Sustainable Brands '12

 End users are finally talking to their supply chain about sustainable packaging. Danielle Jerschefske reports 

One thousand three hundred people representing some of the world’s foremost brands including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Hewlett-Packard, J&J, Patagonia, Walmart, P&G and Burton and their value chain stakeholders such as BASF, Waste Management, Innovia Films, 3M, TerraCycle and the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) gathered in San Diego, California earlier this year to discuss the future of business as we know it. One overriding topic discussed at Sustainable Brands “12 was the need for more transparency, collaboration and communication within the supply chain. 

The group of participants spoke openly about their concerns with regard to their business’ place within a more sustainable global economy. Brands of all shapes and sizes, from myriad industries, are working to align sustainable values with both their products and packaging to meet – or surpass – expectations around both environmental and economic impacts.

However, the reality of achieving economies of scale for more “sustainable” processes in the manufacture and use of pressroom chemicals, inks, substrates and plates – including integrating profitable recycling channels – is a powerful barrier to more sustainable value chains. But the packaging industry already offers some shining examples of how global capitalist markets can be moved into more environmentally aware channels.

Packaging materials

While almost one third of plastics in the US is used for packaging production, bio plastics represent less than one percent of the overall plastics market. However, bio plastics are growing at a rate of 20 percent year on year from this small base, and we are seeing a wider pool of biomass resources made available, including sugar cane.

The price structure of petroleum-based products generally leaves very little room to reduce cost, but there is much that can be done tackling issues like reducing energy consumption and increasing the recycle rate.  At the same time these materials must meet tough performance requirements in terms of barrier properties, for example.

Materials innovations play a pivotal role in the future of sustainability, which is why the participation of Dow, DuPont, BASF and NatureWorks in the Sustainable Brands organization is so important. The participation of all value chain stakeholders will be critical in scaling up new discoveries at the molecular level to commercial economies of scale. 

BASF is currently developing a process to utilize renewable resources for the production of acrylic acid, for example. Acrylic acid is made by oxidizing propylene, a derivative of crude oil, and is used in adhesive raw materials and coatings, diapers and paints. BASF is the world’s biggest supplier.

Cargill and Novozymes, a biotechnology enterprise, have been working together since 2008 to develop bio-based acrylic acid technology and have developed microorganisms that are able to convert renewable feedstock into 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which is a step forward in bringing a renewable acrylic acid to the market. BASF’s task now is to find a way to turn 3-HP into renewable acrylic acid.

Should BASF break through the scientific barriers, the opportunity is huge. The annual global market volume of acrylic acid is around four and a half million tons with a value of 11 billion USD at the end of 2011. The market has been growing at a rate of four percent per year.

Volker Schaedler, CEO of Germany-based BASF, discussed how the company is adding value through both internal and external collaboration: ‘We have changed a lot about how we collaborate for solutions in many industries, and in working together with stakeholders it only adds value for creating chemistry for a sustainable future.

‘We are aligning efforts by bringing together those in the value chain that can drive the change needed to become a more sustainable society. As a chemical company it’s important to gain the insight to what consumers and others are talking about when it comes to chemistry and product development.’

Clear communication of certifications

It’s imperative that label converters learn and understand the basis behind certifications that their suppliers are using. In this way the correct information is given to brands to communicate effectively to consumers on the shelf and through packaging. This in turn will help improve the end-of-life stage of packaging.

One example is compostable packaging, for which there are already standards in place – ASTM6400 in the US and EN13432 in Europe. At the beginning of October the US Federal Trade Commission announced updates to its Green Guides, a tool for marketers to use when communicating “environmental benefits” of products and packaging to consumers. One of the terms the FTC clarified is “compostable”. In section 260.7 it explains that for a marketer to safely use the term “compostable” they should have “competent and reliable scientific evidence that all the materials in the item will break down into, or otherwise become part of, usable compost in a safe and timely manner in an appropriate composting facility, or in a home compost pile or device”.

According to the European EN 13432 standard, substances are considered fully biodegradable if at least 90 percent of the organic carbon contained in them is converted into CO2 within a testing period of no more than 180 days.

Despite being rather vague, the updated Green Guides provide some formal basis for combating the worst examples of deceptive “green” marketing claims, allowing offenders to be warned and fined.

These standards are driving the development of compostable packaging components. In 2010 BASF obtained a certificate for Epotal Eco, claimed as the first compostable water-based adhesive, from DIN Certco, a certifying body of the German Technical Inspection Agency, TÜV. Test results have proven that within 70 days Epotal ECO is decomposed by 90 percent. After decomposition Epotal ECO leaves no toxic residues nor shows any negative effects on the environment. BASF said it is particularly suitable for the production of completely compostable, multi-layer film packaging based on materials like NatureWorks’ PLA, Innovia’s NatureFlex or paper.

The molecule structure of the product resembles that of naturally occurring polymers. Microorganisms are able to convert them into carbon dioxide, water and biomass with the help of enzymes. The best results are achieved in industrial composting facilities since they offer suitable conditions for microorganisms.

At the same time biologically degradable adhesives are being developed which will play a decisive role in the development of compostable packaging materials.

Commercial solutions

Among sustainable products already on the market are Innovia’s NatureFlex films, available in clear, white and metalized grades. These are manufactured from 95 percent renewable wood pulp sourced from managed plantations, which either have or are working towards FSC, PEFC or similar certification.

NatureFlex films are certified to meet the American ASTM D6400, European EN13432 and Australian AS4736 standards for compostable packaging. The material has also been confirmed as suitable for emerging waste-to-energy techniques such as anaerobic digestion, aiding the diversion of organic wastes from landfill.

 The films have been designed to perform as a solid barrier for chip bags, candies and other primary foods and meet USDA and other standards for consumer safety.

In mid-2011 the film supplier announced a successful collaboration to create what was claimed to be the first compostable confectionery packaging. Working with BASF and Flint Group, Innovia Films constructed a compostable material using BASF’s Epotal Eco layered in combination with its NatureFlex film.  Printing was completed at the technology center of the German Flexograhic Association (DFTA) in Stuttgart, Germany.

Flint Group supplied the nyloflex ACE Digital plates optimized for printing flexible and aseptic packaging with FlexiPrint MV inks that are free from heavy metals and also suitable for composting, while offering high color strength and excellent gloss. The ink system is also free of TAA and phthalates.

In early 2012 the Canadian candy company Ganong Bros, founded in 1873, announced the use of NatureFlex material to package its range of Easter confectioneries in stand-up pouches. The candies included chocolate covered cherry eggs, Easter eggs, chocolate covered marshmallow eggs and Easter animal jellies.

The stand-up pouch was converted by Canada-based Genpak using NatureFlex NKR laminated to a biopolymer sealant layer. Genpak reported that NatureFlex provides excellent barriers to oxygen and moisture, and that the film printed and performed well on its machines.

 Bruce Rafuse, vp of marketing at Ganong, said: ‘We had two primary objectives in selecting the package: first and foremost was to improve sales and distribution and second to differentiate us from the competition.'

How the supply chain can help:

-         Transparency

-         Economies of scale

-         Science-based research/evidence

-         Innovation

This article was published in Labels & Labeling issue 6, 2012