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How to Evaluate Green Materials
How to Evaluate Green Materials
November 01, 2008
Key Questions to Ask Suppliers.In a world in which everyone is touting eco-friendly packaging, it’s really difficult, not just for the consumer but the industry buyer as well, to know what the best packaging choices are. How does one supplier’s claim stand up against another’s, and truly, which materials are the most environmentally friendly?
This is not a simple question, and there is not a simple answer. While some interesting tools such as COMPASS (being redeveloped by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition to assess the environmental impact of package design by providing comparative environmental profiles) will be available to the industry in the coming years, how can a responsible company make the right decision now? Unfortunately, there is no one perfect solution out there—nor would we want to be confined to just one solution. Not only would relying on one type of material all of the time make for a pretty boring packaging world, but overextending the use of one material can become destructive. As a world, we need to learn to use a variety of materials in a sustainable way so that we aren’t eliminating forests to plant corn or sugar cane or eliminating crop fields for forests. Like all things in life, there is a balance with all materials, and it’s critical that we find the best uses for each.
So, although there may not be a perfect solution, there are better solutions out there. It’s not always simple to decide which to go with, as it all depends on what you need your package to do. Every package fulfills a variety of needs, and it’s critical that we do not ignore some of the needs to gain a better “eco” story.
The first step in your process to finding a better package for your product or brand is to have in-depth conversations with your packaging suppliers. If a supplier only sells one material, understand that the supplier will most likely only disclose to you the material’s benefits. The key is to then have the same conversation with the converter who works with that material, because that converter probably works with competitive materials as well and will be honest. From here, you can start to collect data about the processing, as well as the front-end benefits of materials. Some key questions to ask your supplier would be:
• How much energy does it take to create this material? How much to convert it?
• How much water or other resources does it take to create this material and convert it?
• Are the converting processes similar for all of the materials you are considering using? If not, how are they different?
• Are there other impacts of converting a material, such as the use of special inks or high-energy drying systems?
Of course, you may not always get an answer to every question, but just starting the dialogue between you and your converter or supplier is the first step.
The last point I want to touch on is in regards to the end-of-life options for your package. This can be a difficult topic to gain clarity on, as many times your package reaches consumers all over the country and the world, and every consumer has different end-of-life options for packaging. However, certain materials are more recyclable and easier for an end consumer to recognize what to do with them. Know what’s realistically possible in terms of recycling or composting for the majority of your consumers, and let customers know on the package what they should do with the package at the end of its life.
It’s also amazing to see stores’ take-back programs doing so well. In many cases, simply providing your end consumer with an option to take back or recycle your packaging is enough to motivate them to do it and to get them back into your store.
Nicole Smith is the environmental director for product and package design firm Design & Source Productions Inc. Smith’s focus is on sustainability, and, thus, she handles all research and development for sustainable materials, helping clients to transition to more environmentally friendly options.