Today is Blog Action Day, and bloggers all over the world are devoting attention to one theme - the environment.

The packaging industry is a major culprit when it comes to wasting natural resources. However, there are many people in packaging who are extremely concerned about this and committed to doing something about it. One way or another, all these people are part of a movement generally referred to as sustainable packaging.

One such person is Dennis Salazar, president of Salazar Packaging. Dennis is a friend, a client, a recognized authority on packaging automation, and, as luck would have it, a darn good writer and regular contributor to the Sustainable is Good blog. To celebrate Blog Action Day, I asked Dennis if I could reprint his article about the human side of packaging. He happily agreed. I hope you enjoy it!
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Sustainable Packaging - It’s All About Harmony
by Dennis Salazar

Beyond its musical implications and definitions, according to the dictionary, harmony is defined as - agreement in feeling, action, ideas, interests, etc.; peaceable or friendly relations. Harmony is also the name of the beautiful eight-month-old baby girl who due to some unusual and unforeseen circumstances became a resident in our adult household two months ago. Having a baby in our home again, after many drool free and very neat/orderly years, the impact this young lady has had on our lives has been quite profound and dramatic.

In addition to my faith, my wife and family, my love and life has been packaging. Packaging in general, and specifically and more recently, sustainable packaging, has had my almost full attention. My focus has been on creating a harmonious relationship between our client’s needs and their customers’ requests for less packaging and more earth friendly content. I spend much of my time working with manufacturers who sell product through retailers to consumers like you and me.

Harmonizing productivity objectives, budget requirements, and environmental considerations, have kept a guy like me, with an incredibly short attention span, fascinated by the packaging industry for well over thirty years.

What Will Our Environmental Legacy Be?

Having baby Harmony in our house has only intensified my interest in sustainable packaging, especially in the packaging of baby products. My worries about carbon footprints and little fingerprints are running parallel these days. “Renewable energy” is usually what happens after Harmony takes her afternoon nap. The term “long term impact” now extends beyond my own anticipated life expectancy of another twenty to twenty five years. Suddenly what winds up in our landfills is of greater importance because I now know who is going to inherit the mess we leave behind. Harmony will likely never experience or enjoy anything like the great technology driven economic boom of the 90’s but is almost certain to have to deal with the large national debt we are generating and leaving behind for her. She is also guaranteed to live with the waste we create and that she unknowingly contributes to on a daily basis.

My basic conclusion after 60 days of extremely unscientific observation and almost grandfatherly analysis - baby products create a lot of packaging and waste! No, we are not even going down the path of further discussion on disposable diapers because volumes have been written on that serious and huge problem. I am glad to see the major diaper manufacturers working to minimize the environmental impact of the products they sell. It’s a good start, but only a start. I firmly believe every manufacturer of product should be held accountable for the resources they pull out and the waste they put back into this earth.

How to Build a Better Future for Our Children

Our family has always been adamant about using less and recycling more. Motivated by savings as well as environmental concerns, we tend to buy product bulk and in large containers. What I have discovered is that it is difficult to buy bulk for babies, especially in the area of food. Their young diets and tastes are in a constant state of change and development, so the portions and packaging tend to come in tiny servings designed to fit their equally small appetites and tummies. Yes we are washing out and recycling every little glass jar, every plastic bottle and every possible bit of corrugated that Harmony uses. Recycling is always a good start, but is that enough?

We need to challenge the manufacturers of baby food products to take a lead position in the uphill battle to protect the environment. The solution begins where the food and ingredients are grown.

• Are the growers utilizing sustainable farming practices?
• Is the processing of that food being done in a way to minimize waste and use less energy?
• Is the finished product being distributed and transported in the most economical way, not just for the sake of economics but to use less fuel and energy in the process?
• Is packaging minimized not only in volume but also in weight?
• Is the packaging designed with recyclability as well as shelf appeal in mind?
• Are the manufacturers spending more money promoting the product than they are protecting the world their customer base is leaving behind?

We also need to urge parents to acknowledge the waste issue and do what they can to minimize the waste by recycling more and buying products for their children that are manufactured by earth friendly companies. Nothing drives companies to do the right thing like increased or decreased sales, so balancing convenience and good sense, along with responsible packaging purchases is an important part of the solution. If we are all concerned about the health, welfare and nutrition of our children, shouldn’t we be equally worried about the world they hopefully will be growing into? Perhaps the eco driven term -“cradle to cradle” has more significance in life than we realize.

After all, it is indeed all about Harmony. And the generation she represents.

© Salazar Packaging, Inc.