Facing the challenges of labelling changes from phosphates in detergents ban

Household laundry detergent manufacturers now have just over 12 months to remove phosphates from their products as the EU ban is due to come into effect on 1 January 2013. As well as all the work required for reformulation, there is also the task of updating all the packaging content.

Brand owners will be required to react quickly to ensure the new products reach the market within the required timeframe and with accurate and fully compliant messaging. For businesses with out-dated manual paper or email based artwork creation and sign-off processes, even making small changes can be a lengthy and expensive exercise.

Generating artwork automatically
However, companies using Kallik’s AMS360 Automated Artwork Management Solution can make changes across all types of labelling and marketing collateral in a matter of seconds. Kallik’s end-to-end enterprise solution is designed to manage the entire labelling and packaging artwork process. AMS360 easily integrates with existing systems and allows users to initiate new projects, capture data, create artwork and approve print-ready files while keeping a fully auditable archive history.

The starting point is a web-based Asset Repository that enables business divisions to share branded assets across their organisation, which are then used to automatically generate artwork for labels, packaging and point of sale materials – in seconds. These assets include product descriptions as well as regulatory information, ingredients, etc. The powerful ‘where used’ function can easily identify where a specific phrase or image has been used, so if it needs to be changed, this can be implemented very quickly and efficiently.

A single source of truth
“We believe in having content that is a ‘single source of truth,’ says Kallik CEO Neil Gleghorn. “The original content can then be propagated to whatever communication channel you need and in whatever region or language it is required. The agility this offers when replacing a text phrase or image is where the real power lies. By changing the content or image just once, you can populate all types of collateral almost at the touch of a button.”

Compliance
Kallik’s AMS360 solution automatically creates a full archive and audit trail of the entire artwork management process, so that compliance can be proved.

For more information on how to manage changing labelling requirements efficiently, contact Kallik on + 44 (0) 1827 318 100, sales@kallik.com or visit www.kallik.com

FACTFILE:
Kallik is a software technology company that specialises in developing labelling and packaging artwork solutions. These enable businesses to generate accurate print-ready artwork automatically from a database of approved content. Clients range from SMEs to global corporations in the pharmaceutical, life science, cosmetic and chemical sectors.

Kallik has over 25 years of experience and success in the field of packaging and software development and is located in Tamworth, in the UK.

(EDITOR: So long as phosphate-free products actually  work!)

Unilever PLC announced as Grand Prix Winner at 6th International Green Awards

The 2011 International Green Awards™ in association with sponsor Celestial Green Ventures PLC are proud to announce Unilever PLC as the overall Grand Prix winner at this year’s glittering ‘green carpet’ awards ceremony held at the iconic Natural History Museum.

Sponsored by Celestial Green Ventures PLC, Unilever PLC became the 6th Grand Prix winner after an extremely close contest following in the footsteps of the China Environmental Protection Foundation, Keep Britain Tidy, Nokia, Honda and O2 from previous years.

The Grand Prix is the overall winner of the event which is judged the best amongst all the entries and which, in the opinion of the expert judging panel, has the greatest capacity to change the way society and business is perceived supported by factual evidence of systemic change.

Ms Karen Hamilton, Vice President – Sustainability, Unilever Plc pointed out: “We’re delighted to be awarded the International Green Awards™ Grand Prix and Best Green International Business Award for a large company by the influential jury of sustainability experts and luminaries.

"The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan commits us to halve the environmental impact of our products, help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being and source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably. We are making solid progress towards these goals and the International Green Awards™ are an important recognition of these efforts".

“Celestial Green Ventures felt both privileged and honoured to be the sponsors and presenters of this year’s Grand Prix award at the International Green Awards™ of special significance in this, the UN International Year of the Forest. The diversity of the entrants for this year’s awards demonstrates that embracing sustainable development in business is key in the fight against climate change and it's encouraging that business is waking up to this clarion call.

"The International Green Awards™ are a great way of highlighting and rewarding these efforts and encouraging individuals and organisations alike to actively contribute to making a positive environmental difference.” Ciaran Kelly, CEO, Celestial Green Ventures PLC

This prestigious award went to Unilever PLC by virtue of its ambitious Sustainable Living Plan, which puts the multinational company on track to reduce its impact on the environment whilst also developing and expanding as a company. Whilst each of the category winners displayed true innovation in their own sector, judges were impressed by the extent and ambition exhibited by the strategy considering the wide-ranging nature and size of the organisation, with measured progress and ambitious targets to install sustainability within all aspects of the company, forming a world leading core strategy for the future business behaviour.

While it was a close run competition for the International Green Awards™ Grand Prix winner, the judges thought that Unilever deserved the award owing to their past success, present goals and future promises towards sustainability.

The International Green Awards™ judges thought: “Unilever’s ‘Sustainable Living Plan’ reflects the most comprehensive value chain approach with ambitious goals and genuine ethos for sustainability. As a prolific global organisation, Unilever has a huge responsibility towards promoting and embodying sustainability; something that they have never been shy of, represented in the ambitious goals they have set through this plan.”

This year, the International Green Awards™ took further steps to establish the event globally, encouraging worldwide participation in all 20 categories. Entries were received from all over the world, including Bahrain, Singapore, India, Kenya, United States, Pakistan, Peru, Denmark, Australia, South Africa and Sweden amongst others.

The quality of work submitted made the judges’ task of choosing winners quite difficult. The judging criterion was based on the pillars of creativity, sustainability and effectiveness, but it was not only the high standard of the entries, but also the cultural and social variances between countries which made judging an interesting and challenging experience.

BBC veteran, Philippa Forester and sustainability author and finance expert Leo Johnson hosted the ceremony and announced winners for all 20 categories, which made up the shortlist for the overall Grand Prix Winner.

For further details of all this year’s winner and to find out how to get involved next year visit http://www.greenawards.com

ABB gives its name to new educational facility aimed at teaching new ways to save energy

ABB has given its support for a new facility built by City College Plymouth aimed at encouraging the uptake of energy efficient, sustainable technologies in industrial, commercial and residential projects in the UK.

Named the ABB Energy Centre, the hi-tech facility is the centrepiece of a pioneering new initiative being led by the College to connect education and industry with the latest low carbon technology and methods.

Working with its local partner, Western Electrical, ABB has supplied a range of equipment for use in the Centre, including its i-bus (KNX) intelligent building controls, variable speed drives, solar inverters and various instruments from its measurement products range. This equipment features throughout the Centre, which incorporates 14 purpose-built bays for demonstrating and training on a variety of energy saving technologies and techniques.

ABB's i-bus (KNX) intelligent building controls are used extensively in one of the bays. Built around a smart home scenario, the bay demonstrates how ABB's i-bus (KNX) technology can be used throughout the home to help improve energy efficiency.

The ABB Energy Centre also features technologies and training systems around grey water harvesting, solar thermal paneling, photovoltaics (PV), air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, variable speed drives and environmental monitoring systems.

ABB became involved in the project after being recommended to City College Plymouth by Stuart Morrison, MD of electrical distributor, Western Electrical.

"Western Electrical has worked closely with City College Plymouth for many years, sponsoring its electrical apprenticeship programme to help get young people into work in the electrical industry," says Stuart. "When the College came to us with the idea of building a dedicated training centre to showcase the energy efficient and environmental benefits of today's available technologies, I immediately suggested ABB to help bring the idea to fruition."

The ABB Energy Centre will also have its own dedicated conference and training facility, showcase areas and an interactive workshop. It will give both students and visiting schools an opportunity to explore a range of ideas and processes through interactive activities. Academic and commercial training will be delivered through the College with the help of ABB and construction giant Cowlin, covering the use of low carbon innovations and products.

ABB's involvement in the Energy Centre project is part of its continuing focus on encouraging UK users to help save both energy and cost through the adoption of energy efficient technologies.

"With energy efficiency and sustainability at the very core of ABB's business, we are always keen to find new ways to promote awareness of our technology and the ways in which we can help both people and companies to better manage their energy consumption," says James Haigh, General Manager for ABB's UK Low Voltage Products business. "Our involvement in City College Plymouth's Energy Centre project is a great way for us to take an active role in educating and training the workforce of the future about how they can use energy more sustainably."

The ABB Energy Centre will officially launch on 8th December 2011 and will be opened by TV presenter and sustainability champion Charlie Luxton.

Says Charlie: "The ABB Energy Centre will play a key role in demonstrating the value of low carbon technology to a variety of audiences and I am certain it will bring huge benefits to the region's economy for years to come."

As well as students, the Centre will also be open to local groups such as the ECA and NICEIC, school children, and also local companies including architects and consultants, to enable them to see how technology is offering new possibilities for saving energy and protecting the planet for future generations.

"It's great to have a location based in the south west of England that brings together the leading technologies available within the electrical industry where we can train and educate our industry to apply the environmental and technological benefits that this technology brings," says Western Electrical's Stuart Morrison.

"By appealing to everyone from architects through to young schoolchildren, the ABB Energy Centre can play a significant role in promoting the ideas of energy efficiency and sustainability to help change the world we live in."

Viv Gillespie, Principal at City College Plymouth adds: "We are thoroughly looking forward to showing what we will be able to deliver for students and companies alike at the ABB Energy Centre, which we are confident will put the College at the forefront of the sustainability agenda."

For more information about either the ABB Energy Centre or ABB's energy-saving products, please email lv.products@gb.abb.com or call 02476 368500 ref. 'Energy saving products'.

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As biodegradable nappies gain in popularity, so does home composting

As we all strive to be eco-friendly and reduce our carbon footprint, many parents are turning to biodegradable nappies as part of that strategy and to reduce the burden on landfill – and as such home composting has also become a popular practice. Home composting can seem like a major step or a daunting prospect for busy people, but it’s actually quite easy to get started and get into the habit, says gNappies – inventor of the hybrid nappy.

Home composting not only reduces landfill waste, but provides great benefit in the way of nutrients the soil will love. Research shows that almost half of home food waste could be composted, and in doing this, in just one year, save global warming gases equivalent to the CO₂ emissions a kettle produces annually or a washing machine in three months.

gNappies gives parents the option to choose between disposable nappies or cloth nappies – with the disposable element being a gRefill – an insert which is home compostable or can be disposed of in the domestic waste. In landfill, the gRefill only takes 50 – 100 days to biodegrade, compared with 500 years for a single disposable nappy. However, nothing totally biodegrades in landfill, so there are many benefits to home composting them.

Says Kim Graham-Nye, co-founder of gNappies, “Environmental issues are something that are a consideration for most people these days – and although it’s not always entirely convenient, actually once you incorporate eco-friendly habits into your everyday life it just gets easier and quickly becomes part of the normal routine. Our eco-friendly nappies help parents who want to be considerate to the environment to do so in a more convenient way, with the use of the gRefill. Home composting them is great for the environment and the soil – as the components used in the gRefill are absorbed back into the eco-system in a neutral or beneficial way.”

Parents may have been reluctant to try a non-disposable due to the perceived downtime, but changing nappies is easy with gNappies as it offers the two different options.

Kim and her husband Jason introduced the hybrid nappy concept after discovering shocking facts about disposable nappies and their impact on the environment. Around 11 million disposable nappies enter UK landfill every day, each taking up to 500 years to decompose and accounting for a third of the world’s landfill.

In addition to helping protect the environment, the gNappies range is stylish – the nappy ‘pants’ come in a range of colours, patterns and sizes. The dedicated gNappies UK website - www.gnappies.co.uk - features all the products as well as gBundle starter packs.

Professor Wangari Maathai honoured with the 2nd International Green Awards™ Lifetime Achievement Award

LONDON 25th November 2011 – The 6th International Green Awards™, in association with Climate Change - The New Economy (CCTNE), is proud to announce the Kenyan visionary, Professor Wangari Maathai was posthumously awarded the inaugural ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ sponsored by First Eastern Investment Group for her lifelong commitment to environmental protection. The Nobel Peace Laureate; environmentalist; scientist; parliamentarian; founder of the Green Belt Movement; advocate for social justice, human rights, and democracy; elder; and peacemaker; was honoured for her vast contribution to sustainability at the annual gala dinner, which took place on 24th of November 2011 at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London.

As it is the United Nations’ International Year of the Forests, it seemed fitting that the prestigious 2nd Lifetime Achievement Award be given to a woman who established perhaps the greatest tree planting initiative in the world - the Green Belt Movement. Having already become the first Eastern African woman to hold a Ph.D., Professor Wangari Maathai went on to establish this movement, which has now planted over 45 million trees in Kenya.

However, after the movement was established, it soon became clear that Maathai was fighting for a cause that spread far beyond the ecological. She insisted that the tree planting be carried out by women in the villages of Kenya, who through protecting their environment and ensuring paid employment for planting the trees, are now able to better care for their future generations. Essentially, Maathai’s unique insight was that social and economic issues were fundamentally intertwined with the environment.

In fact, the Green Belt Movement helped to profoundly improve the lives of Kenyan women and all Kenyans, through education, food-security and income, and rights- standing up to the then dictator Moi which lead to the first democratic elections in Kenya. In 2004 the Nobel committee awarded

Maathai the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to link peace, sustainable development and democracy. This was a momentous achievement, as she was not only the first African woman to win
the award, but the first environmentalist, indicating that her efforts had demonstrated that environmental protection in itself, was a path to peace.

Sadly, Maathai passed away in September 2011, and the world lost a true heroine and environmental luminary. Nevertheless, we can look back over her life and celebrate her remarkable selfless dedication to improving the environment, and enhancing the lives of women in Kenya, where her legacy continues to inspire leaders around the world. It was for this reason that the 6th International Green Awards decided to celebrate the life of Wangari Maathai by awarding her the Lifetime Achievement Award which she agreed to receive before her untimely passing.

The award was presented to Francesca de Gasparis, Europe Director of the Green Belt Movement who worked closely with Wangari for six years. The award was handed over by sponsor Ms. Elizabeth Kan, Managing Director of First Eastern Investment Group who came from Hong Kong for the occasion. A celebration of her life was screened which included a goodwill message and thanks from Wangari’s daughter Wanjira Maathai.

Francesca de Gasparis, Director of the Europe office of the Green Belt Movement commented “The International Green Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and Nobel Laureate 2004 has come at a time when we are grieving her loss to the world and celebrating her life. Wangari committed her life to planting trees, protecting forests and inspiring us all to do our bit to help create a sustainable future. Through this award, in recognition of her life, more people will come to learn of the deep commitment, humour and energy Wangari brought to the Green movement. Going forward, as Wangari used to say when she told the wonderful story of the little hummingbird- we will do the best we can!”.

For further details of the International Green Awards please visit http://www.greenawards.com or follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/GreenAwards

To view the celebration of her life and message from her daughter visit http://www.greenawards.com/about/lifetime_achievement_award/...



FACTFILE:

GREEN BELT MOVEMENT
The mission of the Green Belt Movement (GBM) is to mobilize community consciousness- using tree planting as an entry point- for self-determination, equity, improved livelihoods and security, and environmental conservation.
www.greenbeltmovement.org

FIRST EASTERN INVESTMENT GROUP
A private equity and venture capital firm specializing in expansion stage. The firm seeks to invest in manufacturing, construction, financial and real estate industries. It prefers to invest in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The firm typically invests between $1 and $10 million and a minimum annual sale of $12 million is required for all portfolio companies. It also looks for a seat on the Board of Directors and a minor stake in the portfolio company. First Eastern Investment Group was founded in 1988 is based in Hong Kong with additional offices in Shanghai Province, China; Beijing Province, China.
www.first-eastern.com

INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS
Launched in 2006 to critical acclaim, the INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS™ were set up to recognise strategies that use creativity in an engaging and effective manner, leading to more sustainable outcomes. It is now an established event on the global sustainable business-calendar.

By showcasing “best in class” examples of effective, innovative and creative approaches to sustainability, the INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS™ aims to be an agent of change. To this end, the Awards team searches the globe every year to find true influencers, leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators, identifying worldwide sustainability success stories that inspire and motivate others.
www.greenawards.com

Winner of Best Green International Celebrity Award – Gisele Bündchen

After a phenomenal response to the public vote and the short listing of three accomplished and globally recognised nominees including Sir Paul McCartney and Miguel Bose, the International Green Awards™ announced supermodel Gisele Bündchen as the distinguished overall winner for the first ever Best International Green and Responsible Celebrity Award at the Natural History Museum, London.

The public voted overwhelmingly through an online competition for the clear winner to be international supermodel Gisele Bündchen. She was heralded as the greenest media exemplar internationally for 2011 at a glittering green gala dinner where she thanked the public for their support in a video acceptance speech and gave a clarion call to all businesses and individuals to protect the rainforest. The award was collected on behalf of Gisele by Mr Nick Nuttall, Acting Communications Director and Spokesperson for the United Nations Environment Programme based in Kenya, whose organisation is behind the Billion Trees Campaign and the recently launched Green Economy Report.

Gisele commented “I am blessed to have grown up in a family that embraced the importance of nature and community coexisting in harmony. My career in the public eye has given me the opportunity to raise awareness about important socio-environmental causes in hopes of promoting a more conscious relationship with our environment.”

This accolade pertinently coincides with the UN’s International Year of the Forest as forestry protection is an issue of particular significance to Gisele. The award carries with it the responsibility to continue to promote a global green agenda through the media. Gisele’s interest in green issues began when she witnessed the effects of deforestation and water pollution in the Xingu River, which in turn led to her working with Grendene, a footwear company she knew, to use her flip-flop line to call attention to environmental causes and raise funds to sponsor environmental projects, especially forest and water related projects in the Amazon and the Atlantic Rainforest.

Goodwill Environmental Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, she has actively campaigned for a number of issues. During this year’s World Environment Day, she challenged actor Don Cheadle to see who could get more people to take action to plant a new forest. She won and will be planting her Legacy Forest in Brazil in the fall. Their combined effort tripled the activities from the previous years. In 2008, she and her family launched the Projeto Água Limpa (Clean Water Project) in her hometown Horizontina, aiming to make a difference by implementing sustainable environmental management and promoting the recovery of riparian vegetation and the region’s micro basins.

From fashion to fanfare, Gisele finds a way to share her environmental passion in various aspects of her life. Aside from designing footwear to raise awareness, Gisele also dedicates part of her website to environmental issues. She launched a “green” blog in 2008 with the tag line ‘here the fashion is to be responsible’.

To view the video of Gisele’s career and her video acceptance speech visit http://www.greenawards.com/about/best-green-celebrity/2011-w...

For further details of this years other International Green Awards™ winners please visit www.greenawards.com and follow them on Twitter http://twitter.com/GreenAwards