Why Should Military Food Suppliers Be Concerned with Sustainable Packaging?

1. Why Should Military Food Suppliers Be Concerned with Sustainable Packaging? November , 2009 Kay Cooksey, Ph.D. Professor, Cryovac Chair Clemson University

2. Is this a lasting trend? • Cradle to Cradle • Book published in 2002 • GreenBlue started about same time • Formed Sustainable Packaging Coalition. • Wal-Mart Scorecard, California Waste Initiative • Changes in Society – • Energy Costs? • Global warming? • Increasing global population? • Throw-away society? • Obama Administration – Green Initiatives

3. Sustainability • Definition: Is beneficial, safe & healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle. • Terminology • Green, Environmentally Friendly or Degradable (OUT) • Specific Claims (IN) • Biodegradable or Compostable • Recycleable, Recycle content, Lightweight, Reduced, Reuseable • Information on how to dispose of package.

4. The Challenge Difficult to meet all criteria simultaneously Sustainability Cost Performance

5. Myths and Reality • Myth • Sustainable packaging costs more. • Reality • Yes, if • using a new material or process that costs more initially • using return/wash/reuseable • No, if • source reducing • pallet-cube efficiency • light weighting • reusable in closed loop system

6. Sustainability • Myth • Degradability Claims • Reality • Yes, if • Meets ASTM 6400 • Aerobic, Anaerobic or Marine? • No, if • Goes to Landfill • Can contaminate recycle stream • Can’t separate degradable component from non-degradable

7. Sustainability • Myth (Issue) • Food vs. Fuel vs. Package Debate - Ethanol • Reality • Less than 5% of petroleum is used for plastic, only a portion of that is used for packaging • Less than 0.5% of world’s corn needed to make biopolymers if all plants currently available were running at full capacity. • Ethanol to produce fuel doesn’t significantly affect fuel prices • Corn is a commodity, price controlled crop

8. Sustainability • Myth (Issue) • Recycling – limited to only PE and PET • Foods cannot be contained in pkgs with recycled content • Reality • Higher demand for RPET and RPE but others can also be recycled. • Recent pkgs. with recycled content:

9. Conflicts • Convenience can lead to over-packaging • Technology – RFID & EAS • Active Packaging • Infrastructure

10. Metrics • Carbon Footprint • Carbon Offsetting • Wal-Mart SVN • SPC • LCA • UN – Kyoto Protocol • SPC – ComparativePackaging Assessment (COMPASS) • Calif. Integrated Waste Mgmt Initiative • DSD – Green Dot • LCI database • GHG calculator • EPA • Organizations that provide certifications

11. Current Approaches • Landfill – still number one way to handle waste • EPA Hierarchy • Composting and Biodegradables • more common in UK and Europe • ability to handle the volume?

12. Design Guidelines • Does the design reduce disposal cost? • Does package clearly communicate disposal information? • Can the package be separated, recovered, recycled cost effectively using current methods? • Can package be made of renewable materials?

13. Design Guidelines • If incinerated, effects on quality of air, water or soil? • Consider consequences of down gauging too much. • Avoid mixing materials whenever possible or make it easy to separate materials.

14. Design Guidelines • Involve entire supply chain • can alternative energy sources be used for production or shipping? • reduce overall environmental impact during manufacturing, transportation, disposal and recovery. • Work with product development • Quick fixes and Long term solutions need to be considered

15. Why should military food suppliers be concerned about sustainability? • Solid Industry Trend • Can have a positive impact on business • Can save $ and give companies a leading edge.

16. Thank-you! Questions? Kay Cooksey, Ph.D. Cryovac Chair, Professor Department of Packaging Science Clemson University 864-656-4613 kcookse@clemson.edu