It’s a hot-button topic across all industries: How do companies promote and practice sustainability? You might have initiatives in place or campaigns dedicated to highlighting your efforts to protect the environment. Sustainability, though, isn’t necessarily only tied to what you do. Where you source your materials, how your consumers dispose of them after use, and who you work with for packaging and printing needs (and their own sustainability practices) matter.
In that last regard, Oliver Inc. has built a reputation for helping customers meet their sustainable packaging goals. The company defines sustainable packaging as packaging that achieves its intended role while minimizing resource requirements, using only responsibly sourced materials, and maximizing opportunities for recovery, recycling, or reuse.
Oliver continues to deliver these solutions by earning third-party certifications, implementing alternative energy, offering tree-free and other alternative material options, and constantly innovating.
Read more about why companies turn to Oliver for all their printed and packaging needs. In doing so, they’re partnering with a leader in sustainability.
Even as alternative materials emerge (see below), tree-based products are still prominent and often the most cost-effective choice for packaging.
That reality puts the onus on packaging manufacturers to source their paper products from suppliers that promote sustainability. Oliver has been recognized by national and international organizations that certify the company’s wood and pulp suppliers support and practice responsible forest management principles. These certifications include the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
In working with Oliver, you can request to print on FSC, SFI, or PEFC-certified stock. When the stock follows the proper chain-of-custody procedures—from supplier to shelf—your folding cartons will carry these logos, communicating the ecological efficacy of the packaging.
Innovation comes in many forms. For Oliver, it’s a constant point of emphasis for delivering effective packaging solutions. The design team focuses its efforts on producing right-size packaging (and thus reducing the amount of material used) and enhancing the potential for reuse or recycling, all while developing creative structures that stand out from the competition without sacrificing product protection.
Oliver also invests in the latest print and folding carton technologies to make its processes more efficient and reduce its carbon footprint.
Explore Oliver’s website or thumb through the company’s printed materials and you’ll notice a pattern—there’s green everywhere. Well, Oliver is not only green in appearance, it’s also green in practice.
The company has invested in alternative energy sources, utilizes energy-efficient equipment, and offsets 25% of its carbon-based energy use with Renewable Energy Certificates. Its lean operational approach reduces overall waste to near zero.
Beyond that, Oliver has relied on technology to limit paper use during the design and pre-press process. It offers 3D visualizations and digital proofs to provide an accurate view of your packaging options without printing prototypes or samples.
The printing and packaging industry relies heavily on tree-based paper products, which to many poses a sustainability challenge.
However, several manufacturers have developed tree-free alternatives with proven effective options for printed collateral and folding cartons. Oliver has dedicated resources to curate an array of paper and paperboard, consisting of hemp-based products, sugarcane (the Lauren Conrad folding cartons featured above consist of paperboard made from sugarcane bagasse, for example), and 100% recycled paper options.
The company also uses eco-friendly sustainable materials, including vegetable-oil-based inks, water-based coatings, and cellulose acetate windowing for folding cartons that's certified as 100% compostable and petroleum-free. This is all part of Oliver's goal to provide its customers with options that match their sustainability objectives.
You’ll often hear sustainability described as a ‘sticky’ issue. It’s tied into every stage of packaging: from the materials to the resources, to the efficiency of the process, to the behavior of the producers and consumers, all of which we’ve outlined above.
It’s also important to note that the most ‘sustainable’ packaging solution changes from customer to customer. You might find, for example, that a hemp-based option is perfect for your short-run job. However, depending on a number of factors, a traditional paperboard may prove to be a more sustainable, cost-effective choice for larger print jobs.
That’s why Oliver initiates conversations to outline your environmental strategy objectives. It gives the team the direction to pursue designs that maximize sustainability within your budget and to achieve your goals.
If you don’t have any specifics in mind, that’s okay, too. Oliver’s experts will guide you through your options. They’ll cover concepts such as source reduction, enhanced recyclability, and sustainability through responsibly sourced materials.
Oliver has earned its place as a leader in sustainable packaging by working with customers from all industries and continuing to alter its approach to sustainability as more information and technology becomes available.