Sustainability
Sustainability is defined in different ways by different sources though fundamentally refers to:
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Source: The Dictionary of Sustainable Management
Sustainability has become a global issue transcending industry sectors and changing the ways in which companies conduct business. Increasingly, consumers are saying that sustainability plays a part in their purchasing decisions (according to findings in a 2007 GfK Roper/Yale survey on environmental issues).
What sustainability means to both your business and your packaging strategy...
- Containment and transport
- Protection
- Protect the product from the environment
- Protect the environment from the product
- Communication
- Convey required regulatory information
- Reflect the value of the product and sell the product
Packaging represents:
- An opportunity to enhance sustainability
- An opportunity to generate cost savings
- An opportunity to communicate your message of corporate responsibility
Contact the experts at Packaging Knowledge Group today to participate in our packaging sustainability webinar.
Degradability versus recyclability
Does degradability rightfully belong in the "sustainability" category? Sustainability can be defined as using our finite resources in a manner that insures their availability for future generations. Some would say that including degradable additives in polymeric packaging materials is a sustainability enhancement. However, others would counsel caution. For instance, the National Assocaition for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) is suggesting that CPG companies contemplating the inclusion of degradable additives to PET packaging materials answer four basic questions before doing so. These questons are: first, does the additive really work; second, what effect does the additive have on post consumer recycling of the PET material; third, does the additive affect the reuse of the PET material; and fourth, does the additive affect the service life of the PET material. It seems to me that any packaging engineer worth his or her salt would want to obtain the data to answer these questions as an integral part of a sustainable packaging development project. One operating principle has stood me in good stead for the entirety of my 39 year packaging career - that is, "one test is worth a thousand expert opinions". Don't make decisions without knowledge and don't guess. Spend the time to test and to develop the data that will place your decision making process on a sound scientific footing.
And while you're at it, let us know your thoughts on the title question: Does degradability rightfully belong in the "sustainability" category? If sustainability involves conserving, recovering and/or reusing resources, do degradable additives belong in this category? Degradable additives enable the degradation of polymers. In this light, the polymer itself is lost and the energy consumed to manufacture that polymer and the packaging material are also lost. Are reuse, recycling or energy recovery better paths to sustainability than degradability? What do you think? Send your comments to PKG .
