The Inspired Economist

When we think about greening “print,” we often think about books or marketing communications like direct mail. But what about the world of packaging? Because packaging provides the additional functions of shipment and product protection as well as marketing, it brings a host of unique issues far beyond other types of printed materials.

Plus, it’s on the verge of being regulated.

Multichannel Merchant recently noted that regulations such as PAS 2050 (developed in the U.K.) limit, among other things, the impact of packaging on carbon emissions throughout the product lifecycle. The World Resources Institute is now reviewing how to leverage PAS 2050 for the U.S.

This matters so much because “green” packaging is more than about using recycled or earth-friendly materials in the packaging itself. It’s about the entire packaging lifecycle, including distribution and disposal.

For example, have you thought about what happens when packaging doesn’t properly protect the product? Read the rest of this entry »

Three days ago, I blogged about the EPA’s Green Power Partners site, which lists the top green power users in the country. That post got more traffic in a day than my posts normally get in a month. That was very exciting for me. People clearly care about this issue. At least for me, when all things are equal a company’s commitment to environmental sustainability can make the difference between one product choice and another. I hope it does for others, too.

Let me build on that by saying that there is even more good news than this. Did you notice that the Green Power Partners site also has Top 20 lists by category? These include college & university, local government, retail, on-site, and printers.

What’s interesting here is printers. This is a highly unglamorous category. Why would the EPA care about commercial printing and packaging companies? For the same reasons that anyone interested in environmental sustainability should care about them.

1. Printing is the third largest manufacturing industry in the country

2. Printing is a very aggressive with environmental sustainability, including its use of green power.

Put these together and you have the third largest manufacturing industry making a major move to sustainability. When not just individual companies but an entire industry embraces green technologies and processes, it makes a real difference. That’s exciting!

Yet, where’s all the buzz? E-media! With its 24-hour-a day, 7-days-a-week power usage, its ubiquitous energy-using devices from desktop computers to laptops to servers to cellphones, PDAs, and every other mobile device that now blanket the planet and drain the power grid. Meanwhile, because printing uses — dare I say the word — paper, it’s the bad guy? Read the rest of this entry »

One way in which today’s corporation is becoming enlightened to the fact that green manufacturing CAN equal more profitable manufacturing is through a new concept called “lean manufacturing“.   In the 1980’s, JIT, or just-in-time techniques became all the rage in management circles as they shaved costs from production by eliminating the need for high levels of inventories by focusing on using just what was needed, when it was needed.

Lean manufacturing takes this one step further and focuses on the elimination of ALL wastes in the production process.  This results in higher value to the customer, less raw materials waste, less wasted worker effort, and an overall greener AND more profitable company!

Read the rest of this entry »

Exciting developments are occurring in solar PV (photovoltaic) power generation. New technologies are improving manufacturing processes. Thin-film and organic (plastic) films promise to reduce PV power cost. Solar “grid-parity,” the time when solar power will cost the same as fossil fuel power, is coming soon. 

PV refers to devices that turn sunlight into electricity. In a previous post, I discussed generation by solar thermal (Solar Thermal: The Other Solar Energy). Both schemes have advantages and disadvantages.

PV can turn solar energy into electricity that can supply households and industry without using any moving parts. Since mechanical devices are less reliable than electronic, these systems are nearly maintenance free. Solar Thermal requires a heat engine, such as a steam engine, and an electrical mechanical generator to produce electricity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Three more car companies received sizeable loans from the federal government yesterday, but don’t worry; it’s not another bailout. In fact, the$8 billion is just the start of a larger $25 billion project called the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM for short) that was thought up back in 2007 and funded by Congress in late 2008 during the Bush administration. The project, overseen by the Department of Energy, is a federal grant and loan initiative bent on providing low interest capital to automobile manufacturers — as well as the makers of their component parts — to promote the development of new automobile technologies that guzzle less gas — and in some cases, no gas at all.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the biggest problems with solar cells currently on the market is that they are extremely easy to break. Companies intent on manufacturing any sort of solar powered products have to find solutions, and few have yet been perfect. Hoping to change this trend, DuPont recently announced the launch of two new lines of encapsulants specifically designed to contend with the trials inherent in manufacturing photovoltaic products.

Read the rest of this entry »

In their ongoing efforts to achieve a more environmentally friendly image, the Coca-Cola Co. announced earlier this month that they will be launching new biobased plastic bottles for their Dasani water line later this year and vitaminwater next year. They’re calling their new packaging the “PlantBottle^TM.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Market Facilitation in Ecosystem Services; Contemporary Developing Cases in the UK

Is there reason to believe that there maybe profit to be made by investing in eco investments while conserving the environment?

There does exist some scepticism about the market’s involvement in green initiatives. Even though research conducted by Frost & Sullivan about the telecom industry, which is yet to be published, next month (but was mentioned in The Guardian in late April) apparently shows that there is no measurable link between a company’s share price and investments in green initiatives. However, if pursued they could reflect an improved brand value for a company with an environmental focus. Read the rest of this entry »

Department store giant Sears is jumping on the green bandwagon by announcing plans to offer “green” clothing in May - suits made from recycled PET bottles with NO petroleum used in the manufacturing process.   Made in partnership with the US arm of Japan based Teijin Fibers Limited, each suit will be 54% recycled polyester, 42% wool, and 4% spandex, and will be fully machine washable. 

The jackets and slacks will be sold as separates under the Sears Covington Perfect brand, and will retail for $175 and $75, respectively.  It will be quite interesting to see if this spawns a new trend in green fashions, or if it will be a throwback to the polyester “leisure suits” of the 70s! 

Another interesting point is that it takes 25 PET bottles to make one suit.  Every 100 suits sold will keep 2500 bottles from hitting the landfills!  These suits are looking better already…

We’ve all been hoping for that magic green solution to powering the increasing number of electronics imbedded in our communications hungry lifestyle. Freescale Semiconductor has an answer for us in the way of a new power conversion technology. Hoping to have the product released in mid 2009, one of the effects of the technology is that “a single solar cell attached to a mobile phone or other handheld device could charge the gadget” reported Todd Wooder for the Green Wombat.

The chip responds to some fundamental problems in solar technology:

1. The unwieldy size of the photovoltaics (PVs) required to power or recharge the battery of a component

2.  The significant drop in energy output of a PV array when some of the panels are shielded from the sun

Addressing the latter, given that the converter can be integrated into each solar cell, buildings depending on solar power can expect a significant increase in energy conversion even when some of the panels are shaded; more power created, requiring fewer panels. Cool! One of the companies interested in incorporating the technology into its panels is Suntech Power Holdings (STP)

As for our portable communications addiction, we may soon be able to live a guilt reduced life as we power those social media and IM wielding components with the renewable energy of solar power -without having to carry the power source in its own attache.