Beverage World - October 15, 2007 - (Page 46)

DISTRIBUTION less, and for half the cost of buying a new battery. Some beverage companies have found other green benefits from replacing their old wooden pallets with plastic ones. Bob Darnell, senior director, packaging technology for Anheuser-Busch, says the company started transitioning to plastic pallets in 2001. “Plastic pallets are 100 percent recyclable,” Darnell says, “and they’re more sanitary, you don’t have to worry about bug infestations like you do with a wood pallet—it’s just a win-win across the system.” Says Marc Brandt, beverage product manager for plastic container provider Orbis, “Wood and cardboard only last a few trips and then end up in landfills. Plastic can be continually reused, and if it ever breaks beyond repair Orbis will buy the plastic material back and recycle it.” Another increasingly common way to cut down on energy usage in a distribution facility is to replace older lighting with more energy-efficient bulbs. “A new, energy-efficient fluorescent bulb will generate a better quality of light and only use about half the energy,” says Stefan. For a greener fleet, PepsiCo spokesman David DeCecco says the blue system now uses advanced routing technologies to reduce miles and cut fuel consumption on delivery routes. “Pepsi Bottling Group has installed regulators on all its delivery vehicles to improve fuel efficiency,” he says. “It also enforces a no-idle policy to reduce fuel consumption.” Wal-Mart is doing its share to encourage greener operations. Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar says the company’s “packaging scorecard,” introduced in 2006, is a good measurement tool that allows suppliers to evaluate themselves relative to other suppliers based on specific metrics, and learn ways to improve their packaging to make it more sustainable. “The packaging scorecard is a great tool for suppliers to measure their packaging and waste creation and learn ways to have less of an impact on the environment,” Tovar says. “Whether it’s adjusting the product to package ratio, cube utilization or recycled content in the packaging, we encourage our suppliers to innovate and implement environmentally-friendly practices in their packaging creation.” Tovar continues, “We’re in a unique position to drive positive change in the area of sustainability by working with our suppliers to eliminate waste and be more energy efficient throughout the supply chain.” In the meantime, with the increasing public concern about global warming, perhaps Stefan is right when he warns, “If you don’t get ahead of this and don’t start to manage it yourself, somebody’s going to force you to manage it someday. “So be in control of your waste stream. Manage it as a revenue source rather than just getting rid of it. There are a lot of opportunities within a beverage distribution company to become a better environmental citizen.” BW 46_BEVERAGE WORLD_OCTOBER 2007 BEVERAGEWORLD.COM http://www.icedtea.com http://www.icedtea.com http://www.beverageworld.com/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Beverage World - October 15, 2007

Beverage World - October 15, 2007 Table of Contents Global Recycling Trends Editor’s Note CCE’s Recycling Initiative New Beverages: VeeV New Beverage Roundup Market Metrics: Green-Minded Consumers Cover Story: Earth’s Brewer Adina World Beat Beverages • Fetzer Vineyards Kim Jeffery, Nestlé Waters North America Sambazon Icelandic Water Holdings John Compton, PepsiCo North America Dennis Puffer, Coors Brewing Co. ITO EN Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. • Cuca Fresca Exports Jeff Seabright, The Coca-Cola Company Mendocino Wine Co. Doug Muhleman, Anheuser-Busch Seth Goldman, Honest Tea Supply Chain: Waste Management Production: Environmental Operations Operations Observations Packaging: Lightweight Bottles Trendspotting R&D: Eco Beverages • Ask the Expert Sales & Marketing: Green POS Materials Distribution: Green Fleets Distribution: Fleet of the Month: Manhattan Beer Distributors FleetBeat The Beverage World Top 100 Classifieds Ad Index

Beverage World - October 15, 2007

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