New Milk jugs, form over function or retailer over consumer?

Recently, many newspapers and television news outlets have picked up on the new milk jugs found at Costco and Walmart. The caseless shipping of milk has everybody talking. Here are some recent articles that I found on the topic.

From the New York Times
Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for Green Earth



From the CBS Evening News
Milk Jug gets a Makeover

From Sustainable is Good
Sam's Club Case-less Milk Jug Packaging

Trick or Treating at the ALL Candy Show in Chicago

It felt like Halloween at the ALL CANDY EXPO last week, except that I didn’t have to wear a costume and it wasn’t cold in McCormick Place!



So, what was hot at this year’s show?

Let’s start with the most fun: Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolate Bars. Their theme is “Think Chocolate” and the bars have witty packaging that attracted everyone!



I met CEO Paul Pruett (see photo above), who talked about how important creativity is to packaging. And it’s obvious with their brand that creativity is a priority. My favorite bars were the “Do these ears make me look fat?” bar and the SMOOCH bar. Love and chocolate always seem to make a perfect match!


Other highlights were Appleheads from Ferrara Pan and the Black&White Kettle Corn from Lesser Evil. The Black&White Kettle Corn has a nice package design and a great natural product inside – they are low fat (See? They really are a lesser evil!) and sweetened with evaporated cane juice and brown rice syrup! Lesser Evil’s simple ingredients and great flavors stood out, and I’ll definitely be a returning customer.



So, what were the real trends that I saw at the show?

I noticed a lot more attention being paid to branding and packaging design, and a higher level of sophistication. More brands are doing a good job of relating their product lines to the main brand.

I also noticed some creative ideas in flavors and cross branding. Jelly Belly gave samples of their new ice cream flavored beans by Cold Stone Creamery™. This Ice Cream Parlor Mix really was tasty!

Overall, how can a (sweet) trade show where you leave with some fresh ideas and a bag of candy be bad?

Green Packaging Summit Postponed

Dear Readers of the Chicago Chapter of WIP Blog,

Due to scheduling conflicts, we regret to inform you that we will be postponing the Green Packaging Summit to better accommodate our attendees and speakers. We regret this deeply and hope to get the summit rescheduled as soon as we can. We have two wonderful speakers lined up with a plethora of great information and fascinating insight to share, so please look out for more information in the future about new dates for the Green Packaging Summit.

Best regards,
Lisa Baer
President, Chicago Chapter of Women in Packaging

Last Call for the Green Packaging Summit!

The Chicago Chapter of Women in Packaging is pleased to present the following industry insiders speaking on the timely subject of “Green Packaging Reality Check: Real Companies, Real Issues, Sharing Solutions.”

Jennifer Saddoris, CPP, of Method Products, Inc.

and

Jennifer Hambell of Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions, LLC.


Jennifer Saddoris is a Packaging Development Manager for the Tools and Strategic Partnership business for Method Products.

Jennifer Hambell is an Associate Consultant for Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions, LLC. PTIS is a leading management consulting firm with an innovative approach to packaging.

Our dynamic speakers will discuss important trends and share insights on sustainability, green materials and the future of green applications in packaging during a moderated panel. This will include addressing the industry as well as their own green approach.

As always, the focus will be on networking and sharpening our understanding of what drives the packaging industry. Please join us for this stimulating and rewarding experience on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 for socializing and networking over hors d’oeuvres from 6:30-7:30, followed by a presentation at 7:30.

Location:
The Clubhouse
298 Oakbrook Center
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Cost:
$55 for members
$60 for non-members
Space is limited, please respond early.

RSVP by May 30 with a check payable to:
Baer Design Group
1234 Sherman Ave., #107
Evanston, IL 60202

Questions?
Please email Lisa Baer, Chicago Chapter President, Women in Packaging or call 847-866-8467.

Want to know about WIP?
Go to www.womeninpackaging.org.

Chicago WIP’s Very Own Win Ameristar Awards

I stopped by The Packaging Summit on Wednesday and had an opportunity to check out the IOPP's (Insitute of Packaging Professionals) Ameristar award winners. Two notables were Chicago WIP’s own Virginia Price and Planet Canit for their Silver Joe’s coffee tin design and Jennifer Saddoris for Method Products. Jennifer will be on our panel at the Green Packaging Summit!

Here are the superstars!

Silver Joe's Coffee Tin from Planet Canit
Silver Joe's Coffee saw an opportunity to "jolt" the coffee business in an exciting new direction. Thinking past the traditional coffee cylinder, these creative mavericks associated their product with the adventurous Airstream marketplace: upscale, unique, exclusive and inviting. Planet Canit teamed up with Silver Joe's to take the concept into uncharted territory.





Omop Starter Kit from Method Products

Omop, a cool earth-friendly product by Method, utilizes a new molded fiber material technology and is the only premium floor care system that offers a non-toxic, sustainable, compost-able, planet friendly packaging system. This is made from 50% bamboo and 50% recycled paper.

Congrats to all who were a part of these great new products!

Bag Wars: Cute, Plastic, Paper, Cloth, BYOBag?

Like these bags? Red Poppy Bag from Etsy, great patterned bags from Envirosax,
Traders Joe's and Target bags can be found at the TJ and Target stores!

The bag wars have started! Shopping bags, that is. Although paper bags are still offered, Whole Foods Markets has stopped giving customers plastic shopping bags. According to Whole Foods, this “means roughly 100 million plastic bags will be kept out of the environment by the end of 2008.”

Late last year, San Francisco moved to ban plastic bags altogether. It is now illegal in San Fran for large chain supermarkets and pharmacies to provide plastic bags to their customers, although small businesses can still pass them out.

Other cities, like Halifax in Canada, have mixed reviews on getting rid of plastic bags.

Guilt Factor?
Paula Simons of the Edmonton Journal recently wrote about her guilt in continuing to use the plastic shopping bags. “I feel guilty. Like many an addict, I vow to stop. But I keep using those bags.”

Since we all know it’s a great thing for the environment, we’ll all start using different bags… right? So let’s get over the guilt and start talking about the fashion statements we’ll be making with our new bags!

There are several cute bags already out there. The Target bag is, of course, red with a cute graphic. Envirosax also makes adorable bags in great patterned fabrics, and Trader Joe’s has a stylish, functional bag – sturdy, deep and cute to boot!

I started bringing my own resuable bags to the grocery store last year. Added bonus: I found that my cloth bags have such long straps that I can place several bags over my shoulder and save some extra trips out to the car! I made a new habit of leaving them in the car and taking them in with me (most of the time). (They also come in handy, when I just feel the need for a bag!)

Added Bennies
Some stores are giving rebates of 5 to 10 cents for bringing in your own bags. When I shop Whole Foods, they give me 10 cents off for every bag that I bring, and Trader Joe’s enters my name in a raffle for free groceries every time I remember to bring my bags in with me! This does make me feel that the effort is worth it. Every little bit helps.

Meet WIP Member Jen Hambell

Jennifer (Jen) Hambell, an Associate Consultant for Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions, LLC, has been a member of Chicago’s chapter of Women in Packaging since the early part of her career.

Read on to find out more about her career in packaging and what brought her to Chicago’s chapter of WIP.

What is your job?
I am an Associate Consultant for Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions, LLC. PTIS is a leading management consulting firm with an innovative approach to packaging. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurs looking for packaging implementation, strategy and more.

What are you currently working on?
I am currently supporting a number of initiatives, including new beverage packaging solutions for two major corporations and a multi-client study focusing on specific container trends.

What brought you to Women in Packaging?
I joined Women in Packaging early in my career through my own discovery. The support network and resources were very appealing to me at the time and now I see the Chicago Chapter and organization as a whole growing, without losing focus on the importance of relationships.

What is your favorite package?
It is difficult to identify one favorite package. I am very intrigued by companies such as KTM, focusing on biodegradable packaging while maintaining the same package integrity as polystyrene or other petro chemical based products. I am also keen on PET emulating glass in the beverage categories.

What trends do you see in packaging this year?
Undoubtedly and to no surprise, we are seeing an increase in companies wanting to move down the sustainable path and "do the right thing.” You can build sustainable packaging objectives into any project initiative through lightweight, increased recycled content, etc. The next step is helping the consumer understand the benefits of sustainable packaging without impacting product integrity and cost.

Thanks Jen, we look forward to seeing you on June 3rd and hearing more from you at the Green Packaging Summit.

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!