A Green Movement
By Elena Sullivan

Webster Industries debuted its trash bags with 65% recycled content.

As 2008 begins, the focus on preserving the environment continues to grow. Green was the name of the game at Private Label Manufacturer’s Association’s 2007 Private Label Trade Show, and no, the trade floor was not bathed in green, but rather, a high percentage of products shown fell under the environmentally friendly (green) category. Just like food and drink, packaging, household, and HBC products boast eco-friendly trends.

The wide range of products on display at the PLMA Trade Show exemplifies this trend’s growing presence in the private label market. Eco-friendly products available were not limited to the food market, but stretched across the trade floor to encompass non-food categories as well. Let’s take a walk through the show floor, and have a look at some examples from the extensive displays of ‘greenery.’

Packing It Green

Beginning with packaging, PLMA provided visitors the opportunity to view scores of companies focusing on producing eco-friendly packaging. This year, there was an exceptional number of packaging companies displaying their products, and a good percentage that were seen by Private Label magazine offered eco-friendly solutions, or were in the process of revamping their systems to be more environmentally-friendly.

It was clear that in an effort to preserve our earth, many packaging companies have revamped their manufacturing processes to be more environmentally conscious, such as using technology that uses less energy and producing products from recycled material.

Webster Industries, Peabody, MA, is one such company that fits this profile. Touted as the ‘first & only’ company to achieve certification for recycled content trash & kitchen bags, the company announced its new line of private label trash and kitchen bags with recycled content certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). SCS is a leading independent third party auditing and certification of environmental and sustainability claims firm. The SCS certification provides important verification and validation of the recycled content claim for retailers and their customers.

Barbecue Solutions’ One Light Charcoal is environmentally friendly and makes barbecuing easier.

Disc Graphics, Hauppauge, NY, offers customers eco-friendly packaging solutions. Disc Graphic advertises its ability to provide a wide range of technical support to help its customers discover eco-friendly packaging solutions–identifying eco-friendly alternatives and assisting in designing packaging that minimizes its impact on the environment. The company’s primary suppliers are either certified or in the certification process with organizations such as Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council.

Berk Wiper Converting & Packaging, Landsdale, PA, offers a plethora of packaging solutions including its popular no touch dispenser. The no touch dispenser is now available in a wide format for paper-saving efficiency, which fits right into green movement.

Mod-pack, Buffalo, NY, motto is: “Opening the world to creative packing’ and that it is. Not only does Mod-Pac offer a plethora of standard packing solutions to industries such as confectionery, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and healthcare, the company features environmentally friendly solutions. Mod-Pac advertises that it recycles paperboard waste, aluminum printing plates, shrink-wrap film, wooden pallets, and office paperwork.

The Royal Group, Cicero, IL, enables its customers to show off their products in style. The company has in house production capabilities, enabling them to offer services from concept to design to the final product to the delivery of the product. The Royal Group manufactures a variety of products ranging from packaging supplies to point-of-purchase displays.

Arg Manufacturing’s, Tsuen Wan, NT, aim is “to be the premier creative, manufacturing and supply chain resource for retail channels utilizing both private label and licensed branding under our management.” Viewing the products that the company offers, they very well might be on their way. Arg has a diverse raw material base, offering a wide range of materials including silicone, plastic, resin, rubber, steel, metal alloys and aluminum. One specific line on display at the PLMA show was Ergo, an innovative line of tools created in a retro style. This line stood out from the rest due to its sea green and light blue colors.

On the show floor, Green Bay Packaging Inc., Green Bay, WI, featured its packaging abilities. The company advertised impressive machine and equipment capabilities. At the show, the company introduced its Hyber-Schroder window equipment, which enables Green Bay Packaging to produce packaging with clear windows. The advantage of the windows is that the customer can display their product while allowing shoppers to see, and not touch the item offered.

Plastic Packaging Inc., Hickory, NC, ensures that they provide their customers with only the finest quality packaging. An in-house quality lab can test ink scuff resistance, film surface consistency, color variance, seal quality and other significant quality factors.

Quickwave, Ontario, Canada, proudly debuted four new product lines to compliment their self-venting pressure-cooking steamer packaging line. One of the products is a zippered reusable two-way venting steamer bag that is unlike any of the latest released consumer cooking pouches. The bags are manufactured from FDA material that can touch food and be reheated and reused several times.

Minigrip Consumer Products, Seguin, TX, also displayed plastic packaging to securely store food. The company introduced new, national-brand equivalent “Double-Zipper” food bags available in snack, sandwich, pint, quart and gallon sizes.  The “double-zipper” seal is easy to open and close, providing an always secure seal for those messy or heavy items that demand extra support.

Fempro offers a variety of feminine hygiene products that are now new and improved.

Presto Products Company, A Business of Alcoa Consumer Products, Appleton, WI, introduced “another first in the private label industry” its Twist & Store disposable containers. Twist & Store containers feature a leak-resistant twist-to-close lid and are safe to use in the freezer, microwave and dishwasher. Presto also exhibited a new product–Ecosafe 6400 compostable trash bags that are also 100% biodegradable.

Berry Plastics Co., Minneapolis, MN, presents customers with a number of plastic bag options ranging from trash bags to tape to catering plastic dishware. On display at PLMA was its new Flex Bags, designed to be tougher and stronger than those of the past.

At PLMA Barbecue Solutions, Austin, TX, debuted its innovative eco-friendly product, One Light Charcoal. Touted as the “easiest, safest and most eco-friendly way to enjoy the authentic flavor of charcoal barbecue,” One Light Charcoal is a single-use charcoal bag with an internal chimney. To use the product, all the consumer has to do is simply open the bag, light the long-stem match provided and place it in the chimney. No additional equipment or lighter fluid is needed. One Light Charcoal is eco-friendly because it only uses air and paper to ignite the charcoal, no VOCs are released and therefore no ozone is produced, resulting in reduced smog and greenhouse gases.

Ferrania Technologies, Woodbury, MN, showed off a tremendous display of what customers could expect from its company. Especially highlighted was Ferrania’s new photo frame with a backlight and its themed disposable cameras.

Although the use of traditional film cameras is waning, Barrington Packaging Company, Barrington, IL, presents customers with a reason to buy its film products–by offering biodegradable film.

All Natural HBC

The health and beauty care market has also embraced the green movement, but in a slightly different manner–by offering products made with organic and/or natural ingredients. Royal Labs Natural Cosmetics, Inc, Charleston, SC, exemplifies a company, which specializes in “truly natural” formulations.

The company stood-out at the PLMA Show with its impressive array of products. Royal Labs offers 500 different brands, as well as two in-house brands–all manufactured without the use of surfactants (sodium lauryl sulfate), petro-chemical derivatives (mineral oil, petrolatum), or chemical preservatives (parabens). Therefore, the company relies on natural emollients, fragrances, and actives to produce a “natural” preservative system to create products such as body lotions, bath and body gel and bubble bath.

Similar to Royal Labs, Essential Labs, a division of Essential Wholesale, Clackamas, OR, is all about providing customers with services such as outsourcing their manufacturing and filling needs. The company is especially dedicated to service customers with natural cosmetic or body care lines. All of its manufacturing takes place in its FDA registered and cGMP compliant facility.

Continuing with bath and body care products, Body Care Innovations, Inc., Newmarket, ON, joins the pack with its environmentally friendly bath, body, and household cleaning products. Among its other products featured at the show was its allOrganic, Green Seal approved Cleaning Solutions cleaning product line. The allOrganic line features dish detergent, liquid laundry detergent, all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner and room deodorizer.

Premier Brands of America, Mount Vernon, NY, enables both women and men to make uncomfortable shoes comfortable with its full line of insoles. The line includes gel, foam, memory foam and orthotics.

The variety of products formulated with effervescent, that Tower Labs, Centerbrook, CT, manufacturers runs the gamut. Products that the company can provide customers with ranges from aromatherapy products and bath products, to household cleaning products, to oral care products. Along with the variety of products, and the ability to create the products in several different formulas be it tablets or powers, Tower Labs surely impressed visitors at PLMA.

Arquest Inc., a supplier of PL diapers and training pants has had a busy year, as it continues to grow and improve its products and simultaneously expanding and upgrading its facilities. Arquest’s licensing partnership with scholastic to add a Clifford The Big Red Dog icon on its training pants, illustrates the company’s commitment to providing fresh looks to its products.

Rostam US, Lincoln, RI, debuted a tampon unlike anything out on the market, a “true” comparison to Tampax Pearl Multi Pack and also the only true Compare to Tampax Pearl Light absorbency tampon. This product is definitely a product to keep a look at for, considering the lack of PL light absorbency tampons currently on shelves.

Fempro, Drummondville, QC, a leader in the absorbent product industry has 20 years of experience in manufacturing feminine hygiene products. The company offers a benefit of offering products designed for women, by women. Which is obviously a plus when it comes to producing effective feminine products. Fempro recently rolled out a pantiliner with new wings and a new coversheet. The new coversheet offers the qualities of cloth-like and perforated poly coversheets combined together–keeping the costumer dry while providing comfort and softness. This product is the equivalent to the national brand tampons.

Associated Hygienic Products LLC, Duluth, GA, is a leader in innovation and proprietary product design of disposable infant care products. The company informed visitors at the PLMA Show that it now offers services using a new state-of-the art facility in Delaware, Ohio. Among other benefits, the new facility enables Associated Hygienic Products to offer its customers the latest cutting-edge technology to monitor, manage and insure product integrity.

Todays Optical, Brooklyn, NY, proves that it is at the cutting edge of fashion, with its upscale, trendy reading glasses. The company also features eyeglass accessories, reading glasses, and sunglasses.

At the PLMA show Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY, a highly visible company with products available in over 100 countries, displayed a variety of eye care products, enabling visitors to view the wide range of product offerings. From eye drops to pharmaceuticals, Bausch & Lomb hardly leaves a stone unturned in the world of eye care, and according to a representative at PLMA, the company aims to add allergy drops to its line of products available for PL.

Confab Lab, Saint-Hubert, QC, has a presence around the world. Confab serves customers from 15 countries on the five continents, and is continuously reaching out to new markets. Confab services include 25% private label and 75% contract. Products exhibited to visitors at PLMA included an array of OTC products such as nasal sprays, hemorrhoid ointments and allergy medicine. In particular, the company boasts a line of soluble cold and flu medicines that includes remedies for a sore throat, cough, cold and flu.

Household Products Clean Up

Clean Ones, Portland, OR, is continuously introducing new high-quality cleaning gloves. The new vinyl glove is lined with rayon for the “ultimate” in supreme comfort. The silky texture and soft lining will leave hands feeling invigorated enough for tackling the most blasé household chores. This new rayon-lined glove is also treated with a natural anti-bacteria agent. Other benefits are: the glove is 100% latex free, made with vinyl material, and is extra long 13.”

Cascades, Kingsey Falls, QC, has entered the green business. The company’s products and manufacturing material on the market that are environmentally-friendly are: bioxo, oxo-degradable polystyrene that degrades in 3 years; recyclable, waxless market garden box; bio-compostable plastic packaging made from corn; mushroom tray made of recycled fibers; and honeycomb packing material. Additionally, the company produces (facial and bathroom), paper towels, paper napkins, and other related products.

Wausau Paper, Mosinee, WI, is yet another company dedicated to saving the environment. At the PLMA Show, the company presented its products, including fabric softener sheets and pre-moistened all-purpose wipes and cleaning wipes that are made from 100% renewable resources, and are 100% biodegradable.

Rockline Industries, Sheboygan, WI, a manufacturing and marketing company of both branded and private label products sold throughout the world, exhibited a facial wipe product in interesting and trendy varieties. The facial towellette selection included: anti-aging with aloe in a coconut scent; towellettes with green tea and cucumber (both ingredients excellent for reviving a tired face); and an ever-trendy natural line of wipes made with 100% cotton.

Global Tissue Group, Bohemia, NY, has a lot cooking for 2008. Adding to its full line of quality paper products, the company has added an item that fits in a cup holder–the TissueKup. The cup fits in a car cup holder and is fitted with a plastic cap, enabling the user to easily grab one tissue at a time. Additionally, the company is now expanding to Jacksonville, Florida, in order to provide the Southeast with their quality products.

As illustrated at the PLMA Show, eco-friendly products are all the rage. Exhibitors showed off all types of products claimed to be eco-friendly, from paper products to packaging to beauty care.
As consumers gradually become more aware of the benefits of using products that are safe for the environment, visitors at next year’s PLMA Trade Show will probably be seeing a lot more products aimed at saving the environment from any more harm.

For an in depth look at two innovative PLMA exhibitors: Wrap Film Systems, U.K., and 4Kids Entertainment, NY, NY, please see SupplySide Profile section on page 22 and 23.