Day 2 - Sustainability in Packaging Conference

Meeting An Important Person

I left Tampa for the conference in pitch darkness this morning and drove through a Burger King for coffee. It’s not my regular stop nor my regular coffee cup, and I found myself driving on I-4 for nearly 10 miles struggling to take my first sip. Confounded by the cup lid, which had no hole, I kept rotating the edge seeking the spout where the java comes out. Eventually in desperation, I plucked off the lid with one hand and futilely tried biting a hole in it. In the dawning daylight around Exit 28, I finally discovered the secret tab that uncovered the spout. By then in a hissy, I didn’t get the usual burst of joy from my first sip. I had forty miles to go.

Not much of a tale so far, but wait, more happened.

The conference was underway when I arrived and took one of the last seats. The gentleman seated beside me bid me a pleasant. “Good morning.” In a brief comment he assured me the presentation by Microsoft’s packaging development manager was just getting started so at last I settled in. At the first break my neighbor provided his business card. I did not recognize the company name, so I asked what they do.

“We’re one of the nation’s largest packaging suppliers for fast food restaurants. We provide cups to the largest fast food chains,” he said.

“Do you provide cups to Burger King?” I asked, sensing my eyes narrowing. (What are the odds I’d get a chance like this?)

“Yes, some of them we do.”

Poor man. He had no idea what was coming. I spewed the tale of the obstinate cup with its secret tab. And yet, the materials engineer remained gentlemanly and thoughtful. He overlooked my hostility, and listened to my issue.

Here is the real question: Is it the packing supplier or the retailer that is responsible for packaging design?

The relationship between packaging supplier and the retailer is the crux of this conference. Sometimes the retailer determines the specifications for the packaging; sometimes the packager has a new innovative product to introduce. This conference has provided a major communication platform where suppliers and retailers put their heads together to learn more about packaging that is eco-friendly and economically sustainable.

More factoids:

• Waste Management Inc. is implementing recycling centers that will use automatic optical scanners to sort recyclable waste.
• Coca Cola, the world’s largest beverage company. is building its own reuse center for reclaiming and reusing containers. Coca Cola Enterprises is a container recycling company.
• Use of clear hard-shell plastic casing called clam shells designed to prevent theft will be reduced by using tear proof paperboard by MeadWestVaco.
• KW Plastic, the worlds’ largest plastic recycler, started its business recycling automobile battery casings. KW took in battery casings, washed them, broke them up into small pieces and sold the product back to battery manufacturers to be made into new batteries.
• Aveda a natural beauty products company uses 100% natural recycled containers, which can be returned to the Aveda salon for recycling.
• Most colored plastic bottle caps are not recyclable.
• Nestle corporation, the world’s largest food company, engineered a new line of eco-friendly bottles from 100% recycled PET. Smaller labels were designed to reduce use of paper. The bottle has a clear recyclable cap.
• Greenopolis.com is a burgeoning online green community, a meeting place for all facets of sustainability with education and media resources.