SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING FORUM PRESENTERS

STATE THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR MORE INITIATIVES  

 

            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)