A February study from NatureWorks on the recyclability of its bio-based polymers has raised the ire of a leading PET container recovery group, while the U.S. government may increase efforts to label bottles as bio-based.

            With polylactic acid (PLA) continuing to gain market traction in plastic bottles and injection molding applications, issues with recycling have also bubbled to the surface. At the center of the controvery is a February study from Minnetonka, MN-based NatureWorks that demonstrated that plant-made PLA materials can be automatically sorted from PET and other materials in the recycling stream and does not contaminate the recycled PET (RPET) extrusion process.

            The study, in conjunction with PLA bottle supplier Primo Water, was monitored by independent consultant Plastic Forming Enterprises and included some of the leading sorting technologies.

            However, while the study concluded that no technological barriers would prevent the sorting out of PLA from petroleum-based plastics, critics have questioned those results. The latest is the National Association of PET Container Resources (NAPCOR): the Sonoma, CA-based PET recycling advocates said in late July that mixing PLA materials with PET in the recycling stream would hike costs and could jeopardize the viability of current recycling systems.

            According to the group, adding near infrared (NIR) sorting systems like those used in NatureWorks’ study require an investment of $200,000 or more. With few markets for recycled PLA material, not only would the investment bring little return but it would require most PLA material be directed to a landfill, said NAPCOR executive director Dennis Sabourin. “When all is said and done, the volumes of PLA that can be separated out at this time are relatively low and do not make up the critical mass required for a viable reclamation business model,” he said.

            NAPCOR technical director Mike Schedler likened it to mixing ceramic materials in glass recycling. While ceramics can also be sorted, no viable market exists to make it worthwhile.

            The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) also has said PLA needs to be separated from PET before recycling begins so as not to contaminate the waste stream.

On the other side of the coin, England-based Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) also performed a study that found NIR systems can effectively remove PLA from other resins.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving ahead with plans to label bio-based products (those made from plants) with a special “BioPreferred” label. Recently, the USDA has focused efforts on labeling bio-based bottles made from PLA and other plant-based materials so recyclers can be alerted when they are entering the recycling stream and ensure that they are not mixed with containers from traditional resins.

The BioPreferred labeling system could be launched as soon as early 2010, once public comment is received.

The first step in developing a multi-dimensional packaging solution is admitting that you have a multi-dimensional packaging problem. Too often, sustainable packaging remedies fixate on the environmental benefits but neglect the other demands of a package. Going forward, brand owners must address all three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economical and social.

            Increasingly, brands opt for eco-friendly packaging to reduce their carbon footprint. Environmental responsibility begins with material selection, and highly recyclable materials like metal and glass are good options. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicates steel cans have the highest recycling rate of any material, followed by paper, paperboard, and aluminum cans. Additionally, more companies are choosing materials such as biopolymers that are produced from renewable feedstocks.

            Material reduction and lightweighting are other measures that brands take to improve the environmental dimension of packaging sustainability. Packages are re-designed to offer the same performance with less material. Excess packaging is also eliminated, simplifying the form to offer sufficient protection but with fewer bells and whistles.

            While the environmental benefits of responsible material selection and lightweighting are important, achieving packaging sustainability also requires economic success by supporting sales through self-differentiation and value-added features in a cost-effective format. Packaging should provide space-filling and stackable designs to maximize the amount of product hauled or stored and minimize costs. On the shelf, value-added features like resealability and portability attract consumers with the packaging convenience they crave.

            An economically sound package also preserves the product, preventing expiration on-shelf and costly product waste. A longer shelf life gives the product more time to land in a consumer’s cart, generating a higher return on investment for the manufacturer. Several options for maximizing shelf life exist. PET bottles may feature an oxygen scavenger to slow product degradation. Materials such as metal and colored glass block light and oxygen to keep products fresher for longer. Some packaging accomplishes the same goal with a multilayer structure that embeds a thin layer of metal foil between layers of paperboard or polymer film.

            Optimizing the product-to-package ratio using multi-serve formats is another way to add economic value to a package. If a container can hold a third more product with only a 15 percent increase in material, that package offers the benefits of both eco-friendly design and cost-efficient production.

            Finally, a package is only as good as its performance. Whether packaging is recyclable, renewable, or made with reduced material content, it must satisfy the social needs of consumers. For example, packaging that can be easily opened by elderly consumers or a wallet pack of tablets that indicates the last time a dosage was taken support the well-being of the users. Similarly, single-serve packages that allow consumers to travel with healthier snacks reinforce a healthier life style.

            Faced with multiple challenges, a manufacturer’s best bet to achieve sustainability-related goals is to adopt multi-tasking packaging that addresses environmental, economic, and social needs. Packaging that does more for your business, the environment, and the consumer is always a sustainable solution.

Daniel Abramowicz is President of CROWN Packaging Technology

(Link to www.crowncork.com)

            Monosol, a Merrillville, IN-based film maker best known for its unit-dose, dissolving packaging for laundry and dishwasher detergent, partnered with Chicago-based packaging supplier ADE Inc. to produce a novel protective package. The corrugated box is lined with the water-soluble, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) film, a thicker material substrate that is repulpable during recycling and will dissolve at 140 degrees F, said Monosol ceo P. Scott Bening.

            The companies are launching the CareNSol product for the shipment of fragile items to replace polystyrene (EPS) and polyurethane (PU) foam, two materials that can be difficult to recycle and reuse. The PVOH film offers at least similar moisture and humidity barrier properties as polyethylene or PU film without the problem of extracting the film before recycling, Bening said. The system was also designed to fold flat to save storage space compared to bulky plastic alternatives

            “The beauty now is that the entire package is curbside recyclable,” Bening said during an interview with Packaging Strategies. “There’s no separation of plastic needed, and there can be a multiple-use lifecycle for it as well.”          

            The package is being launched by TechTurn, an Austin, TX-based brand owner selling refurbished computer equipment. Techturn president Jeff Ziegler said the company helped design and test the new protective package. In the CareNSol package, the product sits in a protective hammock enclosed by a dust cover. The film also has anti-static properties, making it considerably less expensive than the use of anti-static film, Ziegler added.

            ADE and Monosol are considering other uses for the new packaging, including glass wine bottles that can be shipped overseas or flat-rate shipping boxes for consumer applications.

            The companies went to Western Michigan University to test for repulpabiity of the CareNSol package and ensure the film would not dissolve during shipments, Bening said.

            Presenters at the fifth annual Sustainable Packaging Forum were asked by Packaging Strategies to provide a short answer to the following question:                                

            How can the packaging industry better use the full potential of sustainability as an economic driver for future business?     

As a reminder, the Forum will be held Sept. 22 to 24 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta.  The deadline to register at a discounted rate for the hotel is Sept. 3. Sign up today and learn more about how to compete  effectively in today’s changing global climate.

The Brand Owner’s Response

“As brand owners, we need to become more efficient, increase profits, and lower our environmental footprint.  The packaging industry can help in these efforts by continuing to develop new ideas and materials that ultimately help us achieve our goals. Also, by working with us, recyclers, NGO's, and government to help in developing the best end-of-life scenario possible for their packaging materials, these efforts would help them to increase their own market share and profitability.”

Jeffrey Blum

McCormick & Co.

"Packaging is the intersection point of consumer awareness, industry innovation, quality, safety and emerging environmental trends. Viewing packaging innovation through each of these sustainability lenses will be the economic driver for future business."

Dave Stangis

Campbell’s

The Converter’s Response

            “Sustainability is a key driver for improving the economic bottom line, though it can only be successful if sustainability is fully integrated into the business processes of packaging converters and their customers. Additionally, packaging should not be viewed in isolation, but always has to be seen in relation to the sustainability benefits it provides to the packaged good. Sustainability must not be an add-on and "nice-to-have" activity but has to be managed and valued similar to quality management.”

Dr. Gerald Rebitzer
Alcan Packaging

“Sustainability is seen more and more as an element of total quality that needs to be developed and managed like conventional quality management. It is often surprising for these same companies to learn that a large part of environmental and other impacts happen when producing the materials they use to create products, i.e., outside of their direct control. This is the case with most packaging materials. Sustainability will reach its full potential when lifecycle thinking is embraced for the package together with the product throughout the chain. Packaging is hired to do a job; separating the package from the product can lead to unintended consequences.

Nina Goodrich

Alcan Packaging

“A focus on sustainability helps measure risk exposure to potential future and economic and legislative costs, while removing waste and reducing costs from operations.  Retailers and consumers are expecting leaders in the packaging industry to develop more sustainable packaging for consumer goods.  Sustainable packaging has quickly become a necessity to participate in the market.

David Clark
AMCOR PET Packaging

The Supplier’s Response                

“Our partners in the packaging industry would add unique value to OEM customers by: identifying innovative, sustainable materials; partnering with the OEM customer on packaging designs that maximize efficient transport; and

assessing and reporting their own energy, water, and waste savings linked to a particular customer’s packaging products."

Edna Conway

Cisco 

“Sustainability goes far beyond the simple aspect of green production. Ultimately, each company needs to sustain itself – and, long-term, that requires resource-oriented and sustainable management practices. Measuring and subsequently optimizing products, processes and the overall environmental footprint of a company translates directly into reduced complexity and, in the end, sustainable higher profits. In this sense, sustainability becomes yet another driver for innovation and excellence.”

Joerg Daehnhardt

Heidelberg

“It is abundantly clear that print buyers are, generally speaking, poorly informed or downright misinformed about the buying criteria they need to consider to position their brands in a more sustainable light with consumers.  For example, there is a large population that believes the only "green" printing ink is one based on soy -- which is absolutely incorrect.  Industrial trade associations need to make stronger efforts to dispel bad information and disseminate today's facts about the many aspects of sustainability that affect flexible packaging.“

Rich Czarnecki

Superior Ink

The Trade Organization’s Response

“Now is a good time to analyze your company’s current packaging sustainability strategy to identify ways  to optimize it for the future.  To do  this, it is vital that you work with partners up and down the supply chain and with trade organizations to help everyone see where they can achieve the most sustainable impact. Optimizing packaging may require investment. Over time, however, a positive return can be expected since optimal packaging minimizes waste and resource consumption, delivering sustainable improvements for your business and your supply chain partners.”

Julian Carroll

The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN)