Organic Industry Honors Brands With Responsible Packaging Awards
and Works Together to Create More Sustainable Solutions

In the organic industry, it’s important to make the outside of the product (the packaging) as sustainable as the organic, earth-friendly goodness inside. The Responsible Packaging Awards were created to spotlight companies who are leading this effort. The most recent awards ceremony took place this spring at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. Prior to this event, the Responsible Packaging Project hosted a 3-hour forum where companies could hear the latest news on packaging standards as well as collaborate on ways to develop packaging solutions for a more sustainable future.

The Awards
The biannual Responsible Packaging Awards recognize industry achievements and innovations in environ- mentally responsible packaging, including materials reduction, the use of 100 percent postconsumer recycled, non-GMO, compostable and third-party certified materials, and packaging that is returnable and easily recycled or reused by the end-user.
The awards are co-sponsored by the Responsible Packaging Project, a nonprofit collaboration of the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA), Independent Natural Foods Retailers Association, National Cooperative Grocers Association, New Hope Natural Media, Organic Trade Association, United Natural Foods Inc. and Whole Foods Market’s Green Mission.

Nominated items were evaluated using extensive criteria in three areas: commitment to transparency, extended producer responsibility and ecological systems design principles, focusing on achieving zero waste.

“The Project seeks to bring leaders together to drive responsible packaging innovation. Our vision is to raise the bar through open inquiry and cross-supply-chain collaboration,” says Nate Schlachter, FTSLA’s executive director.

And the Awards Go To…
The seven brands that received Responsible Packaging Awards are:

• Arizona Nutritional: For 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) supplement bottle

• Avalon Organics: For 100 percent rPET and reducing packaging weight of bottles

• Broguiere Dairy: For glass milk bottles that can be returned to the point of purchase for company collection and reuse, and can be refilled and reused by consumers

• Hummingbird Wholesale: For certified compostable and non-GMO cellulose film for various retail and bulk items, numerous glass and plastic bulk containers that the company retrieves for reuse

• Jovial Foods: For FSC-certified paperboard with 80 percent postconsumer recycled content and certified compostable non-GMO cellulose film

• MyChelle Dermaceuticals: For 100 percent postconsumer paperboard for skin care line, converting all packaging to glass and HDPE (eliminating #7 plastics)

• Pangea Organics: For FSC-certified paperboard with 80 percent postconsumer recycled content, eliminating glue and reducing packaging materials for skin care products

• Justin’s Nut Butter received a special mention for their efforts to collaborate across brands by hosting the first-ever Sustainable Squeeze Pack Summit in the fall of 2010. This brought together film suppliers, retailers and manufacturers to develop a sustainable film that could be used across the industry. Justin’s is continuing the squeeze pack collaboration online with weekly updates at www.justins nutbutter.com/sustainableSqueezePackJourney.php.

Responsible Packaging Forums
The Project also works to encourage continuous improvement through ongoing education. Including the forum at Expo West, it has produced 10 Responsible Packaging Forums.

The most recent forum focused on FTC Environmental Marketing Guidelines (FTC Green Guides), responsible packaging principles and cross-industry best practices in innovation and adoption. The forum hosted presentations from Tom Wright (Sustainable Bizness Practices), Melissa Schweisguth (FTSLA), Tom Newitt (Nature’s Path) and Chad Smith (Earthbound Farm).

Wright provided an overview of the responsible packaging guidelines—transparency, ecological principles and extended producer responsibility. Concerning Green Guides and responsible packaging principles, Schweisguth spoke to the importance of clarity and verification in responsible packaging claims. The Green Guides serve as an excellent tool for creating positive impact for change, raising the bar across the industry and enforcing responsible packaging standards.

Newitt and Smith provided best practices examples for innovation and design at their companies. Newitt shared Nature’s Path’s commitment to use less packaging for their products, source greener materials, pursue the best third-party certifications and communicate goals and changes effectively to the consumer.

Heading Into the Future
An important step for future progress is to define what qualifies as “sustainable packaging.” To help with this, the Project has released the draft form of its “Responsible Packaging Guidelines.” Interested stakeholders are encouraged to review the draft guidelines and share input. “We hope these guidelines will provide a common ‘open source’ framework that will guide action and catalyze innovation,” says Michael Besancon, senior global vice president of purchasing, distribution and marketing at Whole Foods Market.

The next round of awards will occur at Natural Products Expo East in Boston. A call for nominations will be distributed in the fall of 2011. More information on the Responsible Packaging Project and the draft guidelines can be found at www.responsible-packaging.org.