Last year, Shure announced it is adjusting its packaging to be more environmentally friendly. Starting this year, new products will have packaging that uses primarily renewable and recyclable materials. Among other initiatives, the company joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, audited more than 1,500 packaging components, and is committed to eliminating paper and fiber-based packaging that is not certified by sustainable forestry organizations by 2030. We reached out to Jamie Griffin, Shure's vice president of operations, for more information about the company's sustainability efforts.
SCN: How challenging was it for Shure to implement these new packaging efforts?
Jamie Griffin: Upgrading packaging for the large number of Shure products is no small task. We especially need to balance the critical importance of creating packaging that protects sensitive electronic equipment being shipped around the world with environmental responsibility of that packaging. But we’ve found smart ways to improve on the environmental side, have begun implementing these new sustainable packaging initiatives, and are still working on improving.
SCN: Is this something that can be easily adopted by other manufacturers?
JG: We can’t speak for other manufacturers, but we know this is important to our associates, our customers, and our partners, so we are making these changes to be more responsible when it comes to the environment.
[Editorial: Sustainability Can Be Taught]
SCN: How has the Sustainable Packaging Coalition assisted in your efforts?
JG: The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has been extremely helpful with its guidance and strategies. It is able to provide a number of resources—based on what they’ve learned from their research and what other companies are doing—to help our sustainable packaging team move forward with these efforts.
SCN: Is Shure pursuing other sustainability efforts?
JG: In addition to more sustainable packaging, Shure is involved with a number of other sustainability efforts. Our work has made a positive impact on the environment—such as converting equipment to rechargeable batteries that helps keep hundreds of thousands of batteries out of landfills each year—but we still have more work to do.
We are working on greener logistics. Many of our facilities are also working on providing even smaller carbon footprints. We take our responsibility to the Earth seriously and are committed to making environmental improvements. Our associates are involved with local environmental efforts like community clean-ups and supporting conservation efforts. We are taking a multi-disciplinary approach to sustainability, which includes our people, our products, our facilities, our communities, and our partners.
