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.

FTC's Green Guides need update sooner than later

FTC's Green Guides need update sooner than later
John Kalkowski, Editorial Director - Packaging Digest

Recent articles show that “natural” and “environmentally friendly” messages resonate with consumers, as thousands of new products introduced in 2008 rely on those attributes in both product and packaging marketing to help boost sales.

With the proliferation of this message, many marketers skate dangerously close to what might be considered misleading or even false advertising. One study done by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing finds that 99 percent of 1,018 “green” advertising claims for everyday consumer products could be misleading.

The industry needs an up-to-date set of guidelines on what are acceptable marketing practices, taking into account new packaging materials, new technology and the changing perceptions of today's consumers. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is charged with protecting the American public from misleading environmental marketing messages has established its interpretation as to what are deceptive environmental marketing claims in a document known as the Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims or “Green Guides.”

The Guides originally were published in 1992 and were updated in 1998. To its credit, the FTC launched a new review in 2007 and held three workshops in 2008 to solicit public input on what should be included in a revised set of guidelines. However, new Green Guides have not been issued. At this point, the FTC says it wants any new guidelines to be “done right,” but the agency does not have a target date for release. The commission's staff must prepare recommendations to the five commissioners who make the ultimate decision. When the new guidelines are written, they likely will be subject to a final round of public comment before a final decision is made. The new federal administration also may want to put its own stamp on the direction any changes might take.

A sustainability study done late in 2008 by Packaging Digest and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, shows that 77 percent of the respondents feel minimum standards should be set before packagers can market themselves as “green.” When asked who should set the standards for sustainability claims, 42 percent said they believe the federal government should do so, followed closely by either a third-party program or trade associations.

It appears the industry wants stringent guidelines that remove ambiguities. This is important because local and state jurisdictions increasingly rely on the Green Guides for direction on enforcement, even though the FTC does not pre-empt regulation of environmental claims by individual states.

For more information, click here.

-- CardPak Inc.

Packaging Design Insight from XO Create!

This is the main body from an interview conducted by Packaging Digest (David Bellm) with Jim Stringer, the Creative Director for XO. Jim provides some great substance and insight into packaging, branding, creativity, design, as well as client relations... the whole gamut.

Packaging Design Insight from XO Create!
Packaging Digest, David Bellm

Jim, Do you feel that packagers are getting more sophisticated about branding?
Yes and for good reason. We have all read the statistics about in-store purchase decisions, how long it takes a consumer to make one and so on. These are all true but the real reason packagers have to become more brand savvy is that their product (the package) is on the front line of their client’s battle - the store shelf. The package has for many become the first touchpoint, the first interaction with a brand and it had better speak the right message in the right voice to its audience or they may never interact with it. We are talking about more than slapping a logo on a box as big as you can and calling it branded. These days the shape, the color, the material all must align to tell one concise, succinct story - the brand promise - and we must do it in way that captures our audience and provides a real value in their life. Quite a role for packaging, but one that can be achieved with the right team and the right framing of the project.

What do you feel is the biggest (missed?) opportunity clients have with their packaging?
Telling their story. Delivering on the brand promise or at least starting to clue the consumer in on what the brand represents. Also it's the experience after the consumer gets the package home. Does it store the product well? Was it easy to open? Properly childproofed? What post-purchase value can be designed into the package? Also packaging can be a source of tremendous savings when approached from the right point of view. Can we use less material, fewer inks? different substrates? There are so may variables that go into a package it's no wonder that the right packaging firm can assess the situation and often find ways to shave production costs without sacrificing on the brand or the experience.

What do you see as the most important design trend in packaging in the next five years?
Reduction of materials and sustainability, so start doing your homework! Honestly, these areas are going to continue to be hot and there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what's green and what's sustainable. This leaves us, the packagers and package designers, to learn more and lead the way for our clients in these areas including educating them on the facts.

What do you see as the most worrisome design trend happening in packaging?
Moving packaging design overseas. I certainly understand the reasons behind outsourcing, but often any savings realized is spent on production management (are the colors right, is the substrate correct?) and time getting things back and forth. The bigger issue is if your actual design is outsourced, because more often than not these designers have no concept of our varied cultures and emotional triggers. This often leads to very alien looking design and messaging that leaves the consumer more confused than informed. If you are going to outsource your packing production that's fine as long as you have a qualified person representing the project and it's objectives dedicated to the outcome of the work.

What do you have to educate your clients about the most when it comes to packaging design?
Production. Many of our clients are new to the world of manufacturing, conversion, printing and fulfillment of packaging. It can be quite intimidating when you have no idea where to start or what's involved, but over the years we have become very good at bridging the gap between client and production processes. Of course many times the client has never budgeted for this type of education or production management. Yet when it's all said and done most feel it was worth the extra investment to avoid production pitfalls which can quickly drain a budget.

Describe your approach to redesigning a clients packaging
We first begin by asking the client to write a creative brief describing the general reasoning and objectives that are driving the project. We often help with this brief in areas the client is unsure of or may have difficulty articulating. From this brief we begin to ascertain what areas of the existing packaging may or may not be supporting the desired outcomes. Many times we discover disconnects not necessarily with the packaging but with the product or it's presentation. For example, a client may have a game aimed at adults, yet the colors of the product itself and/or it's packaging may unknowingly cause consumers to see it as a child's product. The copywriting could have the wrong voice, the images could have the wrong art direction, or the client may just being trying to brilliantly solve the wrong problem. This is why we constantly question and circle the project from so many viewpoints; to discover these hidden issues and then design for or around them in order to more clearly articulate the brand or product message.

Is there any kind of packaging that your firm specializes in?
Not particularly since we approach package design as an extension of a brand. We design almost any type of packaging that achieves the client’s objectives, whether it's glass, plastic, toys or appliances. We have a very talented team here at XO Create! and I personally feel there isn't much they can't accomplish. If we were forced to niche I would say most of our work lends itself to the unusual or atypical type of packaging solutions.

What packaging design are you the most proud of?
We are quite proud of all our packaging work, so it's hard to pinpoint any one project. Just about everything we are really proud of is featured on our website - www.xocreate.com under the portfolio section.

What types of projects are the most exciting to you?
Any project that has a genuine objective to reach or problem to solve. For XO Create! packaging is not a form of decoration, it's a real opportunity to communicate on may levels and solve some real issues on both the client and consumer sides of things. When we have a defined goal or objective and are allowed the creative freedom to discover solid solutions, we always get excited!

What kind of packaging would you love to design if you had the chance?
Cosmetics packaging would be exciting! Beauty and style products always seem to have a very high aesthetic and this team could really sink their teeth into those values and produce something exceptional!

Do you work remotely often? (email, web, phone, etc.) Or do you prefer working face-to-face with clients?
We work in any capacity that provides the level of detail and responsiveness the client or project desires. This is often a marriage of all forms of communication and we make sure anyone assigned to a project can communicate with a client about the work.

Which package has more fun – a box of fruit or a bag of candy?
A bag of candy! It's far easier to carry around a bag of jelly beans than a box of kiwi!

If you could be a package for one day, what would you be?
A bottle of high-end liquor - it would be a celebration everywhere I went!

Is there anything you’d like to tell prospective clients?
Hire a good packaging firm, one that can assist with everything from budget and production constraints to branding and emotional touch point creation. Choose them not on the work they have done for others in specific product categories, but on the ground breaking work you believe they can achieve for your unique product or situation. Also, clearly define what you hope to achieve with your packaging and bring your chosen firm in early on in the game, it's their unique problem solving perspectives and experience that you hired them for, not their software skills, so utilize it and allow them the room to do something you would have never thought of. After all, isn't that the reason for hiring professionals?

How can clients get in touch with you?
You can contact me via email at - jim@xocreate.com.

Complete article/interview can be viewed by clicking here.

-- CardPak Inc.

Coke Teams with MSU School of Packaging

Coke Teams with MSU to Create Packaging Innovation & Sustainability Center

Michigan State University (Press Release) - Improving the global sustainability of product packaging took a meaningful step forward with a new collaboration proposed by The Coca-Cola Company and Michigan State University. Coca-Cola awarded $400,000 to MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to helpestablish a new Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability.

The planned center, to be housed in the MSU School of Packaging, will serve as a think tank for packaging innovation and sustainability and a research and education hub to measure and reduce packaging’s environmental impact. The Coca-Cola grant represents the initiating gift in a campaign to establish the global center.

"The Coca-Cola Company is honored to collaborate with Michigan State University in its quest to bring corporate, academic and packaging professionals together to foster new ideas in sustainable packaging,” said Ingrid Saunders Jones, senior vice president of global community connections for The Coca-Cola Company, “Our company has set ambitious environmental goals to not only deliver quality products, but to also have minimal impact on the environment. Research and work generated through this collaboration with MSU will assist us in reaching our goals.”

The center will involve the MSU colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources (School of Packaging), Engineering and the Eli Broad College of Business (Department of Supply Chain Management). It will provide a platform for both collaborative, non-proprietary research and proprietary work conducted by industry partners, both in partnership with and independent of MSU researchers, to develop innovative packaging solutions that reduce production costs and improve sustainability.

“The center will offer an entry point for industry to have easy access to MSU expertise. It will serve as a bridge between corporate and packaging industry professionals and university scientists in engineering, packaging, business, the environment and other areas,” said Satish Udpa, dean of the MSU College of Engineering.

“The center will be a clearinghouse that disseminates information and encourages action that speeds the adoption and implementation of sustainable practices.”

“By bringing together university and industry resources in supply chain, packaging and engineering, this center will be able to effectively address issues of sustainability, discover environmentally and economically operative solutions and consider new ways to manage environmental impact throughout the value chain,” said Elvin Lashbrooke, interim dean of the Eli Broad College of Business.

The center will include state-of-the-art technology for bench research and testing of packaging materials and will offer academic, outreach and continuing education programs. It is anticipated to eventually expand its reach internationally through research, development, education and training facilities in Dubai and Shanghai.

“Packaging is ubiquitous throughout the food system and a critical component to the quality, safety and sustainability of the products we buy and eat,” said Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“Coca-Cola’s funding commitment to establish the Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability will move us toward an unprecedented level of industry collaboration that will have global implications for improving packaging performance and sustainability.”

Scott Vitters, group director, Global Sustainability for the Coca-Cola Company, will speak during the luncheon program of the Packaging Executives Forum II being presented by the School of Packaging on Jan. 27 at the MSU Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. A discussion of the Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability is also scheduled for the afternoon program. This will be the first opportunity for packaging professionals to meet with the deans of the involved colleges and the acting director of the School of Packaging to learn more about the center and discuss its launch.

Details are available at http://www.packaging.msu.edu.

Established in 1952, the MSU School of Packaging is the first and largest packaging program in the U.S. The school supports the packaging industry through education, research and outreach focused on solving problems and developing improved technology.

Source: Michigan State University / Packaging Digest

-- CardPak Inc.