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How SIC Combibloc achieved Platinum Green Business Certification Tier?

SIG Combibloc is one of the world’s leading system suppliers of carton packaging and filling machines for beverages and food. The company supplies complete systems including both the packaging materials and the corresponding filling machines. Carton packs from SIG Combibloc protect the quality of food and drinks. They ensure that the taste, nutrients and vitamins of products are preserved.

Likewise, carton packs from SIG Combibloc preserve the environment. Because as the name suggests, they are made predominantly out of cardboard, which is manufactured from wood, a renewable raw material. Using renewable resources reduces the use of fossil raw materials such as oil. And because trees absorb CO₂ and release oxygen while they are growing, sustainably managed forests also help to protect the climate. SIG Combibloc has achieved Platinum Green Business Certification Tier. We at GBB are very proud of their achievement.

When we asked them “What drove you to achieve the Platinum Certification tier?” They shared ” When we approach our officer in our company, we received immediate support.  Our CEO, Eduardo Gatica made it a target for the Green Team to achieve the highest tier.  He wanted us to work together in something that we, the green team, believe that he propositioned us to achieve the highest level as a commitment but also for company and our employees”

Reaching platinum status requires commitment and hard work from the members. When we asked how difficult they found reaching the platinum tier, their response was ” Of course, there are always challenges when implementing any change, however the biggest challenge was to get the approvals for many green incentives during a time in which we are watching our spending and cost cutting.  At the end, this wasn’t as bad as we thought, and the Hybrid Incentive was introduced in which employees of Sig Combibloc will be eligible for reimbursement of $3,000 for the purchase of, and $1,500 for the lease, of a hybrid vehicle “

What kinds of cost savings has SIG Combibloc seen? ” The cost savings are not immediately seen as at times we need to invest to get some of the green efforts started.  However, now a year into it, we can say we saved in the delivery and purchase of water jugs and water bottles with the installation of our water system.  We also have seen savings by eliminating disposable dishware, utensils and cups.  We also saved by eliminating a delivery service of break room items by doing the shopping ourselves at discounted warehouse retailers”

Lastly, ” What benefits has your GBB membership brought to your business in terms of operations, sales, branding, etc.? ” They shared ” Some of the benefits is that we our Sales Teams sit at a customer or our Marketing Teams participate at Conventions, not only do the promote our sustainable products but can also proudly say how our backoffice operations are sustainable as well.  So we practice what we preach”

SIG Combibloc’s commitment to sustainability is an inspiration. Proud to have them as GBB member!

Learn more about how SIG Combibloc is actively addressing environmental issues:                                                                     www.sig.biz/site/en/environment/Environment.jsp

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The Costs of Handling Environmental Issues May be Doubling

Every organization has a variety of environmental costs that need to be managed. Whether there is direct management, as with construction companies who have to deal with water management and waste management, or indirect management of resources such as fuel costs or the impact of weather upon a distribution system, environmental costs are present in every organization. These costs are increasing recently – in fact some estimate that such costs will double in the next 14 years or so – as a result of various forces. Sometimes called “megaforces”, these forces include energy and fuel availability, climate change, resource scarcity, water shortages, food shortages, environmental problems and so much more. These forces are expected to have a huge impact on various organizations’ growth over the next two decades.

A Changing World In the future the various resources that businesses require to create their products and deliver their services – the things that they rely upon to get their jobs done – will become more scarce and thus more expensive. This will continue to put strain on environmental systems and business infrastructure. This means that in the coming decades organizations will be required to understand the limitations of resources and make changes in their business practices to ensure a continuous ability to be cost effective and to maintain production/sales or hopefully to grow. For example, as fossil fuels become more scarce globally businesses will need to be prepared to respond quickly to fluctuating prices and availability; this unknown of fuel prices and availability needs to be acknowledged and planned for.

One Thing Leads to Another It is important to recognize that nothing in our globally connected world occurs in a vacuum. A draught in India can damage availability of cotton to textile mills around the world. A bad frost in Florida can impact citrus availability across the United States impacting juice makers and more. An oil spill in the middle of the ocean can impact fuel costs for all companies as well as tourist income in various areas. One thing leads to another and all areas are connected in some way.

Using Resources Effectively It has always been economically important for a company to use resources effectively. Certainly unnecessary waste costs money in buying materials that the company does not need and then in disposal of left over materials. But today’s changing environmental and global climate requires companies to keep a closer watch over resources and plan for unexpected scarcity of materials. What this really means is that businesses need to become more sustainable, both for their own survival (and growth) but also for that of the environment as a whole.

Moving Towards Sustainability The point of the matter is simply that we live in changing times, socially, environmentally, culturally and economically. Businesses need to do two things to move forward with more security. First, they need to work on sustainability issues in daily business, on finding ways to reduce waste, use fewer resources, spend less money and be more environmentally conscious. Second, they need to be prepared to deal with emergency issues in resource management.

The future has the chance to be very bright for the environment and businesses. What it requires is an acknowledgement of the resource issues that we face as well as the fact that our modern global connectivity requires us to be concerned about resources not just in our own backyards but around the world. Businesses also need to look for opportunities to better the environment including ways to become zero waste and low carbon, while also balancing the modern lifestyle with the needs of our planet.

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Understanding the Dangers of Genetically Altered Seeds in Our Food Supply

In today’s global economy the availability of food is becoming an increasing problem. As populations increase more and more land must be cleared to grow vegetables for human consumption and livestock feeding. In fact, hundreds of acres of land are cleared globally every day for this purpose. To make the most of the land, water and other available resources, and in an effort to increase food yields (and profits) some companies have been developing genetically engineered seeds. These seeds offer both positives and negatives, though they are increasingly becoming viewed negatively. As the International Food Policy Research Center in Washington D.C. has asserted, open and accurate discussion of the value in genetically enhanced seeds is difficult as people on both sides of the argument are so staunch in their opinions. Let’s look at some pros and cons of these seeds.

The Potential Value of Genetically Engineered Seeds For the past few decades a small handful of biotech companies have been developing genetically engineered seeds for use in food and other crops, such as cotton. There are currently over 14 million farmers using these seeds, in a total of 25 countries. These seeds are engineered to be hardy, create plants that grow to fruition quickly, and be resistant to certain pests and disease. This means that farmers can get better yields on less land, increasing product profits and availability. However, there are problems associated with these engineered seeds that need to be considered.

Problems with Genetically Engineered Seeds Emerge Engineered seeds have fallen under fire recently, with opponents citing a variety of concerns. Among these concerns are failure to live up to promises, dangers in consuming genetically altered products and a growing dependence upon these seeds.

Failure to live up to promises: Many of the genetically altered seeds simply fail to live up to the benefits that are promised. For example, many farmers in India have switched to a bio engineered cotton seed that simply has not been what the farmers hoped for. Specifically, the cotton crop has continued to be susceptible to the pink bollworm, a virulent pest that decimates the crops regularly. In fact, some sources say that while a genetically engineered seed may be resistant to certain pests, it can be more prone to other pests and disease actually increasing the need for pesticides. Genetically altered seeds are created by splicing out certain DNA and splicing in other DNA, resulting in a series of seeds that are genetically identical to each other; this means that if one plant in a crop falls prey to a certain fungus or disease then all of the plants in that field will suffer a similar fate and entire crops can be lost.

A less healthful food supply: There are many concerns that genetically altered seeds are less healthy for human consumption. Some have suggested that engineered crops may be lacking in various vitamins and nutrients of their natural brethren. Others know that some crops are altered to be resistant to bacteria which, when consumed, can change the bacterial resistance of the person who eats them. Genetic engineering can produce new strains that may create allergies that we can only imagine, or strains that interact with natural plants to create entirely new plants. In short, there is simply no long term testing on the health and stability of these genetically altered plants and there are many unknown potential dangers.

Dependence: Another negative byproduct of engineered seeds is that farmers become dependent upon them. Often, the seeds are designed to create plants that are unable to produce fertile seeds, requiring farmers to purchase new seeds every year to get their crops. In cases where bioengineered crops are successful in creating larger yields, farmers grow to rely on these yields to sustain profits, again requiring them to continually purchase their seeds from the bioengineering firms. This dependence on purchasing new seed every year is actually believed by some to be the cause of many farms failing and some farmers, in India for example, committing suicide in the wake of financial disaster.

The Debate Continues The debate over genetically modified seeds will likely continue. What we know for certain is that we need more research on the potential dangers of these seeds, more regulation and more studies to provide definitive answers about their safety.

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Take a Deep Breath: How Does Air Pollution Impact Our Health

If you have ever wondered about meditation or stress reduction one of the first things you will be told is to simply pause and take a deep breath. This is great advice; the oxygen that our lungs pull from the air rejuvenates us. Oxygen gives us energy, keeps our cells alive and makes us feel alert. With a deep breath you can alleviate immediate stress and prepare to tackle the problem at hand. But what if that breath brings with it not only oxygen but pollutants and dangerous particles? Let’s take a look.

The Danger in Our Air We often hear about automotive emissions in term of depletion of our ozone layer and global warming. We hear about the dangers of consuming foods laced with pesticides or consuming water that has been polluted. But fossil fuel emissions, manufacturing waste, pesticides and much more are making their way into not just our waterways or our upper atmosphere, but into the common air that we breathe. These particles and emissions become contaminants in our air that we commonly refer to as “pollution.” Particulates range from pieces of dust or debris that we can see to microscopic particles only a fraction as wide as a human hair. No matter their size, these particles and pollution are damaging our bodies in ways that we are only beginning to understand.

The Research Reveals the Facts We have all heard of smog in cities and even seen overcast days that are caused more by air pollutants than the condensation of moisture and low lying clouds. We recognize, on some intuitive level, that our vehicles, manufacturing facilities and construction projects are sending unwanted particulates into our air, yet we seemingly ignore the knowledge. Most people know that they should wear a respirator or dusk mask while sanding wood, working with lead dust or asbestos, or working with heavy vapors (even if few people truly wear them), but these large particles are not the only cause of serious problems in people. These particulates take up residence in our atmosphere and cause a variety of problems. Pollution is commonly believed to contribute to asthma, allergies and skin conditions. Now, studies reveal even deeper depths to the danger that air pollution poses. In fact, we have learned the following:

• Multiple studies have shown a strong correlation between exposure to particulates and impairment of brain functions after just four years of exposure. The higher the levels of both fine and course particles in the air the worse the brain damage was.
• One study at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that air pollution, even at rates considered safe by most federal government regulations, can increase a person’s risk of stroke by 34 percent.
• Another study found a direct correlation between the number of strokes and the patient’s exposure to traffic areas when the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) air quality index indicated high particulate matter. Harvard researchers have also found a direct correlation between strokes and air pollution.
• Researchers have associated microscopic air particulates with increased incidence of heart attacks and other cardiovascular disease.

Some of these damaging particles are so small that we have no way to see them with our naked eye – they can be just one thirtieth the diameter of a human hair, yet still be highly dangerous. In addition to damaging our cognitive (thinking) abilities, air pollutants can cause problems with our hearts and cardiovascular system as well.

The Role We All Play Many medical professionals and researchers have asserted that correcting air pollution could have a huge impact on global community health – it is a risk factor for disease that is very curable. In fact, some researchers believe that if we can reduce certain pollutants by just 20 percent we can prevent over six thousand strokes per year in the United States alone. The first step is for us to educate ourselves. We need to be aware of the problems that air pollution is causing to our health and that of our children. Then, we need to demand that things change. We need to demand this of our politicians through our votes and our expressing our feelings. And we need to demand changes of the company’s that we buy from through how we spend our money.

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How the American Diet is Impacting Our Environment

America is most definitely a carnivore country. Unfortunately, our diet of red meat and fat is not just killing us through various diet related diseases including obesity and diabetes, it is also having a negative impact on our environment. There are a variety of reasons that this heavy meat eating – which requires extensive meat production – is a problem. In short, it is expensive to produce meat and it requires a much higher output of resources such as water and land than vegetable farming does. Let’s look at some specifics.

The Environmental Cost of Too Much Meat While residents of the United Kingdom eat only about 175 pounds of meat and fowl a year, adults in the United States eat more than 220 pounds of meat and poultry each year. Raising this much cattle, pigs, chickens, turkey and so forth puts a huge strain on natural resources.

In the past 50 years the production of meat products in the world has risen by a factor of three. To accommodate three times more animals to be raised for food requires a lot of resources. Specifically, these animals eat grasses and grains which require a lot of resources to grow. In fact, various sources estimate that it takes anywhere from 7 to 16 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of beef; obviously this is an inefficient use of resources as 16 pounds of grain could feed many more people than 1 pound of beef. And this grain requires a lot of land – it is estimated by the United Nations that 30% of the Earth’s land mass is currently being used as either pasture land for cattle or to grow vegetables that are used to feed li