What Makes Packaging, Green?

One of our readers asked us to explain green packaging.

Q: What is the criterion for good sustainable packaging?

According to one leader in the packaging and environmental arenas, sustainable packaging materials can be designed in America and procured from worldwide locations (though common sense would indicate that shipping packaging supplies from Asia would offset any green benefit) as long as the packaging can meet these basic definitions…

• Is the packaging beneficial, safe, and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle?
• Does the packaging meet market criteria for performance and cost?
• Is the packaging sourced, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energy?
• Does the packaging maximize the use of renewable or recycled source materials?
• Is the packaging manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices?
• Is the packaging made from materials healthy in all probable end-of-life scenarios?
• Is the packaging physically designed to optimize materials and energy?
• Is the packaging effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle-to-cradle cycles?

So if you are sourcing greener packaging materials, ask yourself those questions and you will be a giant step ahead of your competition when it comes to things like Wal-Mart’s scorecard and other business and governmental entities that keep track of your company’s green initiatives.