Inexperienced Ideas: It is About Time

The
formation of AMERIPEN can uniquely benefit the entire industry.
 

By Bob Lilienfeld, guest columnist and Editor, The ULS Report

The
formation of AMERIPEN can uniquely benefit the entire industry.
 
 

Almost
17 years ago I wrote an essay for The
New York Times, debunking a
number of environmental myths, among them the one in which packaging is
considered to be America’s
largest solid waste issue. In doing so, I also had to debunk the myth that
recycling would solve all of our environmental problems.

I
borrowed an old Japanese saying to make my point: To a person with a hammer, all problems look like a nail.
We were trying to use one tool in our impact mitigation toolbox to
solve all of our environmental dilemmas. It doesn’t work that way.

I’m
happy to say that the packaging industry is finally waking up to this fact.
There’s a new organization in town and it’s called AMERIPEN, which stands for
the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment. What makes AMERIPEN
unique is the fact that it includes not just CPGs and converters, but material
suppliers of all stripes – plastic resin producers, paper and paperboard
manufacturers, metal can fabricators, and glass makers. It also includes many
of their trade associations and a variety of NGOs, academic institutions and
government organizations – all
working together to understand and promote the environmental, economic and
social benefits of packaging.

What
a concept!

What
makes me most excited is the growing awareness that packaging decisions must
start at the top of the value chain and be based upon the answers to two simple
questions:

• What is the
  specific application and
• What must the
  proposed packaging accomplish?

By
focusing on these queries, the various materials and processes available to
design, marketing, operations, and distribution professionals become
acknowledged teammates in a big toolbox, rather than unfriendly competitors in
a big wrestling match.

This
approach means that rather than diluting resources to fight each other, the
various materials advocates can combine their resources to effectively raise
the perception of the entire industry. 
What’s more, doing so should lead to a very important conclusion:
In the world of sustainable
packaging, different materials have strengths and weaknesses that can only be
accurately assessed at the application level.

In
other words, the discussion regarding whether glass or plastic is more
sustainable is moot. The real question becomes: for this particular application, which material or combination of
materials will provide maximum product value with minimal economic and
environmental waste?

I’m
excited to be helping AMERIPEN stretch its strategic marketing and
communications wings. I have been very impressed with the professionalism,
integrity, and collaborative spirit of its members. If you’re not a member,
please drop by
www.ameripen.org

 
and
consider joining. The entire industry will benefit.
 

Robert M. Lilienfeld is a Fox TV
environmental commentator and Editor of The ULS (Use Less Stuff) Report, a
newsletter dedicated to conserving resources and reducing waste. Along with Dr.
William J. Rathje, he co-authored the book Use Less Stuff: Environmental
Solutions for Who We Really Are and the 1995 landmark New York Times Op-Ed
piece entitled Six Enviro-Myths. His website is
Use-less-stuff.com