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Tributes have been paid to former Institute of Packaging chief executive John Webb-Jenkins, who died last week.Webb-Jenkins was chief executive of the Institute of Packaging from 1999 to 2004 and was active both in the World Packaging Organisation and in the revival of EPIC, the European consortium of packaging institutes.He died following a year-long battle with cancer.

via Tributes paid as former IoP chief Webb-Jenkins passes away | packagingnews.co.uk.

Oh, hell, and I was going to vote for them as well (Martin)

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to target “excess packaging” in their manifesto this morning, after all three major parties promised a move towards a 'zero-waste' Britain.

The Lib Dems were the only one of the three major parties to explicitly mention packaging in their manifesto, in a paragraph promising to set targets for a 'zero-waste' Britain that would send nothing to landfill.

It said: “That means less packaging, more recycling, and a huge increase in anaerobic digestion to generate energy from food and farm waste.

via Lib Dems target packaging amid ‘zero-waste’ Britain pledges | packagingnews.co.uk.

Right. I really like the new Puma packaging. I think the ‘Clever Little Bag’ is a great idea, given that no matter what you do to training shoes in transit they will pretty much survive, as long as they are kept clean. It shows what innovative packaging designers can do, and if the merchandising is right will add value to the Puma brand, I’m sure. But I have a real problem with the assertion that the pack is now ’sustainable’. In what way is this pack ’sustainable’ in any absolute sense. It uses fewer resources, and that’s to be applauded, but there is an untruth that we are starting to see everywhere, that simply reducing the amount of materials results in ’sustainability’. In my opinion, that’s just not true. ‘More sustainable’, maybe, or ’sustainable for longer’, but the simple assertion ’sustainable’ is wrong and misleading. I’m a champion for packaging, without packaging modern society would not be possible, but I don’t like this.

Here’s a link to the story on Packaging Digest, so you can see what I mean: http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/456304-Sustainable_packaging_PUMA_s_launches_new_green_packaging_and_distribution.php

(Martin)

If I understood this I’m sure it would be fascinating! I think that the point is that new technologies have allowed the production of crystals in a disk shape, I guess in the same way as some nanoclays, which is improving properties and giving a better barrier. Some great new words to bandy around though! ‘Smetic’ is my favourite (Martin)

http://www.iom3.org/news/liquid-crystals-improved-shelf-life?c=575.

Some of the biggest global brands and packaging manufacturers will pilot a new common language of definitions to benchmark sustainability in the Global Packaging Project (GPP).

Big names including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart and Kraft are outlining the final terms, alongside Crown, Sealed Air, Alcan, SCA and Tetra Pak, as part of the Consumer Goods Forum.

The aim is to develop common standards and influence legislation.

http://www.iom3.org/news/measuring-sustainability-global-packaging-metric?c=575.

I think this is what they call ‘open-loop’ recycling! (Martin)

Recycled house has a lot of bottle

via BBC News – Recycled house has a lot of bottle.

Tom is professor of art and design at Nottingham Trent. I’m going along to hear him and Janet Shipton speak at a Future factories seminar on Friday this week (19th). Should be interesting (Martin).

We tend to assume that used consumer packaging is just waste. When it stops being a necessity, waste packaging becomes an inconvenience, a resource or both. Either way, it is certainly something that needs to be managed. Because dealing with it costs resources, these days both producers and consumers are exhorted and incentivised to minimise packaging and to dispose of it into the waste stream responsibly, recycling where possible.

Our relationship with packaging appears to have evolved to an advanced state in the 50 years since packaged goods became the norm in the developed world. However, some packaging has another destiny that contradicts the assumption that it simply flows from shop to waste via our homes – it is reused, and in a mind-boggling variety of ways.

via Tom Fisher: Consumer creativity is key to reusable future | packagingnews.co.uk.

There is a whole raft of terms that cause confusion (see the piece below) – oxodegradeable, degradeable, biodegradeable and compostable mean different things, and is it, for example, reasonable to describe something as ‘compostable’ when it requires an expert eye to identify the plastic in the first place and then an industrial composter rather than a compost heap (and none of it will decompose in anaerobic landfill). Isn’t it better to incinerate the lot and recover the energy than to compost some materials and lose everything? (Martin)

The British Government has announced it will not use oxo-degradable plastic bags in future following a study that shows they are not environmentally friendly.The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Defra minister Dan Norris said that since these plastics cannot be composted, the term biodegradable can cause confusion.

via Packaging Gateway – Defra to Stop Use of Oxo-Degradable Plastics.

After a rough 2009 for the packaging industry, the Flexible Packaging Association predicts that its segment will rebound along with the U.S. economy and perhaps at an even faster clip.Speaking Thursday at the FPA's 2010 annual meeting in Orlando, John Baumann, president and CEO of Ampac Packaging and new chairman of the FPA, delivered the group's state of the industry report. He says the FPA is predicting overall revenue in flexible packaging to be up about 3.5 percent to $26.6 billion in 2010, based on estimates of a 3.1 percent growth of U.S. Gross Domestic Product. “It seems that we've found the bottom in 2009,” he says, adding that profits should be up slightly if the recovery continues.

via Flexible packaging poised for revenue growth in 2010 – 2010-03-12 15:54:41 | Packaging Digest.

Here’s an interesting new development from Chesapeake. A great way of adding vitality both to their product range and to the packaging segment (Martin)

Chesapeake has launched a new paperboard packaging range for the drinks and healthcare markets that can be formed into pods to hold liquids.The Impressions range of packaging is manufactured using a low-energy process that can form paperboard material into distinctive shapes.The material has a textured surface that adds an extra element to packs and is being aimed at the confectionery, drinks and healthcare sectors.

via Chesapeake develops paperboard pods for liquids | packagingnews.co.uk.