What is Sustainable Packaging?

Sustainable Packaging 101 - from an interview with John Delfausse, the vice president of package design at The Estee Lauder Companies...

Definition: Packaging that uses the maximum amount of renewable and recycled materials, but is also sourced, manufactured and transported using renewable energy. (Source: the Sustainable Packaging Coalition)

Materials: There are a range of materials available, including bio-plastics, recycled materials and recyclable packaging. But be careful to not sacrifice performance or add excessive costs, he said.

Challenges: Retaining a "quality" feel - especially for luxury brands - for which a possible solution is to divide packaging into parts that can be separated and sorted for recycling. Also, what about exotic materials that are hard to get?

On Top of It: By being creative and experimenting with different ideas, he noted that brands can come up with innovative solutions - using the Aveda take-back initiative as an example of a successful program.

Curious about sustainable packaging initiatives? See Environmental Leader's article.