Compostable Packaging Gains Speed as Green Business Trend

Compostable packaging isn’t new, but developing a set of standards for compostable packaging, particularly home-composting, is still fairly new. A standard and logo has been in place (called the Seedling logo – pictured) that denotes packaging that is suitable for composting in centralized facilities (e.g., on ships), but starting in 2009, a new logo will appear on packages deemed suitable for disposal in home composting-machines.

Retailers are keen to jump on the bandwagon to reduce packaging waste, so don’t be surprised if you start to see the new logo more frequently as 2009 progresses. It seems “biodegradable” is no longer good enough, and “home-compostable” is the term of the future.

According to an article on LetsRecycle.com, National Non-Food Crops Centre (an independent advisory board on plant-based renewable materials), the Association for Organics Recycling (AFOR), Waste & Resources Action Programme, and the Green Alliance (an environmental advisory group) are working together to design a logo that will identify home-compostable packaging.

Rumor has it the new logo will incorporate parts of the Seedling logo. What do you think? What should the logo look like?

Image: LetsRecylce.com

Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.