In with Green Packaging, Out with Convenience
Posted on 12. Jun, 2009 by admin.
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Food producers, take note: Forget the easy-to-prepare foods and give consumers items made with fresh ingredients and encased in environmentally friendly packaging.
A new Ipsos Marketing study suggests consumers may be more willing to ditch convenient packaging for greener packaging, while the food itself should include fresh ingredients and deliver health benefits.
Green food packaging has landed in the headlines in recent weeks. Marks & Spencer said in its latest corporate social responsibility report that it reduced food packaging 18 percent and uses salad containers made from recycled PET bottles.
Meanwhile, DuPont honored several companies for innovative food packaging with a green hue in late May. Whole Foods, for example, was touted for its use of Sealed Air’s Renew-A-Pak compostable bakeware made from 100 percent renewable content, while Healthy Choice frozen food trays contain 40 percent post-consumer recycled PET plastic. Bertolli’s microwavable pasta sauce pouches use 70 percent less materials compared to standard glass jars.
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Clean Energy Creates Jobs, Improves Economic Growth
Posted on 12. Jun, 2009 by admin.
OAKLAND, Calif. — For at least the last year and a half, “Green Collar Jobs” has been the buzz term among those in business and policy circles as the answer to rising unemployment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Two recently released reports show that the nation and states such as California can improve economic growth by employing clean energy strategies. In addition, one report states that “business-as-usual” could make California’s economy worse in the long run.
The Pew Charitable Trust released a report on June 10, noting that jobs in the clean energy sector have generated significantly more jobs than the overall economy. And in an unrelated report, released June 9, “Energy Pathways for the California Economy,” (PDF) compiled by the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley presents similar findings. The report by the ARE department was funded by the nonpartisan nonprofit organization, Next 10.
“The clean energy economy is poised for explosive growth,” Lori Grange, who is interim deputy director of the Pew Center on the States, said in a news release. “These jobs are driving economic growth and environmental sustainability at a time when America needs both.”
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Starbucks Coffee: Green or Greenwashed?
Posted on 10. Jun, 2009 by admin.
Starbucks is given credit by many for revolutionizing the American coffee drinking experience. The company, however, is both praised and criticized by environmentalists. Is Starbucks a leader of sustainability or a greenwasher?
The Coffee Industry
The coffee industry itself is inherently unsustainable. Coffee is cultivated in more than 60 tropical countries across tens of millions of acres of land. Tropical soils unfortunately are vulnerable to erosion and loss of topsoil, particularly when the native vegetation is removed. Coffee also has relatively high water footprint — to produce one cup of coffee requires 140 liters of water.
Historically, much coffee was shade grown under a variety of native trees on small farms. A surge in coffee demand a decade ago significantly increased global production, thus boosting the prevalence of monoculture farming. The land is often cleared of native vegetation and pesticide use became more common.
Read the entire article at GreenBiz.com
