Eric R.
Sr. Manager, Packaging Sustainability
Eric R.“When you sell millions of units around the globe, there’s a responsibility to make your environmental impact as small as possible.”
Sr. Manager, Packaging Sustainability
As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, we set a goal to eliminate the use of PVC plastics in our packaging and products. While some may see this as a challenge, Eric and his team embraced it as an opportunity for innovation. They got to work developing a recyclable alternative to traditional PVC packaging.
“At the beginning, the sustainable packaging was just an idea presented to our group,” Eric shares. “We asked ourselves, ‘What will it take to transform the packaging for an entire product category?’ and ‘How can we execute it within our largest plants and successfully deliver it to our biggest customers?’”
Reimagining our packaging required Eric and his team to get creative. “We hosted a series of brainstorming sessions where we threw a lot of ideas at the wall to see what stuck,” he says. “To develop our sustainable packaging, we went through dozens of prototypes, conducted end-user research and shared our concepts with our commercial partners, blending our best ideas into a unique design.”
The redesign went beyond incorporating less harmful materials into our packaging. The packaging also had to withstand being shipped and transported around the globe. “We spent a lot of time developing the correct adhesive and gluing patterns to prevent the cartons from accidentally opening in transit,” Eric explains. “We also made sure the packages could be stacked and hung on pegs when displayed in retail settings.”
Eric R.“As our sustainability efforts have evolved and success stories have become more prevalent, everyone in the organization has embraced the challenge.”
Rethinking Packaging. And Seeing the Results.
Our new sustainable packaging solutions are already changing our environmental impact, reducing our annual consumption of PVC plastics by over 700,000 pounds. “To put that into perspective, you could produce about 30 million water bottles with that much plastic,” Eric says. “Set end to end, those bottles would stretch out about 4,000 miles. Almost all this material would have ended up in a landfill — and, worst case, end up as litter or in our waterways. What a win for the environment!”
There was an additional environmental benefit to the new packaging — it addresses our carbon footprint. “The sustainable packaging nests in a way that takes up less space on shipping pallets,” Eric explains. “This led to significant transportation savings. Overall, the production of the new carton packaging reduces fossil fuel usage by nearly 60% compared to the previous design.”
The World of Packaging
Eric took a survey course in college and discovered an interest in packaging and shipping. Since taking his current role in 2022, he’s developed a deep understanding of our products and packaging portfolios. “A lot of my time is spent identifying and categorizing the way we currently package our various product lines,” he shares. “This also means making sure we comply with the complex regulations regarding waste across the globe.”
To ensure Stanley Black & Decker adheres to these regulations, Eric dedicates time to research and attends webinars and industry conferences to stay up to date on the latest developments. “This leads to opportunities for innovation and changing how we package products,” he says.
A Company-Wide Commitment
For the part he played in the development of our sustainable packaging, Eric received a Cornerstone Award — an internal recognition of the people helping us achieve our goals regarding sustainability, diversity, safety and integrity.
Eric appreciates the company’s emphasis on sustainability and being part of the execution of these initiatives. “When you sell millions of units around the globe, there’s a responsibility to make your environmental impact as small as possible,” he states. “I’m thrilled that our company had the foresight and courage to elevate sustainability across our entire enterprise — from packaging materials to our products, facilities and energy usage.”
He continues, “As our sustainability efforts have evolved and success stories have become more prevalent, everyone in the organization has embraced the challenge. We’ve made significant changes to the way we approach material selection and built targets into our development cycle to make sure we’re delivering on our commitments.”
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