Sustainable Packaging

Beach Boys and Lazy Turtle Group / Rick Fitzgerald

July 13, 2022 Cory Connors Season 2 Episode 95
Sustainable Packaging
Beach Boys and Lazy Turtle Group / Rick Fitzgerald
Show Notes Transcript

https://lazyturtlegroup.com/
Rick@merchant boxes.com 

Why is Cannabis packaging such a challenge to make sustainably? 
Are vinyl records coming back? 
What is Bryan Wilson from the Beach Boys like? 


Check out our sponsor Orora Packaging Solutions 
https://ororapackagingsolutions.com/

https://specright.com/ 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1329820053/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=corygat

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-connors/

I'm here to help you make your packaging more sustainable! Reach out today and I'll get back to you asap.

This podcast is an independent production and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2022.

Cory Connors:

Welcome to sustainable packaging with Cory Connors . Today's guest is Mr. Rick Fitzgerald, the chief creative officer at lazy turtle group. How are you Rick?

Rick Fitzgerald:

Good Corey, how you doing, man?

Cory Connors:

Thanks for having me. I appreciate you taking time. This is a exciting topic. Your, your expertise in the design space is, is really important to packaging world. Can you, can you tell us about you'd have a really interesting background. I'm excited to tell the audience about, can you tell us. Yeah,

Rick Fitzgerald:

absolutely. Man, I've been doing this, like we just talked about a little bit ago. I'm doing this packaging thing for quite a few years. 92. I think I got my first store in packaging with a teeny tiny group out of Virginia. And it just it grew from there. I came on board with Global company, Shorewood packaging in 95. And that really exposed me to a lot of interesting markets. I'd say that the majority of the stuff I did was home entertainment music and. Video games, but you know, Shorewood hit on everything. You have video game boxes packages back in the day. You remember that

Cory Connors:

stuff? I do. Yeah. That was the, oh, it was coveted. You couldn't wait to get that new box with the game in it. Right. I couldn't

Rick Fitzgerald:

wait. I just found a old, the old X-Files game. I think that was like 98 or 99 that worked on that was it. Huge. It was the big one before Walmart said, get these in smaller boxes, nothing, but yeah. You know service, a number of markets also cosmetics pharmaceuticals tobacco back in the days, we were real close in Virginia Phillip Morris territory. So there was a lot of tobacco packaging, which That's a whole nother world in and of itself, but just, just a vast array of interesting markets I've worked in. And you know, that Shorewood led me to LA about 12 years ago, came out here with a group called NPS, which is now I believe less rock purchased them. Came out here to start their creative. Group like I had done at Shorewood and worked with them for about eight years. Stepped off for a little boutique packaging group in Burbank called color edge, worked with them for a year and then stepped out on my own for, with lazy charter group out Ooh, two, three years ago. And this'll be my first announcement, but I've actually just accepted a position with a new packaging startup called merchant boxes. I'll be their chief design officer. And you're the first to know about that. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Super excited. It's it's gonna, it'll allow me to, you know, to build a packaging group and team again like I've done in the past and my past two or three gigs which is for me, that's the most exciting part. I like building the initial you know, the initial. Idea. So this'll be a fun month. Yeah. And you know, we'll serve just most markets, but cannabis is one that particularly attracted me to that position. They're definitely going to go after some packaging for cannabis and hemp markets. So there you go. There's my history

Cory Connors:

in a nutshell, man. Well, well done. And it's exciting to see a continuation of a theme for this podcast. Once people get into packaging, they tend to stay because it's so unique. It's so interesting. Different every day constantly markets are shifting and changing and you know, interests or requirements. And so it just, I think it doesn't get boring. I honestly, I feel like , once you get into it, you kind of realize. This is cool. And there's a whole bunch of really great people. And frankly, it's a massive market with huge potential. Somebody told me the other day that they expect packaging to be a trillion dollar market in the next couple of years.

Rick Fitzgerald:

It's amazing. I wasn't sure what was going to happen with packaging. I mean, Big part of my whole career has been based on home entertainment, you know, and DVDs back to VHS's to say albums. I mean all that stuff, man, you know, and I saw that taper off, you know, we saw that move to a digital realm virtual realm, but you know, I was curious what was going to happen with the rest of packaging, especially, you know, since we're all becoming more aware of the impacts that we're having on our environment, because we're starting to see. You know what I mean? We've seen them for years, but now everyone started to see him. So it's, it's a new push and I wasn't sure it was going to happen with packaging, but, you know honestly, you know, folks like you really gave me a lot of hope because, you know, we can, we can continue this packaging jam that we're all, you know, love and enjoy, but do it on a, a much earth friendlier. There's a much, much better way to do it.

Cory Connors:

Absolutely. I agree. And thank you so much. That means a lot to me that I would influence someone of your stature. You mentioned music and, and and things like that. Do you think I know that records vinyl records are really making a comeback. Do you think that will become part of your forte.

Rick Fitzgerald:

Absolutely. I've already started jumping back in that without uncovers. I love that's one of my, probably my favorite thing to design is album covers. It's just, as you know, you're working with, you're usually working directly with a creative, typically the artists that create the music. So you really get a deep dive and a good feel for where they're coming from and you become like a translator essentially for them, you know, you're translating their vision. You know, whether it's sound or they give you, , they give some visual direction, but just translating that into a piece of art, you know, essentially in an album cover, but yeah, I'm excited to see, I'm excited to see albums come back to sets, like you said, I'm curious to see how long they'll stay. It's interesting. My last project at NPS was Was a combo soundtrack for guardians of the galaxy. And it came with LP, a cassette and a Blu-ray I believe, and a DVD. It was. Pretty interesting. Yeah. They really just kinda put it all together there. And that, that just, that got me stoked. I'm like, yes, please come back

Cory Connors:

cassettes. Oh yeah, there there's such a pain in the neck, but they're so cool. I'm, I'm reading the, or I'm listening to the Beastie boys book and they're talking about how they used to carry around. Cassettes in their pockets and the back then the jeans were a little bit tighter and he said, you know, it was interesting to hear them say, oh, you can only fit eight in one pocket. You know, when we think of, , all of us walking around with our MP3 players or cell phones that have tens of thousands of songs on them, it's we're so spoiled.

Rick Fitzgerald:

We are spoiled, but you know what I mean? That that's actually, that's an interesting point because. You know, I start over like, see cassettes come back, but I don't necessarily want to see on come back. It's a lot of plastic and I just really personally liked making mix tapes. That was my jam. So to have a device, like your record on an analog device, I could record on is fun, but they had to put my that's why I got to break the sport track and miss a track back out for get my groove on there.

Cory Connors:

Yeah. Well, I want to talk to you about one of your expertise areas which has cannabis packaging. And I want to ask you why is it so difficult to make cannabis packaging sustainable?

Rick Fitzgerald:

That's that is the question of the day, a question of the week question mark question here, because it's a. It comes down. There's a, there's a couple factors in this. A big one is regulations. All cannabis packaging, all compliant regulated cannabis packaging has to be in a child resistant package. A lot of times it also has to be tamper evident. So you've got two, two layers of not so good stuff right there, you know, to make something child resistant usually means you may need more materials. It could mean an extra plastic piece and the top of the cap it could mean the next. You know, a paperboard element, it could be whatever the material is. It just means there's more of it in that package. So it's tough. I mean, all the brands have to be compliant in order to in order to be on the retail shelves and that does it adds to the packaging. There are, I think once, you know, once we see federal, federal legalization that will help a lot because it will basically give everyone something to shoot for. And hopefully by then, they've worked out a lot of the kinks and they're able to reduce the footprint of this child resistant, you know, aspect of the whole. And also, you know, there's not a lot of folks because some of these interesting materials that are coming up now, you know, we'll probably talk about them later, but hemp, for example it is it only makes sense for the cannabis industry to really embrace hemp specific for themselves can make it cyclical and. Help elevate the hemp plant in general, which is going to be an amazing, you know, or a saver in and of itself. But you know, it's expensive to be in this packaging. So a lot of you know, a lot of companies aren't being as sustainable as they can. So it, it hits on a couple levels, but I'd say regulations really is the main reason for all this package. You'll see. And you'll see some of the brands just over package, just because they want to make a statement or something like that, or they want that marketing presence or a larger billboard or something, but that's not typical, at least in the cannabis realm. I think folks are really pretty open to are , pretty knowledgeable about what what they can do. You know, how they can save the planet with being in a smaller package. The CR just makes it big enough as it is. So but yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a hot spot, hot topic in the cannabis world because you know, people are really becoming more aware of the package and relying on it because in the cannabis realm, it's really one of the only ways to market. Your brand regulations and tight, you can't, can't be on the radio TV, billboards on highways or something like that. Instagram will set you down in a second. You say anything about cannabis, even though there's loads of cannabis content out there? They really are going after folks , for saying the word and using products online and stuff like that. So it's a limited realm to advertise. So the package is really the main vehicle for cannabis to to show. There, you know, their, their product, their story. Yeah, I

Cory Connors:

hadn't thought about that. That's totally important for us to realize that this is the only way that they can advertise. This is the only way that they can put differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd on the shelf, in a, in a dispensary. That's fascinating. I hadn't thought about. Yeah,

Rick Fitzgerald:

that's it, that, that front facing package that's, that's the jam. So, I mean, for something that important there, you know, realizing that they do have to focus on that package more and get it in a better earth-friendly. Yeah.

Cory Connors:

So with your history, you probably have some cool stories. Can you think of a cool story of a time where you were either scared to death, that a project wasn't going to go well or you know, something happened that was very memorable in your career,

Rick Fitzgerald:

man. I got to say the, honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is. Is oh my gosh. Oh meeting Brian Wilson at the beach boys. Oh yeah. Honestly, I mean, as far as a, you know, as far as afraid, I kind of, I kind of have a fear in every project. I think that's just the natural designer and me, the natural artists that I always questioned my art. So, you know, it's, there's always a fear, but man. Yeah. I I got to, I mean, talking about bucket lists, I mean, I've been a huge Brian Wilson fan my entire life. I mean, the. Creative mad genius that is always dug his his creative world. But, you know, he dropped out off the scene for a long time. You know, he had some, some issues mentally and, and was out of the world for a bit. And, you know, finally, you know, came to a place within himself to, to, you know, to step back out. And he he released the album smile . Which was shelved way back when it was created, it was going to be like the beach boys. It was going to be his masterpiece and the beach boys masterpiece. And it just got shelved or I don't know what was it like 25, 30 years? Something like that. Maybe 40. I can't quite remember, but yeah, he he's like I'm I'm back. I'm the release smile and. Package to put it in. So you know, I worked with a structural engineer or structural designer, Lance Lord. And we just we just sat down and we came up with a really cool kind of dire Rama. LP size. It was an LP album packaged even had some lights in it, man. It was kind of a bad back lit diorama of the smile cafe scene. And he came in, he was going to sign a number of them. I think it was like a hundred of them. So he came into the office with his assistant and, I didn't realize he was coming in. It was all hush. I was top secret. I had to be. To to, I think it was Michael's or something to pick up some items or supplies

Cory Connors:

or supplies or supplies,

Rick Fitzgerald:

man, and literally ran right into a ramp right into him as he's coming around the side of the van and just. Grabbed him like an embrace. It was kind of just didn't want to knock them over and you know, step back and realize we'll look who it was and, and kind of clicked in my head. I bet he's here signed some stuff. So I, I just played it off. Man was like, Hey, I'm coming out to get you guys here. Come this way, we brought him in a conference room where you know, where it was nice and safe and let you know, let the head honchos know that he was there, but I sat with them, you know, for a couple minutes and just chatted with him just because I was completely in all of this in front of me. I couldn't let

Cory Connors:

him go

Rick Fitzgerald:

on. The big list came in. Ushered me out, but Hey, I have my, I done the, you know, I did the work on the creative, so I figured it was, , only, you know, just that I

Cory Connors:

sit with him and talk to him. It, you earned it. Yes. That sounds good. Yeah.

Rick Fitzgerald:

That's such an inspiration to me in all levels of my creativity. So it was a true memory that just, I mean, that's, that's the memory that sticks with me forever.

Cory Connors:

Oh, that's so cool. I love hearing stories like that, especially with celebrities that were great people. When you met them in person, it makes me happy. It's a, I mean, I understand it's, it's, you know, trying to put yourself in their shoes, it would be very difficult to always be. On and always be, you know Hey, like sure. I'll take a picture with you, all that kind of thing. But that's cool that he was easy to talk to and, and, and a good person.

Rick Fitzgerald:

He really was. And I've worked with a, you know, I've worked with a number of artists and I'd say that both movies and music. And I can't think of really, honestly, I can't think of a nasty instance or any. You know, ill feeling or anything everyone's been super cool. And I think when you're, , when you're dealing with, you know, even celebrities on a base creative level where you're part of their team to help their brand, it's a different, , it's a different environment. And you know, I gotta say it's been, it's been interesting and I'm, I'm glad that I got in this packaging. I never thought that I would you know, meet anyone in the pack through packaging, but it's it's happened and it's been like,

Cory Connors:

It's it's that thing that touches everybody's lives and , even celebrities and they'll, they all have to handle the packaging too, and be a part of it and help us design it and come up with great ideas. I just I'm kind of a packaging nerd as you know, but I, I love it. It's so fun. I completely

Rick Fitzgerald:

dig it. I I've worked in the 2d world a lot, done a lot of you know, like ads and print, collateral marketing, collateral brochures, and stuff like that. But you know, as well as I do, man, there's nothing like that printed package to, to try to figure out. I mean, it really can be a puzzle, which is a lot of fun. And typically you just get to, I mean, you don't necessarily get to foil stamper embellish a an ad, but a lot of times on the pat on the, you know, the packaging world, you do get to embellish it with all these interesting value ads, hopefully you know, value adds that are, that are earth friendly, but there are plenty of options out there now or friendly foils and all that kind of stuff. So it's definitely getting better. Yeah, it's it's a great world. Packaging faxing rocks I'm told in.

Cory Connors:

I liked that you mentioned earth friendly foils and things like that. A lot, a lot of times people question whether foil stamping is bad for the environment. And most of the studies I've heard are that as long as it's not. Two large, it doesn't affect the recyclability of either the chip board or the corrugated or the paper material that it's stamped on. So it's great to hear that there's even more sustainable options.

Rick Fitzgerald:

Yeah, there's I know that you know, particular Hasan there, I think of the Massachusetts they've been doing a north friendly foil for a good while. They've stripped off the net poly layer, just put foil on board and you know, it can be you know, it can be renewed which, which is nuts.

Cory Connors:

I love to see that. Yeah. Medals and papers are easier, easiest to recycle for sure. Yep. Well, let's talk about packaging a little bit more. Any, any trends or anything that you see in the sustainable packaging space that, that have. Yeah,

Rick Fitzgerald:

totally. You know, I kinda mentioned that briefly a little bit ago with hemp , but hemp is, is going to be a big one and it's becoming a big one, you know, we're saying we're starting to see it at least percentages of it in in paper. I'm sure you've, you've seen plenty of percentages and paper and paper boards. There is a. I know of a couple of groups that are doing a hundred percent hemp paper and have boards. They're not, the paperboard is not quite there. I can tell you it's the you know, the memory's not quite right, but it is possible to do some, some packaging with hemp, paperboard, hemp, plastics are becoming and. You know we were talking earlier about Sana packaging. Really cool. Really cool group. I love those guys over there. They're doing know they're doing hemp plastics. They're doing ocean reclaimed plastics. So a lot of that stuff I'm super excited about myself. The psyllium is going to be a, an interesting one. And you know, the more research I do, the more I love it because I'm finding out that one of the groups I'm talking to uses hemp stock to grow their mycelium. So it's like a double, you know, double or friendly whammy.

Cory Connors:

That's awesome. Totally. But totally compostable now for, for the audience, mycelium is a. Based product that, that actually grows in a mold to form a package that generally replaces a polystyrene. Is that, is that what you're talking about, Rick? Okay. Yep,

Rick Fitzgerald:

absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. That's yeah, that's important to mention. And you know, some similar things kind of to that in that realm is also a paper foam and paper star, or, you know, some of those type of packaging components. But yeah, I mean, there's just, there really are a lot of interesting materials coming out now. I wish that we had some of these back in the days of. Right. When you're doing all those trays and stuff like that, it would be amazing to have this, but Hey, we're here now. And you know, we can do some good with some of these materials, so yeah, I'm honestly, I'm excited about everything. I'm trying to find a project that I can use. Any of these on right now I re it's it's my it's my goal for the immediate is to try to get my next project. And one of these interesting materials. Yeah.

Cory Connors:

Yeah. See, well, if you're listening, reach out to Rick if, if you need some help with design and some new routes, new packaging concepts, Rick, how do people get ahold of you? What's the best way?

Rick Fitzgerald:

Well, I'm going to give my new email address, which is probably going to be the best way to get ahold of me. It's simple. It's rick@merchantboxes.com. That that's an easy way to see me. You can also you know, we're working. I mean, this is really a true startup where we're finalizing a lot of this this stuff now. So I'll be up and running anytime now. And so, you know, among LinkedIn under Rick and under lazier turtle group and as well as I N N D I C a, which is a cannabis friendly travel platform that my wife and I created about five or six years ago. So yeah, it's a lot of juggling a lot, man.

Cory Connors:

Tell us about Endeca. I was interested when I looked at that on your website. So , it's a way for people to go experience different areas that have cannabis events. Okay.

Rick Fitzgerald:

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's a curated listing of cannabis friendly boutique hotels, resorts bed and breakfast is also not just lodging, but we also list activities like tours. There's a lot of interesting tours going on there. Dispensary tours, there's growth tours where you can go actually there's one place. You can go stay at a bed and breakfast on the phone. River bar farm. It's beautiful. It's a, you know, old house that you stay in and then you go out and just walk out and tour the fields and, and check out the processing and all that. Come back, have an infused lunch. You'll do your thing. Come back, have some dinner. It's it's amazing. The cannabis hospitality realm is, is becoming an interesting area. Finally. You know, we've been navigating the same for a number of years and it's finally coming around. A lot of hotels are flipping their their entire existence becoming four 20 friendly and seeing a whole new. Interesting revenue stream come in. You know, like I said, there's a lot of tours. We list venues. If there's anyone that wants to have a cannabis friendly, whatever event, you know, there's venues on there. But yeah, it's just been a really cool place for folks to just come find out where they can go stay. That is 100%. Compliant cannabis friendly places. You know, you're not going to be in some hotel in the bathroom with the talent of the door, and you're going to be in a full embracing situation where every, everyone in that you know, that particular property, you know, just say as a cannabis friendly. So yeah, that's a cool place. Come check us out, man. It's it's a fun.

Cory Connors:

Excellent. Well, thank you again, sir. Appreciate it. Thank you. Lansburgh Orora for sponsoring this podcast. Thank you all for listening. If you are listening, please take a minute to review the podcast and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss the next episodes. Thanks, Rick. Appreciate it. Appreciate

Rick Fitzgerald:

it, Corey.