CDR Sam

The Green Revolution: What is Eco Friendly?

July 8, 2008 | Disc Packaging

As more attention is spent on eco friendly products one must consider exactly what this means. Recycled products require additional manufacturing requirements that may not be friendly to the environment.  Of even greater  importance is the actual manufacture of original products in a manner that is environmentally friendly.    Recycling is important but the initial manufacturing should be a considered first.

Paper and Tyvek sleeves are probably the most eco friendly disc storage method.  Paper sleeve manufacture relies on the manufacture of paper.  How that paper is made is of great importance in the final product.  Plastics and paper made in the United States, Japan or the EU follow very strict regulations on manufacturing.   Regulations means that the product costs more money and interestingly enough many consumers vote with their wallets by choosing the cheaper product.  The concern is limited by cost. Unfortunately recycling costs money.  Sometimes there can be savings but that is a rarity.

One of our manufacturers is developing a “Corn” based resin that will be bio-degradable in the land fill. This project is nearing the field testing stage.

They are also in the early stages of adding an additive that allows “Oil” based resins to degrade in land fills after 20 to 30 months. The idea is to still regrind and reuse this material in new products, If this doesn’t happen and the product goes into the landfills it will degrade. This additive will be available in a month or so for field testing.

The manufacturer is beginning to manufacture Poly-pro Digi Trays for those who think Poly-pro is eco-friendlier then Styrene, and some work is being done on a Poly-pro CD jewel box and tray as well.  They are currently offer a 100% regrind Styrene CD Tray from in-house materials. They can also add about 5% regrind to the clear CD Box without loosing clarity. This combination produces a CD Set with about 37% regrind.  Generally they produce the Tray in dark algae green colorant.  This product will run in automation.

At their manufacturing facility all scrap material are sent to a reprocessor to be sold to others and not hauled to the land fill  All water used in the plant is 100% recycled through a  “closed loop” system

Most CD and DVD cases produced in the United States are sold in bulk which reduces the cost and landfill loading of cardboard boxes.  Most of their cardboard has some recycled content. All our colorant have had the lead and other heavy chemicals removed.

The ‘high end’ DVD case they produce requires 100% or near 100% virgin content because of the need for flatness etc. Some competitors and all Importers are heavily into regrinds and reprocessed materials.  In many cases these low quality materials are to save money and are not done to produce a quality “Green” product. This need for high quality material keeps them and other U.S. based manufacturers away from commonly available junk regrinds. They continue to look for and test quality reprocessed materials for their DVD line. In many cases there is no monetary saving, just the ability to be more Eco friendly.

In order for the manufacturers to be successful consumers have to buy the eco-friendly product and not  operate in a pure cost basis that encourages imported product (that well may be recycled) but at what environmental cost?

Unfortunately there is no certification for environmentally sound manufacturing except for the knowledge that the U.S. has very strict regulations on pollution.   It’s great to have a recycled sleeve (or DVD case) but if it created more damage to the environment then it’s not eco-friendly.  Hopefully the recent focus on enviromentally friendly products goes beyond a marketing claim and actually creates change in how we purchase products.  I would love to sell these kinds of products if there is a market.  Many of the manufacturers are in agreement but cost keeps coming up and the unwillingness of the majority of consumers to embrace more sensible packaging because it costs more.