First Look plans environmental iniatives
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 12/17/2007
DEC. 14 | First Look Studios is teaming with Shorewood Packaging on an expansive environmental initiative that includes replacing plastic Amaray-style DVD cases with recycled paperboard packaging and planting trees to offset the carbon emissions associated with the manufacture and distribution of DVDs.
Starting with its May releases, First Look will deliver its screeners in Shorewood-manufactured Flip-Paks, featuring paperboard made with 100% recycled materials. The move is a first step toward replacing all retail packaging as well, according to First Look.
The first of these screeners should be sent out in January. First Look will be the debut studio to use Flip-Paks, which carry improvements over Shorewood’s earlier 100% recycled packaging designs. There is no hard disc tray, for instance, which helps simplify the package production process.
Higher expenses may be one obstacle to completely shifting to Flip-Paks, which cost a few cents more per unit than traditional Amarays, according to Shorewood execs. Additionally, retailers are set up to display traditional DVD cases and would have to change merchandising schemes to handle new sorts of packaging on a large scale. However, because Flip-Paks take up one-third less space than an Amaray case, transportation costs are reduced with the paperboard product.
“At First Look, we take pride in more than just profits,” said Dean Wilson, First Look chief operating officer. “This initiative is extremely important to the studio and our staff. We will also look to our business partners to continue this effort through to the consumer and beyond. All our futures depend on environmental responsibility.”
Shorewood also is launching a tree-planting program with First Look as its first vendor partner.
Shorewood and replication partner Technicolor are calculating the carbon emitted per disc unit. First Look has agreed to plant trees that collectively offset the carbon imprint generated from 1 million DVDs. Carbon is emitted at every step of the DVD supply chain, including material manufacturing, replication and transportation to retail.
The California-based organization Tree People will plant the trees, with planting expected to start in the spring.
Thousands of trees eventually will be planted based on First Look’s imprint calculations, according to Dustin Wills, Shorewood VP of sales.
“First Look is the first studio to set up such an impressive program to promote recycling and offset their carbon emissions from DVD finished products,” said Wills. “We look forward to a long and dynamic partnership that will push the envelope and accelerate the progress of environmental stewardship.”
