Mass Media
Success
An American company gains the spotlight through sustainability
Mass Media Success Story of an American Company
US EPA Waste Wise Honors Command Packaging
(1/28/2015) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the accomplishments of Command Packaging in EPA's WasteWise program for reducing their climate footprint, improving efficiency, helping communities and achieving cost savings through waste reduction. The WasteWise program helps organizations and businesses apply sustainable materials management practices to reduce municipal and industrial wastes.
Fourteen WasteWise participants reported preventing and diverting a total of nearly 7.6 million tons of waste from being disposed in landfills or incinerators in 2013. This amount of waste diversion represents a reduction in greenhouse gases equivalent to taking more than 2.3 million passenger vehicles off the road for one year. Read the full press release >>>
Stock Bag Update
California State Plastic Bag Ban, SB 270, Approved by Governor Brown
Approved by Governor Brown into Law
Early this morning, on September 30, 2014, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 270 - creating the first single-use bag ban approved by any state legislature, into law.
The measure bans grocery stores, convenience stores and retailers with pharmacies from handing out single-use grocery bags (both non-recycled paper and plastic bags) with customers' purchases.
This information is simply a summary made available for your convenience (subject to change). We encourage our readers to review the actual ordinance when it is made available for specific requirements and more information.
Ban Ban Overview:
- Local bans: Bill prohibits a local public agency from enforcing, implementing, or adding any amendments to the bans as defined in the ordinance on or after September 1, 2014, except to increase the charge of bags no less than the minimum defined in the ordinance. Any local laws passed prior to this date may continue to be enforced.
- Effective July 1, 2015, large retailers affected: Grocery Stores and Retailers with Pharmacies (10,000 square feet of retail floor space and annual sales of $2 million)
- Effective July 1, 2016, businesses affected: Convenience food store, food mart, or other entity that is engaged in the retail sales of dry groceries and goods intended to be consumed off premises (i.e. canned foods, milk, alcohol…)
- Single-use bags banned: affected stores are prohibited from selling or distributing single-use carryout bags (plastic and non-recycled paper bags) at the point of sale.
- Compostable bags offered in jurisdictions that meet specified requirements must charge no less than $0.10.
- Meet ASTM D6400 composting standard - labeled in accordance with applicable state law
- Recycled paper bag minimum charge to consumers: $0.10
- PCR in paper bags: 40% post-consumer recycled material in paper bags. 20% post-consumer recycled material in an 8 point or smaller recycled paper bag.
- Recycled paper bag labeling/print: name of the manufacturer, country of origin, and the minimum percentage of post-consumer content
- Reusable bag minimum charge to consumers: $0.10
- Certification of reusable bag manufacturer: third party certification performed by an independent accredited (ISO/IEC 17025) laboratory and reported to the Department of Resources and Recovery with proof of certification and name of supplier of the recycled content
- Reusable bag durability and quality standards: has a handle, designed for 125 uses, carries 22 pounds over a distance of 175 feet, volume capacity of 15 liters, machine washable or made from a material that can be cleaned and disinfected.
- Reusable bags print or label requirements: name of the manufacturer, country of origin, statement that the bag is a reusable bag, designed for at least 125 uses, if eligible for recycling in the state include a recycling instruction along with chasing arrows recycling symbol or the term ''recyclable''.
- Reusable plastic bags minimum thickness: 2.25 mil gauge
- Effective January 1, 2016, reusable plastic bags PCR: minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled material, be recyclable, and label or print with statement of the post-consumer percentage.
- Effective January 1, 2020, reusable plastic bags PCR content increase: 40% post-consumer recycled material, be recyclable, and label or print with statement of the post-consumer percentage.
- Reusable bags made from natural or synthetic fabric including, but not limited to woven or non woven nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene-terphthalate, or Tyvek must also have a fabric weight minimum of 80 grams per square meter.
2014 Holiday Sales Expected Early - be prepared with Holiday Stock Bags
Why are retail stores pushing the
Holidays earlier and earlier?
According to Time Magazine's report on consumer sales, "The reason stores are pushing the holidays earlier and earlier is quite simple: The competition for sales is fierce, and retailers want to beat their rivals to the punch to get those consumer dollars first. Retailers want to get the final holiday shopping dollars to be spent by consumers."
Changes to Discontinued Product Announcement
We will NOT discontinue the 22x18x8 bags in either the retail Super Wave® or Ameritote® styles. Please reference the revised list below for the stock items that will be discontinued.Please disregard the earlier notice.
Meet us at the RPA Show, March 5-7, 2014
If you are planning on attending the RPA Show (March 5-7, 2014) please stop by Command's Booth #504 to learn more about what's new at Command:
Command Packaging and Bunzl Distribution USA Partner to Bring Bag Ban Compliant Reusable Plastic Bags to Grocers
Los Angeles, CA (January 9, 2014) – Command Packaging, a US manufacturer of reusable shopping and restaurant bags, today announced a new partnership with Bunzl Distribution USA to bring smarterbags™ - bag ban compliant reusable plastic bags – to grocers in areas where bag bans have eliminated ultra-thin plastic t-shirt bags.
Restaurants and Retail Shops are Exempt from LA City's Bag Ban
Restaurants and retail shops are exempt from the LA bag ban.
The Los Angeles Bag Ban on single use disposable bags will take effect on Jan. 1, 2014, at grocery stores and pharmacies.
Command Packaging Scheduled to Open State-of-the-Art Recycling Facility
in the Heart of Farm Country in Salinas, CA
The facility will create 500 green jobs and recycle more than 100 million pounds of agricultural plastic annually.