Editor’s Note: The world of printing is evolving, with sustainability a huge topic throughout the supply chain. Lisa Pruett, president, Packaging Solutions, Forms and Labels for RRD, offers her insights into the changes we are seeing, and how sustainability is factoring into many of the decisions being made on the packaging side, including the selection of inks.

Ink World: What are the key packaging markets that RRD is serving?

Lisa Pruett: RRD supports clients across a variety of industries including food and beverage, health, beauty and personal care, consumer electronics, life sciences, collectible cards, and more. We strive to offer the broadest range of paperboard packaging types and enhancements in the market, providing an end-to-end process including concept, structural design, production, and delivery. For bundled solutions, RRD’s end-to-end services complete the package with graphic design, prime and shipping labels, and in-box literature.


Ink World: Are RRD’s customers putting sustainability in the forefront of discussions on packaging?

Lisa Pruett: Absolutely. Our clients are emphasizing sustainability in their packaging decisions. In RRD’s Unpackaging Reality Report, 94% of respondents agreed sustainability is a key consideration in packaging and label decisions. We see this play out when clients turn to RRD for suggestions on how to make their paperboard packaging more sustainable or redesign their plastic packaging and switch to paperboard as a more eco-friendly option. 


Ink World: What are the elements of sustainability that packaging touches on (recycling/end of life strategies, for example)?

Lisa Pruett: Sustainability is more than surface-level. Using biodegradable or recyclable materials is a great start. Reducing material used by virtue of lighter weights or smaller footprint in a package design is another important step to minimizing potential waste.

However, sustainability doesn’t end there. Any material choices should be considered within the context of a company’s operations and supply chain needs. This is to ensure that these well-intended changes don’t backfire because they fail to provide adequate product protection or trigger potential issues on the packaging line due to differences in handling.

Additionally, packaging and labeling materials, inks, and other components should be considered with an eye toward their total carbon footprint. Certain materials and inks can be more energy intensive to manufacture or generate greater emissions in transportation depending on where the supplier is located. Sustainability should be evaluated across a variety of factors. 


Ink World: How can the choices made in terms of packaging help brand owners meet their sustainability goals?

Lisa Pruett: Sustainability is a unique journey for every company. There is no “one-size-fits-all” roadmap to follow – instead, it is important for companies to consider their sustainability goals alongside business goals and work with suppliers on changes that can be sustained.

Thinking in phases over the long-term is also a sound approach to ensure a sustainability strategy can scale with a company’s growth. Additionally, it’s critical to know the difference between sustainability as perception vs. actual sustainability. Buying into trends that just signal sustainability to consumers doesn’t deliver the same reductions in waste, energy usage, and CO2 emissions as a thoughtful, incremental long-term strategy.

RRD works with brands to take actionable steps that lead to real results so companies can walk the walk rather than just talk the talk. There are many considerations: the structural needs of a package, ensuring that any material reduction won’t compromise its integrity and durability; using materials that still provide the right amount of product protection so they don’t get damaged and become waste themselves; all the potential reverberations of a material change on packaging operations, transportation of both raw material and finished goods, and warehousing to ensure compatibility with the needs of the supply chain–instead of line stoppages and product waste. These are the actions that matter most.


Ink World: How does RRD work with its customers to help make sustainable choices?

Lisa Pruett: RRD’s first priority is to understand our clients’ specific sustainability goals, so we can provide tailored solutions that will move them closer to achieving their objectives. RRD provides its clients guidance on right-sizing, material reduction, component substitution, and treatment or decorative options that help brands reach their sustainability goals while connecting with their customers.

With multiple manufacturing sites across North America, there is value in RRD’s production existing close to the point of delivery to reduce freight time, expense, and the associated lower carbon footprint.


Ink World: How does RRD work with its suppliers, and in particular, how does the choice of inks aid in sustainability?

Lisa Pruett: RRD works with suppliers to offer our clients inks that are compatible with recycling requirements. For example, we recently worked with a client to offer a two-fold solution with a soy-based ink that aligned with the sustainability characteristics of a hemp, straw, and recycled cotton fiber paperboard.

Revising ink and design details to become more sustainable does not mean sacrificing luxury or aesthetically appealing packaging. Using different print embellishments, textures, and finishing techniques may even improve the perception of value while also enhancing the recyclability.


Ink World: Is there anything you would like to add?

Lisa Pruett: The key to sustainability in packaging is taking a holistic approach – it is critical for companies to not just seem sustainable, but to make changes that will ultimately have an impact on their sustainability goals. Sustainability does not have to be a complex, mystical process – RRD helps its clients make actionable, foundational decisions that help them reduce waste and increase efficiency, all while maintaining output.

Lisa Pruett is the President of Packaging Solutions, Forms and Labels at RRD, a leading global provider of marketing and business communications.  As a high-energy and dynamic leader, Lisa built a career in the packaging industry by transforming cultures, chaos, and bottom lines. Before joining RRD, Lisa worked for several packaging organizations in sales and operations leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Lisa earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an MBA from Georgia State University, and a masters of science in finance from the University of Michigan, Dearborn. She honorably served as an ordnance officer in the U.S. Army and is a Desert Storm veteran. Her belief in a lifetime of service has led her to volunteer with several faith- and veteran- based organizations as well as serve on various mid-market company boards of advisors. Lisa and her husband reside in Cincinnati with their two sons.