Once in while you get very lucky and find a great vendor partner in your own back yard. That is the case with General Converting, Inc.,  a terrific company in neighboring Bolingbrook, IL that specializes in “green” paperboard packaging. They perfectly complement what we do in corrugated board and we have been fortunate enough to work together on several recent projects. I had the pleasure of interviewing their General Manager, John Barry and he openly shared his valuable knowledge and insight with our readers.

DS: John, can you tell us briefly what General Converting does?

JB: General Converting is a premier designer and manufacturer of folding cartons for a wide variety of industries, including food, confections, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, automotive, media, entertainment, pet supply, etc.  We focus in high quality, high graphic content cartons.

DS: Please tell us how long your company has been engaged in sustainability and why you feel it is important.

JB: Our company has been interested in recycling since it was started 27 years ago.  However, we became much more interested in overall sustainability about 4 years ago and have been aggressively pursuing a smaller carbon footprint since that time.  Just this year we have become SFI, PEFC and FSC certified.  We are also pursuing LEED certification and hope to become platinum certified by next year.

DS: Your website and brochures indicate your products are made with 100% renewable (wind) energy. Those of us who have visited your beautiful facility have not seen the windmills. Please explain how that works. (more…)

If you look at the label on the pictured Dole product, you see that it is “natural”. I doubt any of us really understand what natural means anymore, but at least in theory, it’s a good thing, right? Shoppers everywhere just like my wife seek and buy products that are organic, pure and natural, even if the cost is a bit higher than those less healthy product options.

I used to think these Dole peaches were delicious but I forever unintentionally ruined the taste by taking a closer look at the package and label. Near the top of the container you see ink jet characters that read “peaches from USA”. (Click on the thumbnail at right for a look.) I can only assume that is imprinted that way to give Dole some seasonal flexibility on where their peaches are grown and harvested. OK, I can buy that but at the bottom of the plastic jar you see that the shrink band label is printed ”Packed in Thailand.” (more…)

A big carbon footprint is an excellent reason to find a new inner packaging material, but not one that arouses passion in most of us. But $5 per gallon gasoline gets everyone’s juices flowing (no pun intended), and that’s another reason – perhaps the most compelling reason – why polystyrene packing peanuts are the wrong void fill material for 2008 and beyond.

Polystyrene packing peanuts are expensive to ship — in fact, considerably more expensive to ship than just about any alternative product on the market.

Peanuts are extremely bulky and lightweight, so freight carriers charge a premium to tote them around. I checked freights cost to ship 5 – 20 cubic foot bags, and the quotes ranged from $110 to $175. Whew! Freight surcharges are a healthy portion of the total, but those aren’t going away any time soon. Want to get a freight estimate for yourself? Use this Roadway freight calculator. Class is 250. Figure 4-5 lbs. per 20 cubic foot bag. You’ll be astounded. (more…)