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Sustainable packaging:
- Is beneficial, safe & healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle;
- Meets market criteria for performance and cost;
- Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy;
- Maximizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials;
- Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
- Is made from materials healthy in all probable end of life scenarios;
- Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy;
- Is effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle to cradle cycles.
The criteria presented here blend broad sustainability objectives
with business considerations and strategies that address the
environmental concerns related to the life cycle of packaging. These
criteria relate to the activities of our membership and define the
areas in which we actively seek to encourage transformation, innovation
and optimization. We believe that by successfully addressing these
criteria, packaging can be transformed into a cradle to cradle flow of
packaging materials in a system that is economically robust and
provides benefit throughout the life cycle—a sustainable packaging
system.
SOURCE: Sustainable Packaging Coalition
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Whether it's called sustainable packaging, green packaging, biodegradable packaging, or natural packaging,
there is a growing consumer demand for sustainable products. There is
also a growing sense of urgency from product manufacturers - especially
consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) - to develop sustainable
business practices based on the increasingly limited availability of
traditional packaging materials.
Optimizing packaging materials, reducing shipping weight and
cube, and increasing packaging cubic densities can lead to significant
savings. While there may be minimal material savings in direct
packaging costs, it can have a multiplier effect on the cost of
transportation, handling and storage. A change in packaging can create
a ripple effect throughout the supply chain producing efficiency gains,
dramatic cost-savings and reduced energy consumption.
In spite of sustainable packaging becoming more mainstream (i.e. more
major brand owners using sustainable materials for their packaging),
finding sustainable solutions to meet consumer demands and corporate
citizenship objectives is still a daunting challenge for packaging
professionals.
The Packaging Summit Expo and Conference
May 13-15, 2008
Donald Stephens Convention Center,
Rosemont, IL
262-782-1900
www.pkgsummit.com