BIO-PACKAGING & SUSTAINABILITY

Responsibility, ethics, and materials

Here at POLY N PRO, we believe that we should help and care for each other, as well as protect our planet as a shared responsibility. When we talk to customers and partners, as well as follow the climate debate, we experience that there is a powerful demand for more sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging.

Big, bigger, best

The bigger a product is, the better it seems to sell. That is natural since most of us prefer to get as much value as possible from the money we spend. Unfortunately, that also means that many products are packaged in a way that is much too flashy and grand. It is not a big problem if that product is sold in limited quantities, but if it is mass-produced and lots of wares are sold, then the problem enlarges. The material consumption increases which increases the need for more storage space which then demands larger warehouses. When the products need to be transported, there can be less units on the trucks. This means that when the products need to be transported, there will be even more trucks on the roads transporting air. That is expensive and unnecessary. When the products arrive at the receiving warehouse, history repeats itself in reverse, and that does not sound right…

That is why, despite higher cost and lower turnover, we have chosen to package our products in as thin and efficient packaging as possible. That means that our products look relatively small in comparison to other products. We hope that you can tolerate and deal with that now that you understand the considerations we have made about packaging.

Furthermore, the packaging needs to be informative, protective, increase durability, and be practical to use for a customer. For our bars, we have chosen a box as packaging because it is, in our opinion, a good compromise between all the demands and wishes there are for modern-looking packaging. We think that boxes are aesthetically pleasing and that they are practical for storing several bars that should be enjoyed over a longer period. Moreover, the quality of the carton is so high that the box is reusable, so you can store toys or other things – and when it is no longer usable, it is luckily made of 100% biodegradable materials.

Cradle to Cradle packaging

Our packaging producer only has been Cradle of Cradle certified since 2015 which only one out of three companies in the world are. This environment certification guarantees that our packaging does not pollute nor use the earth’s resources, and once again returns to the natural ecosystems after use. The idea behind the Cradle-to-Cradle concept is to develop and produce packaging that can be recycled. The result of this development is that the packaging does not become waste and that it is not poisonous or harmful to people or the environment. It is the essence of ‘circular economy.

More than a brand

Cradle to Cradle is not just a brand but a certification that considers the packaging during its whole lifecycle. The producer must live up to the harsh requirements of sustainability in five areas to get certified.

1. Non-poisonous materials. The producer commits himself to only use materials that are a part of the natural ecosystem. The packaging must not have any harmful effects on humans or the environment, and it must be free of harmful chemicals and heavy metals.
2. Reusable materials. The packaging must be able to enter the biological cycle such that it does not generate waste. After use, the packaging must be able to enter the biological cycle as nutrients and compost.
3. Sustainable energy and CO2 management. The producer must run the corporation CO2 neutral and must only use 100% sustainable energy in all processes.
4. Protection of water resources. The producer must rinse processed wastewater to a level where it can pretty much be drunk.
5. Social responsibility. The producer must show social responsibility based on well-known standards – for example, the Global Compact initiative.

What does FSC mean?

FSC is an abbreviation of Forest Steward Ship Council®. This is a global, non-profit stamp for sustainable wood and paper.

FSC is the strongest stamp of sustainable forestry, partially because it is globally recognized. FSC is our guarantee that the forests are being treated sustainably if it is FSC-certified, the vulnerable natural areas are protected, and trees are replanted when it is deforested. This contributed to a CO2-neutral forest. At the same time, the FSC makes sure to create good conditions between the supply chain – from when the saw touches the tree, and to the paper that ends up in stores. The local communities are ensured a fair portion of the money, the lumberjacks are paid fairly, and they have access to protective gear under their contracts. Reputable organizations such as the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Greenpeace, and the Danish Society for Nature Conservation supports FSC’s policy that there must be order in the accounts between human and nature. FSC is our guarantee that the forests do not suffer damage.

We have chosen to use FSC certified packaging to support these causes:

• Ensure that the life of nature is in the forests where the trees come from.
• Ensure that lumberjacks are working under fair conditions: Salary, education, and safety.
• Ensure that the packaging does not originate from illegal logging.
• Ensure a CO2 neutral forest where new forest can be established every time some is cut down.

British survey conducted by YOUGOV Plc.

YOUGOV Plc. conducted a survey in the UK in October 2019. The survey showed that 82% of British consumers are concerned about the environmental consequences of plastic packaging of food items. Moreover, almost 64% of consumers are concerned about the effects Christmas can have on the environment, and more than half of the British consumers will consider the use of plastic packaging when they shop British Christmas foods such as Christmas cakes and pies. Lastly, 68%, that is to thirds of all consumers of Christmas good products are packaged in too much plastic packaging.

Our goal is to replace plastic packaging with biodegradable, at-home compost material.

Many alternative foils are created from wooden-based cellulose fibers which are made from the sustainable and responsible wooden mass. The problem, at the moment, is just that the seal and the glue that attaches and protects the print on the foil at the moment are not biodegradable and sufficiently robust. That means that the foil often breaks, the print with legally required information gets destroyed, and that it no longer fulfills the certification requirements. We constantly follow the development, and when a producer is able to convince us that a change is for the better, then we will change the foil to a biodegradable type.