From Green to Great

by JoAnn R. HInes

IIt’s hard to separate fact from fiction about what is considered truly “sustainable” packaging. Every company has a different take on what they deem to be the solution. Some are just spin while others have real substance.

Green, sustainable, biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, renewable and so on. The list is endless and new terms surface every day. Bio-resins bio-plastics, eco-friendly—you name it. But whatever the term may be, it needs to be relevant packaging to YOUR customer.

Common Green Phrases in the Spotlight
• Save the Environment
• Global Warming
• Carbon Footprint
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

My own personal favorite describing some of this is “Packaging Greenwash.” Now, I don’t claim to have coined this phraseology, but I do write about it A LOT.

How Green Is Your Packaging World?
Let’s take the word “green” as an example. Obviously, we think of the color first. But what about the variations of the definition that relate to packaging?

• Green could mean less damage to the environment. RE: Carbon footprint
• Green could imply producing packaging from renewable resources such as plastic made from corn or sugar cane.
• Green could entail designing products for environmental sustainability with less packaging.
• Green could connote the use of less material or recyclable and degradable materials incorporating all of the above.

Here is a question for you to consider: Are you packaging “greenwash” to capitalize on a current media trend, or are you saving the environment with “true” environmentally friendly sustainable packaging?

Before you can begin any packaging design, you need to understand the social climate behind the word green. We have had prior movements in the evolution of green product packaging, but the interest died down for a variety of reasons. They crashed and burned because at that time alternatives were not cost effective and at the same time consumers didn’t really care—especially in the food arena, which constitutes 70 percent of all product packaging.

Today, the issue has become increasingly complex. Various constituencies have different interpretations of the word green or environmentally friendly as it relates to product packaging. Each special interest group has its own goals, objectives, and issues.

Major Influences In The World Of Packaging
• The Media
• The Manufacturer
• The Retailer
• The Package Designer
• The Regulatory Agencies
• The Consumer

The media equate packaging with global warming and overflowing landfills. The manufacturer thinks reducing its carbon footprint and saving raw materials. The retailer thinks sell more products at a lesser cost and save the planet too. The package designer thinks great packaging design can have an environmental impact. The monitoring organizations have the best interests and mission of its constituency at heart. The consumer relates to less packaging or packaging that can be disposed of such as recycling or composting. But it’s the consumer that controls the ultimate decision making, whether they buy your product or not.

Everyone has a different perception what the “green” movement is about, but few understand it and, consequently, there are various iterations and solutions. Retail drivers such as Wal-Mart and its “packaging scorecard” and Target and Sears with their PVC ban have heightened the packaging awareness across all sectors.

Therein lays the problem—what to do and how to create “smart” packaging with environmental solutions. Effective answers are complicated, and the consumer may not even know that there is a difference; OR they may not be willing to accept the solution.

It’s all about the consumer perception too. The more complicated your environmental platform, the less likely you are to connect in the hearts and minds of the consumer with your product packaging. Here is a good example.

Light weighting of packaging containers such as plastic bottles offers a solution. Light weighting uses less material and saves in transportation costs, but unless there is a corresponding reduction in the product price the consumers won’t make the connection of sustainability In their minds—it’s still a plastic bottle to dispose of.

This example is intriguing to me. It seems like a great solution, but I don’t see it catching on, especially in the States. It’s too much work to pour the milk from a bag. Plus, there are issues around spilling the contents everywhere. It is, however, a start towards coming up with a solution. Other companies are exploring options such as redesigning bottles without handles to save on material cost. I also see that as a problem, but let’s wait to see what the design looks like.

To complicate packaging matters further there are numerous certification agencies—each with its own set of standards, missions and goals. There’s similarity in the ultimate outcome, but each wants to be the certifying agency of choice. Examples of institues are:
• Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)
• GrassRoots Recycling Network
• Green Seal

Add to that list the various countries that have internal certifying and regulatory organizations too. Countries such as the U.K., Germany, and Australia have many more guidelines and regulations regarding packaging.

Here is something else that’s never considered. Damage to products arriving at retail due to light weighting or the elimination of packaging materials can be just as detrimental as excess packaging. Food waste is already 20 percent, so what will happen to products that arrive in poor condition? Where are the environmental savings in excess waste? And, are consumers willing to pay for increased product costs due to damaged product returns, or are they willing to buy damaged products at all?

Although it sounds reasonable to demand the reduction of excess packaging, the reality is that companies are doing a good job of getting products to the store in pristine condition. It’s not the intention of companies to deliberately over package products, but in many cases they err on the side of caution. Too much packaging rather than too little—that in itself could be a nightmare should a product package fail.

There are no universal mandates to follow either because everyone’s perceptions and solutions are different. Each group has its own best interests at heart. There is no umbrella regulatory agency, and many of the sustainable claims are voluntary. There are some good organizations, however, getting a foothold and working towards some continuity. I would suggest if you don’t belong, to check out this group: Sustainable Packaging Coalition - http://sustaniablepackaging.org. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s members cross sectors and make up an industry working group inspired by cradle-to-cradle principles that is dedicated to transforming packaging into a system that encourages economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials.

The process is just beginning towards developing universal acceptable green standards. But be forewarned that this may never come to fruition. There are just too many fingers in the pie for a simple solution.

Consumers, the ultimate decision makers, also have a very poor understanding of the issues. They see the hype, the sustainable verbiage, and react accordingly. They don’t really care who certifies what—just that it works and solves the problem and at the same time is a cost-effective and reasonable resolution.

I recently received this surprising report from the Neilsen group out of South Africa. According to a Nielsen Global Food Packaging Survey, nearly one in two global consumers would give up all forms of packaging provided for convenience purposes if it would benefit the environment, which includes packaging designed for easy stacking/storing at home (49 percent); packaging that can be used for cooking, or doubling as a resealable container (48 percent); and packaging designed for easy transport (47 percent). That sounds good on paper and in theory, but what will it cost us?

There is no country in the world that has as much convenience packaging as we do in the U.S., but according to US Reports, only about 10 percent of the population is willing to pay more for eco-friendly products and their corresponding packaging. Think about what would you be willing to give up.

The important message here is that we are a convenience and disposable society. Some of these numbers about packaging usage are staggering, and we are way behind other countries on the issue of sustainability and other environmentally friendly practices.

Even though this paper is focused in large part on what is happening in the US, it is important to realize that other countries have different issues, standards of acceptability, and stronger feelings about the environment. What works here does not necessarily work in other parts of the world or may be more strictly regulated.

Packaging Headlines
We see headlines like these that stir everyone into a frenzy:

• Brewers Rush to Produce “Lightweight” Bottles
• The True Cost of Drinking Bottled Water
• Sustainability Scorecard Shows Green Business Has a Long Way to Go
• Businesses Gets Mixed Grades on Going Green
• Whole Foods Markets to Sack Plastic Bags

These headlines can shake your business up. The thing is that this can create momentum for a certain issue or cause. Two good examples of the media feeding frenzy are the bottled water and “wrap rage,” which are always in the news.

Various independent agencies (not necessarily packaging related) are also getting into the fray. A Southeastern Swamplands and Paper Packaging report recently released by the Dogwood Alliance identified paper packaging as a major threat to forests in the Southeast United States. Yet paperboard packaging is considered one of the most environmentally friendly alternatives. So do we get rid of paper-based packaging made from trees? Are there enough alternative sources? Who is right?

From this . . .

. . . to this

Warner Music Group has said that from the end of March all its standard CD and DVD products in the U.S. will use ecologically friendly paper packaging. But Eco-friendly packaging will be a hard sell in a market environment where CD sales continue to plummet anyway. It’s more of an image issue as sales are declining.

From the angry housewives in the U.K. who cry, “Leave the packaging in the store, or buy locally,” to the steadfast greenies such as the Sierra Club and Green Peace, they all think about packaging as the enemy. And, consumers, too, are now becoming part of the angry mob.

Common Packaging Themes Among Consumers
Here are some common themes among consumers as they think about what they want to do about excess packaging:

Look for products that have no or minimal packaging. Buy products without boxes. Duh—how do they think it gets to the stores and what happens when it arrives damaged and broken? Select fruit and vegetables that are not packaged in trays and plastic wrap. Pay for the product, not the package! Yeah, right! I spend a great deal of time selecting undamaged fruit produce. I’m not buying unpackaged (and unsanitary) bruised produce just because someone says it has too much packaging. I know how easily this can happen.

Less is better. Look for single layers and single materials in packaging. For example, choose a plain paperboard box instead of molded plastic with a card. Can you image shopping with all these unwrapped packages laying on their sides in the store, and you don’t have a clue what’s inside? CPG companies will never allow this to happen. Consumers have to see and understand what they are buying

Buy the largest size that is practical. These are great if you’ll use the product and have storage space. The economy size uses less packaging than multiples of the small size. But, this doesn’t make any sense either, because consumers are generally buying in smaller sizes anyway. Who wants five pounds of potatoes lying around?

Try buying concentrates. This is for items like juice or laundry detergent and you add your own water. Why pay extra for the water? You will see some solutions for this later.

Choose products in tubes instead of pumps. Did you know that the packaging for pump toothpastes uses three times as much plastic as a toothpaste tube? So they say. Maybe we like pumps. Under this premise, Mentadent toothpaste couldn’t exist.

A phrase has even been coined to describe opening products with excess packaging and the frustration felt by the consumer. It’s not just the excess packaging; its getting it opened too.

Wrap Rage

Packaging bans and mandates are popping up due to consumer perception of too much trash. Who wouldn’t be concerned looking at this picture? We have all experienced overwhelming trash one time or another.

• Trash - Plastic bag bans, bans of foodservice products and disposable packaging are citywide and growing. But even for “bad, bad” plastic bags, there are solutions. This option has become pretty widespread in answering the grocery conundrum Paper or Plastic. The answer is, “Neither,” a simple, cost-effective solution to a universal problem.

• Grocery Tote - Consider this plastic bag alternative too.

• Bio dog bag - For every packaging problem, there is a solution—a biodegradable doggie poo bag.

• Deodorant Packaging - Let’s go back a few years to the 1990s. Remember when all deodorants came in a box? There was a huge outcry about over packaging the deodorant, the manufacturers listened, and they did something about it. They removed the excess packaging with no detriment to the product inside. Now virtually all deodorant arrives in the stores unboxed. Can your product provide this same simple solution by removing excess packaging?

• Paperboard Clamshell - What about when McDonalds eliminated the EPS (expanded polystyrene) clamshell in favor of a more environmentally friendly paperboard alternative? I remember this well because I was consulting with Dopaco—the inventor of the paperboard clamshell—at the time. This F-flute container revolutionized the industry, created an entire new category of paperboard lightweight alternatives, and literally put the manufacturers of EPS clamshells out of business. Here’s what Mc Donald’s said about the clamshell solution:

- The package is lightweight—about 30 percent of the weight of traditional paperboard containers.
- It has recycled content in the middle layer, where there’s no direct contact with the sandwich.
- There’s unbleached fiber in the package, which means less processing and less use of chemical bleaches.

 

Sounds like a reasonable solution AND it worked, too, changing all the packaging used by the fast food industry to similar products.

Consumer Perceptions and Realities
The role of packaging is misunderstood by most. It’s just “there” in most people’s minds—sort of like a #2 lead pencil. No one thinks about why or how it’s made until it’s needed. Consumers just perceive it as a fact of life and, more recently, a nuisance. Part of the solution needs to be to educate consumers about the role of product packaging. Fill them in on why packaging is necessary and all the services it provides, PLUS where would we be without it? Here are some packaging realities to understand in designing sustainable product packaging.

Consumer Perception – There is too much packaging on everything. Why do we need this?
Reality –Simply, the packaging protects the product, conveys it to the store, and then helps to sell the product within.

Consumer Perception– There is excess packaging in landfills. I even thought this till I found out that…
Reality - Packaging only constitutes 30-35 percent of landfills.

Consumer Perception - I want less packaging. Yes, they do, and its seems logical, yet…
Reality - Less packaging can be detrimental as I have discussed previously.

Detergents
A good example of a “perceived” consumer solution was the introduction of Ultra detergents. Retailers demanded a more concentrated product that took up less shelf space. There are some pretty interesting numbers about how much resin was saved due to using fewer bottles benefiting the manufacturer and the retailer.

A more concentrated detergent took less plastic resin, and left a smaller shelf footprint. Or so it seems a solution. The bottom line is the CPG companies get the “win” by using less raw materials and charging a higher price to provide this “environmental” solution, and the unsuspecting consumer is caught in the middle. The consumer perception is less packaging is used in smaller bottles and the product is more concentrated. The reality is that there are fewer washes per bottle and at a higher unit per wash cost.

So, is this a good example of an environmental solution? Retailers and CPG companies are happy about the outcome, but you decide.

Let’s look at some examples of how packaging solutions are evolving in other categories. One of the largest environmental detractors is the bottle water industry (so they say).

Statistics

• Of the 50 billion plastic water bottles used by Americans in 2006, 38 billion of them were thrown away, unrecycled.
• Last year, the average American used 167 water bottles, but only recycled 38.
• More than 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away every day in the U.S.

Bottled water has surpassed soda in the number of units being consumed. Some say that two million plastic beverage bottles are used in the U.S. every five minutes. Pat Franklin, the executive director of the Container Recycling Institute (CRI - another group), says nine out of ten plastic water bottles end up as either garbage or litter—at a rate of 30 million per day. So this looks like a major area for packaging improvement in the hearts and minds of consumers.

Companies are actively seeking packaging solutions. First, Biota water came out in a biodegradable bottle made from corn. This was the first iteration of solving the disposable water bottle issue. The company claim: our bottle is manufactured from a 100 percent renewable resource, corn....not oil! They got a big media splash at the 79th Academy Awards too. Guess what— Biota recently filed for bankruptcy. I’m not sure of all of the reasons, but among them could be that Biota cost more than competitive waters in the aisle or that most of the reviewers said that the water tasted like corn.

So, is a disposable bottle that no one will buy because of the taste an effective environmental solution? I think not.

There is also this example catering to a younger generation. The new packaging is a paperboard “six-pack” style package designed to hold six bottles of Fred water

The packaging is made from recycled paperboard and is printed using soy-based inks. Will this environmental statement connect with younger consumers? This company is counting on it.

And even more exciting is this Park City Ice Water example. I love this packaging. I actually uncovered the unique packaging design before for another packaging application when it was first developed.

PET packaging—the patented GlacierPak requires 75 percent less energy to produce and is recyclable. Reports show that, unfortunately, 77 percent of all PET water bottles end up in landfills, and if our packaging gets disposed of, it occupies 96 percent less landfill space.

The media and the STARS are all over this packaging example. It’s been showcased at several chi chi events.

One last solution—the reusable water bottle that comes in a variety of formats, including aluminum—has created a whole new market for reusable water container devices and packaging.

Brita and Nalgene Outdoor Products are teaming up to help reduce bottled water waste by getting people to take a pledge to stop drinking bottled water—and purchase Nalgene and Brita products.

For each Nalgene, FilterForGood refillable bottle purchased between now and the end of the year, a $4 donation, up to $25,000, will be made to the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to provide safe drinking water to 200 million people by 2027. Two bangs for the environmental buck. (I was approached after the event about leeching of contaminates from the use of refillable plastic water bottles.)

Different packaging solutions address the same problem and serve different consumers. The point is that they are addressing the negative consumer impression of disposable water bottles and excess garbage. The bottled water business isn’t going away. You will just see better and more effective green packaging options and alternatives. It’s up to your packaging to persuade the consumer on which option to buy.
The question is—what will the consumer decide?

There has been considerable “green” movement in the candy industry too. Candy is one of those products considered vastly “over packaged.” Think of all those boxes that were thrown away this past Valentines Day. Incidentally, I consumed my share too.

One solution that has been evolving to remedy the situation is the keepsake box. Eat the chocolate keep the package! Think about ways you can make your product packaging have a secondary life or make its so special people never want to throw it away.

Look at this new eco Easter Egg from Cadbury. This was developed in response to demands for less waste in product packaging. Cadbury has launched a new range of chocolate eggs wrapped only in foil without a cardboard box. The company said it was using 75 percent less plastic and 65 percent less cardboard by not including a box. As a Cadbury egg aficionado, I’m eager to see if this works.

Other candy alternatives include the use of compostable trays that protect the individual pieces of candy in reusable metal tins.

There are many examples of new compostable trays and packaging in other sectors, especially produce.
Let’s go back to the cleaning products and detergents for some more examples of how green packaging is evolving. Ultra detergents aside there are some innovative” sustainable” packaging examples in cleaning solutions.

Method has been leading the way in innovative package design and now they are offering some exciting environmental solutions.

This pouch itself is a stock pouch and was created to serve as a refill for the award-winning teardrop hand soap bottle Karim Rashid designed. According to Method, the refill pouch uses 83 percent less plastic than a similar PET bottle and in turn needs less energy to produce. “Consumers are responding well to the refill and we encourage our customers to purchase refills when available as they use considerably less plastic than thick PET containers.”

Question: Will consumers change their habits and use refillable packaging options in lieu of bottles?

Did you know that 114,000,000 bottles of liquid cleaners were sold for 2006? Based upon this amount, if everyone had converted to Drop and Clean cleaners we would need 6,800 less truckloads for 114,000,000 bags of Drop and Clean. This means: 1,360,000 gallons of Diesel fuel saved, 34,000,000 pounds of Greenhouse Gas Emission prevented, 10,000,000 pounds of plastic saved from landfills, 28,600,000 gallons of water saved and 7,000,000 KWH electricity saved. Way too complicated to understand the environmental gain, but it sounds good.

AlEn USA’s Drop & Clean “zero waste” product comes in a concentrated, premeasured and water-soluble pouch, the company stated. The cleaners “eliminate the need for any other individual cleaning products.” The small, biodegradable package reduces plastic use, compared to a standard bottle of cleaning product.

Consider this detergent option too. The super-concentrated power pacs aren’t just handier than those big jugs. They’re smarter too and six times more concentrated. The simple switch from giant jug detergent to Dropps immediately shrinks the footprint you leave behind on the environment.

Dropps is unique because it comes in dissolvable “toss-and-go” packs instead of liquid or powder format like many traditional detergents. Dropps products have no wasted water, the company says, as the dosage is premeasured and all ingredients in the packs are “active.” Will this convince consumers to buy?

I love this concept too! Provided it works as a cleaner. According to Wonder Tablitz Corporation, Wonder Tablitz products offer multiple consumer packaging advantages:

• They eliminate the need for large refill bottles requiring less storage space and fewer trips to the store.
• They reduce the use of plastic bottles by two-thirds or more.

“Consumers simply add hot tap water to the patent-pending Wonder Tablitz spray bottle and drop in one of the three tablets to produce a full 32-ounce container of cleaning product.” “The tablet is 100 percent water-soluble and will completely dissolve within one to three minutes, depending on the water temperature. When the bottle is empty, the process is repeated, reusing the original spray bottle. By reusing the spray bottle, consumers are able to reduce plastic consumption, which means fewer plastic bottles are being produced and entering landfills.” This sounds like a good alternative.

Lastly you have the major consumer good companies making strides in the environmental area with introductions of products such as Clorox green works a line of “natural” green cleaners designed to compete with the likes of Seventh Generation and Method.

The Sierra Club (another influencer) will endorse the product by placing their logo on the label and the bottles are recyclable. Let’s go back to the certification issue. Will it hold weight with consumers? Will consumers be turned off or on by an endorsement from the Sierra club or do they really care?

Self certification
Just because a company says its green doesn’t necessarily mean it is. During my research, I came across these examples from SC Johnson, DuPont, And Canon.

The DuPont Sustainable Packaging icon captures key elements of environmentally smart packaging solutions from DuPont that are made with renewable resources that enables recycling and that helps reduce the amount of packaging.

SC Johnson developed the Greenlist™ process—“to help our scientists make choices that protect the planet and its people while maintaining the high performance of our products.” The Greenlist™ process provides ratings for more than 95 percent of the raw materials we use, including solvents, propellants, insecticides, packaging, and more.

Canon’s “Generation Green unites these efforts enabling partners and customers to easily identify products that are energy and environmentally efficient so that they may integrate them into their businesses and lives to help save money, increase efficiency and help reduce their impact on the environment.”

Wow! Some pretty powerful statements. But there are some possible problems with manufacturer-generated green certification labels.

First, manufacturers do not have to establish specific criteria and stick to them. They can decide on a case-by-case basis whether a product should be labeled green, or are not giving consumers an indication of the range that a certification might encompass. Second, there is no independent analysis, hence self-certification. Finally, a company-specific certification doesn’t give consumers an effective way to compare products since no company other than its creator is going to use the same label.

Now, I’m not saying that it is a bad thing to be self-certified and include it on the product packaging. I just want you to recognize that the consumer may be skeptical about your claims or may not even care. And if you do make them, you better be able to back them up.

So what about our old packaging standbys such as our tin/steel can --the heretofore mainstay of food packaging? We have seen a decline of the tin can in favor of paperboard alternatives such as Tetrapak’s Recart.

Recart

This package has a variety of good features that make it a growing environmentally friendly option. This example is one of the first usages in the U.S. This package is more widely used in Europe.

The package’s rectangular shape reduces carbon impact, as it takes up 33 percent less space than a similar volume can. Tetra Recart also offers logistical advantages to retailers. For example, the square shape of Tetra Recart offers efficiency gains throughout the distribution chain because up to 50 percent more packages can be placed on a standard pallet.

“As well as being two-thirds lighter than a tin can, the Tetra Recart is recyclable, meaning customers will be buying one of the most sustainable packages on the supermarket shelves,” the company claimed.

The Tetra Recart carton offers consumers a variety of advantages, including portability, easy opening and pouring, and convenient, space-saving stackability in kitchen cupboards.

I’m sure you have seen examples of pet food in a pouch. I’ve picked up a few myself, especially the cat snacks. My cats love greenies!

According to manufacturers, food pouches take up far less space and weight (in both warehouses and on supermarket shelves) and are simpler to manufacture than tin-coated steel cans. One flexible packaging company reports that one truckload of the pouches it makes has the same holding capacity as 25 truckloads of traditional rigid containers (cans) and saves as much as 96 percent in warehouse storage space. The company also says its pouches use 75 percent less energy than cans to manufacture, and that they reduce the amount of source materials needed to make cans by a factor of 25 to one.

 

So look for more products to move in this direction. Think how you can take your traditionally packaged product in a different, more environmentally friendly direction yet retain the packaging integrity and brand—a package that uses less material yet contains the same amount of product.

Speaking of tradition, look for another packaging option previously on the wane to pick up the pace to offer alternatives to plastic: glass. Advances in manufacturing technology mean that the amount of glass used in a bottle can be cut by more than 30 per cent. It is claimed that lightweight bottles bring other benefits, too, because less energy is used during manufacturing and in distribution. But lightweight glass may not be the solution either. The wine industry in Europe can’t get enough glass bottles, lightweight or not, so will glass be their long-term solution?

Here are a couple of generalized packaging examples touting the environmental fix.

Green Products with Green Packaging
There is an overwhelming demand from consumers and retailers for toys that are both good for the environment and safe for kids. A new line of toys made from recycled plastic milk containers deliver on both counts. Would you buy this?

100% Tecyclable - Using Paperboard, the Environmentally Friendly Option
Pangea created a 100 percent compostable, biodegradable, and plantable package that loosely resembles an egg crate. In fact, the technology used in drying the newspaper and water mixture is from the egg crate industry. Its biodegradable and reusable properties make it a viable option in sustaining the environment, which was a core element in the concept design.

This is the second generation of Pangea products soap wrappers using treeless paper. Is treeless paper the solution to the paperboard world?

Certain products stand out in the minds of consumers despite the benefits or solutions they offer. Busy mothers love Lunchables, but environmental advocates do not. The claim of excess packaging to wrap all the individual components is over the top, and Lunchables now contain less packaging due to a redesign.

Consumers hate Blister cards and consider them over packaged. Need I say more?

Designing a “great” package is an evolving process, and everyone has a different opinion to the solution. Here is a quote I came across on green packaging design. “Good design isn’t just about being of the moment and providing protection for a product. It’s about being smart, forward thinking, and responsible. Design firms who diminish the significance of these issues in the design phase are doing clients a disservice.”

I also asked some packaging designers that work in this space to share their thoughts about their interpretations of green product packaging.

From Wendy Jedlika —
“Sustainability means: Never having to say you’re sorry. Leave the campsite better than you found it. Look your children or grandchildren in the eye and tell them why you can’t be bothered to fix this mess.”

From Todd Creative Director at Baer Design —
“Think beyond “recycled. Think Reusable! Make things dual purpose. In a recent project creating packaging for loose tea blends, we specified reclosable, reusable metal tins. Metal is one of the most recyclable packaging materials, and it can be repurposed. Consumers are reusing the tea tins in their homes and collecting them because of the unique design. This idea permanently takes the package out of the waste cycle.“

And From Diana Fryc at Lemley Design —
“The highest form of recycling is really reuse.”

So, factor in all the designer perceptions with consumer reality and remember just because it looks great and sells an environmental message doesn’t mean consumers will embrace it.

Wrap Up
There are multiple solutions to every environmental packaging problem. There is no universally right answer, and your answer may not satisfy your consumer—just look at the bottled water examples. Some solutions are better than others. Each attacks the problem and solves it in a different way.

The key is to focus on what your core consumer wants and expects and how you can satisfy that demand. Is trash an issue to your consumer? Find a way to eliminate or reduce it. Review the cleaning product examples. Does you consumer want to purchase less of an item and to be able to refill and reuse?

Define your green actions in terms of meaningful, measurable results for the consumer. Just because you say it on your packaging doesn’t mean they will believe it.

Be wary of vague, complicated, or obscure product packaging claims. Keep it simple, short, understandable, and to the point. Consider the carbon footprint issue. Can your consumer make the connection between this and saving the environment? I read some of these statements in researching for this article, and they were way too convoluted for me to understand.

Don’t make green claims just because you think it’s the right thing to do or you are trying to get some media spin for your product.

The bottom line—the consumer is your ultimate decision maker, all other influences aside. They have to like the environmental story you are telling with your product packaging, and it needs to be integral to your brand.

Green Reality Check
Your consumer is going to make up their minds to pick up your package in 2.6 second or less. What about your environmentally friendly packaging is going to call out, “Buy me, buy me?”

No matter what your environmental story, your product packaging still needs to be convenient, accessible, easy-to-use and store, and, ultimately, dispose of. Remember that external influences such as the media or retailer mandates can influence what happens.

Make sure you message is clear meaningful, understandable, and measurable. Good, sustainable packaging isn’t enough to satisfy today’s consumer; it needs to be great packaging that tells a true, sustainable story.

But the bottom line in understanding what makes good packaging great is to recognize whether your core consumer really cares about your message enough to purchase your product. Before you get too far with your environmental packaging solutions be sure and ask yourself, “Does YOUR Consumer Really Care?”

About the Author:
JoAnn Hines is a packaging consultant with more than 30 years global packaging experience and expertise. She has a comprehensive command of the power of branding, design and merchandising on packaging and how it can influence the consumer to buy, or NOT. What this means to you is that she knows what is hot in packaging and what is not—trends you need to look out for that could impact your product. Joann has traveled the world speaking on packaging trends and technologies at the major packaging trade shows and works as an independent consultant. She has built her own brands, Packaging Diva and Packaging University.

She knows what consumers want on their product packaging and gets thousands of inquires a month asking for direction on developing product packaging. Her business days are spent researching packaging trends and technologies for her clients and in doing so keeps them abreast of trends and innovations that impact their business. She reads dozens of packaging related publications and scores of other industry news for trade related reports that could impact packaging.

JoAnn is aware of the most innovative product packaging available—if its out there, she knows about it! She recently won a packaging patent infringement case for her client by being able to explain the packaging differences in two similar products. As a prognosticator, she regularly receive patents, innovations, new concepts or new packaging materials. And, because she is an independent, she can offer an unbiased opinion on the viability of new or breakthrough packaging concepts.

JoAnn can offer the best resources and concepts for your product packaging. So don’t delay till your packaging becomes a problem, connect with her now at PackagingDiva@aol.com. She will find your perfect packaging solution. Specialties: Packaging launch or makeover, packaging expert witness on patent infringement and intellectual property, brand identity and package design infringement, sustainable, green and environmentally friendly packaging, consumer product packaging trends, technology and innovation, smart/intelligent packaging, packaging and marketing, branding, merchandising, or advertising, packaging and consumers, society, or retail products, package/packaging design, packaging education/training.

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