OREGON
TILTH
®
(continued from page 23)
sponse California has enacted labeling laws restricting any
reference to biodegradability and requiring all compostable
plastics to adhere to the ASTM standards.
What Does the New Sustainable Packaging Look Like?
Is it possible to establish a gold standard that we can aspire to? The challenge for the industry is there is no set
language or practice for what defines the ideal—where
packaging programs can be evaluated for the value they
offer today in the existing system while also moving us forward to a more ideal reality.
This new reality would reward the groups that are reshaping a system beyond the reduction mindset to renewable, recyclable, and inert (no solid waster or toxicity). This
goes beyond the scope of the supplier and manufacturer relationship to include the government, local municipalities,
and the most pivotal component of the consumer products
system…the public.
Communication was the very challenge the organic food
movement faced prior to the establishment of the USDA
NOP standard, which may be argued as being imperfect depending on your point of view, but gives us a platform to
work from. There needs to be a convention of understanding for these disparate groups to become aligned. We need
to give as much credit as possible to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition for taking the first steps toward creating the
tools required to move in this direction. And as the leaders
in the sustainability movement, we need to be mindful that
it’s our responsibility to push for the gold standard.
Get involved in further peer-to-peer discussion of these
issues at www.purebranding.com/blog. The communication goals with this blog are to brainstorm ideas on: 1)creat-
ing a properly weighted assessment for packaging that
encourages us to move beyond the existing paradigm and
push the next generation of sustainable solutions forward,
2)help standardize communication to reduce confusion
and public apathy, and 3)encourage consumers, through
responsible branding and communication, to wake up, take
ownership, and be a part of the sustainable solution—not
passive enablers.
Kevin Williams is the principal brand strategist of
Pure Branding LLC ( www.purebranding.com), a brand
consultancy that exclusively supports natural and organic companies to achieve their social and financial
missions. Through the practice of authentic brand
strategy, Pure Branding helps companies find their
true voice and use that voice—through all aspects of advertising, marketing and packaging—to inspire consumer participation and create
authentic brand connections. Clients include leading international
natural and organic brands in the food, personal care and nutraceuti-cal segments. Kevin can be reached at kevin@purebranding.com.
