Paper + Nanotubes = Battery?

by Eric Carlson, CPP - Chainalytics
I know that many of you are not reading the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, but last December they first published research coming out of Stanford indicating that printing batteries on ordinary paper might very well be possible in the near future. By combining carbon nanotubes with ink and printing on ordinary paper, the research found that the resulting ‘battery’ performance encouraging even when the paper was folded, bent or after adhesive tape was removed from the surface. Current performance requires about a kilogram of the ink/nanotube matrix to power a 40 watt bulb for 1 hour.

I know that doesn’t sound like much capacity now, but think back to the early ‘90s and think about the size and capacity of your cell phone … if you had one ($2-4k)… then think about what the latest iPhone can do? Who knows maybe one day the walls in your house will be painted with some version of this ink to help power your electric lights!

Even more exciting is the thought of active packaging powered by these printed batteries! Packages that give you a message about the product or sale, maybe even flashing graphics activated as a consumer passes in the aisle.

A Revolution in Pizza Boxes? Check out what Walmart is doing!

by Rob Busse, CPP - Chainalytics
There is no doubt that Walmart is a leader in the area of sustainability. They have implemented a packaging scorecard and have created some aggressive goals to reduce packaging waste- they want to reduce all packaging waste by 2025!

Check out how their deli pizza box is bringing them one step closer to reaching their goals!

The deli pizza boxes are being made from 100% recycled corrugate which has come directly from Walmart’s retail stores. It is the first fully closed recycling loop of its kind.

Here’s the flow which is explained in the video below.




1. Walmart retail associates recycle corrugated boxes by sending them through a compactor.

2. Bundles of corrugate are sent to Pratt Industries, where it is repulped and turned into the linberboard that is used to make boxes.

3. Pratt then converts that linerboard into pizza boxes for Walmart.

Impressive! What is Walmart going to do next?

Chainalytics is a leader in improving sustainability through packaging design and supply chain optimization. Check out our website to see how we can help your business create a sustainable impact!