The Green Issue: Industry Initiatives

Members of the FCPC endorse the definition of sustainable packaging articulated by the Charlottesville, Va.-based Sustainable Packaging Coalition, an industry working group committed to “transforming packaging into a system that encourages economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials,” according to its website (www.sustainablepackaging.org). The Canadian industry will strive to reduce its packaging footprint through a process of continuous improvement. The goal is to make packaging choices that:

• Are beneficial, safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle;
• Meet market criteria for performance and cost;
• Are sourced, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energy;
• Maximize the use of renewable or recycled source materials;
• Are manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
• Are made from materials healthy in all probable end-of-life scenarios;
• Are physically designed to optimize materials and energy; and
• Are effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle-to-cradle cycles.

Examples of Change

With these principals in mind, there are already numerous examples of change that go a long way towards offering viable, sustainable solutions. Some of these include:
• Cascades Enviro 100-per-cent recycled products are entirely manufactured with recycled fibres, and are also compostable, biodegradable and dried using natural gas. Cascades Enviro 100-per-cent recycled paper is produced with 80 per cent less water than the industry average, and the majority of residues generated by its production are given a second life, amongst other things, as fertilizer for the soil.
• The Coca-Cola Company has been making ongoing efforts in Canada to reduce the amount of resin used in its packages. For example, aluminum cans contain 20 per cent less aluminum than they did 12 years ago, and 591-mL polyurethane (PET) bottles are now 20 per cent lighter than 20 years ago.
• Kellogg’s has used recycled paper in its cartons since 1906. Presently the company uses 100 per cent recycled paper fibres in the manufacture of cereal, frozen Eggo Waffles and pancakes and convenience food boxes. All Kellogg cartons are recyclable in community recycling programs accepting boxboard.
• Between 1998 and 2007, Nestlé Canada reduced packaging weight for glass, metal, paperboard and plastic/laminate by more than 2.2 million tonnes. In 2007 alone the company reduced paperboard packaging weight by 150 metric tonnes. Nestlé Canada’s paperboard reductions since 1998 have saved the equivalent of more than 30,000 trees.
• The design changes Unilever has made to Suave, the North American shampoo brand, has succeeded in reducing its packaging weight by 17 per cent. This has allowed an annual saving in plastic resin of almost 150 tonnes – the equivalent of 15 million fewer shampoo bottles being thrown away each year.