2Sustain

Mattel’s recent progress report on a variety sustainability issues was counterbalanced with a global campaign by Greenpeace targeting the toy company’s paper packaging allegedly derived from Indonesian rain forests.

According to the Greenpeace website, Mattel’s packaging includes paper from Indonesia’s most notorious rainforest destroyer Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). As a result, “Critical wildlife habitat and carbon-rich rainforests and peatlands are being wrecked for cheap, throw-away toy packaging,” Greenpeace says.

Other toy companies are implicated in the Greenpeace campaign, as well. In fact, Greenpeace reports that its forensic testing shows regular use of rainforest fiber (MTH) in the packaging of major toy brands manufactured in China or Indonesia. In addition, chain-of-custody evidence in China and Indonesia shows that APP is an important supplier of packaging materials for major toy brands.

Mattel, which according to the LA Times is “under siege” by environmental critics responding to the Greenpeace report, announced that it will develop a new policy to make its packaging suppliers “commit to sustainable forestry management practices.”

In addition to addressing current concerns about packaging sourcing, Mattel’s policy will also cover other wood-based products in its toy lines, such as paper, books and accessories. The company says it is focused on minimizing its footprint throughout the value chain and across the organization. (more…)

PepsiCo now offers five options of eco-friendly, recyclable and compostable cups to its Foodservice customers in the US.

These new cup options include:

• fully recyclable clear plastic cups (one alternative is a rPET cup containing 20 percent post-consumer recycled content)

• compostable paper cups and wax cups made with plant-based materials sourced from sustainably managed forests

According to PepsiCo, the fountain cup portfolio mix empowers Foodservice customers –such as restaurants, stadiums and theme parks, and colleges and universities –to select the right green cup options based on locally available recycling and composting disposal facilities.

PepsiCo also sees the eco-friendly cups as a way to connect with consumers –particularly college and university students –who are increasingly interested in sustainable packaging options.

“The new cups are an advancement in technology, but also in the way we communicate,” said Margery Schelling, CMO PepsiCo Foodservice. “Customers increasingly are asking for environmental products that match changing needs, expectations and lifestyles. We want consumers to enjoy their favorite fountain beverages and feel good about the environmental impact of their purchases.”

In a press release, PepsiCo points out that the roll out of eco-friendly cups is aligned with the company’s global environmental goals and commitments, which include initiatives to reduce packaging waste, use rPET and renewable sources in packaging and increase the national beverage container recycling rate. Specific examples of PepsiCo innovations with respect to beverage packaging include: (more…)

The global packaging industry continues to view sustainability as a top priority.

Among 500 packaging professionals surveyed by DuPont earlier this spring, more than 40 percent consider sustainability the toughest challenge they face.  One-third (33 percent) of those in the poll named cost as a major factor.

DuPont also found that survey participants who are working on sustainable packaging reported a wide range of different strategies. For example: (more…)

General Mills has released its 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, which includes news of the company’s progress on health, community and environmental initiatives, as well as a few notable firsts. For instance, with regard to environmental performance, General Mills has:

• established its first-ever packaging metric. The company says that that by 2015, 40 percent of its global product volume will be sold in packaging that has been improved through modifications to packaging weight, recycled content, renewable content or truck loading efficiency made over the previous five years.

• built its first biomass burner at its Fridley, Minnesota facility. This device burns leftover oat hulls to provide 90 percent of the steam used to heat the plant and produce oat flour.

• installed solar panels at its facility in Methuen, Massachusetts, the company’s first US facility to produce its own electricity from solar energy.

• opened the doors on its first LEED-certified buildings – a distribution center in Georgia and an existing office in Minnesota that was upgraded to meet LEED specifications in 2010. (more…)

Last Wednesday, the Coca-Cola Company and H.J. Heinz Company announced a strategic partnership that enables Heinz to produce its ketchup bottles using Coca-Cola’s innovative PlantBottle packaging.

I first wrote about the PlantBottle when Coca-Cola launched it back in 2009. It looks, feels and functions just like traditional PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic –but, the PlantBottle is made from up to 30 percent sustainably-sourced plant-based material. Plus, it is 100 percent recyclable, like traditional PET plastic. (In other words, PlantBottle packaging can be recycled in the existing commercial recycling infrastructure.)

By adopting the PlantBottle technology, Heinz is making the biggest change to the brand’s iconic ketchup bottles since the company first introduced plastic in 1983. Heinz plans to convert to PlantBottle globally, beginning with the 20-ounce variety of Heinz Ketchup, which will be rolled out to US consumers this summer. All told, Heinz says it will introduce 120 million PlantBottle packages in 2011. (more…)