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This month represents an anniversary of sorts for me because it was one year ago when I submitted my first, above titled article to Rider Thompson of Sustainable Is Good and he chose to publish it. The article was a tongue in cheek recap of my career in packaging and how it relates to sustainability. Much to my surprise, it was picked up and run by numerous other internet outlets including Reuters and GreenBiz.
It seemed like a good time to share with you some observations and what we have learned about sustainability during the last year.
- Sustainability continues growing. Perhaps not at break neck speed because in part of the sluggish economy but at a good steady rate.
- There is a good, steady flow of new, green startup companies designed to gain share of this new and promising market.
- Interest level remains very high but it often falls more into the “talk the talk” rather than “walk the walk” category. Believe it or not, there are still some doubters who believe this will pass.
- The packaging industry has responded with a flurry of innovation and design. Many of us are eagerly looking forward to the Pack Expo show in Chicago, this November. We anticipate many new green products to be introduced at this huge, bi-annual packaging show.
- Green washing, spin and outright deception have been rampant but they are increasingly being exposed as consumers grow more knowledgeable.
While we have taught some in the last year, we have also learned much from others including the fact that sustainability is a whole lot more than basic volume reduction of packaging materials. We also learned that sustainability can be very frustrating and confusing, so long term, maintaining a good sense of humor is probably a good idea. If you can use a chuckle, please check out the original post.
