When people say sustainable packaging, they typically default to renewable materials as the sustainable solution. However, like most things having to do with sustainability, the issue is more complex. The sustainability of renewable materials has as much to do with understanding and managing the systems associated with them as it does with the intrinsic “renewable” characteristics of the material itself. There are a number of concepts related to renewable resources that are important to understand, and we'll explore some of them in this and future columns.

There are a range of misperceptions and a lack of solid definitions when we get down to the nitty-gritty of what we mean by the terms “renewable resources” or “renewable materials.” Solar energy, water, air and trees are all considered renewable. However, when talking about packaging, we're generally referring to fiber- and other bio-based, renewable materials.

A Merriam Webster definition of renewable includes “capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices.” This definition leaves the door wide open for what a renewable material might be. GreenBlue's definition is more precise: Renewable materials are derived from biological systems and can be biodegraded and readily re-incorporated into the biosphere where they provide nutrients for a new cycle of biological production.

It's worth noting, however, that just because a material is “natural” or renewable does not, by default, mean it's sustainable. Sustainability implies a balance in a system—between the quality and capacity of an ecosystem to generate materials and the rate with which materials and nutrients are removed from that system.

The sustainability of a renewable material depends ultimately on the productivity of the ecosystem from which it originates. Some agrarian societies have cultivated the same plot of land for a thousand years and understand that sustainable yields depend on the productivity of the soil ecosystem. Forests are no different. Recognition of this critical connection between renewable materials and their foundation in ecological and soil sources is reflected in the forest products and agricultural sectors by certification systems. These promote best practices for the production and extraction of materials with the goal of ensuring the health of the underlying ecosystems.

Extractive materials industries, by their nature, generate significant environmental impacts, and to date, the forest products and agricultural sectors are some of the first to have recognized and respected certification systems as a way to promote the sustainable sourcing of renewable materials. Certification systems provide an additional measure through which users of renewable materials can support and encourage the use of sustainable practices and materials. This is an important element to consider when using renewable materials. Other extractive industries lag significantly in this regard.

434/817-1424, anne.johnson@greenblue.org