clients as Whole Foods. However,
much of its customer base is in Europe where there is a much higher
level of consumer participation in sustainable programs. Interestingly, studies suggest that sustainability is a high
concern among U.S. consumers. According to a poll from Zogby/Tech-net, 75 percent of American shoppers
say their purchasing decisions have
been influenced by a desire to save
energy and improve the environment.
Public opinion is the largest segment of our consumption-oriented,
institutional system and is the lever to
create change. The double-digit
growth of the organic market has
been spurred forth by an awakening
of consumer consciousness not purely
a shift in manufacturing operations.
Sadly though, in spite of high opinion
polls, evidence suggests that there
is a lack of public willingness to
participate.
Much of the rapid growth recy-
cling experienced in the United States was due to the growing number of municipalities adopting curb side recycling programs. However, it reached saturation by the late 90s and recycling participation
capped out at the same time at around 30 percent for the most recycled items like plastic PET bottles. The rest goes into the waste
stream.
“P“Public opinion is the largest segment of our
consumption-oriented, institutional system and is
the lever to create change.”
One of the challenges the sustainable packaging industry faces is
public apathy being driven in large part by confusion, which is often
fueled by the industry itself due to conflicting statements perpetuated by manufacturers.
According to Williams, a growing amount of bio-plastics make
claims of being biodegradable such as “oxi-biodegradables” which
are polyethylene with oxidizers that promote the break down of the
material but the polymer stays intact instead returning to its fundamental elements (water and carbon dioxide), the standardized definition as per ASTM 6400 and 6868. The result is that these products
enter municipal composers and contaminate the systems. In re-
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page 56)
Your Grain Management
and Procurement Company
Wheat Flax Barley
Oats Rye Triticale
Spelt Durum Specialty
Grains
We supply organic and conventional grains to the food and
pet industries. We are currently contracting all organic grains.
For More Information
call 800.243.7264 or
visit www.hesco-inc.com
