It’s 2011 and little is being done for this planet on which we live! Remember the ‘green’ revolution that started before the financial crisis? And as the situation seems now, it looks as though little, or indeed nothing has really been done in the DVD business.
Well, maybe that’s not quite true! There have been a few companies out there who have invented new technologies and products like the EcoDisc a carbon light DVD and FSC paper. However little has been done to implement these and other technologies on a large scale.
On a more positive note, the DVD/Blu-Ray industry has managed to go a little greener. A few years ago, in the US, Walmart asked one of its DVD suppliers — 20th Century Fox — to be a part of a pilot for a carbon reduction project. They made simple changes to make DVD packaging lighter, which in effect cut energy use by 28%. This reduced the lifecycle carbon emissions of these DVDs by about 25,000 tons. It had a big multiplier effect, too, because the lighter packages were also used on DVDs sold at stores other than Walmart. The change also evolved from movies to video games and software too. Small change — big cumulative effect.
The environmental impact of the manufacturing industry is not only down to the big companies.
When choosing CD/DVD/Blue-ray duplication, consider the environment. The least negative impact your final product or promotional material has the greater support you offer the environment. When and where possible use the least amount of packaging. Ask yourself does the disc need to be in a plastic box or will a cardboard wallet as offer by companies such as Duplication Centre be a better eco-friendly option. Not only does it take up less space, it uses fewer resources to produce and transport and can naturally biodegrade when no longer needed, meaning less to go in land fill.
The environmental impact CD/DVD/Blue-ray duplication has is in all our hands. There are many things businesses small and large can do and if put in place wisely, will further help reduce the carbon footprint (considerably). Let’s remember it’s all cumulative.
Archive for the ‘The Environment’ Category
Going Greener?
Monday, September 12th, 2011What is the future of green packaging?
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
There is more interest in recyclability than in developing alternative materials
No packaging company can afford to be labelled as ‘environmentally unfriendly’. Consequentially, green awareness is seen as a powerful asset to boost sales. Unfortunately – as there still are no clear rules for naming a particular product ‘green’ – this often leads to overstated claims and the overall devaluation of the term.
One such example would be claiming that discs with only slightly reduced emission of CO2 are ‘green’; whereas this obviously is not a straight forward case.
Clearly there is a need for special regulation on this issue so that the consumers are fully informed about what they buy. Similar regulation is already to be put in place by the EU with regard to orange juice.
On the other hand, event the noblest of concerns – such as the environmental ones – have to be reconciled with customers’ needs. These however often tend to contradict each other; like the demand for reduced costs and increased sustainability. It seems that many will applaud minimizing environmental impact, but only few are willing to carry the weight of the costs involved. Especially that – since the packaging is a part of the product rather than an instant throwaway – there is more interest in recyclability than in developing alternative materials; no matter how sophisticated.
Again, it is necessary to carefully estimate the costs: is putting extra financial effort in producing yet thinner discs – which are recyclable to the same extent as the currently produced thin discs – economically viable?
The current data seems to suggest that the customers are more concerned about sustainability and less willing to experiment with new technologies.
Green half-thickness DVDs – as good as they say?
Friday, July 30th, 2010
Green half-thickness DVDs - do they really work?
With society’s growing occupation with ‘going green’, people are starting to ask what the bulk DVD duplication industry can do to help the cause. Thus the half-thickness ‘green’ DVD, or ‘EcoDisc’, was invented.
Just like a normal disc, this DVD can store audio, visual and text information on it, yet unlike the standard disc it comes at only half the thickness (0.6mm instead of 1.2mm), using less resources in its creation and saving on plastic, emissions and thus allowing the bulk DVD duplication industry to help the environment. This effect is created because a normal disc is two separate halves glued together, while the EcoDisc has only one half, no glue and special clamps and rings to assist the disc player in clamping it properly. The absence of the adhesive used in normal discs is another environmental plus, as the glue gives off toxic fumes.
But do these EcoDiscs actually work?
So far, the bulk DVD duplication centers manufacturing these discs have been keeping quiet about which discs exactly are EcoDiscs so it is quite hard to tell, but several magazines have given away EcoDiscs as free gifts and some consumers had issues getting them to work in ordinary disc players. The half-thickness can seriously compromise the disc player and a disc can become stuck in a player which does not have an ejecting disc-drawer (like the ones you normally find in cars or in mac computers).
Aside from this, the much of the bulk DVD duplication industry is up in arms: They claim these discs are a serious compromise of DVD standards and licensees have been notified that manufacturing sub-standard discs will cause them to have their licenses taken away.
So while the verdict is still out on half-thickness DVDs, the evidence is not looking promising for them! While I agree that going green is all for the good, we need to make sure that the products created in this cause should be fully tested and work very well in all circumstances before they are put out onto the market!
Different kinds of CD and DVD cases
Monday, January 4th, 2010
There are lots of different CD and DVD cases
Nowadays, when issuing a CD or DVD onto the consumer market, it has become almost as important what the disc looks like and how it is packaged as to what its actual contents are. That is why it is so important to choose the right CD or DVD packaging for your product! And as the market is flooded with so many different kinds of CD and DVD cases you would be forgiven for getting confused or finding it hard to make a decision. This article is here to help! In it, I shall discuss the various most common types of CD and DVD case, their pros and cons and any particularly distinctive features each one could offer, helping you make up your mind on how you want your CD or DVD to look.
Though there is some crossover between CD and DVD cases but mostly they are quite different: CD cases tend to be smaller, designed to be almost the exact size of the disc itself. However, DVD cases tend to be the size of a thin, A5 book to accommodate extra booklets and information. I shall start by explaining the main types of CD case before going on to DVD cases.
The most common kind of CD case is the Jewel Case, so named because their creator, somewhat romantically, said they picked up the light like jewels. These cases are made from transparent plastic, comprised of a lid supported by two arms, in turn attached to the base. The base is made from the remaining two pieces, one is plain and forms the back of the case, the other suspends the CD, holding onto it with small teeth which grip the central hole of the disc. With these cases, there is a lot of scope for CD artwork and information: It can be in an insert or booklet slid into the front cover and held there by four or six small plastic teeth and also on an insert in the back, between the two components, which makes it very aesthetically pleasing. Not only that, but they will also protect the CD for much longer than some of the other, flimsier cases, thus being ideal for use in the music or film industry. There are also variations on the case, making it double thickness with extra hinged trays, so it can carry two, four or even six CDs. To add to this, so long as the inlays are all in place, the disc is almost completely protected from UV damage!
So, these cases are pretty, versatile and generally resilient: What is the problem? Well, the smaller parts (the teeth and arms) are liable to snapping which can render the holder useless. Aside from this, the cases are environmentally quite unfriendly as they are difficult to recycle and their creation produces lots of carbon dioxide and toxic fumes. They are also quite bulky and can cost quite a lot in comparison to some other cases. There have been some attempts to address these issues: Some cases have been fitted with tougher, black plastic backs to strengthen the case, but this is less aesthetically pleasing than the clear backs with artwork. Also, some cases have been made slimline, with only one component making the back, but again this compromises on aesthetics because the backing artwork is eliminated.
By far the most space saving case for single CDs is the simple ‘sleeve’. These sleeves are made from either a thin, flimsy plastic known in the business as ‘tyvek’ or out of paper or card. The tyvek sleeves will protect the disc from water and other spillages where the paper ones won’t. But the paper sleeves are very environmentally friendly; recyclable and also able to be made from re-used components. However, in both cases, the sleeves are not strong and don’t serve to stop the CD from snapping or getting crushed and while the paper sleeves protect from UV damage, the plastic ones, unless they have inlays, are next to useless for this! So, perhaps not the best long term solution! However, in the short term, attractive inlays can be inserted into the plastic sleeves either side of the disc, while the paper sleeves are very printable and can even be laminated for a more professional finish.
In keeping with the theme of paper sleeves, cases made from card are becoming increasingly popular. The market is full of new an innovative ways to display your CD in ever more eco-friendly packaging; from the highly acclaimed and regularly used DigiPack, which boasts only one component of plastic, to the origami-like Jake Case which is impressively folded around the disc to create an original and very aesthetically pleasing look. There is even the environmentally friendly WowWallet which is entirely made from FSC approved paper and cardboard. While these paper and card cases are ethically very sound and have every surface available for artwork and design, they are still less resilient than the plastic cases. They are susceptible to spillages, with the slight exception of the laminated DigiPak, and can be torn and battered. For this reason, they are more often used for advertisement or demo discs rather than a long term product which a consumer is paying for.
Going ever more green, the most eco-friendly of the CD cases is the Soft or Green Case. These are made from the recycled discs themselves and are known for their opaque quality. However, because of this opaqueness, artwork is reduced to a minimum, and they are also not very good protection against the disc snapping as the CD cases can easily be bent back on themselves.
Moving on to DVD cases, these are mainly being kept to book-sized plastic boxes called Keep Cases at the moment, which are akin to Jewel Cases, but have only one component on the back and are usually made from black plastic, though sometimes it is also clear or, very rarely, blue. A thin clear plastic cover allows for a colourful cover to be inserted on the outside and inside, two teeth make a holder for an information booklet. These are by far the most popular cases as, like the Jewel Case, they are resilient and leave plenty of options for artwork. Sets of DVDs are also released in Box Sets, storing two or more Keep Cases together in a cardboard box. However, the Keep Cases are quite expensive, thus it has not been unknown, especially in the advertising world, to use Tyvek or paper sleeves to distribute DVDs.
When it comes to bulk packaging, CDs and DVDs are very similar, coming mainly in Cake Boxes. A Cake Box piles discs one on top of the other on a spindle, with one large cylindrical plastic cover to protect them all. However some of the cheaper CDs can also come in Blister Packs, like pharmaceutical pills, or shrink wrapped in plastic. Normally only blank discs are sold in this manner and it is advisable in these cases to at least buy sleeves to protect your discs once you have burnt onto them.
Of course this is a vast generalisation on the different kinds of CD and DVD case available – there are always exceptions to the rule, for example many special limited edition or anniversary albums or films are brought out in unique cases which are made from metal or even wood. Some albums are released with pop-up artwork and some advertisement discs have oddly shaped booklets to try and draw attention to them. While these are all excellent marketing ideas, they do come at a hefty price and I would advise only going down the specialist route if you know it will be worth it for you in the log run – whether for profit or artistic achievement!
I hope this article has proved useful and helped you to make your mind up about which CD case is best suited to your needs, whether they be to produce an attractive product, create a long term data storage device or simply learn which case would be most kind to the planet!
The environmental impacts of CD and DVD duplication and replication
Friday, November 27th, 2009
What are the effects of duplicating CDs on the environment?
Reports on the state of the environment are all around us, becoming one of the main concerns of the public. And within this there is no denying that CD and DVD duplication and replication, like every business, has its role in being able to make the environment better or worse. However there are things that can be done to help – and you yourself can do your part!
But first, consider this: For each CD made, one kilogram of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. Now, that may not sound like much but when you throw into the equation that In the year 2000, 2.455 billion CDs were sold worldwide it makes 2,455,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in one year, plus the 3 and a half metric tonnes of toxic waste that comes with it! And that, scarily enough, is for just the mass CD duplication of the music industry alone. That doesn’t count computer games, promotional DVDs, DVD films, any software sales or the blank CDs just sold in shops!
And what happens to all of these CDs once nobody wants them anymore? That’s right, they end up in landfill. Because of the complex nature of their make up (CD’s contain many layers of mined minerals such as aluminium, gold, silver and nickel mixed in layers with non-biodegradable petroleum-derived plastics and lacquers) they cannot be recycled in the tradition sense, either. In fact, if they are accidentally put in plastic recycling, they have been known to ruin the recycling equipment itself! This is because the plastic used for CDs, polycarbonate plastic (derived from BPA) is almost impossible to recycle and has been linked to human and animal health problems and polluted groundwater.
But there is an alternative to this notorious plastic: Polylactic acid (PLA) is an entirely biodegradable plastic substitute derived from corn – not only biodegradable but sustainable, too! Here, then, the environmental impact of mass CD duplication could be lessened greatly.
In a similar vein, jewel CD cases are also clogging up landfill sites. These, too, could be replaced in the mass CD duplication industry with the PLA cases or could be made out of paper out of recycled paper, a practice some individual CD producers have started to do follow. This last idea has its problems, however, as the paper and cardboard cases are simply not as durable as the plastic ones and this, more than anything else, has been keeping them off the market.
But enough about what big business could be doing: What can you do? Well, you could send your old CDs off to a handful of private companies who have come up with some innovative ways to recycle them. They can, for a small processing fee, be transformed into all manner of things, ranging from street lamps and car parts to, rather ironically, new jewel cases for the CDs themselves! A good UK disc recycling company is Polymer Recycling Ltd. You can also choose an environmentally responsible company for your CD and DVD duplication and replication needs, for instance Duplication Centre UK or Replication Centre UK who do all they can for the environment, for instance by recycling their packaging materials they reduce the amount of their waste that goes into landfill!