Stonyfield Yogurt - We're designing for the future

Stonyfield Farm and Environmental Packaging

Packaging choices do matter. We have worked with the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems to improve the environmental performance of our packaging.

Stonyfield Farm manufactures millions of cups of yogurt annually. We are keenly aware that through our packaging we have an enormous impact on the environment. Our packaging choices are extremely important to us, as we know they are to you. Over the years we have devoted significant effort to identify ways to reduce the environmental burden due to our packaging.

Background
In the mid '80's when we began examining the environmental aspects of our packaging, we assumed that the most important characteristic was its recyclability. It was important to us that the finished product not become solid waste. We set out to find the most recyclable cup available. We discovered through our search that recyclability is just one of the many factors that must be considered in addressing the total impact of our packaging on the environment.

Source Reduction
In recent years, an effective tool has emerged for measuring the total environmental impact of a product. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the process of determining the environmental impact of a product from its manufacture and use, through its re-use, recycling and/or disposal- or "cradle to grave".

There have been several LCA studies that have aided manufacturers in the decision-making process. One of the earliest of these in-depth studies was undertaken by the Boston based
Tellus Institute. The study compared a variety of packaging options including plastics, aseptic and poly-coated paper (such as milk cartons), metals and glass. The findings were surprising, indicating that less than 5% of the total environmental cost of packaging is in the disposal. Over 95% of the environmental cost is in the production of the package- in the energy used and toxins created in the manufacturing process. Focusing efforts predominantly on the "end use" such as recycling or disposal, addresses only a fraction of the overall impact of the container. It is more accurate to look at the environmental impact of the container over its entire life cycle. The Tellus Institute study concluded that with the exception of PVC plastic (# 3) which has significantly higher environmental impact, "...the lightest-weight package, per unit of delivered end product, is generally the lowest-impact product".

The concept of source reduction-reducing the amount of material in a product-has been overshadowed by the tremendous enthusiasm to recycle. Recycling is very important, but it can be more environmentally advantageous to reduce the amount of material generated in the first place. The solid waste hierarchy teaches us to first reduce, then reuse, and finally recycle.

Our Choices
After examining our options (including glass, poly-coated paper, and plastic), we chose a lightweight plastic. Glass, which is widely recycled and made from recycled material, was rejected as the environmental costs of transporting the heavy material outweigh the benefits. The energy (fossil fuels) used over the entire life of the glass package for its manufacture and transport exceeds the energy that goes into the manufacturing and transporting of a plastic container.

HDPE (#2) vs. Polypropylene (#5) Plastic
As a result of the Tellus Study, we decided to convert our yogurt packaging to the lightest weight plastic that would protect our product. Despite not being recyclable in most communities, we moved to polypropylene plastic. In using polypropylene (#5) packaging, Stonyfield uses significantly less plastic than we would if we made our cups with HDPE #2 plastic. One of the most beneficial characteristics of #5 plastic is that its structure allows the container to be made of thinner walls, while maintaining the same structural integrity. Our quart containers are over 30% lighter today than they were 10 years ago. By using #5 plastic instead of #2, each year we prevent the manufacture and disposal of over 100 tons of plastic, resulting in environmental savings from the decreased air emissions and resource depletion from the manufacture and distribution of the packaging. In addition, the polypropylene is manufactured without the use of chlorine, thus eliminating the hazards of deadly dioxin releases during manufacture and incineration, which occur with certain other plastics.

Still, many of our customers have requested that we use HDPE (#2) plastic because it's the only yogurt container recycled in their community. Unfortunately, although many communities accept #2 plastic for recycling, in most cases, the #2 wide mouth containers are actually recycling bottles only. Bottles and wide-mouth containers such as yogurt containers have different melting points, thus rendering them undesirable for recycling together. Many communities accept all HDPE plastics to avoid consumer confusion, then they landfill or incinerate all but the bottles. The 1997 national recycling rate for HDPE bottles was over 24%, but less than 2 % of wide-mouthed HDPE plastic (such as yogurt cups) was recycled-equal to the rate of recycling for wide-mouthed polypropylene packaging. (R.W. Beck 1997 National Post-Consumer Plastics Recycling Rate Study).

The Life of Stonyfield Farm Packaging
Life Cycle Assessment has taught us not only to look at a product from "cradle to grave", but to look at a bigger picture as well. Previously, we had examined environmental attributes of our yogurt cup and lid. As a shopper, the yogurt cup and lid, what we call primary packaging, is all you see. The primary packaging materials are shipped to our manufacturing facility in cardboard boxes and plastic liners that keep the cups sterile before use. Once the yogurt cups are filled, they are packaged in boxes which are then placed on pallets and wrapped in plastic to ship to stores. Every time a cup of yogurt is sold, a plastic cup and lid is created (primary packaging), as well as the box and plastic wrap to hold and transport the cup (secondary packaging). By looking at the cup alone and the environmental impact of the primary packaging, LCA has demonstrated that one could miss the potentially greater environmental burden from the secondary packaging.

For instance, we could package our product in light, highly recyclable cups in a box that uses significantly more energy to produce than the cups themselves, is non-recyclable, and uses toxic inks and solvents. If we only considered the primary packaging (what you, the customer sees), then we would conclude that it was good packaging. In fact, the total "product delivery system" or PDS could have significantly greater environmental impact than if the cup had been slightly heavier or made from a non-recyclable, stronger material which would allow for a lighter weight box. LCA has taught us that to get a more accurate picture, we must examine the whole PDS to get a truer picture of the actual packaging and the associated environmental burden that is created when a cup of yogurt is made. The total PDS to deliver product to our customers extends far deeper than most would assume when picking a cup of maple vanilla yogurt off the shelf at the grocery store.

The Center for Sustainable Systems Study
In the fall of 1999, Stonyfield Farm commissioned a study by the University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems to perform a life cycle assessment of Stonyfield Farm's "product delivery system" (PDS). The PDS is the sum of the materials and distribution involved in getting Stonyfield Farm's products to market. It consists of primary packaging (yogurt containers, lids, inner seals, multipack wraps), secondary packaging (corrugated boxes, stretch warp, pallets, etc.) and all transportation links required to deliver the materials, packaging and yogurt products from the initial material production, through to you, the consumer, and end-of-life disposal. The objective of the study was to perform a life cycle assessment of Stonyfield Farm's current PDS, and to compare it to other options with different cups including HDPE (#2), coated unbleached paperboard, thermoformed plastic, and polylactide (PLA), a carbohydrate based polymer made from corn and/or beets.

Key Findings of The Study
One of the key findings showed that the choice of container size has a greater impact on environmental burdens than either the choice of cup material or the cup manufacturing process. The 32 oz. containers (quarts) consumed 27% less energy to produce and distribute than the 8 oz. containers. If all Stonyfield Farm yogurt were sold in 32 oz. containers, the annualized energy savings would be equivalent to 11,250 barrels of oil. Your purchasing decisions make a difference!
Other key recommendations for reducing environmental burdens included switching to thermoformed cup manufacturing, minimizing the distance traveled from Stonyfield Farm to retailers by opening a second yogurt production facility, optimizing of the ratio of primary packaging to corrugated board, as well as further investigating of renewable packaging materials. For a more detailed examination of the results of the study, read the entire study at the Center for Sustainable Systems' website.

The Future
A polypropylene container is by no means our vision of the ideal packaging. There are several very promising materials on the horizon. We are working with one supplier of a plastic made from carbohydrates, such as corn and beets. In the not too distant future, your yogurt cup could look and feel like the plastic cup of today, but be made from agricultural waste such as cornhusks or potato skins. We are also working on implementing other recommendations from the Center for Sustainable Systems' study, such as secondary packing source reduction and re-examining our distribution system to reduce transport from our production facility to the grocery stores. In late 2002 we will be implementing a major change to our packaging, a direct result of our work with the Center for Sustainable Systems, which will significantly improve the environmental performance of our PDS. Stay tuned…

We are actively working toward the day when we can get our product and packaging to you in ways which through the manufacture, transportation, use and re-cycling back into our resource base, will not create wastes that pollute our waters, emit greenhouse and ozone damaging gases, and deplete our natural resources. Our ideal packaging may mean that when you're finished eating your yogurt, you'll consume the delicious (and nutritious) container, or toss it onto your compost pile to return to its carbon roots.

The "bottom-line" is that we have extensively studied the environmental burden due to our packaging and are working hard to reduce it. The Center for Sustainable System's Life Cycle Assessment of our PDS has proven to be a valuable tool for decision-making. We believe that given current technologies, we are using the lightest weight, least environmentally impactful packaging available today to protect the quality and integrity of our product. We will continue to research and develop new packaging that uses fewer materials, is more renewable resource based, and is made with less toxic and environmentally impactful processes and materials. In the meantime, there are two things you can do. First, if you're looking for the least environmental impact, buy Stonyfield Farm yogurt in the quart containers. Second, if #5 plastic recycling isn't available in your community, and you can't tolerate the idea of not recycling them, you are welcome to return your CLEAN Stonyfield Farm cups and lids to us, and we'll be sure they'll get recycled.