Atlantic Packaging Launches Sustainability Initiative “A New Earth Project”

Atlantic Packaging has launched a new initiative focussed on creating sustainable packaging solutions with the aim of ridding the supply chain of plastic packaging – A New Earth Project. Among other things, the project will include Journey to a New Earth, an 8-part series broadcast on Fuel TV and Outdoor TV that features first-hand stories from ocean-goers about their experiences of rubbish in the water.

Press Release:
A NEW EARTH PROJECT CREATES COALITION TO STOP PLASTIC POLLUTION

Initiative connects the surf and outdoor community with the global supply chain to create packaging solutions for a healthy planet

On April 22, A New Earth Project, a coalition of outdoor enthusiasts,
industry-leading brands, and innovative packaging suppliers, announced the launch of its global effort to create, scale and advocate for sustainable packaging solutions to help eliminate plastic pollution from the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers.

A New Earth Project started as a conversation between surfers on the North Shore of Oahu and has grown into a robust movement to raise awareness of and find critical solutions to address the increasing levels of plastic pollution in global waterways. Supported by Atlantic Packaging, the largest privately held packaging company in North America, the initiative brings together the voices of ocean and water advocacy groups with brands and organizations in the supply chain equipped to bring solutions to the table to remediate the problems that exist today. With a team built by founder, Wes Carter, president and third-generation leader of Atlantic Packaging, the initiative is supported by veterans from the surf, outdoor, media, and packaging industries.

“The plastic pollution problem is personal for me. I’ve witnessed it in my own life and have only seen it get worse. After hearing well-known surfers share their personal stories of how they’ve observed the rise in plastic pollution in the oceans, there was a big moment when I realized a lot of the plastic waste was coming from packaging, a supply chain that I’m part of,” said Carter. “This was the catalyst for A New Earth Project and is at the heart of this strategic collaboration. Atlantic has a seat at the table with the largest consumer product companies in the world. We are in a unique position of having both the ability and what I believe is the responsibility to drive the changes that must occur.”

Drawing on Atlantic’s 75-year history in the global packaging supply chain, this initiative delivers real solutions through the introduction of the New Earth Approved catalog, a collection of products and capabilities adhering to key criteria, including: 100% curbside recyclable, made from renewable resources, and not harmful to wildlife or ecosystems. The New Earth Approved catalog brings the purchasing power and delivery capabilities of Atlantic to businesses of all sizes. Partners may also tap into Atlantic’s award-winning Packaging Solution Center in Charlotte, NC, which helps brands solve their most challenging packaging problems in alignment with the ethos of New Earth Approved.

“We have been shipping so many boards directly to people’s homes and the amount of plastic we were using was overwhelming. We knew this was a big issue, and that we had to do something about it,” said Jon Pyzel, founder of Pyzel Surfboards. “When the team at A New Earth Project came back with the S3, it gave us the ability to remove all single-use plastic from our surfboard shipping system and replace it with a fully curb-side recyclable option. This shift makes our packaging a meaningful brand attribute and signals to our customers that we are doing our part to be more sustainable.”

The launch of A New Earth Project is supported by story-driven programming chronicling the challenges that global waters face, and the people, brands and organizations who are collaborating to find solutions. Journey to a New Earth is an eight-episode series, airing on Earth Day (April 22) on Outside TV and FUEL TV. This first of multiple series in development is designed to raise awareness about the environmental impacts generated by packaging that ends up in the world’s waterways, shared through the first-hand accounts of some of the most recognizable surfers in the world. The following day, Quiksilver and A New Earth Project will team up to present the 2022 US Board Riders National Championship at Lower Trestles, airing live on FUEL TV on Saturday, April 23 in more than 130 countries.

A New Earth Project also announced its first class of global advocates which includes professional surfers Kai Lenny, Vaihiti Mahana, Carlos Munoz and Koa Smith. These athletes, who have all demonstrated their commitment to environmental healing through their words and actions, are working to build awareness of the critical importance of sustainable packaging solutions.

“Surfing has given me the unique opportunity to travel and see first-hand the devastating impact singleuse plastics are having on our oceans,” said Kai Lenny, professional surfer and committed environmentalist. “That’s why partnering with A New Earth Project and lending my voice to the conversation about the importance of sustainable packaging for the health of our planet is truly important to me.”

To learn more about A New Earth Project and to follow the movement, visit: www.anewearthproject.com

A NEW EARTH PROJECT FACTSHEET:

1. What is A New Earth Project (ANEP)? An initiative of Atlantic Packaging, A New Earth Project is a coalition between outdoor enthusiasts, industry-leading brands, and innovative packaging suppliers to create scale and advocate for sustainable packaging solutions to help eliminate plastic pollution from the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers.

1. What is the mission for ANEP? To Rid the World’s Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers of Plastic Pollution.
2. How did ANEP get its start? A New Earth Project started as a conversation between surfers on the North Shore of Oahu and has grown into a robust movement to raise awareness of and find critical solutions to address the increasing levels of plastic pollution in global waterways.
3. Who is behind ANEP? Led by Wes Carter, president and third-generation leader of Atlantic Packaging, the team built to support this initiative includes veterans from the surf, outdoor, media, and packaging industries.
4. Why focus on surf/outdoor industry and packaging? Hearing well-known surfers share their personal stories of how they’ve observed the rise in plastic pollution in the oceans was a big moment for ANEP founder, Wes Carter. He realized that a lot of the plastic waste being discussed was coming from packaging, a supply chain that he is a part of. As an avid surfer himself, Carter realized that his company has a seat at the table with the largest consumer product companies in the world, and that he was in a unique position of having both the ability and what he believed was the responsibility to drive much broader change.
5. How will ANEP accomplish this? ANEP will focus on three key areas as follows:

• Build Awareness ANEP is developing story-driven programming chronicling the challenges that global waters face, and the people, brands and organizations who are collaborating to find solutions. The first of multiple series in development, Journey to a New Earth is an eight-episode series designed to raise awareness about the environmental impacts generated by packaging that ends up in the world’s waterways, shared through the first-hand accounts of some of the most recognizable surfers in the world. Episode one premier on April 22 (Earth Day) on Outside TV and FUEL TV, with a new episode to follow each week thereafter.
• Increase Education: Whether as an individual consumer, or business seeking to learn more about sustainable packaging solutions, our B2B + B2C knowledge hub will include resources and up-to-date news in all areas of sustainability, including the basics of sustainable packaging and current challenges with our infrastructure, as well as the big wins through innovation and the people who are leading the charge to find solutions to our most challenging environmental issues today.
• Inspire Action: ANEP is building a global, open-source initiative available to brands of all sizes enabling them to implement more sustainable and circular packaging and shipping solutions through the New Earth Approved Catalog of products and capabilities. This collective action will allow enlightened brands to make their packaging a meaningful brand attribute while signaling to their customers that the brand is doing its part to be more sustainable.

NEW EARTH APPROVED

Packaging Solutions for a Healthy Planet

1. What Is New Earth Approved (NEA)? Drawing on Atlantic’s 75-year history in the global packaging supply chain, A New Earth Project delivers real solutions through the introduction of the New Earth Approved catalog, a collection of products and capabilities adhering to key criteria, including: 100% curbside recyclable, made from renewable resources, and not harmful to wildlife or ecosystems.
2. What is the goal of NEA? The simple goal is to present effective and efficient solutions that are easy to access for brands of all sizes who wish to enable more circular and sustainable shipping and packaging solutions.
3. Why does it matter? The NEA catalog brings the purchasing power and delivery capabilities of Atlantic to businesses of all sizes. Partners may also tap into Atlantic’s award-winning Packaging Solution Center in Charlotte, NC, which helps brands solve their most challenging packaging problems in alignment with the ethos of New Earth Approved.
4. Who are NEA partners?
   – Ecovative
   – Fishbone
   – Flexi-Hex
   – IPG
   – Multi-Wall
   – Pregis
   – ProAmpac
   – Ranpak
   – SealedAir
   – Seaman Paper
   – Starview
   – Westrock

Why it matters
If change doesn’t occur, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050. This change needs to occur now, and it needs include all of us. It is essential that we work collectively to inspire and facilitate the broad change that needs to occur, we don’t have the luxury of just waiting.

“We do this together and we do this now.” – Wes Carter, founder of A New Earth Project