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For as much as the design industry exaggerates the narrative and drama around unboxing a product, Kind is one of the few brands in which the packaging really does serve the customer experience. Its clear window advertises the natural ingredients: nuts, chocolate, and minimal sugar. The wrapper offers literal transparency into what youre putting into your body.Of course we know now that plastic is as bad for our environment as it is for our biology. And Kind has spent more than two years reimagining its iconic plastic packaging as a paper wrapper that it hopes to eventually put around the hundreds of millions of bars it sells each year. Developed by Printpack, the company worked to source the right paper and fine-tune its structureensuring its both protective of food and feasible for assembly line production.Theres an expectation from our consumer that we are delivering sustainable solutions, says Kerri Clark, VP of Packaging R&D at Kind. So I think the threshold that we have to meet is a bit higher.[Photo: Kind]Developing a better wrapperThe plastic Kind bar packages of today are technically recyclable in much of the U.S., but not through convenient curbside recycling. We cant get the consumer to take extra steps, to go to another place to drop things off. Its a really big ask, Clark says. So the paper track is about driving circularity, and improving recycling rates on our Kind bar wrapper.[Photo: Kind]Swapping plastic for paper isnt so easy, though. For starters, plastic is highly durable against puncturing and creates a strong seal against the environment. Meanwhile, Kind knows its bar can have sharp edges where its cut, and that their product isnt just bought and then consumed at home. People bring them along as a snack, often shoving them deep into a bag to extract it hours later.What we dont want to do is solve one problem but then create another by having a product thats not usable to the consumer and creating food waste, Clark says.Plastic also runs easily through high-speed assembly lines, and it has just the right permeability to protect the product from oxygen and moisture without actually requiring a vacuum seal. Nuts, in particular, will go rancid if exposed constantly to air. [Plastic] has been engineered for all these years for these performance characteristics, Clark notes. Theres a reason a lot of food packaging is plastic. [Photo: Kind]The other reason, of course, is one of cost. Technically, Kinds paper packs are more expensive for Kind to produce than plastic, which the company considers a short-term cost it will swallow rather than pass along to consumers. Kind makes clear that it holds no patents or other IP on the packaging, which they hope other companies will adopt to drive down price.This isnt the paper youre going to go buy at Office Max to put in your printer. Its not the paper that were going to use for stuffing and an Amazon shipper. So part of what we need to do is to make sure that these things have a chance to be scaled, Clark says. Its really shifted the thinking. I think for most big CPGs [consumer packaged goods], it used to be so much about competitive advantage and exclusivity. With sustainability, its the opposite again.[Photo: Kind]Unwrapping a paper Kind barThe solution Kind and PrintPack developed still feels like a Kind bar. But instead of revealing the nuts within through a window, the bar is printed right onto the wrapper. That wrapper feels lovely in your handswith a heavy weight that reminds me of a fancier, hand-wrapped confectionery you might get at a fine café or bakery. The paper actually needs enough fiber inside to be a circular material, and Id argue it feels all-around more premium as a result. (Its actually a bit more bulky than the plastic pack, too, which leads to some interesting psychology around the portion size.)Tear open the pack, and youll feel a waxy interior. This is a plastic-free, FDA-approved water-based coating that, in lieu of plastic, creates a barrier protecting the bar from the aforementioned air and water. To validate the packaging before launch, Kind ran a few tests. It used digital modeling to simulate the performance of the pack. It employed accelerated testing, subjecting the bars to high humidity and heat in attempts to stress the packaging to its limits fast. And the company has also simply wrapped up bars and put them into storage, and checks on them periodically to see how theyve aged. The company also ran a direct-to-consumer (DTC) pilot project with the packs in 2023.Were really taking this test-and-learn approachwhere were going to try some things, were going to make sure that were not going to have those negative trade-offs on shelf life and product quality and the eating experience, Clark says. But also, does the consumer understand that its still a Kind bar? Do I need to literally see the product or does [our motto of] ingredients you can see and pronounce mean that I know whats in this? And for Kind, that question is of paramount importance, so it will be tracking sales closely to see if the new packaging impacts its shelf appeal.For now, the new paper packs are part of a limited test that will run through October 1, launching exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores in Arizona, Southern California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Assuming they perform well, the paper packs could make their way to all Kind bars within a few years.
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E-Commerce
Around the world, farmers are retooling their land to harvest the hottest new commodity: sunlight. As the price of renewable energy technology has plummeted and water has gotten more scarce, growers are fallowing acreage and installing solar panels. Some are even growing crops beneath them, which is great for plants stressed by too many rays. Still others are letting that shaded land go wild, providing habitat for pollinators and fodder for grazing livestock. According to a new study, this practice of agrisolar has been quite lucrative for farmers in Californias Central Valley over the last 25 yearsand for the environment. Researchers looked at producers who had idled land and installed solar, using the electricity to run equipment like water pumps and selling the excess power to utilities. On average, that energy savings and revenue added up to $124,000 per hectare (about 2.5 acres) each year, 25 times the value of using the land to grow crops. Collectively, the juice generated in the Central Valley could power around 500,000 households while saving enough water to hydrate 27 million people annually. If a farmer owns 10 acres of land, and they choose to convert 1 or 2 acres to a solar array, that could produce enough income for them to feel security for their whole operation, said Jake Stid, a renewable energy landscape scientist at Michigan State University and lead author of the paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The Central Valley is among the most productive agricultural regions in the world: It makes up just 1% of all farmland acreage in the United States, yet generates a third of the nations fruits and vegetables. But its also extremely water-stressed as California whiplashes between years of significant rainfall and drought. To irrigate all those crops, farmers have drawn so much groundwater that aquifers collapse like empty water bottles, making the earth itself sink by many feet. Farmers cant make their crops less thirsty, so many have been converting some of their acreage to solar. The Central Valley is ideal for this, being mostly flat and very sunny, hence the agricultural productivity. At the same time, farmers have been getting good rates for the electricity that they offset and send back to the grid. A large array of solar panels near crop fields along Highway 41 in Californias Central Valley [Photo: George Rose/Getty Images] Now, though, California has adopted standards that reduce those rates by 75% on average. For a farmer investing in panels, the investment looks less enticing. The algebra or calculusor whatever math discipline you want to referenceit just doesnt work out the same way, said Karen Norene Mills, vice president of legal advocacy at the California Farm Bureau, which promotes the states agricultural community. Also, the study found that by fallowing land for solar panels, food production in the Central Valley dropped by enough calories to feed 86,000 people a year. But, Stid said, markets can adjust, as crops are grown elsewhere to make up the deficit. By tapping the sun instead, Stid added, growers can simultaneously help California reach its goals of deploying renewable and reducing groundwater usage. The tension, though, is meeting those objectives while still producing incredible quantities of food. That is always our concern about some of these pressures, Mills said. But this isnt an either-or proposition: Many farmers are finding ways to grow some crops, like leafy greens and berries, under the panels. The shade reduces evaporation from the soil, allowing growers to water less often. In turn, a wetted landscape cools the panels, which improves their efficiency. This is the compromise thats going to allow for both energy independence and food security, said horticulturalist Jennifer Bousselot, who studies agrisolar at Colorado State University but wasnt involved in the new study. Farmers are also turning livestock loose to graze under their panels. Their droppings fertilize the soil, leading to more plant growth and more flowers that support native pollinators. The grass, its so much more lush under the panels, its amazing, said Ryan Romack, founder of Virginia-based AgriSolar Ranch, which provides grazing services. Especially when the sheep have been on site long-term, you can really see the added benefits of the manure load. Then, if a farmer decides not to replace the solar panels at the end of their lifespanusually around 25 or 30 yearsthe soil will be refreshed with nutrients and ready to grow more crops. Even if a grower simply lets them sit for decades without any management, the fallowing can restore the soils health. We really see solar as a collective landscape, Stid said, that can be sited, managed, and designed in a way to benefit both people and the planet and ecosystems as well. By Matt Simon, Grist This article originally appeared in Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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E-Commerce
Over the years, Ive likely wasted thousands of dollars on forgotten subscriptionsand Im not alone. A 2022 survey by research firm C+R found that 42% of Americans had paid for subscriptions theyd forgotten about. Its easy to lose track, especially when payments are scattered across credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and app store accounts. Heres how to track down and cancel those forgotten charges. Subscription management apps: Rocket Money, Hiatus, Trim Dedicated services are among the most effective tools for finding and canceling forgotten subscriptionsand potentially switching to cheaper or free alternatives. But they come with a trade-off: To work, these tools require access to your personal financial data, which can be used for marketing and may compromise your privacy. The more companies that hold your data, the greater your risk in the event of a breach. If thats a concern, dont worrywell explore lower-risk options farther down. I tested three services: Rocket Money, Hiatus, and OneMain Trim. All three can identify old subscriptions for free. Rocket Money and Hiatus also offer to cancel them for youfor a fee. These services connect to your financial accounts using Plaid. While Plaid doesnt share your login credentials, it does access other types of data. In 2022, the company settled a $58 million class-action lawsuit related to its data practices and agreed to limit what it stores and delete certain user dataa process it said was already in progress. Rocket Money identified seven of my nine active subscriptions, including an Apple bundle. It offered to cancel five of themif I subscribed to its pay-what-you-want plan, offering me a range from $6 to $12 per month after a seven-day free trial. The plan also includes budgeting and expense-minimizing tools. Some services, like Apple, require manual cancellation, it said, as Rocket Money cant act on a users behalf in all cases. However, Rocket Moneys privacy policy allows it to use a broad range of personal data for marketing its sister companies, including Rocket Mortgage. The company says it doesnt share financial data like transaction history or account balances with affiliates, but it does share other personal details for advertising purposes. (Rocket does have an opt-out for residents of states that require it: California, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.) Hiatus uncovered five subscriptions, including those from Apple. It could cancel two if I signed up for its Premium plan: I was offered the choice of from $10 to $21 per month (or $48 per year). This plan includes access to other financial tools. The company says it doesnt sell personal data to third parties without consent, but it didnt respond to multiple requests for clarification. Trim, which focuses specifically on subscription tracking, stood out for its clarity and privacy stance. It found all nine subscriptions and had the cleanest, most intuitive interface. While it doesnt cancel subscriptions on your behalf, it provides clear instructions and links to do so. Trims privacy policy states it doesnt share data with third parties, though it does share some information with its parent company, OneMain. Users can opt out of advertising. Despite lacking automated features, Trim offered the best overall balance of accuracy, privacy, and affordability. Manual Methods to Find Subscriptions If youd rather not link your financial accounts, you can manually weed through charges to them. Even if you use a management service, a manual check can catch what it may miss. Listings on mobile devices To find subscriptions on Android devices, go to the Google Play app home screen, tap your avatar at the top right, then tap Payments & Subscriptions > Subscriptions. On iPhones and iPads, go to Settings, click your name, and click Subscriptions. Stored browser logins and password managers Check saved website login data for more clues. In Google Chrome on a computer, click the three-dot menu icon in the upper right, then Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager. In Apple’s Safari, click Safari > Settings > Passwords. If you use a password manager like 1Password or Dashlane, check them, too. Emails from subscription services You will often get emails from services you subscribe to, such as welcome messages or updates to privacy policies. Search for text like free trial, terms, welcome, privacy policy, your account, or update for clues. How to cancel subscriptions yourself If you’re not using a subscription management app (or if it can’t cancel all accounts for you), try searching the web for something like “cancel subscription new york times” (which worked). Or ask a chatbot. I prompted ChatGPT with: How do I cancel a [name of service] subscription? Provide links to the relevant account pages where possible. It found the right links for Apple, ChatGPT, Evernote, Flickr, Google, Hulu, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and missed only MIT Technology Review. The step-by-step instructions were right or close to right in most cases. Canceling all your unwanted subscriptions could take half a daybut the savings will likely be worth the time.
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E-Commerce
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