgin paper.

The studio's goal is to reduce carbon emissions associated with its DVD manufacturing and distribution by 2 million pounds in North America by the end of 2009.

"What we were looking to do was be efficient and over time, deliver cost savings," said Lexine Wong, senior executive VP of worldwide marketing for SPHE.

The lighter cases also should help the studio trim both packaging costs and freight charges.

"For the last couple of years, we have been looking at ways to be sustainable and make a difference," said Wong. "I think our industry and our studio is really committed to environmental issues. All the studios are."

The Mall Cop box has walls that are cut out to use less plastic. The DVD also will be packaged without a cardboard outer sleeve, saving more than 2,200 trees, or 322 tons of wood, according to Sony.

Several studios have been using greener packaging solutions, following Wal-Mart mandates that vendors both clamp down on carbon emissions and reduce packaging.

Already studios have worked to meet Wal-Mart's goals, slimming average DVD packaging weight by about 30% between 2006 and 2008. The carbon imprint for a title (encompassing emissions from manufacturing, packaging and transportation to retail) dropped to 0.98 lbs. in 2008, down from 1.1 lbs. in 2006, according to the Digital Entertainment Group.

-- CardPak Inc.

Consumers Still Buying Green...

Consumers Still Buying Green Despite Economic Downturn
Research shows that 82 percent of shoppers continue to seek eco-friendly products - Packaging Digest

Four out of five people say they are still buying green products and services today—which sometimes cost more—even in the midst of a U.S. recession.

A new study commissioned by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation reveals peoples’ opinions and behaviors about products that claim to be environmentally friendly.

Half of the 1,000 people surveyed say they are buying just as many green products now as before the economic downturn, while 19 percent say they are buying more green products. Fourteen percent say they are buying fewer environmentally green products.

Other key findings in the new research conducted by telephone in a random-digit-dial sample:

Brand Reputation Matters More Than Ads
Twenty-one percent (21%) of consumers say a product’s reputation is the biggest factor they weigh when making purchasing decisions followed by word of mouth (19%) and brand loyalty (15%). Just 9 percent say green advertising is their primary influencer.
More “Green Claims” Education Needed

About one in three say they don’t know how to tell if green claims are true.

One in 10 consumers blindly trusts green product claims.

Consumers are verifying green claims by reading the packaging (24%) and turning to research (going online, reading studies; 17%).

What Consumers Say Versus Do
While 87 percent of people surveyed say they recycle, the Environmental Protection Agency reports just 33 percent of our waste is diverted from landfills.

The other things people do are look for minimally packaged goods (60%) which is statistically tied with buying green cleaning products (58%). Buying green personal-care products came in at 31%.

"This research suggests that consumers are buying green products second only to participating in recycling,” said Arthur Weissman, Ph.D., Green Seal's President and CEO. "This increased consumer demand sends a signal to manufacturers to produce products that are truly green.”

Green Seal, an independent nonprofit product certification organization, and EnviroMedia Social Marketing are releasing the research today from the first-ever Greenwashing Forum in Portland. The forum, hosted by the University of Oregon, was inspired by the Greenwashing Index, which was launched in January 2008 by EnviroMedia and the UO School of Journalism and Communication. Since the popular watchdog Web site was founded, consumers in 138 countries have been posting and rating ads to “out” greenwashers and showcase companies that employ sound environmental marketing efforts.

“There’s a real opportunity for authentic green marketing, despite the tough economy,” said Valerie Davis, EnviroMedia Principal and CEO. “This research proves people want to do what’s best for the environment, but it needs to be easy and accessible. Companies should be clear about the environmental benefits of their products and services and make sure what they claim in the TV ad is backed up consistently on product packaging and on the Web site.”

Sources: Green Seal, EnviroMedia Social Marketing

-- CardPak Inc.

Product captivity & security

It is well known (and old news) now that Wal-mart, Target, Amazon, and Sears, among others, have all jumped on the sustainable bandwagon and have taken a public stance in regards to the use of PVC, most commonly in a clamshell design, for the packaging of retail products.

But with the 'negative' perception to clamshells comes the one main point of backlash that there is a the lack of product security when switching to a more sustainable package.

Well this has been debunked, as it has been noted by many of the major retailers that regardless, whether the product is in a traditional clamshell, a tear-resistant replacement (Natralock), or a sustainable micro-flute clamshell replacement (ClubPak)... the security is equal because the method of stealing the item remains the same.

* With a box cutter, slice the lip of the blister, pull the product out, and then stash the remaining package somewhere else in the store.

Below is a photo from a recent trip to Costco. This item was found on the complete opposite end of the store, stuffed into a toolbox that was on display. Clamshell, tear resistant... it wouldn't matter, this would still happen.

So with that in mind, the retailers have made the choice to be more 'environmentally friendly' knowing that they will continue to deal with the same thief issues.

In this same vein, sustainable micro-flute clamshell replacement packages are typically marketed as more 'user friendly' and easier to open... so for some humor, I threw a few key words into youtube, and the search yielded an incredible amount of 'clamshell rage' videos.

Below is just one of hundreds, and this is definitely one of the more 'civil' ones, as many had clamshells getting backed over by cars and shredded open by a gas powered chainsaw.

Yes, without a doubt or argument, there are products out in the retail environment that require a clamshell package. But for a majority of products on the shelves of the mass retailers, that is not the case.

In the end, the key is to know both sides of the story when talking security and sustainability, it is an advantageous position to be in when dealing with the mass retailers that are controlling the climate of retail packaging.

-- CardPak Inc.