BPA Issue Creates A Boon For New Solutions

Since my last post on Bisphenol A (BPA), I have been trying to read, watch and keep up on the latest developments on the issue.

My own bottles are sitting in my office, where I left them after I took that photo for the first posting on BPA. I have yet to throw them away. I did go out and buy Sigg aluminum bottles. According to Sigg, the aluminum bottle is lined but is also “FDA approved and independently tested to be taste and scent inert – and resistant to any leaching (0.0%).”

Friends (especially those with children), employees and anyone that knows me seem to have switched, too.

According to the NY Times, Canada has banned only infant bottles made with BPA, although Canada’s major retailers continue to pull all plastic bottles made with the chemical. In the U.S., Wal-Mart has dropped plastic baby bottles made with the chemical. Outdoor retailer REI has dropped bottles containing BPA and are actively promoting “BPA Free Water Bottles.” Nalgene, the water bottle company which made the bottles I was using, is phasing out the Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers that include BPA over the next several months. Nalgene has some BPA free bottles on the market now, too.

The good thing is these issues with BPA are leading to new, innovative ideas. Two smart moms from New York, Kim Maguire and Eileen Walker, have a brand new solution for taking beverages on the road without the BPA chemical. They are called Bevi-Bags, which are drink pouches that you can fill at home and throw in a lunch bag (it’s as easy as pour, zip and sip!).

So what we’ve seen is that the BPA issue has led to changes in my own water bottle habits, the products retailers carry and also led to innovative solutions!

It’s Easy Being Green (And Innovative!) at the Global Food & Style Expo-Chicago

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood for the All Things Organic and the Specialty Food show yesterday.

Green
I found some great green products and packaging worth noting. First up, Glacia Icebox. This product has the best sustainable story and packaging. Basically, it’s Norweigan Arctic Spring water that tastes great – and the packaging is a 5 liter biodegradable box with a spout and a water bib (all are 100% recyclable!). Later in the spring, they will be launching individual Sport Bottles made from plant-based PLA (Polymerized Lactic Acid), a renewable resource. Check them out here! http://www.glacia.co.uk/

Tari Harris Furey of Chet's
Innovative
Next up, we have some innovative design from Chet’s. This is a brand new product with a great story. It’s all in the family business with these folks, who love their peanut butter sauce on top of their ice cream. I must say this was a real treat! Tari Harris and her siblings started bottling this family tradition peanut butter sauce, and are now sharing it with the world. This unique packaging is squeezable, unique and, I suspect, a hot new seller.

Lastly, I found these interesting bottles from Aquadeco. Water goes artsy with Canadian bottled spring water in glass and PET bottles.




A special mention should also go out to Tasty Baby. Founded by Shannan Swanson and Liane Weintraub, this is an organic baby food line with flavor names like, Life’s a Peach and Peas on Earth. They think of babies as mini-superheroes, giving them the power of good nutrition along with fun packaging design.

Happy 1st Anniversary WIP Blog

I don’t usually do gratuitous self-congratulatory posts, but today marks the beginning of my first year of the Chicago Chapter of Women In Packaging Blog.

Since my first post on April 25th, 2007, where we simply promoted local chapter events, things have changed. I was new to blogging at that point and not sure how our members wanted to connect with the blog. Also, not sure how to create, promote and utilize the blog.

Blogger and the Blogger community have been great at directing me to new templates, find stat counters and have access to all the tools that a new blogger may need to present a useful and attractive blog.

Recently, we have been trying to keep up with at least two new posts a week and keep our readers up to date on all things that fabulous women in Chicago packaging should “be in the know” about.

The blog has connected me with some of the most fabulous and successful women in the packaging community. It has allowed me to try a chocolate-bacon candy bar from Vosges, learn even more from The Packaging Diva herself and share my latest findings and new trends with all of you.

Thanks to all who have contributed to our success so far. Thanks to Brad Simpson for his technical advice on creating the blog, thanks to Helen Cho for her superior editing skills, thanks to everyone at Baer Design Group for donating creative and art direction and thanks to you for taking time to read and comment on the blog. If you have suggestions and comments on how to make the blog even better, please send me a note or post a comment!

P.S. And a special thanks to Thema Dean for the great birthday cupcake art!

DuPont Honors Several For Sustainable Packaging Achievements

At the 20th Annual DuPont Packaging Awards, packaging innovators are recognized for innovations in the use of renewable materials, effective recovery, energy efficiency and community benefit.

"As part of its commitment to sustainability, DuPont brought together a diverse group of jurors with substantial industry expertise to identify and honor significant innovations that demonstrate progress toward more sustainable packaging," said Anne Johnson, director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.

Awards Winners include Kraft Salad Dressings and Jordans Organic Cereals - Check out the winners here!

Happy Earth Day

Helping change the world is simple. Small steps become new habits, new attitudes become new trends and next, we have a new world. Here are a few things to do with your packaging in honor of Earth Day.

1. Find new uses for cans.
Plant some Kitchen Herbs. Decorate your can, put in a little dirt and put in some italian parsley seeds. Place in a sunny spot and your taste buds will thank you.

2. Find new uses for Glass Bottles.
Decorate. Think you can't? Look what Avec Restaurant did with emerald-green glass bottles. Look all the way down to the back wall. The bottles are the point-of-interest for the room and it is super Chicago-chic!


3. Packaging Free Alternative- 

Go Shopping...that couldn't be easier. Buy some houseplants, they can rid your home or office of indoor air pollutants.

Need more ideas?

4. Check out New Uses for Everyday things Hall of Fame Here you will find 101 new uses for everyday things.

Enjoy the day!

Retro Packaging Flashback

This is the first in a series of weekly postings dedicated to sparking your memory, bringing you inspiration or giving you a chance to look back at how much has changed in packaging. If you know more about these packages, please feel free to post a comment!

Check out our specials for this week:

First, we have a vintage Frito can from the 1960’s. Look at the happy, golden chips of corn in a reusable tin!






Next up, we have a glass jar of Jif with a happy puppy pointing at the logo. Another reusable package, but the jar looks like it might be heavy!












Lastly, we have vintage 60’s Dial Soap. The metallic packaging is groovy and what a nice and simple message: “round the clock protection.”


Photos courtesy of Roadside Pictures and the Creative Commons.

Breaking News on BPA: May Pose Health Risks to Children

Since our blog post last week titled, “To use or not to use the #7 Bottle,” we have received a lot of responses. This issue was also written about in the Washington Post and The Globe and Mail, as well as making headlines in the Chicago Tribune.

This issue remained unclear until today, when I received word of this response from MedHeadlines.

According to their site, “The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), widely used to make plastic packaging products, has just been declared toxic enough to be linked to a host of severe developmental and reproductive disorders common all across the United States. Breast and prostate cancers and premature puberty are some of the disorders associated with exposure to BPA.”

This posting explained that the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a federal health agency, reversed an earlier decision and has now declared that BPA is a non-safe element for plastic packaging when used in foods and beverages.

This issue is gaining more and more exposure in the media. Today, the LA Times came out with this story: Chemical in Plastic May Harm Human Growth.

The Plastics Industry directed us to the following reference sites. Check them out for further information:
http://www.bisphenol-a.org/
http://www.jpma.org/index2.cfm?section=Resources&content=bpaLib
The European Food Safety Authority

Can Jewel steal some thunder from Trader Joe's?

SUPERVALU, the Minneapolis-based retailer that owns Jewel Food Stores, announced last week that it is launching one of the largest and most competitively priced lines of natural and organic products, Wild Harvest.

For Chicagoans, this will mean a new house brand for the Jewel and Jewel-Osco Stores. But the question remains: will this move drive shoppers back to Jewel?

The new brand is pledging to adhere to the strictest definitions of organic and natural, containing no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors. According to SUPERVALU, the Wild Harvest brand will initially feature approximately 150 items ranging from mealtime staples like milk, eggs, meat and fresh produce to pastas and sauces, cookies, crackers, cereal and juice. In the long term, the brand will include approximately 250 – 300 products across various categories.

And the kicker? Wild Harvest is priced approximately 15% lower than branded organic and natural products, and is positioned to meet or beat competitors’ private-label organic prices!

SUPERVALU said this brand was created in repsose to consumer demand for organic and natural foods, which has grown 10-15% annually over the past 15 years across all retail channels.

Start looking for new products and a new ad campaign next week (although there’s no word yet on the packaging materials)!

For more on this story, check out the Progressive Grocer.

To use or not to use the #7 Bottle?

I had just completed my workout this morning (and was feeling very pleased with myself for getting my butt out of bed for a 6AM workout class!), and was using my sports water bottle (Nalgene, made from #7 plastic), when I heard Matt Lauer and Dr. Leo Trasande explaining that we should “ never be using these bottles.”

Watch the clip from The Today Show titled “Are plastic bottles safe?” here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/
Here is a follow up clip from The Today Show 04/10/08


In the interview with Matt Lauer, Dr. Leo Trasande of the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine suggested that consumers shouldn’t use the #7 bottles because of the risk of Bisphenol A (BPA) leaching. BPA has been known to cause health issues affecting hormones and fertility. In fact, according to a January article in the Globe and Mail, boiling water can spike levels of BPA. In another study by Environment California, there were findings that BPA causes “a staggering number of health problems, including prostate and breast cancer, obesity, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, brain damage, altered immune system, lowered sperm counts and early puberty.”

These findings concerning BPA prompted a Canadian Retailer to remove Nalgene and other polycarbonate containers from its store, according to the NY Times.

As someone who seeks out organic food, visits local farmers markets and pays attention to the packaging industry (After all, my job focuses on helping companies brand their packaging. And I have a lot of food clients!), these issues are top priority to me.

The question now is, how will the plastics industry respond to this? JoAnn Hines, Packaging Diva and Executive Director of Women In Packaging explained it this way. “Two companies, Nalgene and Brita, have developed an entire marketing campaign around refilling your water bottle to save the environment, touting it as a solution to the water bottle sustainability issue. When I mentioned this at the Best Practices Summit, several people came up to me afterwards and asked me about the chemical leaching issue. Now there’s this exposé. Who’s right and what’s a poor consumer to do if we can’t use or reuse water in plastic bottles?”

Weigh in on this issue by posting your thoughts and commentary on this blog!

Nordstrom Is Fashionably Green

Nordstrom is transitioning to environmentally friendly packaging throughout 2008. Look for 100% recyclable gift bags and gift boxes. While supplies last, they will be making these cool, reusable shopping bags available to customers.

Nordstrom's reusable shopping tote designed by Ruben Toledo.

The Nordstrom press release states, “Additionally, Nordstrom will transition to fully recyclable gift boxes. During the holiday season, the company will introduce new gift boxes that are 100 percent recyclable and made of paper stock that is 30 percent post-consumer waste. The silver foil on the current gift boxes will be converted to a matte silver ink, making them fully recyclable. Boxes will transition during October and November as the supply of existing boxes runs out.


Nordstrom will also offer reusable-shopping totes in its West Coast stores initially. The totes, which feature a cityscape illustration by famed artist Ruben Toledo, zip into a small rectangle case (6 inches x 7 inches x 1 inch) for easy storage, and will be available in Accessories departments for $21.95. Nordstrom plans to offer the metallic brushed linen totes with attached case at its stores across the country throughout the year.

Find more fun and fashion at

http://www.nordstrom.com


More about Ruben Toledo
http://www.bardelli.it/bardelli/designer_en/toledo.htm

Ruben Toledo is also the author of the Style Dictionary