CannedWater4Kids (CW4K) and INX International Ink Co. have joined forces to send a rush delivery of drinking water to help in the Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts. A truckload of 52,800, 12-ounce cans of fresh, purified water is scheduled to arrive today at a Red Cross Distribution Center near Houston.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall for the first time on August 25 and landed a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast of Texas. A multiple-day event, the Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds was the most powerful hurricane to hit the US in more than a decade. Damage caused by the high winds, torrential rains and record flooding displaced more than 30,000 people and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.
The effects of Hurricane Harvey will impact southeast Texas for a long time. Fortunately, humanitarian efforts from companies including CW4K and INX are helping the efforts in Texas.
“This is the first of many truckloads we hope to send,” said Greg Stromberg, CannedWater4Kids water charity CEO. “Without hesitation, we helped. It was the right thing to do because clean, safe drinking water is a valuable resource. One doesn’t realize how valuable until it is gone.”
“We are doing our part as good corporate citizens,” remarked Renee Schouten, director of marketing for INX. “It is important to be there for people, in good times and in bad. Providing clean water to communities enduring a crisis will aid in recovery and hopefully give some sense of comfort to those in need.”
Added Stromberg, “Coordinating and financing the water delivery was a team effort. We couldn’t have done it without the help of INX International and the Red Cross organization. Their help and support was incredible.”
CW4K is no stranger to disaster relief. Whether it was the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey in 2012, or help for the lead-contaminated municipal water supply in Flint, MI, the 501c3 charity was there with clean, safe drinking water packaged in 12-ounce aluminum beverage cans.
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is pleased to announce that a PHD graduate from McGill University, Goeun Sim, has been chosen as the Canadian finalist for the global Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Award, based on her exciting and environmentally leading proposal to advance innovation in the forest products sector.
Dr. Sim’s research proposal is based on the novel development of smart multi-coloured wood based fabrics that are free of toxic chemicals using coloured nanoparticles as a dye. The resulting environmentally sustainable textile production would eliminate pollutants and the non-toxic cellulose yarns would be a value-added product for the forest industry. click Read More below for additional detail
In a recent Q&A for Sanitary Maintenance magazine, Laura Ashley, Marketing Manager for Resolute Tissue, along with other manufacturers, discusses sustainable tissue and towel options, and what can be done to assist end users with their own green initiatives. What sustainable attributes are most important when differentiating between green towel and tissue options? Ashley: Three key attributes come to mind: fiber source, carbon footprint, and waste stream management. When it comes to fiber source, distributors should recommend options with certified fiber sourcing, recycled fiber (both pre- and post-consumer), certified sources (which can be a combination of certified forest and recycled fiber), and recycled sources both for the product and product packaging (these factors include recyclability, being compostable, and being biodegradable). Regarding waste stream management, this includes all phases of the product life, from production through end use. What selling points should distributors highlight when promoting sustainable towel/tissue options? Ashley: Distributors, end users and consumers want assurances that their buying decisions represent a sound environmental choice. They are asking for proof that tissue products are made with raw material originating from sustainably managed forests, recycled material, and/or controlled sources. In the North American market, fiber certification gives that proof point.
Concerns for the environment may be at an all-time high, but consumer recycling compliance continues to fall. Shrinking participation notwithstanding, the curbside recycling chain is also plagued by infrastructure challenges and inefficiencies.
Fascinatingly, major retailers have carved out ways to not only make recycling happen on a large scale, but they’ve also succeeded with efficiency not seen in the consumer recycling realm, especially in the realm of paperboard recycling.
For insight into how retailers are able to achieve this success and how EPR legislation could impact it, Packaging Digest spoke to Myles Cohen, Founder of Circular Ventures, LLC, a renowned circular economy executive and ESG leader with in-depth recycling, waste, sustainable packaging, public policy, and government advocacy experience.
Most major retailers bale and sell their used corrugated materials. Walmart reported that its US stores, including Sams, recycled a combined 5.8 billion pounds of corrugated in 2023. How are retailer recycling efficiencies faring vs. household recycling efforts?