Articles Tagged with ''sustainability''

With petroleum fuel prices at their lowest in recent history, the cost of being “green” has been driven higher than ever. Like any technology, green technology must pass the return-on-investment (ROI) test to justify its purchase. Altruistic or community relations have motivated some fleets to invest in the technology, but many fleets insist on a measurable ROI before investing.

Virginia Dare is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based flavor and extract company originally founded in 1835. The company evolved into the Virginia Dare Extract Co. in 1923, with a focus on creating and supplying flavors for the food and beverage, health and wellness, nutritional product, sweet goods, dairy, and pharmaceutical and oral care industries.

Forty years ago, Kenner Products released Stretch Armstrong, an action figure that could stretch from its original 15-inch frame to four or five feet. Although not in the toy-making business, packaging materials manufacturers have had to literally stretch their capabilities to keep pace with beverage-makers seeking clean, sustainable labels that feature vivid colors, images, specialty inks and soft-touch finishes to connect with consumers.

With the push to recycle paper, plastic, aluminum cans and more, incorporating reusable packaging into the supply chain never has been more pertinent.

Regardless of a beverage's content or packaging, a plastic or metal cap or closure is necessary to keep the packaging spill-proof and contents fresh. Thus, beverage-makers are committed to giving consumers caps that are easy to open, tamper-resistant and biodegradable while still communicating the brand’s identity by using a variety of colors, shapes and graphics.

Small-scale farmers are a vital link in global supply chains, producing more than 70 percent of the world’s food. Anyone whose supply chains include smallholder farmers will know that many challenges can emerge in communicating and driving sustainability at a producer level.