• Four weeks ago I attended the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Conference in Las Vegas. We met with many large companies that work very hard to identify potential suppliers that are minority business enterprises. Few of these companies were flying the “green” flag, but when questioned, they revealed that their companies indeed had green initiatives - and they were high on the priority list. I am sure they were not trying to keep their green opportunities and interest a secret, because when we told them what we are doing in the area of sustainable packaging it became obvious they expected to find green suppliers at this national, yearly event. Yet, few of the MBE’s I talked to at the show were thinking “green”. Opportunity missed!
• Two weeks ago I spent two days at the Pack Expo Show in Chicago. It is the largest packaging show in North America, held every other year. Overwhelmingly, “green” was the hot topic. It seemed almost every manufacturer of packaging equipment or materials had developed new eco friendly products or was working hard to put a green spin on their old products. And yet, very few if any MBE manufacturers or marketers could be found among the exhibitors.
• Last week I participated in The Co-Op America Business Network (CABN) conference in San Francisco where I had the privilege of speaking and delivering a well received presentation on eco friendly packaging. Perhaps because my own firm is an MBE, I could not help but notice how very few minority firms were in attendance.

Minorities on the move

I see some encouraging signs. In Las Vegas I met people from a minority owned company called Sphinx Enterprises and they are actively involved in helping companies understand how sustainability can help them grow their businesses. In San Francisco, I found out about an organization called Blacks in Green that is also spreading the green gospel.

The minority owned media is also starting to take notice, and not a minute too soon. I have been communicating with the very talented Mitch Posada, who operates several sites for the green Latino community including www.queverde.com , www.todoverde.com and www.soyverde.com. At the NMSDC gathering, I spoke to several editors of diversity/MBE publications and they indicated they were planning or considering green features to their magazines.

Now is the time for sustainable action

Let’s stop “considering” and start moving forward. We all have to care and do our part or it simply is not going to work. We all have an obligation to get involved in sustainability issues because if we fail, it won’t matter whether we are in the majority or the minority. Why? Because when it comes to sustainability, we’re all green – or we’re all gone.

Our vision for and commitment to the Globe Guard brand

• We are committed to identifying the best, most eco friendly packaging products the market has to offer and bringing them to our customers, saving them precious time and always keeping them up to date in this rapidly changing market.
• We are committed to making these products competitive and dispelling the notion that green always costs more money. It doesn’t, at least not for our customers.
• We are committed to making the Globe Guard® brand one that people can count on to be legitimate and truly as green as possible. In some cases the greenest product currently available may not be very green at all, but we guarantee you that we will be straightforward about it.
• We are committed to continue our efforts to educate the market place through our articles, cartoons, speaking engagements and blog. Remember that one of the “7 R’s of Sustainability” is “read” which represents a never ending need for education and an obligation to share the knowledge gained.

We have some very exciting things planned for our Globe Guard® product line and we will be sharing them with you in the days ahead. For those of you who are already Globe Guard® customers, thank you for making it a brand worth protecting and promoting. For those of you who are not yet using our products, what are you waiting for? Too busy to make the change? Remember - few products will give you an eternity of value in exchange for a few minutes of your time.

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Timothy Johnson takes a high altitude look at developing a sustainable strategy within large corporations.

Jackie DeLise explains how less packaging can be more with a great real life example.

Here’s a UK perspective on automobile sales trends from Eco Street. Interesting to see which models are selling and which are not.

GoodGuide is a new site that helps you find safe, healthy, and green products.

When the Wall Street Journal writes about reusable shopping bags, you know sustainable packaging has gone mainstream. The article illustrates how tricky it is to do the right thing for the environment.

Finally, from The Green Routine, a more lighthearted look at reusable shopping bags.

One of our favorite blogs is Sustainable Is Good because they do an exceptional job of exposing examples of over packaging. This photo ran on SISG a couple of months ago, much to the embarrassment of Amazon. Obviously someone at Amazon made a mistake and shipped out an order for ten thin books, in ten separate boxes complete with tape and void fill. That was a plain and simple error on someone’s part and I am sure “inspector #25” or “packer #17” heard about their lapse in common sense. As bad as mistakes like that can be for the companies making them, what is even worse is deliberate lapses in basic concern regarding the importance of secondary packaging, especially when it is done by companies that should know better.

I believe that now more than ever, a green company making a green product MUST be consistent throughout their entire customer serving process, including the secondary packaging they ship out. Here are some reasons why.

• Your secondary packaging is the very first tangible contact you have with your customer. They see your secondary packaging before they see your product. As the old adage says, “You only have one chance to make a good first impression”.
• The green marketplace is getting more crowded every day. Very few of us have an exclusive or unique product to offer so your customers have more options than ever before. Will eco-consistency be the tie breaker between you and your fast growing competitor?
• Cost is no longer a good excuse to not green up your secondary packaging. You now have viable and cost efficient options in almost every secondary packaging product category including boxes, void fill, tape and even labels.
• The green minded consumer tends to be skeptical and will scrutinize most everything about the people they do business with. What does your packaging say about your long terms commitment to protecting the environment?

In addition, during these difficult economic times, if we are asking our green minded customer to NOT make compromises, we have to do the same. We can only do that if we communicate a clear, concise and consistent eco message from beginning to end.

Salazar Packaging carries four varieties of packaging papers, all of which are very sustainable. If you are looking for eco friendly packaging, which paper is right for you?

Industrial tissue paper is lightweight and relatively scratch resistant. It’s an excellent choice for wrapping fragile or semi-fragile products such as coffee mugs, collectibles, or glassware. Tissue is also excellent for interleaving lightweight items that are susceptible to scratching, such as certain plastics and glass.

Recycled kraft paper is extremely versatile. Heavier and stronger than tissue paper, it can be used to wrap heavy objects such as hardcover books. Kraft paper can also work well as an interleaver or as void fill, though it would not be our first choice for the latter application. But, if you need a little bit of everything - void fill, wrapping, interleaving - kraft paper is a one-fits-all choice.

Bogus paper is made from all sorts of recycled paper materials - kraft paper, corrugated board, chipboard, newsprint … pretty much anything they can throw into the mix. As a result, bogus is not as strong as recycled kraft, but much softer and less dense. Bogus is an excellent void fill material, filling more void per pound than most other papers. It’s also fine as an interleaver if abrasion is not an issue. Because bogus tears easily, it is not recommended for wrapping. On the other hand, bogus and indented bogus are highly absorbent, making them a good void fill or box liner when shipping liquids.

Indented bogus paper is bogus paper with a waffle texture, similar to what you find on a roll of paper kitchen towels. The waffling renders indented bogus stronger than plain bogus, making it a good choice for medium duty wrapping and interleaving. Waffling also enhances the appearance of the paper, which perhaps makes the package more attractive to final customer. One note about bogus - because of how the paper is manufactured, bogus papers sometimes contain dust on the roll edges, whereas tissue paper and kraft paper are normally very clean. Sometimes, dusting can be a problem - for instance in the packaging of food products or computer hardware.

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• The Seven Cycles of Recycled Paper

Please click on the image below for a better view -

We have blocked out the name of the company to protect the guilty but the company name is really not important. If we look around we can spot countless examples like this on a daily basis. This company is shipping their annual catalog in the box that is shown. Ironically on the catalog cover they boast about offering hundreds of “eco friendly products”. But what about the packaging that is designed to get this catalog in the hands of their eco minded customers?

To a certain extent we agree that green is often in the eye of the beholder but we’ve spotted some things that are very likely wrong and some that merit further investigation. Jot down some observations and questions before you read the rest of this story.

Here are some questions you may have asked:

• The box appears substantially oversized. Unless like Cracker Jacks, there is a prize in every box, why is the box so long?
• Why and how is the box white? We know it impacts cost but does it also impact recyclability?
• Are all those graphics really necessary for a catalog that the recipient is likely expecting? What types of inks are being used?
• Is this the best package design in terms of minimizing the amount of corrugated being used? It may not be real easy to see in this picture but a one piece folder is being utilized which overlaps corrugated on several surfaces. It is very likely a sleeve or even a book fold design would have used less corrugated.
• What grade and type of board is being used? How much recycled content does it contain and is any post consumer waste? (Note: I am resisting the urge for an obvious plug for our own Globe Guard corrugated board)
• Let’s face it, no one is going to reuse this packaging, so is there an eco-friendly plastic design or corrugated/plastic combination that would get the catalog through the mail and would result in less waste?
• Last and not least, isn’t there something highly questionable about a catalog featuring eco friendly products? Most of the green minded people I know hate catalogs almost as much as they hate plastic bags, and lumber jacks.

This was obviously just a fun exercise and not intended to offend anyone. The real questions that we should be asking are: are we being “eco-consistent” in regards to our secondary packaging? Are we unintentionally turning off the very customers we are trying so hard to turn on? Why aren’t we using eco minded designers and suppliers that will catch packages like this before customers catch us and declare us guilty?

However, corrugated partitions can sometimes reduce overall packaging usage and unit cost, while providing a number of other important sustainable benefits.

• Partitions provide excellent product protection for small parts and fragile items such as coffee mugs. Reducing damage means reducing returns and replacements - which reduces packaging consumption!
• Partitions are easy to reuse if logistics support it. Heavyweight corrugated partitions can be reused many times over for intra-plant transport and sub-assembly applications.
• Partitions provide additional support inside the corrugated box, giving the shipping unit better crush resistance and overall durability. For that reason, using partitions may allow shippers to purchase lighter weight boxes, reducing overall corrugated consumption and cost.

For consumer-direct shippers, partitions have the added advantage of being customer friendly. Partitioned contents are as easy to unpack as it gets. Plus, the corrugated material is easy to recycle and can be reused for storage around the house.

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Most people know Carol Moseley Braun as the former US Senator from Illinois or as former Ambassador to New Zealand, but for the last 3 years she has been busy building her company, Ambassador Organics, into an industry leader in the field of biodynamic food products.

DS: Ambassador Braun, please give us a little background on how you became involved in this new and unique area of foods.

CMB: I set out to restore a family farm as a biodynamic organic farm, and circumstances morphed that initiative into another one - Ambassador Organics - a food company specializing in biodynamic organic products. Biodynamic farming is the most sustainable agricultural system, using only on-farm inputs and natural herbs and farm products to heal and restore the soil. It is the original organic, and can be relied upon to produce Grade A, authentic organic food.

DS: Please explain the differences and similarities between organic and biodynamic agriculture and the food they produce.

CMB: Organic is the starting point, and biodynamic goes the extra mile in requiring attention to the growth processes and inputs. We believe it produces a more nutritious food product, and it has been referred to as “real nutrition that doesn’t cost the earth”.

DS: You know my wife and I are tremendous fans of your delicious tea, but can you please tell us about some of the other products you are currently taking to market?

CMB: Thank you, we are proud of the taste profile of Ambassador Biodynamic organic teas. We also have 3 types of coffee, 10 different spices, and an organic olive oil.

DS: What role do you believe packaging plays in the sustainable market in general and specifically in your products?

CMB: A commitment to sustainability should not be half hearted, and packaging is a huge challenge not only because of the disposal issues, but production as well. In many cases, the packaging costs more than the product it holds. I imagine most people would be appalled that they spend so much money to use so much energy to create so much trash. Consumers will determine the way this conversation will go, and if they demand sustainable packaging, the market will respond, and we will all be able to celebrate a “footprint” reduction that can have long lasting and meaningful impacts.

DS: Ambassador Braun, thank you for granting this interview and for the opportunity to get to know you, your company and your products better.

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The late sportscaster Howard Cosell would often refer to well seasoned athletes as “veterans of many campaigns”. I guess except for the athletic part, that description could easily apply to guys like me who will soon be attending our 17th PACK EXPO show on November 9th through 13th.

This year’s PACK EXPO is expected to feature 2,000 exhibitors and over 45,000 attendees. (The show is held every other year, in Chicago’s McCormick Place.) It is a chance for many of us to catch up with old friends we rarely get to see, as well as a unique opportunity to review the newest innovations in packaging products and especially packaging equipment.

I personally am very excited to attend this year because it promises to be the greenest PACK EXPO ever. For those unable to be there, we plan to provide you with show updates on this blog featuring the newest and hottest green packaging products.

For those able to attend, especially for those new to the show, I offer some basic, practical advice to make PACK EXPO as productive and enjoyable as possible.

1. Accept the fact that you will not see it all. It is far too big to cover in its entirety so the very best you can do is prioritize and visit your “must see” booths.
2. The PMMI offers a show planner called “My Pack Expo”. After you register, you are able to see the list of exhibitors, make your booth visit choices and then receive a personalized list and floor map to help you get around. I have found it to be a tremendous time saver.
3. Plan on spending a minimum of two entire days. Otherwise you will have to be very selective on how and where you spend your valuable show time.
4. Eat elsewhere. Unless you are able to make time to dine at a local restaurant or hotel, pack a lunch because the show food at McCormick Place is ridiculously overpriced and usually, downright awful.
5. Do not use this event as an occasion to break in a new pair of shoes. The more comfortable the better and one trend I am pleased to see is the wearing of non-dress shoes. Wear whatever you would want to wear if you were walking many miles on concrete because that is exactly what you will be doing.
6. Pre-register. At this point (after 10/21) you will have to pick up your badge at the show but preregistering will give you access to a lot of valuable information like My Pack Expo and save you some time in some very long, slow payment lines.

One of Howard Cosell’s most famous quotes is “Sports is the toy department of human life”. If that is true, then the Pack Expo show must be a shopping mall.

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It would be a beautiful and greener world if these two goals could be met as one and the same, but unfortunately life and being green are not that simple. So as a business person, serving a predominantly green customer base, which way do you go?

Survey after survey indicates consumers are indeed willing to give up some degree of convenience in exchange for greener packaging but are they willing to forgo safety, security, freshness, or even product cleanliness? In most cases the answer is no, especially if there is a good option available. There is indeed a limit to how much most consumers are willing to sacrifice for the environment.

At the risk of further angering packing peanut manufacturers, a perfect example of this dilemma is foam peanuts, shells, or any other shape of this controversial product. I recently met with a customer who proudly proclaimed he was using an eco-friendly foam peanut product that would degrade in water. In over thirty years I have never won an argument with a customer so there was no way I would debate the merits of the product, or the science behind it. I am sure his void fill product will indeed dissolve if exposed to water, and I have no idea on the content of the watery goo that is sure to result in the process or where it winds up in the environment.

No, my concern was more basic than that. My immediate question was, do customers like it? I thought about times when I excitedly opened a box containing a product I had ordered over the internet or phone. I also recalled the immediate disappointment I felt the moment I opened the package and discovered the shipper had opted to use peanuts for void fill. No matter how careful you are, you are certain to wind up with those crumbly, static filled packaging products everywhere including your home or office, clothes, and of course, on the product you eagerly waited for.

Here is the main point I am attempting to drive home: if the shipper decided to use “eco-friendly” peanuts, it did not lessen my irritation or disappointment one bit. Peanuts are an inconvenience and no one I know likes them, unless of course they make or sell them. Why in the name of greenness, in this highly competitive world, would anyone be willing to risk angering and possibly losing a customer? It makes no sense to me, especially when there are so many options available today that are every bit as eco-friendly and not nearly as irritating.