During the reign of Louis XIV, skilled craftsmen often spent years, even decades, working to produce an elaborate piece of furniture, made of the finest materials, in hopes that it would catch the Sun King’s eye. His nod of approval could mean not only newfound fame in the trades—but also significant personal wealth.

The similarities between striving to gain a 17th century monarch’s approval and the efforts to meet a 21st century brand manufacturer’s criteria hit me while at Luxe Pack NY, listening to a standing room only panel on sustainable packaging, sponsored by Beauty Packaging. One of our speakers, Estée Lauder’s sustainable packaging guru, John Delfausse, made reference to a supplier who had approached him as he was touring the show floor earlier that afternoon. John is known for always being on the lookout for appropriate vendors, and the woman who pulled him aside excitedly showed him the new jar her company had developed, extolling its many “sustainable” virtues. Only problem was, John quickly discovered that it did not fill the bill at all.

The second day of the show, a supplier approached me with a package he said had been in development for years, and was truly newsworthy—it met all the requirements, he enthused, for Aveda or Origins (two brands for which John oversees the packaging).

Would it really meet John’s standards? I didn’t have a chance to ask him, but one thing that especially came out of BP’s panel, which also featured Silvia Springolo of Grail Research and Sandra Krasovec from FIT, is that it is critical for both brands and suppliers committed to sustainability, to do their homework, learn the language and get the package right. After all, the point was hammered home throughout Luxe Pack’s expo floor and sessions: Sustainable packaging is on a growth path, and customers who are dedicated to following along will be as discerning about its integrity as Louis XIV was about the furnishings for his elaborate palace at Versailles.

We’ll include more on Luxe Pack New York in next month’s issue. In this issue, we hope you’ll join in celebrating our 15th anniversary as we provide a glimpse of packaging, products and trends over the past decade and a half. In addition, features on Sampling, Applicators and Private Label Packaging bring you up to date on the latest offerings in 2010. And don’t forget to check out nitesh_bp.rodpub.com for news and special features.

Summer’s here! Enjoy!

Jamie Matusow
[email protected]