We let Kate out to go to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition spring meeting. So here is some of what she learned. She claims John Kowal made her write this.

The fascinating thing about the Sustainable Packaging Coalition meeting was its focus on finding potential models that can be replicated or scaled. Examples include the following:

• WRAP (Waste Resources Management Programme) is a quasi-governmental UK organization pursuing resource efficiency based on 4 key themes: design for resource minimization, sustainable procurement and production, business resource efficiency and waste diversion. They work with UK manufacturers and retailers to accomplish common goals. They presented on their goals and achievements in food and packaging waste reduction. Later we learned more about the Courtauld Commitment  and its latest goals for 2012. More on that in another blog.
• World Wildlife Fund  presented on specific partnering activities around the globe to reduce water use and increase renewable resource recovery, so that we will be able to sustain life on earth by improving crop yields, reducing water consumption and conserving resources.
• Global Packaging Partnership, an effort of multinational consumer products companies to create common terms and metrics to be used  for creating goals and comprehensible  shared metrics for sustainable packaging.
• various cases and models on how products work in different markets and the impact of packaging redesign to reduce packaging waste.
• information on new packaging applications using renewable resources.

While none of these may come to fruition immediately, the SPC provides the opportunity to learn about possibilities and be inspired by those who are experimenting or who have made successful changes.

Themes that continue to emergee include the obvious:

• reduce
• recycle or reuse
• remove
• renew

They also includes the seeming inevitability of extended producer responsibility. We see that now with computers, monitors and TVs, batteries, motor oil, etc. This will continue to grow. In Germany, for  with different standards do it. This also puts the burden on the consumer who buys the products to fund the product end of life through their purchases.

The topic of avoid burden shifting seems to cut both ways  both in trying to engage everyone including consumers in the process and in encouraging the manufacturers to take responsibility for their products through end of life.

I came away with lots of things to think about as far as my role  in business and the potential impact on me as a consumer.

Please let me know if you have questions or comments.

Kate