2. Evolution of Biodegradable Plastic
• Gen 1 Starch based plastic (PLA)…mostly corn-
based product
• Gen 2 Oxo-biodegradable conventional plastic
• Gen 3 Microbiodegradable conventional plastic.
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3. PLA, corn-based plastic
• Made and promoted by corporate giants that have significant market
influence, such as Cargill, Inc., but it has drawbacks.
• Product limitations
– Based on a common food source. Significant adoption of PLA will
significantly upset the existing corn marketplace.
– It imparts an off taste to water when used for water bottles
– It has a short shelf life.
– It is not easily recyclable and accepted in only in controlled situations
– It decays so fast in many landfill environments that it generates methane
before the landfill can be capped to tap the methane releasing
greenhouse gases.
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4. Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic
• Light naphtha-based plastic (Light naphtha is a highly volatile faction of crude oil that
cannot be made into gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, or jet fuel.**)
• Most widely adopted in Europe
• Offers advantages over PLA
– It is invulnerable to water.
– it doesn't compete for limited the grain supply
– it is stronger, less expensive, and made from an otherwise useless
industrial byproduct
• Limitations
– Biodegrade requires a specific environmental factors-oxygen and one of
the following three circumstances-heat, UV light, or mechanical stress.
– When products made with oxo-biodegradable additives enter the
recycling stream in large numbers, the resulting plastic could have a short
lifespan if placed in sunlight.
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5. Microbiodegradable
Conventional Plastic
• Light naphtha-based plastic, with an additive (ENA or Earth Nurture
Additive,)
• All the benefits of oxo-biodegradable plastics as well as:
– It has the same shelf life as regular plastic
– Unlike PLA and oxo-biodegradable plastic, it does not biodegrade until it
is in the presence of soil micro-organisms in either aerobic or anaerobic
environments.
– Biodegradation is delayed long enough that there is time to cap the
landfills, so the methane is burned off or even used to generate electricity,
as is being done in almost 500 US land fills currently.
– This generation is recyclable and completely non-toxic to people, plants,
and animals, and is made of ingredients approved by the FDA for food
contact.
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6. Market Size
$176 million
$409 million
The Fact: Packaging is a commodity and price is key buying criteria
The Challenge: Identify customers where ‘Green’ is a value to the consumer
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7. Green Mountain Coffee
Sustainability Initiatives
• Responsible energy use
• Focus on renewable energy
• Reducing thermal footprint
• Reducing carbon footprint
• Waste reduction
• Packaging initiatives
• Packing film- In 2007, GMCR replaced a layer of petroleum-based
material with a layer of PLA in the packaging film used for our
Newman’s Own® Organics line of coffees
• The Ecotainer- Working with International Paper, we developed an
environmentally friendly alternative to conventional paper cups.
Paper comes from sustainably managed tree farms and the liner is
made from a corn-based polymer which breaks down under proper
composting conditions.
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8. Keurig Sustainability Policy
Sustainable Packaging
…..”finding a more environmentally-friendly approach to this packaging
challenge is a big priority for us. We are working on a few different fronts to
improve the environmental characteristics of the K-Cup® system, as well as
to mitigate its impact. “
Here’s what Keurig is doing
•…actively researching alternatives to the the K-Cup® Portion Pack’s petroleum –
based materials.
•…conducting a Life Cycle Analysis to help us understand the overall environmental
impact of the K-Cup® Portion Pack.
•…working to identify the right definition of "environmentally friendly“ for all our
packaging, including the K-Cup Portion Pack.
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9. Cabot Creamery
At Cabot Creamery, we understand “Sustainability” to be "living within
our means and ensuring the means to live.” Our fundamental approach
to stewardship and social impact is based on the triple bottom line of
social, environmental and economic impacts.
Community Commitment
• …committed to helping communities where its dairy products are sold.
• …donates product to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters.
• …donates cash to charities and non-profit organizations.
• …through sponsorship of local and regional events.
• …created Ag in the Classroom, an educational program for elementary
students throughout New England to teach children about agri-culture.
• …committed to green and clean, Cabot initiated Vermont’s
first polystyrene and polypropylene recycling program.
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10. Other Yogurt Companies
Company Location Sustainability Policy
Colombo Inc (General Mills) Methuen, MA Yes
Dannon CO Inc White Plains, NY Yes
Erivan Yogurt (Erivan Dairies) Oreland, PA Yes
Fage Usa Corp Johnstown, NY Yes
Noga Dairy Inc (Dairy Delite) Farmingdale, NY No
North Lawrence Dairy Inc
(Breyer's Yogurt Company) North Lawrence, NY Yes
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