Services – AlliedRenew

Sustainablity

According to the Euromonitor, one of the top 10 global consumer trends for 2014 is a nation of so called “eco-warriers” who increasingly care about sustainability and the environmental impact of everything they buy. More and more consumers are becoming “conscientious consumers” and want to feel good about the products they purchase. With each dollar they spend they are making the choice to support environmentally responsible purchases as opposed to the less responsible options.

Being “green conscious” not only adds value back into manufacturing-generated waste, but it exudes a level of responsibility and a feel good experience for the consumer.

The flexible packaging industry produces innovative, sustainable packaging that offers significant value to product manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. To read this article please

Today, shoppers, brands, and retailers are all focused on more sustainable packaging solutions. To determine which packaging alternatives are better for the environment, you really need to consider all impacts throughout a package’s life cycle. These “Life Cycle Assessments” reveal that flexible packaging typically creates less environmental impact compared to traditional packaging options.

Advantages of the Pouch

Flexible packaging consumes less energy during manufacturing
Flexible packaging consumes fewer natural resources during manufacturing
Flexible packaging generates less CO2 emissions during manufacturing
Flexible packaging is lightweight reducing fossil fuels during transportation
Flexible packaging is easy to compress greatly reducing amount of trucks during transportation
Flexible packaging represents the smallest percentage of all packaging in landfills
Flexible packaging saves transportation miles and fuel consumption

Materials Comparison

Rotisserie Chicken in Flexible Packaging vs. Traditional Packaging

Ready-to-eat rotisserie chickens have traditionally been packaged in rigid dome containers. Innovative technology now allows a flexible package to perform in a deli hot case for freshly prepared foods while reducing environmental impacts.

Rigid Dome Container (Tray & Lid)

Product Weight 40 ounces
Packaging Weight 64 g
Energy Consumption 5.49
Emissions 0.20

Flexible Pouch

Product Weight 40 ounces
Packaging Weight 15 g
Energy Consumption 1.35
Emissions 0.03

Examples of packaging needed to package 60 pounds of beverage.

Glass = 50 pounds
Rigid PET = 6 pounds
Aluminum = 3 pounds
Flexible plastic = 1.5 pounds

Why the Flexible Pouch?

Eighty-eight percent less fossil fuel is used, and 85% fewer CO2 emissions are generated during the manufacturing of flexible pouches.1
The fossil fuel equivalent of changing a year’s worth of rigid dome rotisserie chicken packaging to flexible pouches would save enough gas to drive around the world 1,475 times. 2
The flexible pouch uses 91% less space by case in shipping. More than 12 truckloads of rigid containers are needed to ship the same amount of Hot N Handy (trademark) pouches contained in one 53′-long truckload.3
The flexible pouch offers a 2/3 reduction of solid waste by weight introduced in landfills versus rigid dome packaging.1
The flexible pouch offers value-added features such as built-in handle, a resealable zipper, and being microwaveable and hot case ready.

Sources:
2013 Flexible Packaging Association
1 Data based on 2007 Life Cycle Analysis testing by Robbie Manufacturing, Inc., conducted using SimaPro 7.1 LCA Software
2 Compared to rigid packaging based on annual rotisserie sales of 550 M units. Fuel estimate: 1,809,623 gallons; total miles: 36,729,786.25 @ 20.3 MPG. Calculations generated using U.S. Energy Information Administration and U.S. EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
3 Based on industry average packaging/shipping dimensions of rigid packaged rotisserie chicken.

Solutions

Founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky, then a 20-year-old Princeton University freshman, TerraCycle, Inc. began producing organic fertilizer by packaging liquified “worm poop” in used soda bottles. Since the inauspicious start, TerraCycle has become one of the fastest-growing green companies in the world.

CapriSun pouches upcycled into totes

These empty chip bags were transformed into
this fun reusable bag

You'll never guess what this gown is made
out of...M & M wrappers

More than just a recycling company, TerraCycle strives to be a driving force behind increasing environmental awareness and action. Our goal is to be a trusted resource for families, schools, communities, and even corporations to find tips, stats, facts, tactics, and news to help them live a greener, cleaner lifestyle. Together, we are Eliminating the Idea of Waste®.

Today, TerraCycle is a highly-awarded, international upcycling and recycling company that collects difficult-to-recycle packaging and products and repurposes the material into affordable, innovative products. TerraCycle is widely considered the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable, post-consumer waste.

TerraCycle works with more than 100 major brands in the U.S. and 22 countries overseas to collect used packaging and products that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new, innovative materials and products that are available online and through major retailers.

With roots in worm poop and graffiti, TerraCycle has developed into an innovative, dynamic company with global impact.

LifeCycle of a Product

Understanding sustainability performance requires considering the entire lifecycle of a product. Including parts of the cycle that you cannot see such as sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, and end of life.

Resources

DwellSmart – www.dwellsmart.com

Earth Engineering Center of Columbia University – www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/research.html

EPA – www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/plastics.htm

Flexible Packaging Association – www.flexpack.org

Sustainable Packaging Coalition – www.sustainablepackagingcoalition.org

TerraCycle – www.terracycle.com

Kraft’s Yes Pack – www.kraftyespack.com

Bag The Box – www.bagthebox.com

Explore, identify, harness and utilize emerging and existing technologies, machinery and materials to develop purposeful, powerful packaging, and are true pioneers in how we combine these elements to deliver custom, engineered packaging solutions to the customers and markets we serve.

The Flexible Packaging Association has served as the voice of the flexible packaging industry since 1950. FPA’s goals are connecting, advancing and leading the flexible packaging industry. FPA members are manufacturers of flexible packaging sold to users or distributors for packaging purposes, and material or equipment suppliers to the industry. Flexible packaging is produced from paper, plastic, film, aluminum foil, or any combination of those materials, and includes bags, pouches, labels, liners, wraps, rollstock, and other flexible products.

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