When i was deciding who to vote for i was thinking that a worthy product would be something that would involve large number of people directly....so i voted for Netflix

I considered which packaging used minimal resources, while at the same time empowering the consumer to take action on their own terms, so I voted for the corn starch plastic bags. Compostable bioplastics eliminate the mystery of whether or not recyclables are actually being reused as raw materials, and allow the consumer to oversee how their comsumable's packaging is managed.

i can't believe that the ability to create compostable plastic hasn't caught on in a rampant rush globally. plastic is one of the top waste product that needs to be immediately eradicated from human creation and consumption. i heard about this compostable plastic a while back and am glad to see it spreading!
love the earth!
happy earth day!

I voted for the yogurt, because I almost submitted the same thing for Horizon yogurt. There are somethings, like radishes and t-shirts that need not come in packaging. Yogurt is one of them, and as its a favorite lunch and on the go food reducing the packaging, and making part of it recyclable. Now they just need to use compostable plastic in their packaging at they'll be set!

"Compostable" plastics aren't all they're cracked up to be. In some of these plastics, it is merely the binders which break down, leaving tiny particles of petroleum plastics in the soil. In others, the breakdown is into chemical compounds that I wouldn't want in my organic home veggie patch, let alone in an agricultural system which is designated organic. While "cornstarch" in the name sounds good, in some "cornstarch" plastics, the corn part is again just in the binder, and there are petroleum-based particles which remain behind. Just because the original object (i.e. bag or box) disintegrates before your eyes, doesn't mean that it is truly "gone." The word "compostable" in there makes these plastics sound really good, but you must look at each individual plastic manufacturer and see how that particular thing breaks down (what it breaks down *into* and how long it takes to do so) before you can truly embrace it as a genuine improvement. And even if the material is better than a pure petroleum product, it still perpetuates our present paradigm that it is okay to use something once and then throw it "away." (because in an ecosystem, there is no such thing as "away.") Better we should consider the "reduce" and "reuse" aspects of the maxim reduce/reuse/recycle/rebuy. Reduce our packaging of all types, and reuse (i.e. canvas bags, etc) whenever possible. Admittedly, canvas bags in and of themselves will not save the world. But departing from a use-it-once mentality, departing from a disposable mentality, departing from excess packaging regardless of the material, is truly the wave of the future.

For a product to make a difference it needs to retain its original functionality and not undermine its necessity to the consumer. Scalewise it needs to be applicable to as a wide range of products and to as many people as possible. That´s why I chose the Yeo yoghurt packaging.

wow those are totally rad.

The Exec Director of the Biodegradable Products Institute confirmed to me that PLA does include petrochemicals. Furthermore, this stuff breaks down into CO2 and water, which is not exactly usable in a compost heap. Considering all the nonrenewable energy it takes to grow corn and turn it into PLA, I'm not convinced it's worth it and better alternatives are out there (recycled paper cups, for example). I vote Netflix - great idea, lots of people use it, but too bad it will be obsolete when movies are delivered digitally. Hey, can I vote for that?

They are all interesting and it's a good cross section of finalists. Good Mornin' Earrings is the only one that re-used materials already in the waste stream for its packaging. Using existing waste in a simple way as packaging gets my vote ahead of making even the "greenest" of packaging materials new (not to mention there seems to be some debate about what of the new packaging is truly "green"). See my longer detailed comment under the Good Morning' Earrings finalist link.

Wish I would've entered this, I have a couple products that could beat these.

Zach, can you link us to some photos or something? I'm sure everyone would love to see them. For the most part treehugger readers are pretty constructive bunch, interested in everything and want a cool and green future. It's like one big community brainstorm. Never too late to participate.

Shannon is 100% correct.

One of them is Glee Gum. The other is a soap made here in Oregon with such eco-friendly packaging i can't remember the name. All that's on the bars is a small barcode. It's available at Whole Foods and Fred Meyer. I'll look at the name next time I get it.

hey lizzie i voted for tiffany...let me know if she wins

I strongly agree with JP and Tony on the "compostable" plastics issue.

Those materials are also a nightmare for the recylcing industry because people will mix them up (especially the harder materials) with regular recyclables, thus contaminating the load.

Most of reading here probably compost on our own, but we can't pretend that everyone makes the same choices.

every single plastic bag i take in the produce section causes a guilty pinch.

please please please let these type plastics become a standard grocery-store item!

Uh, Netflix envelopes are made of Tyvek. Tyvek is a product designed by Dupont to be a barrier of moisture and particulates as well as resist tearing and punture. They wrap houses and make cheap hazmat suits out of the stuff. It's specificly designed to not be biodegradable... how is that green again?

"Uh, Netflix envelopes are made of Tyvek. Tyvek is a product designed by Dupont to be a barrier of moisture and particulates as well as resist tearing and punture. They wrap houses and make cheap hazmat suits out of the stuff. It's specificly designed to not be biodegradable... how is that green again?"

I think you're confusing the disc inserts with the envelope they're mailed in. The envelope is paper.

And the disc inserts are used over and over and over again.

"And the disc inserts are used over and over and over again."

Exactly, and the moisture and scratch protection of the sleeves preserves the discs (better than a standard case, in my opinion, which tend to break easily as well as scratch discs easily), which of course is better than messing up the discs more rapidly so they would need to be replaced more often.

I think it's brilliant how they did what they did to make it mailable (and returnable) at standard letter rates -- all with very simple packaging.

I've actually written about Netflix being "invisibly green" a number of times (including part of my submission to the Nichia essay contest). Anyone can google my name and "netflix" to see some expansion on these thoughts.

Good submission, Lara.

"And the disc inserts are used over and over and over again."

Exactly, and the moisture and scratch protection of the sleeves preserves the discs (better than a standard case, in my opinion, which tend to break easily as well as scratch discs easily), which of course is better than messing up the discs more rapidly so they would need to be replaced more often.

I think it's brilliant how they did what they did to make it mailable (and returnable) at standard letter rates -- all with very simple packaging.

I've actually written about Netflix being "invisibly green" a number of times (including part of my submission to the Nichia essay contest). Anyone can google my name and "netflix" to see some expansion on these thoughts.

Good submission, Lara.

I was wondering if the readers of this list/ post could give me some advice on ecofriendly packaging.

We produce an organic pesto product that is stored frozen, but sold refrigerated. We are interested in finding a container that will be as green as possible.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Carol