Packaging's Role In The Sustainability Discussion

By Jeff Kellogg, Vice President of Natralock® packaging, MWV

Articles, discussions, products and services surrounding sustainability and eco-friendly products and practices have exploded in the past few years in every business and every commercial sector. For those in consumer packaged goods for electronics, tools/hardware, health & beauty products, the topic has become extremely relevant. Those industries, like all others, rely on packaging, merchandising tools and materials derived from fossil fuels and natural resources. Understanding the complexity of the broader sustainability puzzle is the first step to integrating it into our day to day life of creating, selling and supporting packaging solutions.

By leveraging our expertise in materials science, engineering and design, MWV develops optimal packaging solutions for the consumer's needs, while effectively delivering on the functionality of the package – all while helping our customers deliver their brand and sustainability promises. Sustainability, in its true sense, requires a focus throughout every step of the package development process – from the sourcing of raw materials to the engineering and design of the package, to the way in which the package is manufactured, transported and used by the consumer.

Consumers Driving Need
One reason for addressing sustainability is that consumer awareness on the subject is developing rapidly. The 2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge Report revealed that 30 percent of consumers consider themselves environmental leaders (nearly triple the rate of 2005), and want products that are beneficial to their health and the health of the environment. And these consumers don't base their choices on corporate information, such as companies' Web sites or newsletters. Instead, they evaluate a product's sustainability at the point of sale – by its package. In fact, nearly three-quarters of consumers say they check the packaging labels as a source for environmental information about a product. This behavior, coupled with retailer requests and a commitment from brand owners for environmentally responsible practices, requires packaging that features:

• Use of renewable energy & materials
• Better and more efficiently designs with equal or enhanced protection of the product
• "Reusability" or "Recoverability"

Consumers, brand owners, government bodies and trade associations) understand now more than ever that more sustainable practices must become businesses baseline Ease of access to information on social and environmental issues will continuing to educate consumers. As these consumers become more informed, they are making different purchasing choices and ultimately putting pressure on brands to be more sustainability focused. Everyone, from corporations to individuals, feel an increasing responsibility and accountability for environmental stewardship.

Ensuring a Sustainable Supply Chain
There is a complex process involved in designing a product's packaging and in many cases the increasing noise surrounding environmental issues is focused only on tradeoffs: less weight vs. recycled content, less weight vs. material recycling or virgin vs. recycled fiber. In reality, brands do not have to make such binary choices. Every product has its own packaging needs and consequently, good package design is all about coming up with the right solution that combines the packaging requirements of your product, your marketing needs with sustainability needs, and finding the right solution to help you do so. MWV as a global packaging leader and solutions provider educates and partners with its clients to design innovative packages that consider all of these issues. This design process and market expertise ensures products live up to your brand promise in the marketplace.

At MWV's Center for Packaging Innovation for example, customers can sit side-by-side with our consumer researchers, materials scientists, packaging designers, machinery experts and marketing professionals to develop sustainable packaging solutions that resonate with the consumer and are fully integrated with the product – before it even comes off the assembly line.

It's not just the brands themselves that are taking steps; it is suppliers and retailers as well. In fact they are the second main influence on manufacturers as they seek to transform their sustainable practices. Wal-Mart's is getting most of the attention these days thanks to its Sustainable Packaging Scorecard which is a part of its broader Sustainability 360 program. The Scorecard was designed to introduce common language into the discussion about sustainability and encourage brand owners to consider sustainable packaging alternatives that might otherwise have received limited attention. This heightened level of attention drives brand owners and suppliers toward compliance and further educates them on the features of sustainable packaging.

Conclusion
As an industry, we need to go beyond our own environmental best practices to inspire a higher level of accountability, performance and innovation in others. It is necessary for our customers, partners and competitors to work together to achieve shared sustainability goals. More and more, consumer goods companies are discovering tremendous value in our ability to help them protect and promote their brand, manage a supply chain, deliver on sustainability promises and attract consumers on the retail shelf. Packaging is about promoting and protecting products, and it is also about delivering supply chain efficiencies, quality assurance protections, leveraging unique market and consumer insights and leading product innovations everywhere our customers do business.

Sustainable Packaging without Compromising Security: A Case Study
Plastic clamshell packages became a staple in consumer packaged goods industry for products like electronic gadgets, ink cartridges, cosmetics and toys. The nearly impossible-to-open, heat-sealed plastic protects items from theft and damage. Despite its benefits, clamshell packaging has caused consumer aggravation or "wrap rage" and even safety hazards for those opening the package. The clamshell also raised environmental concerns, especially as consumers and companies became more interested in sustainability.

Consumer products companies faced a conundrum: can packaging be both sustainable and provide a high level of security?

To meet market needs, MWV developed Natralock®, a security packaging technology that is made from paperboard – a renewable and recyclable resource that uses 50 to 60 percent less plastic on average than traditional PVC clamshells. Natralock® packaging consists of proprietary, tear-resistant paperboard meets today's acceptable requirements for recyclability and energy standards. Our unique materials also optimize the supply chain (for example: Natralock® drives reductions significantly in dwell times and energy needed for package sealing. The sealing process uses approximately one-third of the energy required for plastic clamshells.

Recently, MWV has begun Newell Rubbermaid Office Products on Natralock® packaging for the company's Sharpie® Fine Retractable 10-count marker pack Expo® markers and Parker® Pens in club stores. Newell Rubbermaid Office Products selected MWV's Natralock® to replace its previously used mock-clamshell packaging after improvements on sustainability measures were demonstrated.

The packaging also supports the product's branding. Because of the high quality and printability of the paperboard, companies can use bold graphics and modify the look and size of the packaging without compromising security, durability or visibility.