Green packaging, in turn, cannot be totally successful
without the systematic reduction of
upstream waste sources associated with purchased
materials/parts and their packaging (see Figure 1).
Bloemhof-Ruwaard, et al.,5 observed that waste and
emissions caused by the supply chain have become
the main sources of serious environmental problems
including global warming and acid rain. Furthermore,
the importance of the supply chain in
improving overall environmental performance has
been recognized in environmental standards such
as BS 7750 on Environmental Management Systems
and the parallel European Union (EU) regulation on
eco-management and auditing.6 Thus, one of the
most effective ways to tackle environmental problems
is to focus on waste prevention and control at
the source through green purchasing. This sentiment
is echoed by purchasing professionals. In a
1994 survey, purchasing managers picked environmental
and regulatory costs as their second most
important economic concerns.