This article appears on page 9 of the Jan. 15, 2012 issue of Packaging Strategies Newsletter.

One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure: From Trenton, NJ-based TerraCycle to non-governmental organizations in less-developed countries around the globe, entrepreneurs are upcycling packaging waste into fun and useful products. The “eco-chic” trend shows no signs of slowing, nor does humanity’s ability to generate waste. Thus, clever companies that make earrings from soda cans or outdoor furniture from plastic bottles should have no problems with sourcing for the foreseeable future.

The Package Is the Product: As designers seek ways to reduce packaging waste, the line between the product and the package can become a bit blurry. Examples include reusable shopping bags, Sonoco’s ReadyGrow biodegradable, 100% recycled paperboard planter, and The Twist (from designer Nick Burrows), a reusable, resealable, washable silicone food container that can be chilled or microwaved and then eaten from (like a bowl).

Minerals Displace Plastics in Paper Coatings: Between rising resin prices and continued consumer demand for “greener” packaging, minerals will increasingly be used to supplement or replace polyethylene as a coating for paperboard packaging. Companies to watch include Imerys Paper & Packaging and Smart Planet Technologies.

Bye Bye BPA: Pressure from researchers and consumer groups to eliminate BPA from can linings will continue to grow. Once one food company makes the change, the floodgates will open.

Regulatory Guidance: At the risk of going out on a limb that’s already occupied by the “Mayhem” guy from the Allstate commercials, we’re looking for the Federal Trade Commission to release its long-overdue revisions to its Green Guides.

—Heidi Parsons, Senior Editor