| Packaging choices do matter. We have worked with the University
of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems to improve the
environmental performance of our packaging. |
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Stonyfield Farm manufactures millions of cups of yogurt annually. We are keenly aware that through our packaging we have an enormous impact on the environment. Our packaging choices are extremely important to us, as we know they are to you. Over the years we have devoted significant effort to identify ways to reduce the environmental burden due to our packaging.
Background
In the mid '80's when we began examining the environmental aspects of our packaging, we assumed that the most important characteristic was its recyclability. It was important to us that the finished product not become solid waste. We set out to find the most recyclable cup available. We discovered through our search that recyclability is just one of the many factors that must be considered in addressing the total impact of our packaging on the environment.
Source Reduction
In recent years, an effective tool has emerged for measuring the total environmental
impact of a product. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the process of determining
the environmental impact of a product from its manufacture and use, through
its re-use, recycling and/or disposal- or "cradle to grave".
There have been several LCA studies that have aided manufacturers
in the decision-making process. One of the earliest of these in-depth
studies was undertaken by the Boston based
Tellus Institute.
The study compared a variety of packaging options including plastics,
aseptic and poly-coated paper (such as milk cartons), metals and
glass. The findings were surprising, indicating that less than 5%
of the total environmental cost of packaging is in the disposal.
Over 95% of the environmental cost is in the production of the package-
in the energy used and toxins created in the manufacturing process.
Focusing efforts predominantly on the "end use" such as
recycling or disposal, addresses only a fraction of the overall impact
of the container. It is more accurate to look at the environmental
impact of the container over its entire life cycle. The Tellus Institute
study concluded that with the exception of PVC plastic (# 3) which
has significantly higher environmental impact, "...the lightest-weight
package, per unit of delivered end product, is generally the lowest-impact
product".
The concept of source reduction-reducing the amount of material
in a product-has been overshadowed by the tremendous enthusiasm
to recycle. Recycling is very important, but it can be more environmentally
advantageous to reduce the amount of material generated in the
first place. The solid waste hierarchy teaches us to first reduce,
then reuse, and finally recycle.
Our Choices
After examining our options (including glass, poly-coated paper,
and plastic), we chose a lightweight plastic. Glass, which is widely
recycled and made from recycled material, was rejected as the environmental
costs of transporting the heavy material outweigh the benefits.
The energy (fossil fuels) used over the entire life of the glass
package for its manufacture and transport exceeds the energy that
goes into the manufacturing and transporting of a plastic container.
HDPE (#2) vs. Polypropylene (#5) Plastic
As a result of the Tellus Study, we decided to convert our yogurt
packaging to the lightest weight plastic that would protect our
product. Despite not being recyclable in most communities, we
moved to polypropylene plastic. In using polypropylene (#5) packaging,
Stonyfield uses significantly less plastic than we would if we
made our cups with HDPE #2 plastic. One of the most beneficial
characteristics of #5 plastic is that its structure allows the
container to be made of thinner walls, while maintaining the
same structural integrity. Our quart containers are over 30%
lighter today than they were 10 years ago. By using #5 plastic
instead of #2, each year we prevent the manufacture and disposal
of over 100 tons of plastic, resulting in environmental savings
from the decreased air emissions and resource depletion from
the manufacture and distribution of the packaging. In addition,
the polypropylene is manufactured without the use of chlorine,
thus eliminating the hazards of deadly dioxin releases during
manufacture and incineration, which occur with certain other
plastics.
Still, many of our customers have requested that we use HDPE (#2) plastic because it's the only yogurt container recycled in their community. Unfortunately, although many communities accept #2 plastic for recycling, they may be recycling only the #2 bottles, not the wide mouth containers such as yogurt cups. Wide-mouth containers such as yogurt containers have a different melting point than bottles so they cannot, in most cases, be recycled together. Often, to avoid confusion, a community may accept #2 bottles and wide mouth containers but in reality only recycle the bottles, sending the wide mouth containers to become waste. Through our use of the #5 lighter weight plastic, we actually benefit the environment more by preventing more plastic from entering the waste stream.
The Life of Stonyfield Farm Packaging
Life Cycle Assessment has taught us not only to look at a product
from
"cradle to grave", but to look at a bigger picture as
well. Previously, we had examined environmental attributes of our
yogurt cup and lid. As a shopper, the yogurt cup and lid, what
we call primary packaging, is all you see. The primary packaging
materials are shipped to our manufacturing facility in cardboard
boxes and plastic liners that keep the cups sterile before use.
Once the yogurt cups are filled, they are packaged in boxes that
are then placed on pallets and wrapped in plastic to ship to stores.
Every time a cup of yogurt is sold, a plastic cup and lid is created
(primary packaging), as well as the box and plastic wrap to hold
and transport the cup (secondary packaging). By looking at the
cup alone and the environmental impact of the primary packaging,
LCA has demonstrated that one could miss the potentially greater
environmental burden from the secondary packaging.
For instance, consider if we packaged our product in highly recyclable
cups in a heavy box that used toxic inks and solvent adhesives
to seal it. If we examined only the primary packaging (what you,
the customer sees), then we would conclude that it was good packaging
because it is recyclable. In fact, the total "product delivery
system", or PDS, could have significantly greater environmental
impact than if the cup were made from a non-recyclable, stronger
material, which would allow for a lighter weight box. LCA has taught
us that we must examine the entire PDS to see the whole picture
and the total environmental burden of getting a cup of yogurt to
the store shelves. The resources used to deliver product to our
customers extend far deeper than most would assume when picking
a cup of maple vanilla yogurt off the shelf at the grocery store.
The Center for Sustainable Systems Study
In the fall of 1999, Stonyfield Farm commissioned a study by the University
of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems to perform
a life cycle assessment of Stonyfield Farm's "product delivery
system"
(PDS). The PDS is the sum of the materials and distribution involved
in getting Stonyfield Farm's products to market. It consists of
primary packaging (yogurt containers, lids, inner seals, multipack
wraps), secondary packaging (corrugated boxes, stretch warp, pallets,
etc.) all transportation links required to deliver the materials,
packaging and yogurt products from the initial material production,
through to you, the consumer, and end-of-life disposal. The objective
of the study was to perform a life cycle assessment of Stonyfield
Farm's current PDS, and to compare it to other options with different
cups including HDPE (#2), coated unbleached paperboard, thermoformed
plastic, and polylactide (PLA), a carbohydrate based polymer made
from corn and/or beets.
Key Findings of The Study
One of the key findings showed that the choice of container size
has a greater impact on environmental burdens than either the
choice of cup material or the cup manufacturing process. The
32 oz. containers (quarts) consumed 27% less energy to produce
and distribute than the 8 oz. containers. If all Stonyfield Farm
yogurt were sold in 32 oz. containers, the annualized energy
savings would be equivalent to 11,250 barrels of oil. Your purchasing
decisions make a difference!
Other key recommendations for reducing environmental burdens included
switching to thermoformed cup manufacturing, minimizing the distance
traveled from Stonyfield Farm to retailers by opening a second
yogurt production facility, optimizing the ratio of primary packaging
to corrugated board, as well as further investigating renewable
packaging materials. For a more detailed examination of the results
of the study, read the entire
study at the Center for Sustainable Systems' website.
The Future
A polypropylene container is by no means our vision of the ideal
packaging. There are several very promising materials on the
horizon. We are working with one supplier of a plastic made from
carbohydrates, such as corn and beets. In the not too distant
future, your yogurt cup could look and feel like the plastic
cup of today, but be made from excess agricultural materials
such as cornhusks or potato skins. We are also working on implementing
other recommendations from the Center for Sustainable Systems'
study, such as secondary packing source reduction and re-examining
our distribution system to reduce transport from our production
facility to the grocery stores.
Over the past several months, CSS analyzed a variety of lid closure
options for us. We chose the foil closure because it met all of
our product quality attributes and dramatically improved the environmental
performance of our packaging. Environmental savings by switching
from our plastic closures to a single foil closure are as follows:
- 16% less energy
used
- 6% less solid
waste created
- 13% less water
used
We are actively working toward the day when we can get our product
and packaging to you in ways which through the manufacture, transportation,
use and re-cycling back into our resource base, will not create
wastes that pollute our waters, emit greenhouse and ozone damaging
gases, and deplete our natural resources. Our ideal packaging may
mean that when you're finished eating your yogurt, you'll consume
the delicious (and nutritious) container, or toss it onto your
compost pile to return to its carbon roots.
The "bottom-line" is that we have extensively studied
the environmental burden due to our packaging and are working hard
to reduce it. The Center for Sustainable System's Life Cycle Assessment
of our PDS has proven to be a valuable tool for decision-making.
We believe that given current technologies, we are using the lightest
weight, least environmentally impactful packaging available today
to protect the quality and integrity of our product. We will continue
to research and develop new packaging that uses fewer materials,
is more renewable resource based, and is made with less toxic and
environmentally impactful processes and materials. In the meantime,
there are two things you can do. First, if you're looking for the
least environmental impact, buy Stonyfield Farm yogurt in the quart
containers. Second, if #5 plastic recycling isn't available in
your community, and you can't tolerate the idea of not recycling
them, you are welcome to return your CLEAN Stonyfield Farm
cups and lids to us, and we'll be sure they'll get recycled.
Polystyrene (#6) Plastic
We do use polystyrene cups for our yogurt multipack offerings and our pint sized Oikos Organic Greek yogurt. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union (EU) consider polystyrene (#6) containers safe for food use. The FDA requires the styrene content of the packaging be less than 5,000 parts per million (ppm). The styrene content in Stonyfield Farm’s polystyrene packaging does not exceed 400 ppm (12 times less than the allowable limit). For those who prefer, our Organic Greek yogurt can also be purchased in 5.3 oz. containers made of polypropylene (#5 plastic); and our fat free, lowfat and whole milk yogurts can also be purchased in 6 oz. and 32 oz. polypropylene (#5) containers.
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None of our packaging contains BPA (Bisphenol A). BPA is used to make epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastic; BPA is not used (and never has been used) to make any of the packaging we use for our products.
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