SB'25 San Diego is open for registration! Sign up by January 1st to lock in the pre-launch price!

Materials & Packaging

The latest developments in materials, feedstocks and processes that are transforming the way many conventional products are made and packaged — and eliminating their negative impacts

Article
Harvard Researchers Develop Bioplastic from Shrimp Shells

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute have developed a new process for the large-scale manufacturing of everyday objects — from cell phones to food containers and toys — using a fully degradable bioplastic made from shrimp shells.The Institute ... View More

Article
Sprint Launches Carbon-Negative, Methane-Based iPhone Cases

Today Sprint announced it will be one of the first companies to use AirCarbon™, a new carbon-negative plastic made from methane gas, instead of petroleum. The material will be used in black and pink cell phone cases for the iPhone® 5 and iPhone® ... View More

Article
Closed-Loop Upcycling at Its Finest: Starbucks Now Sourcing Milk from Coffee-Fed Cows

Menicon Co., Ltd., Japan’s leading contact lens manufacturer, isn’t normally associated with milk. But a recent partnership with Starbucks is showcasing the company’s scientific expertise in a new way: Menicon has helped Starbucks to pioneer fe... View More

Article
Give the People What They Want: Four Emerging Trends in Sustainable Packaging

Asia Pulp and Paper's Forest Conservation Policy (FCP), announced in February 2013, came about in large part due to NGO pressure and the resulting concerns of our customers. The FCP marked an immediate halt to all natural forest clearance across our ... View More

Article
Hershey Reduces Paper and Energy Waste With Packaging Innovation

Hershey has unveiled a new packaging design for its Miniatures Assortment, which offers a more attractive presentation while also reducing wrapper weight by 0.05 grams — equivalent to over 271,800 pounds of wrappers saved every year.Overall, the re... View More

Article
Get the Last Drop: New Marketing Opportunities in a Resource-Constrained World

What’s your favorite way to get at that last dollop of Crest? Do you flatten as you go? Slice the neck?What about shampoo or conditioner? Do you add a little water and swirl? Prop the bottle upside down in a corner? You are not alone! As the Wall S... View More

Article
Dow's Reverse Osmosis Technology Earns Bronze Edison Award

Last week, not long after Dow designated its FILMTEC™ ECO Reverse Osmosis (RO) Elements as its second Breakthrough to a World Challenge, the technology garnered a prestigious Edison Award. ... View More

Article
INVISTA Unveils Renewable, Bio-Based LYCRA Material

INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, and owner of the LYCRA® brand, today introduces the first commercial offering of a bio-derived spandex — the stretchy fabric commonly found in swimwear, sportswear ... View More

Article
Unilever's Lux Soap Will Now Be Made with Algal Oils

Unilever and Solazyme announced today the incorporation of algal oils into Unilever’s Lux brand soap (branded Caress in the US), which Unilever says is the world’s best-selling bar soap. The move aligns with Unilever’s ambition to double the si... View More

Article
'Make It, Take It' Campaign Pressuring Companies to Take Responsibility for Packaging Waste

A coalition of organizations devoted to waste and recycling, plastic pollution and resource conservation today launched the Make It, Take It Campaign, a collaborative effort to pressure consumer goods companies to take responsibility for packaging wa... View More

Article
Carrington Co. Launches First-Ever Organic Tea in Biodegradable Packaging

Organic food company Carrington Co. has announced the launch of the first tea on the market to feature packaging that will fully and safely biodegrade when composted.The company says all components of the Carrington Organics Tea, from the packaging t... View More

Article
Unilever's New Plastic-Molding Process Could Save 27,000 Tons Per Year

Unilever announced on Tuesday that its Dove Body Wash will now come in bottles that contain at least 15 percent less plastic, thanks to a new packaging technology. Unilever says it will make the breakthrough process — which represents another step ... View More

Article
Novelis Introduces High-Recycled Content Aluminum Can

Novelis has launched the world's first commercial use of evercan™, the company's independently certified high-recycled content aluminum sheet for beverage cans.Red Hare craft beer packaged exclusively in cans made of Novelis' evercan aluminum sheet... View More

Article
Could the Scourge of the Seas Help Defeat the Scourge of the Landfill?

We all know climate change and pollution are beginning to wreak havoc around the world in a variety of ways. In tropical and Mediterranean areas, higher oceanic acidity and warmer temperatures in recent years have created, among other things, a proli... View More

Article
Waitrose, ITM Power Piloting Project to De-Carbonize Production of Industrial Fertilizer

UK supermarket chain Waitrose has teamed up with energy storage and clean fuel company ITM Power Project to design and build a lower-impact system for the production of industrial fertilizer.Industrial fertilizer production, which involves converting... View More

Article
Colgate Commits to 100% Recyclable Packaging for Three of Four Product Categories by 2020

Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow (AYS) announced today that, after dialogue with AYS, personal care products giant Colgate-Palmolive has committed to making 100 percent of its packaging for three of four product categories completely recyclable ... View More

Article
Liquid Light Wins Grand Challenge Grant for Carbon-Conversion Technology

New Jersey-based Liquid Light has received a CAD$500,000 seed grant in the first round of Alberta’s Grand Challenge, organized by the Climate Change and Emission Management Corporation (CCEMC). The purpose of the CCEMC Grand Challenge is to identif... View More

Article
Naval Researchers Fly Model Plane with Fuel Derived from Seawater

Researchers at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Materials Science and Technology Division, have demonstrated proof-of-concept of NRL technologies developed for the recovery of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) from seawater and conversion... View More

Article
Ecologic to Supply Paper Bottles to California Winemaker

Winemaker Truett-Hurst has completed a general supply agreement with Ecologic Brands to produce paper bottles for its PaperBoy brand.PaperBoy recyclable wine bottles are made from compressed recycled cardboard formed into the shape of a standard Bord... View More

Article
Avon Phasing Hormone-Disrupting Triclosan Out of Its Products

As consumers and regulators escalate demand for safer consumer products, Avon announced last week it will phase out the toxic chemical triclosan — a commonly used antimicrobial agent found in color cosmetics, creams, shaving products, detergents, t... View More

Upcoming Events

October 13-16, 2025
SB'25 San Diego
US Event
More Information

March 18-19, 2025
SB'25 Tokyo Marunouchi
More Information

April 9-10, 2025
SB Member Network: Accelerating Good Growth Spring Member Meeting
Member Event
More Information