Studios are converting their operations to brighter shades of green. Responding to environmental concerns, many are incorporating recycled material in their DVD packaging, and a few are experimenting with packaging that is 100% recyclable.

Gaiam will test a new, patented, non-Amaray case for five of its health and wellness titles this October. From manufacturer Napco, the eco-friendly case is designed as a sturdy, slim rectangular box that is made from 100% post-consumer waste pulp paperboard and is 100% recyclable and biodegradable. The supplier hopes to eventually switch completely from traditional plastic DVD covers to the environmentally friendly packages.

Aside from the environmental aspect, Bill Sondheim, president of retail, trade and direct response TV at Gaiam, is especially impressed with the security elements of the new packaging. "There is a lip overlay to it that doesn't let people slice through easily and gain access to the disc out of the package," he says. I think we have a real winner here, and it's a beautiful solution for the industry."

BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Ltd. is about to unveil a similar initiative. In a few months, it will begin releasing titles under a new health and wellness line called Bodhi Lifestyle. Packaging for the titles, consisting partly of a starch-based material along with cardboard and vegetable-based ink, will be "100% recyclable, renewable and biodegradable," according to Denis Donnelly, BFS president and CEO-even down to the shrink wrap, which is made from a derivative of corn.

"We have to take responsibility," Donnelly says of improving the environmental state of the planet. "Usually with a new product, you hope no one will copy you, but this time, we hope everyone does."

Shout! Factory will release its first wholly green title, Barenaked Ladies Talk to the Hand , as a CD/DVD and stand-alone DVD on Nov. 6. The CD and DVD items are held in Cascades Prokote paperboard, made of 100% recycled fibers. Trays in the stand-alone DVD are 100% biodegradable and made from potatoes.

"We know that it's potentially advantageous for us in working with retailers to come up with environmentally friendly packaging," says Garson Foos, Shout co-founder. "And this is very much in keeping with the band, who is very environmentally conscious-they use biodiesel fuel for their tour bus."

Genius Products and The Learning Channel are going green with packaging for the DVD releases of Miami Ink (Oct. 30) and Little People, Big World (Oct. 2). The titles will use Interpak, a multi-panel package similar to a Digipak but without plastic trays. The Interpak is made of 100% recycled paperboard and is 100% recyclable.

The environmental trend was kicked off last November with the release of Al Gore's documentary about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth . Paramount Home Entertainment supported the film's message with packaging manufactured by Ivy Hill that included 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and environmentally sound inks and coatings. The disc also had no inserts, laminates or plastic. And the studio donated a portion of the DVD sales to the bipartisan climate effort Alliance for Climate Protection.

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