Talk on Biodegradability and Packaging with Anne Johnson

February 9, 2011

“Biodegradability and Packaging: Finding Facts in Fiction”

Anne Johnson, Director Sustainable Packaging Coalition
February 10th,  1PM-2PM, Free and Open to the Public, light lunch provided 
Kroon Hall, Burke Auditorium
195 Prospect St.
New Haven CT

This presentation will review the current morass of biodegradability claims in packaging and tease out where the environmental benefits may lie.  Given the wide range of chemical additives that can now be used to make traditionally non-degradable materials “biodegradable”, the landscape of claims is far more complex and often as misleading as it is innovative.  Where the facts lie and when biodegradation is a benefit is an interesting study of packaging materials in different end of life scenarios, understanding what really happens in landfills, familiarity with Federal Trade Commission Green Guides, and application of standards and specifications that do not necessarily reflect conditions found in the field.

Sponsored by The Industrial Environmental Management Program at the Yale School of Forestry with major funding from Nestle Waters.