20 Sep 2011 L’Oreal: Green, Beyond the Obvious
Posted at 06:56h
in Inside Sustainable Packaging
L’Oreal is serious about sustainability, and that commitment goes well beyond the surface. You might say like beauty, it’s more than skin deep.
They have proactively helped lead the cosmetics industry, making their products and primary packaging as sustainable as possible. I am pleased to say they also see the value of making their secondary packaging consistent with everything else they do and believe.
This world famous French company consists of 27 different brands, many of which are household names. Domestically in the U.S., they include retail consumer brands like Maybelline, Softsheen and Garnier, as well as professional product lines including Matrix, Redken and Pureology, to name just a few.
When the nice people at Hanes first contacted us, they were looking for a product they could use to ship out a sample of their ComfortBlend tee shirt with 
Evertune is a company that has received a lot of well-deserved applause for creating an innovation that is changing the world of music. The company’s lead product, the award-winning Evertune guitar bridge, is able to keep a guitar in perfect tune 
We have met a lot of people who have hesitated to brand their tape because of many misconceptions, including that it’s too expensive or that the minimum quantity required is too large. A very common perception is that the process is too complicated, but nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike other packaging suppliers who expect you to point and click your way through your first custom-printed tape order, we provide you with live assistance and decades of experience and suggestions to help you avoid costly mistakes.
Today, there are few companies selling products wholesale or in brick-and-mortar retail outlets that are not also offering their products directly to consumers via the internet. This relatively new market provides tremendous sales opportunities as well as challenges because the packaging required for this type of customer seems to fall somewhere in between usual retail and wholesale requirements.
“I want something more than just a shipping box!”
That is a common request by packaging customers and design clients who understand their web customer is technically a direct retail customer who is NOT carrying his product (and packaging) home. The product is being shipped via UPS, FedEx or USPS, so the packaging needs to be more durable than what is typically found on the retail shelf level.
Sellers of green products have the additional requirement of making the packaging they are shipping into their customers’ homes as minimal and green as possible. We refer to it as being “eco consistent” when our products, marketing and packaging all communicate the same green message and standards. 
I have spent several decades in the packaging industry and almost five years specifically in the green packaging market. During that time, I have come to appreciate both innovations that may have limited appeal but solve a specific or unique problem, as well as products that may not be as newsworthy but provide a solution to a much wider group of customers.
What Is a Broad-Based Solution?
In my mind, it is a product that would have mass appeal and solve a common or very typical packaging problem. For example, when we and others began promoting 100% recycled content corrugated for shipping boxes, the concept did not win awards or grace the cover of packaging magazines, even though it could potentially benefit every single shipping box buyer and user. 
We realize that in some green circles plastic is an objectionable word and an unacceptable packaging solution under any circumstances. However, those of us who have assumed the responsibility and task of satisfying unique customer requirements understand that plastics bring a unique set of properties that in most cases cannot be duplicated by paper or other substrates. These application benefits include water resistance, light shipping weight and of course transparency or visibility. 
As most of the country suffers through a record heat wave, droughts are becoming more common worldwide, including here in the USA. Those trends make it an excellent time to remind people about the environmental benefits of using shipping boxes made of recycled corrugated.
Water Shortage Is for Real
I admit we are a little spoiled in the Midwest, especially here in the Chicago area where we take beautiful Lake Michigan for granted as an ample source of drinking water and a summertime water park. In many other parts of the country, long before this current heat wave, water has been consistently in short supply, in some cases for several years. In other words, for some this is not a new problem and they have been dealing with water conservation efforts for some time.
The problem is not just in the dry southwest or in agricultural areas; it is even impacting our largest American cities. A report last year identified cities literally running out of water, and the list included Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Orlando, Phoenix and several cities in Texas. 
Please understand the above unflattering description of our padded paper mailers is not my own but one expressed regularly by customers. “Please send me two more cases of those ugly padded mailers,” is a request we’ve heard on several occasions. However, our customers love them for their inner beauty, because if you look past the unusual color and the somewhat puffy appearance, they are indeed an attractive and sustainable packaging solution.
What Makes Our 
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“What makes one package greener than another?” It’s a rather simplistic question that does not permit a brief or concise answer. It was recently asked of me by an intern working for a governmental agency, and I began by telling him that my response was only my opinion, but one that would hold up in most circles. I added that when we attempt to answer that question we look at packaging in three critical areas: