Green Packaging - Products
Carton Décor
In operation since 1845, a carton converter says that it was the first converter in North America to be 100% carbon neutral, use 100% renewable energy, and be FSC certified. The company’s alternative products for carton decorating are meant to replace standard items that don’t always allow a carton to be recycled or to biodegrade. CurtChrome is a biodegradable, recyclable ink that is an alternative to foil laminating and hot-stamping. The ink achieves the look of foil at a fraction of the cost because it does not require cartons to undergo a secondary off-line decorating operation. The second product, CurtCoat, is an alternative to acetate film lamination. The VOC-free glossy coating is recyclable and provides a mirror-like finish. It can be applied to any coated paperboard and can be used on all types of packaging.
Curtis Packaging, Sandy Hook, CT.
Flip-Top Cap
The new Slender cap was developed thanks to a supplier’s goal to reduce materials usage and replace fossil-based polymers with biopolymers. According to the firm, Slender is the world’s lightest flip-top tube cap. The supplier has also designed a range of hybrid package designs that combine fossil-based polymers and biopolymers to ensure compatibility and performance. Finally, the company has made the Alcan Sustainability Stewardship Evaluation Tool, a.k.a. ASSET, available to its clients. The tool is designed to assess the sustainability of the supplier’s packages.
Alcan Packaging Beauty, New York City.
Colorful and Green
Colorful masterbatches can make PCR containers glamorous. Enigma masterbatches are suited for containers containing up to 100% PCR polyolefin resin. According to the company, recycled polyolefin plastics tend to have an overall grayish tint that can be inconsistent from lot to lot, making them difficult to consistently reproduce colors on. Before targeting a specific color, the supplier advises that brands research which colors can be achieved on PCR bottles. “You need to change your focus and decide early that your first goal is to have a very high level of PCR in your bottle,” says Carolyn Sedgwick, business manager, segment packaging division. “From there, you address the colorant opportunities available.” The company also offers all-natural colorants and additives that are based on natural materials such as flowers, which are biodegradable and renewable.
Clariant Masterbatches Division, McHenry, IL.
Tubes
WWPledge is a supplier’s new eco-friendly tube line. The tubes are made with PCR. The first product in the line is a 60-mm tube comprising 85% PCR. The company also offers compacts made with biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) resin. “We may not be the first company in the cosmetic and skin care industry to offer green packaging, but we are among the first to offer eco-friendly tubes,” says Jeffrey Hayet, the company’s executive vice president of global sales.
World Wide Packaging Inc., Florham Park, NJ.
PCR PET Bottles
PET bottles are produced from 100% food-grade PCR resin. The heavy-walled stock bottles are virtually nonsqueezable and can serve as alternatives to rigid glass and metal packaging. Like regular PET bottles, the PCR PET bottles are lightweight, durable, and offer low gas-vapor transmission rates. Custom bottle colors are available.
Impressions Packaging Corp., Peachtree City, GA.
Shopping Bags
Shopping bags made with postconsumer recyclate (PCR) paper are eco-friendly without sacrificing a high-end look. Envi by Monadnock shopping bag paper is the latest addition to the supplier’s Envi green packaging paper line. Up to 100% PCR can be incorporated in the shopping bag. The FSC-certified paper is manufactured using carbon-neutral energy and offers a smooth, bright, uniform surface to accommodate high-impact graphics. Dave Lunati, the firm’s director of marketing, says that the company’s goal is to offer a complete range of eco-friendly papers for packaging.
Monadnock Paper Mills, Bennington, NH.
PCR Tube
One of the innovators of eco-friendly tubes has been offering PCR tubes since 2001. The tubes are constructed using both virgin and recycled resin. Up to 70% PCR can be incorporated in the tube body, while up to 60% PCR can be used in the tube head. A variety of tube sizes and neck finishes are available. Decorating options include eight-color offset printing, six-color silk-screening, hot-stamping, spot printing, and pressure-sensitive labeling. “A multilayer extrusion process isolates the PCR layer, preventing contact with the tube’s contents and thus eliminating the possibility of [product] contamination,” says Ron Harriman, the company’s director of product development. “By using multilayer extrusion, more marketers are able to use this tube—especially those whose products might interact adversely with recycled materials.”
CCL Tube, Los Angeles.
Dispensers
Select dispensers in a supplier’s line of lotion and treatment pumps can be injection molded with up to 25% PCR. In addition to its PCR products, the company offers all-plastic trigger sprayers and lotion pumps that are more recyclable than conventional dispensers with metal springs and balls. Finally, the firm continues to introduce new dispensing systems with fewer parts as a means of reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.
ContinentalAFA, St. Peters, MO.
Compacts
Compacts are produced using NatureWorks LLC’s Ingeo biopolymer. Three compact styles are available, for powder, eye shadow, and cream. The compacts are named Bio-Stone and are part of the supplier’s initiative to develop eco-friendly packages, including those produced from natural masterbatches derived from vegetable-based colorants such as chlorophyll green, indigo blue, curcuma red, and mineral sources such as mica.
Leoplast Group, Italy.