| Believe it or not, the official holiday season is only | | | | pay for a really nice Christmas party for all of |
| a matter of weeks away. But, with all the | | | | American industry, including the cocktail weiners. |
| discussion of how or relatively disappointing last | | | | However, Environmental Leader noted a couple of |
| year's "black Friday" kick off for holiday shopping | | | | months back that while these efforts might be |
| was, and how many sales retailers will rack up this | | | | saving and making money for Wal-Mart, it's |
| year before it's all over, there's only one thing we | | | | costing manufacturers more: |
| know for certain -- for every gift bought and | | | | "Wal-Mart's packaging initiative pressures |
| received, there's packaging to go with it. | | | | marketers to invest substantially upfront to |
| On December 25th, millions upon million of U.S. and | | | | reduce packaging and energy use - estimated at |
| European homes will be strewn with enough sheer | | | | $100 million for Procter & Gamble in the case |
| mass of stuff to build...well, something really big | | | | of laundry-detergent compaction. The savings in |
| and probably really ugly. Some of this refuse will | | | | shipping costs and packaging materials that could |
| be recycled, of course, but not nearly enough. A | | | | offset that appear to be going toward giving |
| lot of it will end it will still end up in landfills and | | | | better prices to Wal-Mart and its customers, |
| generally contributing to any number of serious | | | | rather than to the marketer." |
| environmental woes, and that's just one very big | | | | So, while not all companies will face that large a bill |
| day out of 365. | | | | for redesigning their products, once again |
| And that goes to the issue of sustainable | | | | designers and manufacturers are left on the horns |
| packaging and is one of the things we think about | | | | of a marketing/production/ethical dilemma. Ideally, |
| at my industrial design firm. What was once | | | | the best way to solve this problem is to |
| mostly an ethical question for designers and | | | | somehow find solutions that are attractive, |
| manufacturers has become a financial one as the | | | | sustainable, and inexpensive -- but that golden |
| public becomes increasingly concerned with green | | | | trio of attributes is usually more dream than |
| issues like global warming. This became a fiscally | | | | reality. There are always trade-offs. |
| urgent matter for many companies when | | | | One solution is to charge more. Some consumers, |
| Wal-Mart, increasingly controversial for its labor | | | | in some markets, don't mind paying a little more |
| and competitive practices, sought to soften its | | | | for a product they are sure is less harmful to the |
| image among more environmentally conscious and | | | | environment -- but others won't. Another solution |
| or progressive-leaning consumers by advancing | | | | in some instances is to use bare bones, no-frills |
| green initiatives. | | | | packaging. In theory, customers may say they |
| In 2005, the retail mega-giant introduced a | | | | don't really care how nice the packaging looks on |
| sustainable packaging program in partnership with | | | | a given product; but we also know that |
| the environmentally oriented NatureWorks that | | | | consumers tend to ignore "ugly" products, |
| they promised would reduce fuel consumption and | | | | regardless of their feelings about the environment. |
| cut greenhouse gas emissions by some 11 million | | | | Other packaging problems, like the hated clam |
| pounds. Another initiative built around Wal-Mart's | | | | shells, are determined by retailer concerns that |
| in-house toy line was said to have saved 5,190 | | | | can't be ignored. |
| trees along with significants amounts of materials | | | | This is another issue where there are few easy |
| and fuel. | | | | answers, and one that's not going away, either. |
| By the fall of last year, Wal-Mart was introducing | | | | We're intrigued by the work of the corporate |
| its new "packaging scorecard" touting not only the | | | | backed Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Their vision |
| plan's environmental benefits, but a fiscal one as | | | | statement is worth reading and strikes us as a |
| well -- the plan was projected to save an amount | | | | sensible first step. And, of course, Nectar is |
| just shy of $11 billion, which would be enough to | | | | working on it. |