Declaration A: not a client of mine (though I' d love to get their account). I have no other interest except as a citizen

Declaration B: Ecolean is somewhat of an economic threat to Finland. 80% of Finnish wood fibre by value goes into packaging, not, as one would have thought, into paper. However, Finnish companies such as Ahlstrom are also pioneers in low impact fibre solutions - but based on wood fibre. Wood fibre use in Finland is fully sustainable - over 70 million cubic metres of timber remains un-harvested each year.

There's a complete explanation at the Ecolean website here.

The pack requires a knack to pour from, but stands up by itself on the table.

I'm posting this diary because I think it is an interesting product and there are significant advantages in manufacture and waste volume. Some of you may have experienced it already.

Chart: Ecolean (green) compared to gabletop, gabletop with reclose, PET bottle (Polyethylene terephthalate or Polyester when used as a fabric) and HDPE bottle (High Density Polyethylene) blown plastic bottle.

The four charts compare (L > R) manufacture of 100,000 1 litre packages
1.    Energy used (cradle to gate)
2.    Production waste
3.    Polluted water generated (not including closed loop cooling water)
4.    Greenhouse gas emitted to air

Key points:

• Certified ISO 22000 and full food contact Approval Certified
  
• Improved organoleptic properties ie no influence on taste, smell etc of contents. Also keeps contents fresher longer
  
• Material recyclable as mixed plastic for recomposition as pallets, trays etc
  
• Can be incinerated for energy
  
• From the marketing visibility point of view the package has a large high quality print space.

There are negatives:

• The patented Calymer (chalk/polymer) mix is not for sale. Shades of Monsanto. If you want to use this food/drink beverage system, you have to buy the packaging machinery and raw materials from Ecolean. It's somewhat the opposite of the PC printer scam - loss-leader hardware with the profit in the sale of the inks.

• Chalk may be 40% of the product, but 60% is carbon-based polymer (PP and PE).

• While having a good footprint for manufacturing, disposability is less advantageous. However this low bulk delivery system will certainly have an impact on reducing landfill. There is local waste separation in some parts of Finland for Tetrapak cartons, but it is marginal at best. Packaging in landfill is a major problem - Ecolean is an improved solution. Personally I think only heavy fees for waste collection will ever get people to demand less packaging.

• In general I'm in favour of drastic reductions in patent and copyright periods. For software, I propose a max 3 year period. For materials science, (including pharmaceuticals) maybe 5 years. For technology, 10 years. The entire Rausing family are multi-billionaires based a simple observation, many years ago, of how a wife folded the ends of sausages.

Caveat: Greater use of this packaging will enrich one of the richest families in Europe. 81 Yr old Swedish Patriarch Hans Rausing invented (or rather patented) the Tetrapak carton. He is now the third richest man in the UK (and a non-dom). He is no longer involved in Tetrapak, but made billions from it. He is apparently a frugal man: "Either you have 20 mistresses covered in diamonds, or you achieve something with your money." He used to drive around in a Morris Minor before switching to a 12 year old Lada Niva. He is never happier than during the summer in his Swedish fisherman's cottage - something I fully understand. But he does live on a 3000 acre estate. Hausing Snr has privately invested in Russia and Ukraine.

The problem is that his family will inherit not only the billions from Tetrapak, but all the cash that comes from Ecolean His son, Hans Kristian, and his wife Eva , are allegedly crack addicts with an 8M € house in Chelsea and a 75M € house in Barbados - among others. They are also very generous donors to Prince Charles' charities as well as many others such as the Mary Rose Trust and the Royal Opera House.

On the other hand, the eldest daughter Sigrid seems like a good egg . She also lives in a London house with the largest garden outside Buckingham Palace. The other sister Lisbet also seems about as decent as you can be as a billionaire, having started and continuing to donate via The Arcadia Trust .

So the problem is really just catatonic Hans Jnr and his party-loving stick insect of a wife - herself the daughter of a wealthy Coca-Cola exec. They met in rehab. As you know, I am not averse to a bit of mind-bending myself - but crack, meth, speed and heroin, and a slew of other pharmaceuticals like synthetic oxytocin, are not mind-benders I would recommend to anyone. Better to accept the 5000 year long clinical trials and sustainable delivery systems of Mother Nature's finest.

So we are not going to do any favours for Hans Kristian by accepting Ecolean - although if Senior is as smart as he meant to be, he'll cut his walking disaster son out of his inheritance.

Apart from the business model, it's a good product. Let's see if you agree.

And Colman - I hope you are using reusable textile nappies. You'd be horrified to hear of the enormous Pampers mountains descecrating the countryside.