Brasil Pack Trends 2020

BrasilPackTrends2020 187 sustainabi l ity & ethics It is also important to include analysis of possible trade-offs, ie, environmentally unfavorable possible points arising from the implementation of new processes, such as the increase of emissions to water when increasing the recycling rate or loss of packaged products when reducing the mass of some packages become more fragile and so on. TheLifeCycleThinking, cancurrentlybeconsidered as one of the most important tools for the development of packaging and products that aim to become more sustainable. For packages, this concept means to “rethink the packaging associated with its lifecycle, challenging their limits of weight, shape, materials and accessories, without, however, compromising the integrity and product shelf life.” When the wish to become less costly to the environment becomes a goal clearly defined, it reduces the weight of what is not essential; it goes to the limits of technical requirements; it values the efficiency more than appearance and it generates more responsible packaging options. When the relation between product or service and the quantity of used package is optimized, the consumption of natural resources is indirectly reduced, such as oil, water, sand, coal and minerals, among others, and, consequentially, the resulting emissions to the air, water and soil. That way, the optimization of materials should be one of the priorities in the search for systems with less environmental impact. This is also broadcasted internationally as the concept of “Doing More with Less”, ie, regardless of the material that you are using, it is important to try to reduce their consumption, optimize its use and to rethink the packaging so that can generate the same products using less natural resources. A good example was the release of the Clever Little Bag, a new concept for tennis packing shoes of brand Puma (Figure 7.6). After months of a LCA study in the productive chain, the box was radically reduced to an external recycled bag and an internal skeleton-card for holding. Using the concept of “use less”, Puma reduced in 65% the use of cardboard, as well as plastic and diesel (DENT, 2011). In this sense, one should highlight some initiatives, due its relevance can be taken as examples. The Walmart Corporate in Brazil, in a pioneer initiative in the sector of sales and distribution, conscious of its power as a retail company, challenges its suppliers to rethink their products so that they can bring environmental improvements. FIGURE 7.6 Example of package developed with the concept “Doing More with Less” Source: DENT, 2011 The Walmart Corporate in Brazil, in partnership with the Packaging Technology Center of Food Technology Institute (CETEA/ITAL) between 2009 and 2010, released the Project End-to-End, attended by ten companies who presented after 18 months of work, progress in environmental performance of its products based on the principles of Life Cycle Thinking: 3M Brazil (Curauá sponge), Cargill Agricola (Liza oil line), CP Colgate-Palmolive (Pinho Sol disinfectant), Coca- Cola Brazil (Matte Leão tea), Johnson & Johnson (Band- Aid), Nestlé (Pureza Vital mineral water), Pepsico Brazil (organic Toddy chocolate), Procter & Gamble (Pampers total comfort diapers), Unilever Brazil (concentrate Comfort fabric softner) and Walmart Own Brands (Topmax bar of soap) (WALMART, 2010). The success and the repercussion of the retailer- manufacturer-research institute partnership initiative brought the second edition of the same project, developed between 2010 and 2011. At this second edition the improvement actions had to be necessarily implemented in both the supply and