Environmental Amenities Increasingly Important
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Companies producing and marketing their products in New Zealand are increasingly aware of the need to be environmentally friendly.
Health Pak, a 100 per cent New Zealand owned and operated company, known for its innovative use of native plants as ingredients, is well aware of the need to produce its products in the greenest possible packaging material. The company's success in promoting indigenous ingredients, along with innovative designs and world leading work in environmental packaging, has seen Health Pak's local and exports expand rapidly in recent years, taking products such as its Natural Earth range out into the hotels of a number of countries.
As well as its own products, Health Pak also carries out contract packing for several international airlines and multinational hotel chains, which has meant that all its products must be certified to the highest standards.
Sales and marketing manager James Kennedy-Grant says Health Pak has spent years of research to develop the most environmentally friendly guest amenities suitable for this country.
"Our research showed that many of the potentially green packaging options simply don't work here as they require infrastructure that New Zealand doesn't have. In many cases, overseas packaging which claims to be biodegradable, compostable or recyclable, simply isn't in New Zealand and is breaching the Fair Trading Act by claiming to be so. Health Pak has concentrated on developing solutions that work here.
"Health Pak chooses to use fully recyclable plastics for all its bottles and caps rather than produce compostable options which can't be processed in New Zealand and simply go into landfills. If it can't be practically recycled, it should be made from a degradable packaging material, but it must be suitable for landfill - not compostable. We produce more than 200,000 sugar sachets a day, and each and every one of them is 100 per cent degradable in landfill.
"We make on average a million products a day. Anything we can do to make them greener, we do.
Health Pak's hair and body care formulations are all fully degradable and have been for more than a decade. Health Pak skin and hair care products are made to very mild and uncomplicated formulations, making them very safe to use." And because no unnecessary ingredients are used, unused soaps can be returned to Health Pak which passes them on to select companies that convert them back into bio fuels and other commercial applications.
Health Pak's reputation for producing products and containers that do not harm the environment, have paid off in economic terms. For more than 20 years. Health Pak has exported increasing quantities of its products to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Smaller quantities are sent to Europe and the Middle East. But in the last three or four years, the company has found a ready and growing market for its high quality and environmentally friendly products in the United States where the potential market is vast. "The Americans love the fact that we value the environment," said Mr Kennedy-Grant.
Astro Hospitality markets products from Concept Amenities, a company that has been in operation for more than 27 years and developed ranges of Environmentally Responsible Products (ERP). Concept Amenities claims all products carrying the ERP logo feature biodegradable components.
"ERP plastic packaging materials contain Eco Pure, an organic based additive that renders any plastic material biodegradable in landfill," says Astro national sales manager, Reuben Beatson. "Eco Pure changes the molecular structure of plastic once the material is discarded in landfill.
Biodegradation can occur in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, so industrial composting is not required. ERP products currently meet recycling standards and can still be recycled using local New Zealand recycling facilities."
Hanview NZ Ltd's house brand ranges in the New Zealand market include Leo Peppard, Tabrar & Earle and Ecolo-Luxe. Managing director Jason Williams says the international company's cosmetics have all been formulated in the company's Canadian laboratory and are bio-degradable and contain no parabens. "All our liquids are biodegradable and some of our packaging has a biodegradable paper wrap. The bottles, tubes and some of the packaging are recyclable," he said.
Hanview's most innovative product is it's recent eco-designer dispenser, said Mr Williams. "Hanview has invested heavily in a dispenser that not only looks great but also contains our high grade eco-friendly cosmetics. They not only save properties up to 70 per cent on their amenity costs, they save the environment from having thousands of small plastic bottles dumped into landfills."
