1. Frustration-Free Packaging

2. Recyclable Packaging

As we’ve found in our research too, convenience often trumpts the eco-message, but they tie together nicely.

I also appreciate the sense of humor they’ve used in using “Frustration-Free.”

Here’s the full article:

Source: Amazon.com
Published: Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Amazon.com has launched “Frustration-Free Packaging,” a new initiative designed to make it easier for customers to liberate products from their packages. Amazon is focusing first on two kinds of items: those enclosed in hard plastic cases known as “clamshells” and those secured with plastic-coated wire ties, commonly used in toy packaging.
Frustration-Free Packaging is being launched in the U.S. with 19 bestselling products from leading manufacturers including Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and electronics manufacturer Transcend. The product is exactly the same - Amazon has just streamlined the packaging. The project will expand across Amazon’s international sites beginning in 2009.

“I think we’ve all experienced the frustration that sometimes occurs when you try to get a new toy or electronics product out of its package,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “It will take many years, but our vision is to offer our entire catalog of products in Frustration-Free Packaging. We’d like to thank Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend for working with us in this effort - we truly appreciate it.”

In addition to making packages easier to open, a major goal of the Frustration-Free Packaging initiative is to be more environmentally friendly by using less packaging material.

One of the first products to launch with Frustration-Free Packaging is the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship, which is now delivered in an easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard box. The new packaging eliminates 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties, 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts and 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials. Also eliminated are 175.25 square inches of PVC blisters, 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners.

Small items, such as memory cards, are also good candidates for Frustration-Free Packaging. Typically encased in oversized plastic clamshells to deter shoplifting, memory cards are then placed inside larger cardboard boxes for shipment to customers. Working with Transcend, Amazon has eliminated the hard-to-open clamshell and the need for an additional box. Instead, the cards will now ship inside recyclable cardboard envelopes which use less material. Amazon is working to shrink the envelope size even further.

Customers can order select items from Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend in the new Frustration-Free Packaging for immediate delivery. The current collection of Frustration-Free products can be seen by going to www.amazon.com/packaging.

Energy Efficiency Finalists
Viridis Earth - 2008 Winner
NexChem - 2008 Runner up
Atomic Precision Systems Inc.
Enovative Group
Transoptic
WicKool, dba Cooling Corp

Green Building Finalists
BottleStone - 2008 Winner
GroundSource Geo - 2008 Runner up
Solar Red - 2008 Runner up
Green Design Systems
GreenHomeAnswers.com
Inflatable WORLD
ISTN
Parco Homes
S3

Renewables Finalists
Focal Point Energy - 2008 Winner
Renewable Fuel Technologies - 2008 Runner up
Covalent Solar
IEM Applications
Solar Ice
Solindis

Smart Power Finalists
Power Assure - 2008 Winner
Energy Empowered - 2008 Runner up
1ARC Energy
Chemergy
Cooler
Enverity Corporation
Tangerine Network Devices

Transportation Finalists
ElectraDrive - 2008 Winner
Goose Networks - 2008 Runner up
AAA Fleets aka AAraya
E-Chargers
Electric Vehicle Research Company
ElectronVault, Inc.
Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics
Fuel Motion, Inc.
Philo Fuel

Finalists compete in one of six categories, vying for the winning prize of “$100,000 Start-Up in a Box” prize package that includes all of the business essentials necessary to help take clean technology ideas from a concept to a successful business.

Finalist profiles are available at www.CleanTechOpen.com. The finalists are:

Air, Water & Waste category – Prize Co-Sponsor Grundfos:
• Clean Coal Inc.: Removes contaminants from coal
• Over the Moon Diapers: High performance reusable diapers and service network
• Porifera: Carbon nanotube membrane for reverse osmosis desalination
• PURE-T: Salt free water softener using nanobeads
• Purite: Zero-energy chemical-free whole house water filtration
• SequesCO: Microbial CO2 capture and conversion to biofuel
• Waste Water Works (WWW): Microbial wastewater treatment also generates electricity

Energy Efficiency category – Prize Sponsors PG&E, SCE and SDG&E:
• Atomic Precision Systems Inc.: New semiconductor process for ultra-cheap LED lighting
• Enovative Group: Smart pump for hot water circulation
• NexChem: Energy-saving process improvement for zinc galvanizing
• Transoptic: Solar energy assistance for conventional water heaters
• Viridis Earth: Domestic HVAC retrofit to improve efficiency
• WicKool: Energy efficient water recovery for existing rooftop air conditioning

Green Building category:
• BottleStone: Ceramic stone countertops include 80% recycled glass
• en-vis-age: Green, modular and customizable buildings
• Green Design Systems: Straw wall building panels
• GreenHomeAnswers.com: Home improvement website for green products and services
• GroundSource: Residential geothermal system with installation services
• ISTN: Eco-friendly building insulation
• Parco Homes: Manufactured green (zero net energy) home kits
• Solar Red: Low cost rooftop PV installation system and components
• Team Wawa: Water-conserving shower system

Renewables category – Prize Sponsors Google, PG&E, and SCE:
• Covalent Solar: Organic thin film solar concentrators
• Focal Point Energy: Solar thermal water heater for industrial processes
• IEM Applications: Landfill methane accelerated recovery
• Renewable Fuel Technologies: Agricultural waste biomass converted to Green Coal
• Solar Ice: Solar powered ice maker
• Solindis: Optical solar concentrator for thin film PV

Smart Power category – Prize Sponsors AMD and Siemens TTB:
• 1ARC Energy: Higher capacity lithium-ion batteries
• Cooler: Carbon calculator to allow B2B targeted advertising in LOHAS
• Energy Empowered: Home display and control to reduce standby power usage
• Enverity Corporation: Greenhouse gas tracking and compliance
• Power Assure: Data center energy management software service
• Renewable Voltage: Treats organic waste to provide hydrogen and energy storage
• Tangerine Network Devices: Home energy display and control

Transportation category – Prize Sponsor Lexus:
• AAA Fleets: Turnkey electric vehicles and solar charging systems for fleets
• E-Chargers: Plug-in hybrid charging station
• ElectraDrive: Gas to electric drivetrain auto conversion
• Electric Drive Research: Plug-in/gas hybrid 2 person, 3 wheel sports car
• ElectronVault, Inc.: More efficient traction battery for hybrids
• Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics: Flexible engine sound generator for quiet cars
• FuelMotion: Series hybrid conversions for the developing world
• Goose Networks: Hosted dynamic scheduler for carpools/vanpools
• Philo Fuel: GPS-based audiovisual cues to help drivers optimize fuel efficiency

All 44 finalists may take part in a series of comprehensive entrepreneur summer workshops sponsored by the Cleantech Circle and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and additionally receive mentoring services from a group of volunteers including successful technology entrepreneurs and other business experts.

Following formal pitches by the finalists to the judging panels, CTO will select six winners and present them with their prizes at the grand final event on November 6, 2008.
Past CTO finalists have gone on to raise more than $70 million of VC funding in two years, not including the revenue gained from substantial customer contracts. Plus, of the 95 alumni companies, more than 84 percent are still viable businesses. For more information on the current finalists and alumni companies, visit www.CleanTechOpen.com

• New Leaf Paper
  Excellent quality for professional grade papers.
• Gray’s Harbor Paper
  They offer recycled Xerographic, Laser Copy and Offset papers with 40% and 100% Post Consumer Waste.   Gray’s Harbor will also be testing the sale of 100% post consumer paper at Costco.
• Mr. Ellie Pooh
  This elephant dung paper is beautiful – really!  Perfect for invitations for your best customers.  This paper is the result of an elephant conservation program in Sri Lanka.  This wonderful program protects the elephants while providing jobs for the people of Sri Lanka.
• Kenaf, from Vision Paper
  Kenaf is a quick growing, CO2 absorbing plant.  The finished paper feels soft, like flannel.
• Hemp papers
  Yes, you’ll be seeing more of this coming our way.  It’s another quick growing plant that can be grown pesticide free.  As a bit of trivia, the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp.