Sustainable Packaging Team
What they do
Create the most environmentally sustainable product packaging possible.
Goals
To achieve 100% sustainable packaging by 2015 and to make 10% annual improvements in sustainable packaging between 2007 and 2015.
Sustainable packaging is that which:
- Is beneficial, safe, and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle;
- Meets market criteria for performance and cost;
- Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy;
- Maximizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials;
- Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
- Is made from materials healthy in all probable end-of-life scenarios;
- Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy; and
- Is effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle-to-cradle cycles.
* From Sustainable Packaging Coalition, 2006
Meet the team
The team consists of a cross-functional group representing Marketing, Natural Resources, Research & Development, Purchasing, Procurement, Operations, and Engineering. They work closely with Quality on any initiatives. All of these groups are essential, as any innovations have to work for all of these business functions.
Activities
- Created sustainable packaging scorecard.
- Inventoried all packaging.
- Continuing packaging reduction efforts.
Sample of accomplishments & results
- Created a baseline sustainability score of our packaging system from which to measure improvement.
- Reduced packaging by almost 1 million pounds per year.
- Saved $780,000 per year.
