Continental Airlines Magazine: Green on the Outside
Filed under: Earth 911 - February 4, 2008
By Leah Ingram
Some companies want you to judge them by their containers
Wal-Mart made news in 2007 when it announced an initiative that would require its biggest suppliers to adopt greener packaging, part of the company’s promise to reduce waste by 25 percent before 2010. According to Martha Leflar of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a project of GreenBlue, in Charlottesville, Va., the Arkansas-based retail behemoth is not alone. “Generally, all major consumer product companies and retailers are rethinking their packaging,” she says.
A recent Datamonitor Productscan survey includes eco-friendly packaging among the top 10 packaged-goods trends of 2008. So it’s no longer a question of whether many corporations will tackle the issue of greener packaging, but of how they will do it.
Size Matters, As Does Substance
Decreasing package size is one common way to minimize waste. “If the product is small, the packaging should be small,” says Lauren Liao, an account director at the consulting firm Dragon Rouge USA, which advises companies on branding and package design. Liao cites Apple Inc. as an example. “They don’t waste an inch of surface area or fill their boxes with Styrofoam and paper,” she notes. “They make packages that are tailored to the product.”
Even before Wal-Mart’s push, Procter & Gamble was already formulating a plan to shrink its containers and concentrate its laundry detergent brands. The 100-ounce Tide bottle, for example, will be replaced by a 50-ounce package made from at least 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. Wal-Mart plans to carry only concentrated detergents in its U.S. stores by the end of 2008.
Anca Novacovici, founder of Eco-Coach, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm that focuses on green practices, approves. “With a concentrated liquid laundry detergent, you’re not using as much water, thus saving on water resources,” she says. Because each package weighs less, it also requires less fuel for shipping, cutting down on carbon emissions.
Novacovici recommends paying attention to how packages are made, as well. Nowadays, consumers can look for third-party green certification on packages, such as that bestowed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Such certification provides proof of a greener manufacturing process. The FSC gives the “thumbs up” to products using wood or wood fiber that has been harvested without causing a negative impact on the environment, says spokeswoman Katie Miller. The FSC also offers “certified recycled” labels for products using wood or paper that come from 100 percent post-consumer sources.
Waste Not, Want Not
If you can’t figure out a package’s green credentials, ask. If the information isn’t on a company’s Web site, then send in your feedback. “Once businesses know consumers are interested, they will go down the supply chain. It can influence and speed up the changes for greener packaging,” Novacovici suggests.
Most recycling centers and trash haulers take plastic and paper for recycling, but not all take cardboard or paperboard (what cereal boxes are made of). When in doubt, log on to earth911.org to figure out where you can go locally to recycle packaging. Mother Earth will thank you.