By Nick Gilbert
EarthSleeve, a new packaging solution, has been introduced by Starbucks Coffee along with Henkel, a company focused on consumer and industrial businesses, and LBP Manufacturing, a provider of consumer-preferred, sustainable, on-the-go packaging solutions.
The new hot-cup sleeve features proprietary technology that reduces total material usage and increases the post-consumer content, which is comparable to a saving of almost 100,000 trees. This material innovation will have a considerable impact on the packaging sector.
LBP Manufacturing produced EarthSleeve products for Starbucks by using Henkel’s multi-functional adhesive solutions. The products increase post-consumer content by 25% and decrease usage of raw fiber material by 34% without sacrificing function or performance. In addition, the product allows 15% case cube and truckload yield enhancement, thereby decreasing the overall environmental impact of the sleeve transportation.
EarthSleeve has been recognized as fully compostable by Cedar Grove and ASTM standards, and recently it has received Western Michigan University approval for repulpability. In 2011, about three billion hot cup sleeves were manufactured in the U.S. EarthSleeve packaging product is now being launched into Starbucks’ Canada and U.S locations and evaluation is taking place for global application.
John Meccia, Henkel’s VP- Paper Converting, commented that the launch of EarthSleeve represents a breakthrough in adhesive formulation. Matthew Cook, LBP’s President, added that this product signifies a new level of innovation in sustainability and packaging performance.
Source: http://www.henkelna.com/