The packaging industry is experiencing a substantial shift in materials, primarily driven by objectives centered around sustainability. The replacement of plastic remains a priority for many brands and retailers, as they seek alternatives that may provide a smaller environmental footprint or at least be more favourably received by consumers focused on anti-plastic initiatives. This month, we tracked 21 new initiatives in this direction.
Learn more about ThePackHub's Innovation Zone here.
Driscoll's is expanding availability of its paper-based berry packaging in the U.K.ThePackHub
California-based Driscoll’s, who are a global market leader for fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, has announced that it has launched its branded paper pack offer into a major U.K. supermarket for the first time. Driscoll’s, who originally launched their paper pack in the U.K. in Whole foods in 2021, will now supply Asda stores across south-east England and also Booths’ stores, expanding its availability in the U.K. for consumers. It is also the first time Driscoll’s will feature British-grown berries in the paper pack. This expansion aims to help retailers and consumers reduce their reliance on plastic, offering consumers the chance to purchase berries in a paper pack format that they can recycle. With the change to FSC-certified paper instead of plastic, the amount of plastic in the packaging is reduced by 94%. The pack does feature a little plastic--a recyclable window.
Unilever brand Pot Noodle is trialling paper-based pots at Tesco stores.ThePackHub
British instant snack brand, Pot Noodle, part of the Unilever stable, will conduct a limited trial on a 90% paper-based pot design. The pilot of 500,000 pots will be launched exclusively in Tesco stores on their Chicken & Mushroom flavor. Unilever expects the trial to last approximately four weeks, after which they will return to plastic, while the company collates and assesses customer feedback. The company has the ambition to roll this innovation out across the whole portfolio in the near future. Unilever’s packaging and manufacturing teams have been developing and refining the paper pot for over three years, significantly reducing plastic usage while ensuring the packaging retains its shape and delivers the same quality eating experience. The pots can be recycled at home with other cardboard and paper packaging, including OPRL recycling labels. Unilever has estimated that the move could remove 4,000 metric tons of virgin plastic each year.
Bruichladdich's new whisky bottle allows for 60% more bottles per pallet in transport.ThePackHub
Islay-based whisky brand Bruichladdich has collaborated with Glasgow design agency Thirst Craft, who specialize in working with leading beverage brands. While having secondary packaging had previously been a sign of luxury, both Thirst and Bruichladdich identified that the outer tin had become an unnecessary embellishment, and removed it. Thirst also redesigned the shape of the bottle, giving it a smaller neck and a slimmer profile. The previous Classic Laddie bottle contained an average of 15% recycled glass, whereas the new version has around 60% recycled content and is also 32% lighter than its predecessor. The new shape and increased use of recycled materials seek to reduce Bruichladdich’s global environmental impact, as it can now transport 60% more bottles per pallet, cutting its CO2 packaging emissions by a reported 65%. Other sustainable features include using a water-based, organic ink coating and the polypropylene closure and cork, made from synthetic resin from bio-based sources.
Learn more about ThePackHub's Innovation Zone here.
