The Ball Corporation has taken corporate responsibility and sustainability one step further. Ball became the first packaging company based in North American to publish a sustainability report on June 30, 2008.

Sustainability is a way of conducting business that creates social, environmental and economic value for society, the planet and the company’s shareholders. Ball is working to reduce its environmental footprint and that of its customers.

Ball has already reduced the weight of its packaging products including aluminum cans (40%), steel beverage cans (50%) and PET water bottles (35%). Lighter packaging results in lower shipping costs.

The corporate goal of Ball is to decrease emissions of greenhouse gas intensity by 16% before 2012 (based on the 2002 baseline) through energy-efficiency improvements that include energy-efficient lighting, manufacturing efficiencies, process heat recovery, improvement of compressed air, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls.

The company is actively engaged in effort to increase recycling throughout several countries.

According to a 2007 Environmental Protection Agency report, steel represented only 3% of the packaging composition of solid waste in U.S. Cities. The report proves steel recycling efforts are more effective than those of other products.

Why Use Steel Containers?

Steel containers are versatile enough to hold everything from food to paint and only need to be rinsed before recycling. Unlike plastic, typically the entire container can be recycled including lids and caps without sorting.

Recycled steel provides scrap that is just as strong as new steel. In the U.S., more than 65% of all steel produced is recycled. Steel has been recycled for more than 150 years and is a proven process. Many steel cans are manufactured with 100% recycled steel but all contain at least 25%.

Recycling reduces the need for raw materials and results in enough energy savings to power 18 million homes, along with fewer carbon emissions, waste reduction and natural resources protection.

Savings and Eco-Friendly

Besides being eco-friendly, products manufactured with recycled steel are cheaper making them economically-friendly as well.

“We are committed to doing our part in protecting the environment for future generations and to being a responsible member of our shared global community.” R. David Hoover, Chairman, President, CEO.

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Next time you stroll the aisles of your local market, take a moment to notice the packaging of the product in the aisle. Is this a good packaging solution or is there a better packaging alternative that would make the product more alluring to consumers? What role does merchandise packaging play in consumer product selection? While years of innovation in the packaging industry have make packages more useful for the producer and distributor, innovation have also succeeded in making certain products more appealing to consumers.

The term “tin can” refers to a tin-plated iron or steel can. Such packages were considered reusable novelty products. What most people aren’t aware of is that tin-plated steel has a rich history throughout the world. The process of tin-plating was discovered in Bohemia in 1200 A.D.  Over six hundred years later, in 1809, General Napoleon Bonaparte offered 12, 000 francs to anyone who could preserve food for his army. Nicholas Appert, a Parisian chef and confectioner, met that challenge by packaging his food in tin-plated cans.

By the 1830s, cookies, matches, pharmaceuticals, and other confectionaries were sold in tin containers, and by 1866, the first decorative metal containers were made in the US for bakery goods.  Since then, innovations in the packaging industry have allowed for not only food preservation, but efficient packaging for tobacco, spices, and a host of chemical materials.

In the future, a variety of forces will be at work to meet new and evolving packaging needs, but a key force will always be the influence packaging solutions have on consumer choice.  So, next time you stroll through your local market and take note of the packaging solutions employed there, remember to consider the influence a package has on your shopping choices. At Ball Steeltin, with our innovative packaging solutions we’ll be able to make your creative packaging dream become the container of a product on every consumer’s list!

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Now that the holiday season is but a memory, there are very exciting times around the offices of Ball-Steeltin. We have recently added various new product designs to our lockseam tin stock offerings. We have 20 new designs for our round lockseam sizes that can be used for all types of seasonal occasions, as well as new artwork for spring time, Easter, summer, the 2010 Christmas holiday, and new designs for everyday miscellaneous packaging needs.

Regardless of your packaging necessities, Ball-Steeltin has the variety of tins you need to make your package unique. So be creative! Check out our new tin designs and let us help you package a new look for 2010.

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Check out Ball Steeltin for all your seasonal packaging needs. At Ball Steeltin we offer a large variety of seasonal tins to package your holiday goodies! Ball is an industry leader where you can find traditional tin packaging as well as unique seasonal designs. Let us take your digital photograph and use our in-house printing presses to create a personalized gift for friends and family. We offer over 100 sizes in custom, welded, round and off-round lockseam, and seamless tin containers. You are sure to find exactly what you’re looking for to accentuate holiday cookies, cakes, or add novelty to your gifting.

Located in Baltimore, MD, Steeltin was founded in 1912 as a manufacturer of tinplated metal containers. Acquired by the Ball Corporation in 2006, Steeltin is an industry leader in the custom and specialty tinplate packaging industry.

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At Ball Steeltin, we offer an unparalleled combination of skills and tradition.  Let us go to work for you!

• Large Product Portfolio… one of the largest in the industry.
• Domestic Manufacturer… all our products are made in Baltimore, MD.
• Unique Skills For Product Development… we boast a critically acclaimed department of custom can-makers.  Winners of the prestigious 2007 “Can of the Year” from Canmaker magazine.
• Company Heritage… Ball will celebrate our 130th birthday in 2010.  A company that you can trust!

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Given today’s economic environment, value is paramount. There are many layers to value. Cost is a consideration, but so are sustainability and durability. Consumers are taking a longer view of the environment. They are looking for a package that does more than simply transport a product home. In the packaging world, now is the time for the steel container. There is no packaging container anywhere that fits the needs of today’s conscientious consumer like a package made from steel. Steel provides affordability. There is an identifiable value to steel. It is a medium that conveys a premium look and feel versus paper or plastic alternatives. A metal container combined with proper branding will provide an in home reminder of value for years to come. This is the truest definition of sustainability and durability. Steel is the world’s most recycled material; it’s been recycled for economic and environmental reasons for decades.  A 2007 study proved that steel cans have the highest recycling rate of any package – 64 percent. According to the U.S. EPA, steel comprises about 3% of municipal solid waste in the United States, a far cry from the 58% represented by paper and 19% for plastic. Combined with the affordability and durability of the package it’s plain to see that an environmentally green policy is a financially green policy.