Green Packaging case study to include:

4 Facts - List 4 facts that you identify from the case study.

Identify the 4 Areas of Marketing (Product, Price, Promotion and Distribution).

2 Problems - Identify minimum of 2 problem issues in the case study.

2 Alternative Solutions - Identify 2 alternative solutions to solve the issues.

2 Questions - Answer the 2 questions in complete sentences.

chapter i4 a RETAILERS. WHOLESAlERS. AND DlRECT MARKETERS Case 14.1 Green Packaging: Is the Price Right? Envimnrncntalists and others have long pointed out the waste caused by the excess use (ii paper and plastic :11 packaging U.S. goods. In recentyeats, some companies have worked to reduce "' to higher freight "o'r transit costs, higher manufacturing costs, and the amount of excess packaging and, in fact, most major food and beverage companies have rallied to the cause. McDonald's responded to the complaints about waste by dis continuing plastic foam or cardboard boxes for many of its food items and by designing packaging that can be recycled or com- posted. Many Micky D's sandwiches are now wrapped, simply, in paper. Although it has cut back substantially on unnecessary pack- aging, the company plans to do more in the future. The Coca-Cola Company, many of whose products are sold in plastic bottles, spent $60 million to build the world's largest plasticvbottle recycling plant. The company's goal is to recycle or reuse 100 percent of the plastic bottles it uses in the United States. The firm has also redesigned its emblematic glass contour bottle to make it lighter, less expensive, and more impact-resistant. Introduced in 2000, the \"Ultra Glass" bottle has already saved 52,000 metric tons of glass and reduced carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 26,000 tons. WeiMart has worked to promote sustainable packaging in both its Wei-Mart and Sam's Club outlets. Pledging to \"remove. reduce, and reuse," the company has adOpted a multipoint approach to sustainable packaging and aims to be "packaging neu- tral by 2025." in other words, it plans to boost the amount of pack- aging Wal~Mart and Sam's Club stores recover or recycle to equal the amount used by the products on its shelves. But in the continuing debate over green packaging, some critics assert that sustainable packaging is more expensived no the like. And because green packaging is more costly, they argue, it shouldn't be pursued as an alternative. Others point to the tried-andutrue fact of supply and demand. People's demand for green packaging, they say, will lead to greater supply and, ultimately, lower costs. Throughout modern history, businesses have sought ways to produce their goods more eff\" cientiy and more costeffectively to enhance profits. And while the costs of green packaging may not have bottomed outjust yet, they claim, the more people understand and embrace the concept, the sooner it will become the norm. Questions for Critical Thinking 1. With most food and beverage companies now developing sustainable packaging, Is it possible for them to use this con- cept as a competitive advantage? 2. Into what aspects of its retailing strategy could a marketer incorporate the notion of green packaging? Sources: Company Web sites, www.mcdo naldsco m, www.thecoca-colacompa ny .co m. and www.mlma rtstorescom, accessed May 22. 2009: John Kalkowski, \"Opening the Package: An Overview of Trends in Packaging Claims,\" Packaging Digest, accessed at the Federal Trade Commission Web site, wwwhcgov, May 22, 2009,- Dennis Salazar, "Sustainable Packaging: Cost vs. Price,\" Greenilete, .iune id, 2008, www.greenblz.com,' Brian Reilly, r"Transportation: Driving Sustainable Results," Packaging World, November 14, 200?, wwwpackworldcom; Kevin T. Higgins. \"Packaging Trends Survey: The Yearof Living Sustainably,\" Food Engineering, September 5, 200?, wwwfoodengineeringmagcom. 4B3