by Jeff Giedt Faced with the high embodied energy costs of conventional single use packaging products and the accumulation of packaging garbage on the planet, many businesses are searching for greener solutions. Although increasing numbers of … [Read more...] about Are Packaging Items Made from Mushrooms and Corn Husks Gimmicks or Godsends?
Featured Articles
How to Make Your Corrugated Shipping Boxes More Sustainable
Corrugated shipping boxes are used to transport and store a multitude of products; this widespread usage adds up to a lot of packaging consumption. If you use corrugated containers in your operation and would like to improve your sustainable profile, … [Read more...] about How to Make Your Corrugated Shipping Boxes More Sustainable
Daylight at the End of the RFID Hype Cycle Tunnel? The Carrot, the Stick and the Future of Smart Reusables
When I talked recently with Kevin Payne, Senior Director of Marketing for Intelleflex, I wanted to know why, if smart reusables can add so much value, has industry been seemingly so slow with their uptake. (Translation: where are all the case study … [Read more...] about Daylight at the End of the RFID Hype Cycle Tunnel? The Carrot, the Stick and the Future of Smart Reusables
Is Reverse the Wrong Direction for Reusables Growth?
Is “Return to sender” the wrong idea for promoting the wider adoption of reusables? Until recent years, reusable packaging was usually often referred to as returnable packaging, and the implication was that reusables were most often found in … [Read more...] about Is Reverse the Wrong Direction for Reusables Growth?
Returnable Transport Items – Where is the Next Big Win?
Kevin Payne of Intelleflex recently blogged in response to articles by LeBlanc and Lehrer, taking a slightly different tact. While LeBlanc argues for the need of limiting container sizes in order to make reusables more feasible, Kevin makes the case … [Read more...] about Returnable Transport Items – Where is the Next Big Win?
Reusables – Where Is the Next Big Win?
At risk of dating myself, I recall attending a pallet session at the PMA (Produce Marketing Association) Conference in San Diego in 1995 with my old friend John McCallum, who is probably as I write, most likely driving a tour bus full of retirees to … [Read more...] about Reusables – Where Is the Next Big Win?
Pallets: A Core Problem
By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor, MMH A report in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal said that prices for commodities are plunging around the globe. Try telling that to anyone who has tried recently to purchase a truck load of cores. That’s the … [Read more...] about Pallets: A Core Problem
Is “Wine on Tap” a More Sustainable, Drinkable Alternative?
An innovation in wine drinking is emerging in California restaurants: wine on tap. Wine served from a keg is not a new concept; it has a long-standing history in Europe. But here in the United States, wine on tap has been brought to the market and … [Read more...] about Is “Wine on Tap” a More Sustainable, Drinkable Alternative?
The Problem with Pallets
In the linked article, environmentalist Dick McCarrick looks at some of the pros and cons of wood pallets and the issue of pallet disposal. In the final analysis, he suggests that: Pallets may not be the most scintillating of dinnertime conversation … [Read more...] about The Problem with Pallets
Returnable Packaging Solution for Marine Engines
The Customer Case The company is owned by a Japanese family and has a base in Netherlands employing around 200 people. It manufactures marine engines which are distributed to their customer in eastern Germany. They used to employ expendable … [Read more...] about Returnable Packaging Solution for Marine Engines