Sustainability N’ Stuff

Chandler Slavin Dordan Manufacturing

Today’s Presentation

Context for business and sustainability

Dordan’s Sustainability Journey LCA, COMPASS Clamshell Recycling Initiative Extended Producer

Responsibility/Voluntary Producer Responsibility

Dordan’s Sustainability Efforts Zero-waste Organic Garden D200 Environmental Task Force

Contemporary Environmental Anxiety

Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth

Increased reporting of natural disasters

Volatile global weather patterns, resulting in crop shortages

Rising cost of natural resources i.e. fossil fuel

Increasing population

Irresponsible consumer disposal i.e. ocean debris; irresponsible industrial disposal i.e. Gulf Coast “dead zone”

Fear of chemicals and synthetic manufactured goods

Proliferation of environmental legislation

Dun dun dunnn!!!!!!

World Wild Life Fund estimates that current demand for the Earth’s resources is 1.25 times what scientists believe our planet can sustain.

According to the Living Planet Index, on September 25 of 2008 our resource use surpassed what is sustainable.

But fear not!

Emergence of global dialogue around sustainability: World Business Council for

Sustainable Development U.S. Inc. (Vision 2050)

Sustainable sourcing certifications (fair trade, “Bonsucro”)

GreenBlue (green construction, materials and packaging)

The Sustainability Consortium (cross-industry coalition of CPGs and their supply chains, NGOs, and academics)

Global Packaging Project (retail, packaging/product relationship )

“Sustainability?”

The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN

conference. It defined sustainable developments as those that "meet

present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet

their needs” (WECD, 1987).

Business and Sustainability?

“The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits” (Milton Friedman, New York Times, 1970).

Emergence of Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR); details actualization of three “pillars” of sustainability i.e. social, environmental, economic. Widespread awareness that

environmental savings equate to economic ones

CSR Motivations

Regulatory compliance i.e. Environmental Packaging International

Risk management i.e. security of supply

Marketing i.e. “the Green consumer”

Reduce waste i.e. “zero-waste”

Increase recycled content

Reduce greenhouse gases i.e. Wal-Mart

Reduce water consumption

Increase use of renewable resources i.e. Coca Cola’s PlantBottle™

Sustainability Coordinator?

Graduated DePaul University, 2009; received degree in Ethics and Social Justice.

Offered “consultant” role at family company Dordan Manufacturing researching packaging and the environment.

Offered full-time job August, 2009.

Knew NOTHING about environmental science but had a knack for technical research.

Dordan Manufacturing

3rd generation family-owned and operated custom thermoformer of plastic clamshells, blisters, trays and components for a variety of industrial and consumer markets.

Packaging design and manufacturing firm, based in Woodstock, IL; it spans over 50,000 square feet and has the capacity to convert 75,000,000 pounds of plastic annually.

Old Dordan, circa 1970

Package Design Rendering

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZWeQ_BwS1w

Dordan’s First Sustainability Efforts

Joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition; the meetings laid the foundation for my education in sustainability.

Introduced to “life cycle analysis” via Environmental Profiles of Packaging Materials, Technical Briefs; charted environmental requirements of plastic vs. paper vs. aluminum production for conversion into packaging.

Life Cycle Analysis

A life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, cradle-to-grace

analysis) is a technique to asses environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life from cradle-to-grave i.e. from raw material

extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, and

recovery/disposal.

Ex: Packaging life cycle

Benefit to LCA

Greater clarify on where materials come from and how they are made.

Strengthens your position on selecting materials/designs that align with sustainability strategies.

Identify hot spots for further investigation and reduction.

Identify opportunities for increased efficiency.

Reduce environmental impacts.

Respond to supply chain and consumer concerns.

LCA Tools

Guidelines—WRAP (Guide to Evolving Packaging Design)

Packaging specific analytic tools—Wal-Mart Scorecard

Packaging specific LCA based analytical tools—COMPASS, PIQUET, PEAT

LCA software: “clean slate tools;” SimaPro, Gabi

Streamlined LCA software—Earthster, Sustainable Minds

COMPASS

https://design-compass.org/

COMPASS case study

Tom Tom Objective

Reduce total packaging for GPS selling unit

Dordan Approach: Redesign package to achieve a

lower product-to-package ratio While in the redesign phase,

Tom Tom directed that the plastic content be reduced by using a 0.015" RPET lid and 0.025" HIPS tray for the GPS unit and incorporating a paperboard carton to house the tray, lid and accessories

Results

83% cost savings compared to previous package.

The old package consumed 198.14 grams of plastic; the new package consumes 23.66 grams of plastic. This converts to an 88% reduction in the weight of plastic consumed for the package.*

*The integration of paperboard box resulted in higher water, biotic and mineral consumption and high aquatic toxicity.

Dordan’s Clamshell Recycling Initiative

2009—Discovered that thermoformed packaging is not recycled in 60% or more American communities; therefore, can’t be considered “recyclable” as per FTC

Green Guides.

Recyclable?

While conceptually everything is recyclable, only those types of

package/material combinations that are collected post consumer,

reprocessed and/or remanufactured in the “substantial majority of American

communities” can be labeled “recycled and/or recyclable” as per the recently revised FTC Green Guides’ definition.

Power of Social Media

Winter 2009—Began a blog narrating day-by-day efforts to uncover the obstacles keeping thermoformed packaging out of the recovery infrastructure.

2010—Invited to serve as co-lead of Wal-Mart Canada’s PET Subcommittee of the Material Optimization Committee. Introduced to EPR via “Stewardship

Ontario”

Extended Producer Responsibility

A strategy to place a shared responsibility for end-of-life product management on the producers, and all entities involved in the supply chain, instead of the general public

First implemented with the management of electronic waste and vehicles, EPR now extends to packaging: Today, over 30 countries mandate EPR legislation for packaging

EPR Legislation?

Waste Management Refers to the funding of the recovery

of electronic and packaging waste

Product Design Refers to material restrictions and

design for recycling/reuse

Informational Requirements Requires producers label the product,

user manual, and/or packaging to inform the consumer of its end of life disposal options

Voluntary Producer Responsibility, Consumer Incentive

Estee Lauder’s “Bring Back to Mac” campaign

Pepsi’s “Dream Machine”

Aveda’s in-store cap recycling program

TerraCycle

TerraCycle’s Business Model

Partner with CPG’s to sponsor “brigades” i.e. Capri-Sun brigade For every package collected,

volunteer receives dollars towards charity of choice

Transport collected material to TerraCycle facility where “upcycled” into branded merchandise for resale i.e. Capri-Sun tote bags

TerraCycle Graffiti

TerraCycle Waiting Room

TerraCycle Office

Volunteer Producer Responsibility, Industry Initiatives

PET bottle industry recycling program, 1970s

Tetra Pak’s recycling program, 2007

PET Thermoform recycling program, 2009

Initiative Recognition

Winter 2010—Published Recycling Report: Truth about Blister/Clamshell Recycling in America with Suggestions for the Industry.©

2010-2011—Published thought leadership articles and presented Report© findings at industry events.

Fall 2011—Awarded cover feature of Green Manufacturer Magazine.

Progress in Thermoform Recycling

NAPCOR (2009): Conducted PET thermoform reprocessing pilots. Adhesives Florescence

APR (2011): Issue bale specs for non-bottle rigids; introduced new testing protocol for adhesives used on thermoform labels.

SPI (July 2011): Propose grant for development of model PET thermoform recycling facility.

RETAILERS (June 2011): Canadian grocers mandate that thermoform containers transition to PET by 2012.

SPI (May 2012) award grant recipients for build-out of PET thermoform recycling facility

Dordan Sustainability Efforts

Zero-waste—environmental

Organic Garden—economic

D200 Environmental Task Force—social

Zero-Waste

Spring 2010—Dordan CEO announces goal of Zero-Waste

Summer 2010—first waste audit

Fall 2010—second waste audit

Spring 2011—construct composter out of post-industrial materials for Dordan food and yard waste

Summer 2011—isolate corrugate to bale for recycling

before

after

Organic Garden

Fall 2010—volunteer use of Dordan’s land to local organics farmer.

Spring 2011—install irrigation system utilizing rain-water run off.

Summer 2011—produce organics for closed-loop economy between Woodstock farmers and consumers. Duke Alehouse & Kitchen

Farmer emily

Rain irrigation

The Plot

Spring 2011

Summer 2011

You and Sustainability?

Strong demand for sustainability professionals in every facet of the marketplace.

I literally created my job and continue to develop projects based on industry insights; must be self-motivated!

The youth are predisposed to be more “environmentally savvy;” take advantage!

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, Ecovative Design

Business plan conceived by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Seniors in 2008.

Students received support from RPI to test out plan in the market; they received governmental grants and latter investments from 3M, RPI, and SealedAir to commercially market their technology.

Material Science Innovation

“Grow” packaging materials and other products out of agricultural waste, utilizing the biology of mycelium to “bind” the substrates together.

Featured on TedX, Wired Magazine, PlanetForward, How It’s Made, Pop Tech Media, and more!

Received numerous sustainability awards, including: US EPA’s 2012 Environmental Quality

Award Greener Package’s Innovator of the Year Dow’s Sustainability Honor

Cool shroom stuff!

http://www.ecovativedesign.com/store/

Thanks!

Cslavin@dordan.com

@DordanMFG

http://www.recyclablepackaging.org/