News
Soap Box - are Dragons' Den claims over lack of green knowledge justified?
Two of the multimillionaires in BBC business show Dragons' Den last week invested £60,000 in recycled box start-up The Tiny Box Company. It was great news for packaging to get some positive coverage - and to show its green credentials.
However, during the show, Tiny Box co-founder Rachel Watkyn claimed that packaging firms she had contacted were confused by the difference between recycled and recyclable packaging – in fact, this was one of the reasons why she set up on her own.
Click here to read the full article on Tiny Box’s success
In this week's Soap Box, we want your views on whether Watkyn is right. If so, how should the level of environmental knowledge in packaging companies be improved? Is there a market for purely recycled boxes, and should packaging companies follow Tiny Box’s example and push their recycling credentials?
Log in, either under your own name or a pseudonym, and let us know your opinions. We'll be publishing a write-up of the sector's views on Friday's Daily Bulletin and may use some of the comments in October's Packaging News magazine.
Advertisement
Comments
DANJIM MARKETING - 10 September 2008
It is encouraging to see recycled packaging in the market; we feel that there is a bigger picture to offering recycled products. Having industry experience and knowledge is paramount; rather than sourcing cheap imports from the Far East. Offering recycled products has to be part of a sustainable approach. The way the raw material is sourced, using non-petrochemical inks, handles made from recycled materials, non-toxic glues and using PCW. This is in addition to having environmental policies, socail and ethical auditing strategies in place.
It is about quality, credentials and credibility; pioneering new innovations and not just copying what is out in the market already.
As the packaging market continues to consolidate it will be the businesses that are leading through new product development, innovation and a full sustainable approach that will remain pioneering in the market.
Thomas Chimes - 10 September 2008
Watkyn is obviously using the wrong packaging suppliers if they are not aware of the difference between recycled and recyclable.
To be honest, if some people in the industry do not understand the difference, how can they defend themselves against the public perception of them, the general public have been told time and again by this government about how bad packaging is (whilst they were busy driving this country towards recession) and unfortunately, if you are told something often enough, you start to believe it !
I am just waiting for Labour to blame the 'credit crunch' on supermarkets not buying enough one use plastic carrier bags now....
James Smith - 10 September 2008
I'm surprised at Watkyn's comment but as Thomas says there certainly is public confusion over all this. It's so frustrating how much misinformation there is about packaging around.
Still, well done to The Tiny Box Company - I saw the show and thought you stood up for yourselves brilliantly. Looking forward to seeing how you get on in the months and years to come.
Albert Shuttleworth - 10 September 2008
I agree with the posters above, it was great to see the green credentials of packaging making mainstream media. However Watkyn's claims of the packaging not knowing the difference between "Recycled" and "Recyclable" by no means reflect the reality.
The majority of the industry, especially the leaders are fantstically well briefed and put across the industry's credentials very well.
I would expect that when she was doing her "extensive market research" (by her own admission she only called 30 suppliers) she was most likely calling 'generic packaging merchants', not packaging manufacturers. there is a distinct difference in knowledge, expertise and experience. She certainly did not make this clear, at least in the edited / aired version of the pitch.
Did anyone else think the boxes looked extremely shabby?
James Smith - 10 September 2008
Duncan Bannatyne obviously thought so. I'd love to see what the boxes look like now with a bit of input from Theo and Peter...
Albert, I suspect you may be on to something with your comments about editing - it's very easy for things like this to be edited so that they say something rather different to what was meant.
Peter Martin - 09 October 2008
As one who has been involved to a point, knows several others who have been on, and is still dealing with proper VCs, let there be no illusions that anything on Dragon's Den bears any similarity to reality.
It is there to make good TV ratings; no more, no less.
How many 'successes' have foundered, out of the limelight, subsequently because of 'issues' with due diligence or even IP? They know about these going in yet run 'em anyway as it makes for a show, not a great business partnership.
Personally, on the eco-side, I am more into the potential of built-in reuse in design.
But there are a few who seem golden AND green. Trying to get Mr. Caan now, as his investment in rapstrap's £35M (claimed) seems handsome, and with the RE:tie we have been touting enviro-friendly eco-packaging design for a wee while now.
One thing is for sure, few big names in the big names are very good at thinking outside the box (ahem), much less at the potential of thinking about how sales can be generated simply by using it too.
Peter Martin - 09 October 2008
As one who has been involved to a point, knows several others who have been on, and is still dealing with proper VCs, let there be no illusions that anything on Dragon's Den bears any similarity to reality.
It is there to make good TV ratings; no more, no less.
How many 'successes' have foundered, out of the limelight, subsequently because of 'issues' with due diligence or even IP? They know about these going in yet run 'em anyway as it makes for a show, not a great business partnership.
Personally, on the eco-side, I am more into the potential of built-in reuse in design.
But there are a few who seem golden AND green. Trying to get Mr. Caan now, as his investment in rapstrap's £35M (claimed) seems handsome, and with the RE:tie we have been touting enviro-friendly eco-packaging design for a wee while now.
One thing is for sure, few big names in the big names are very good at thinking outside the box (ahem), much less at the potential of thinking about how sales can be generated simply by using it too.
Peter Martin - 09 October 2008
Only clicked once... honest!
To post comments please log in here