Bath and Body Products: Talking the Talk
What demands are packaging suppliers hearing from brands? Scott Kestenbaum, senior account manager for packaging supplier Zorbit Resources Inc. (New York City) fills us in. “As most packaging firms will attest to, almost every single one of our clients has approached us within the past year saying something along the lines of, ‘We have established a new green committee to spearhead sustainable packaging initiatives and make our brand more environmentally friendly,’ or some other mishmash of colloquialisms with environmental euphemisms.”
He continues, “As these commonly used terms are vague, unrelated, and ever-changing, our first job as a packaging firm has been to both educate our customers and help them to more clearly define what it is they are looking to achieve.”
Kestenbaum says that some companies are concerned with truly greening their packaging. “In general, I have taken note of two types of companies. There are the companies that have taken the time to understand what it genuinely means to be green. It’s part of their corporate ethos, and they’re willing to make the necessary sacrifices, changes, and investments to realize their green ideals.”
“Then there are the companies that don’t really know and don’t really want to take the time to know what it means to be green,” he says. “These companies are doing it because in today’s consumer culture, it is cool, hip, and marketable to label your products as green. Typically, these companies are not willing to make the operational, financial, and creative compromises that being green truly entails. In my experience, nine out of 10 companies fall into the latter category.”
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