Survey says: More optimism, more hiring for US economy

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

Despite the protracted crisis in Europe and emerging concerns from China, two independent surveys commissioned by Grant Thornton revealed that executives have growing confidence in the US economy.

First, the International Business Report is a survey of 2,800 global businesses. Among its findings: Those optimistic about the US economy increased from 26% to 36% since the last survey three months earlier (global optimism rose from 34% to 36%). Those expecting to increase hiring rose from 26% to 41% (globally the number increased from 33% to 37%), and those planning to increase employee wages above inflation increased from 5% to 11%, but remain below the global average (14%).

US inflation appears to remain in check, as those planning to increase the price of their goods increased only from 35% to 38% over the last three months (globally, the figure was unchanged at 35%). There was also good news for US manufacturing as investments in plants and machinery increased from 28% to 43% (globally the number increased from 37% to 40%).

Second, the Business Optimism Index was conducted in November/December 2011 with 379 senior executives from various industries across the country responding. Its findings show that 33% of respondents believe the US economy will improve in the next six months, compared with just 18% back in August. The Index itself rose 11.8 points to 57.9, reflecting growing confidence in key economic measures: the US economy, business growth and hiring expectations.

Some of the IBR survey’s global highlights:

Country economic optimism
Canada optimism dropped from 69% of respondents down to 59%; France optimism dropped from 31% to 11%; and Hong Kong optimism dropped from 42% to 26%. Mainland China optimism increased from 30% to 39%; and India optimism increased from 69% to 75%. The six most optimistic major economies were: Brazil 78%, India 73%, Mexico 64%, Germany 62%, Australia 51% and Canada 49%.

Inflation
The highest price increases in major economies: India 66% said they would increase prices (up from 52%); Brazil 50% (up from 48%); Germany 45% (up from 39%); Mainland China 41% (down from 53%); Hong Kong 38% (down from 44%); and Canada 38% (down from 45%). The highest decrease in major economies was Japan – 41% said they would decrease prices (up from 34%), with only 7% planning to increase prices.

Jobs
The biggest increase in planned hiring in major economies was the US, from 26% of respondents saying they plan to hire to 41%; the UK 25% to 29%; and Japan 33% to 39%. The highest overall planned increase in major economies was India at 66% (slightly down from 69%), followed by Mainland China at 45% (unchanged). The biggest job slowdown was Spain, where 28% will cut workforce numbers (while 12% will increase); and France, where 15% will cut workforce and 12% will hire.

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What Camel cigarettes, Aquafresh toothpaste and Turkish candies have in common

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

Disclaimer: I attended the 2012 AIMCAL Metallized and Vacuum Coated Product of the Year competition judging last Thursday strictly as an observer. The packages highlighted here may or may not ultimately be winners. They are simply a few that stood out for me among all the entrants.

Ixxir candies in PETWIST filmPETWIST BT 1231 MBY biaxially oriented PET film is specially designed to have improved twistability for food and non-food packaging applications, such as these Ixxir Love Box candies. Said to feature excellent machinability for high-speed twist packaging with flow pack and pouch processing, the material is non-heat sealable, one-side metallized, one-side white pigmented, BOPET treated for ink and coating adhesion. Oh, and the candies are pretty good, too.

Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste cartonWhat toothpaste carton doesn’t use a hologram these days? Hmm, I can’t begin to guess, but what struck the judges–and me–was the cool 3D lens on these Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste boxes. The 18-pt SBS cartons are laminated with a 1-mil custom, registered diffraction-effect film rather than the now common, silver metallized or holographic wallpaper. The package’s 3D effect is more pronounced from several feet away from the retail shelf as the consumer walks down the store aisle.

Camel cigarettesThree varieties of Camel cigarettes come in these flip-top boxes made with 12-pt transfer-metallized SBS paperboard. The non-laminated, film-less material replaces a traditional SBS printed packaging, allowing better gluing and scoring, which are critical to maintaining the high speed of a tobacco packaging line.

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A roadmap for more effective packaging recycling in the US

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

Earth RecyclingRecognizing the limitations of the US waste management system, where only about one third of all municipal solid waste is recovered by recycling or composting, GreenBlue® released a report yesterday that assesses a variety of material-recovery systems around the world to better inform US policies and approaches.

Closing the Loop: Road Map for Effective Material Value Recovery provides a detailed systems analysis of international packaging-recovery systems, including successful collection, sorting and reprocessing technologies and infrastructures, as well as the waste-management policies that support or limit recycling.

Focusing on material recovery in several EU nations, as well as Australia and Ontario, Canada, the report presents snapshots of advanced packaging material-recovery systems and best practices that could improve recovery in the US. While much of the Road Map is focused on urban areas, it also includes a section on recovering materials in rural settings.

“Given today’s fragmented recycling landscape, it’s not enough to focus on single material types or recovery methods, incremental technology advances, or local policies,” says GreenBlue project mgr. Liz Shoch, who led the GreenBlue research and authored the report. “We need to radically increase the quantity of materials recovered and the demand for recycled materials. This report lays out a comprehensive framework for moving toward a true closed-loop system that effectively captures valuable materials for the next generation of products.”

The report is the culmination of GreenBlue’s three-year “Closing the Loop” research project—funded through a grant awarded by California’s Market Development Research Grant Program with additional support from GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition®—which promotes more effective material-recovery systems by connecting packaging designers with available recovery options.

Summarizing successes within various country, state and municipal systems internationally, the report identifies a number of emerging best practices that could be adopted within the US, such as:

  • A harmonized approach for all packaging materials, formats and end-of-life options
  • Four- or five-bin collection systems for clean, high-quality materials
  • Investment in state-of-the-art sorting technology
  • Clear and nationally-coordinated waste policies, including extended producer responsibility legislation
  • Ongoing public-education campaigns encouraging recycling and composting
  • “Hub and spoke” regional recycling in rural areas

Road Map for Effective Material Value Recovery is available free to download at www.greenblue.org/publications/road-map-for-effective-material-value-recovery

My Thoughts: As the report summarizes: “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ recovery system. Every country or state is different, and there are many ways of achieving success in packaging recovery. However, the most successful systems have structural elements in common that provide a clear foundation on which to build a packaging recovery system – one that may be tailored specifically to meet the needs of its geography, culture, and population.”

While more government intervention into our daily lives is the last thing I’d want, I’m prepared to make an exception. I think the time has come to clearly legislate and mandate packaging recycling and materials recovery on a broader scale. Certainly 50 state-wide sets of rules and regulations is better than the 3,000 US counties’ worth of plans (at a minimum), if not even more for each municipality.

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