Evergreen Packaging Partners with FIT on Project to Raise Awareness About Innovative Packaging Design and Sustainable Packaging

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) brings a fresh new perspective to packaging design with Project Carton, an exhibit of gable-top cartons created by students in the college's Packaging Design program for a competition sponsored by Evergreen Packaging at FIT in fall 2012. The competition sought to promote sustainable packaging and highlight innovation in packaging design. The exhibition is on view from December 18, 2013, through January 30, 2014, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm in the streetfront gallery of the Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center at FIT, Seventh Avenue at 27 Street in New York City.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131218/CL35353LOGO )

The exhibition design, which has also been created by the students, mimics the supermarket experience with shopping carts; refrigerator cases holding milk, juice, and other products; brochures in the form of sale circulars; and a gable-top display case—plus life-size cartons visitors can walk through. Engaging wall text about packaging design and sustainability includes information about the successful school carton recycling efforts of GrowNYC's Recycling Champions program, accomplished in conjunction with the NYC Department of Education Sustainability Office. There also is a video of students and faculty talking about the project.

"We commend the students at the Fashion Institute of Technology for demonstrating how sustainability and innovative packaging design can beautifully complement each other," said Erin Reynolds, marketing director at Evergreen Packaging. "As we continue to raise community awareness on the eco-friendly benefits of cartons, we are also excited to support young designers who aim to use cartons as canvases for creativity." Evergreen Packaging cartons have the eco-friendly attributes consumers want: more than 70% of the carton is made from paper derived from a renewable resource: trees.

Recent survey results from Datamonitor indicate that sustainability will be increasingly associated in consumers' minds with innovation. Consumers who care about sustainability and consider the eco-friendly attributes of packaging before making a purchase represent a significant and growing segment. This association presents a growing opportunity for consumer beverage companies to create compelling brands for these consumers by choosing cartons.

"The diverse creativity of the students' contest entries illustrated how companies can take full advantage of the brand-building power of four carton panels with vibrant, full-color graphics," said Marianne Klimchuk, professor and associate chair of FIT's Packaging Design program.

"Designing this exhibition gave Packaging Design students the opportunity to work on a large scale, which will serve them well in the future," added Anne Kong, assistant professor, Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design. 

For more information about the exhibition or to view images, visit www.fitnyc.edu or www.projectcarton.com.

About Evergreen Packaging^®

Evergreen Packaging is a global leader in creating fiber-based packaging solutions customized to deliver product freshness and brand distinction. Evergreen Packaging is a vertically integrated packaging company, delivering total solutions of barrier paperboard, technical expertise, equipment and service.

Evergreen Packaging cartons have the eco-friendly attributes consumers want: more than 70% of the carton is made from paper derived from a renewable resource: trees. Cartons are also recyclable only where facilities exist for an increasing number of households. In addition, our cartons are made with renewable energy — over 50% of the energy used to make the paper in our cartons comes from biomass.

About the Fashion Institute of Technology

FIT's Packaging Design program is the only one of its kind in the country and the only program in the United States that offers a BFA in Packaging Design. This academically rigorous program prepares students for the professional opportunities that exist in the brand and packaging design profession by blending creative ability with knowledge of brand and packaging design. Alumni hold positions at a number of Fortune 500 companies including Avon, Colgate-Palmolive, Gap, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Limited Brands, Macy's, Martha Stewart, and Pepsi, as well as at top brand strategy and design firms.

The Fashion Institute of Technology, a college of the State University of New York, has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology for nearly 70 years. With a curriculum that provides a singular blend of hands-on, practical experience, classroom study, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, FIT offers a wide range of outstanding programs that are affordable and relevant to today's rapidly changing industries. The college offers more than 45 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the global marketplace. Visit fitnyc.edu.

SOURCE Evergreen Packaging