We don’t need to remind you, but the beer can is one of the most consequential canvases around. Take a walk around your favorite liquor store—not the 7-Eleven, mind you—and take a gander at the beer cooler. Plenty of craft breweries bring the art gallery to the fridge, and it’s a perfect way for designers to get their work to the masses.
Of course, strategic drinks design agency Thirst Craft is saying “no duh” right this second.
Well, they have an unveiling happening at the beer cooler right now for Brooklyn Brewery’s new Hazy IPA. With clear nods to Warhol and Lichtenstein, the new brew leans heavily on the pop art aesthetic, with plenty of bold black lines and polka dots to boot. The iconic Brooklyn Brewery Badge by Milton Glaser gets a cartoonish makeover, with a wilding-out background of colors matching the fruit segments that wedge themselves into the design. Pulp art, indeed.
Even the visual identity outside of the packaging is a literal exclamation point, whether it’s experienced in your natural environment or on a social media platform. It’s juicy and tropical, the perfect bright-ass balm to get you through these final weeks of winter.
“Thirst really took the time to understand the fundamentals of our brand, which made the project truly collaborative at every point,” commented Samantha Itzkovitz, VP of marketing at Brooklyn Brewery, in a press release. “Thirst knows how to identify the sweet spot where fun and engaging branding meets consumer need and market opportunity, which is arguably the biggest challenge when it comes to developing new brands these days. They were a joy to work with every step of the way.”
“To us and the world, Brooklyn has never been just another brewery,” added Matt Burns, Thirst creative director and founder. “It’s a true product of its neighborhood: spirited, creative, authentic. So we knew when we got this brief, it could never be ‘just another’ hazy IPA. We needed to give it the Brooklyn twist. When we landed on the name, ‘Pulp Art,’ we saw the opportunity to mash up two New York icons. One wanted to democratize art, and the other wanted to democratize Hazy IPAs. It was a perfect match. With such a strong core idea, we could have so much fun with the brand. And we did.”
Anyway, if you ever wanted to know what a Milton Glaser logo would look like if it went through a pop art filter, this is likely what you’d get. And it’s a bright, bold, and incredibly playful addition to your beer cozy
New technology permits ingredient printing on cup sidewalls, which will expand product and market capabilities to fuel growth for the “waterless beverages”.
A waterless beverage seems an oxymoron, but Smart Cups has made that incongruous concept a reality for optimized sustainable packaging. Billed as “the world’s first printed beverage,” the brand employs 20 and operates out of a 23,000 square foot facility in Mission Viejo, CA, and was the subject of a January 2020 interview with Packaging Digest.
Chris Kanik, chief excitement officer, aka founder and CEO, enthusiastically responded to a request for a 2021 progress report, which yielded answers referencing expectations he had a year ago as well as new plans.
As companies worldwide were blindsided by the pandemic then, Smart Cups also adjusted course over the ensuing months. However, the company has successfully weathered the storm and is positioned for dramatic growth driven by continued developments in technology and finding additional market opportunities.
What’s the state of Smart Cups these past months?
Kanik: When the COVID-19 pandemic began, we switched some of our production capabilities to produce hand sanitizer, helping fill a critical need for frontline workers. This also helped keep our employees working during a government-induced economic shutdown. We were able to produce and distribute more than 70,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to the Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County municipalities, local hospitals, first responders, veterinarians, and homeless shelters.
From a business perspective, I am very thankful to say that our sales have increased over the past year and we’ve increased consumer awareness through various announcements and partnerships.
You intended to add capacity and automation to increase your output this year, did that happen?
Kanik: The COVID-19 pandemic affected our supply chain and caused some delays from key parts’ manufacturers. That said, we have had successful tests of our increased production equipment and are expecting to have it all installed and implemented within the next few months.
This new method of printing will replace our current method and increase our capabilities from thousands to millions of cups.
Did you expand ingredient printing to the cup sidewall in addition to the cup bottom as planned?
Kanik: The COVID-19 pandemic affected our supply chain and caused some delays from key parts’ manufacturers. That said, we have had successful tests of our increased production equipment and are expecting to have it all installed and implemented within the next few months.
This new method of printing will replace our current method and increase our capabilities from thousands to millions of cups.
Did you expand ingredient printing to the cup sidewall in addition to the cup bottom as planned?
Kanik: It will once our new system is implemented. With the ability to print on the cup sides and bottoms, we will have more surface area and can print more complex formulas, enhance flavor profiles, increase shelf life, and improve dissolve times.
As well, we will be able to print various types of materials and different cup sizes. We are all very excited about the future iteration of our manufacturing technology.
Did you change or add different cup substrates or sizes?
Kanik: In November 2020, we introduced our family-friendly and caffeine-free beverage option, Refreshers. The idea of Refreshers was inspired by my wife and children; we’re always on the go and are constantly looking for healthy options for our kids to enjoy. My kids have always wanted to try Smart Cups, but couldn’t because of the caffeine.
Perfect for families on the go, Smart Cups Refreshers have zero sugar, are naturally sweetened with Stevia, contain 5 calories, 1 carbohydrate, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, are vegan and eco-friendly. Refreshers are available in two exciting flavors, Strawberry Watermelon and Sour Apple.
Once our new printing system is implemented, we will expand our portfolio even more, by adding new flavor substrates and cup sizes, as well as print on various types of surfaces.
We’re also working on launching personal hygiene products, probiotics, some pain relief projects and are continuing to optimize our alcohol printing, which will all further solidify our goal of making sustainability at home possible.
Our current offerings are printed on polylactic acid (PLA) cups sourced from Fabri-Kal. Other materials will be coming within the next 12-24 months.
Were you able to secure the licensing agreements you sought?
Kanik: We are in conversations with some of the largest consumer product companies and are working on several projects where Smart Cups’ technology will be applied to their existing SKUs for a number of everyday product categories.
The sustainability value Smart Cups offers companies that are serious about their impact on the environment is incredibly impactful. Scientific research confirms that these sustainable practices would have a tremendously positive impact on the environment if Smart Cups’ technology becomes widely adopted throughout different industries. For example, a truck that can carry 96,000 cans of soda can instead carry 1.2 million Smart Cups, thanks to the stackable design and elimination of water in transportation. We’re hopeful to achieve adoption and commercialization by multinational companies within the next 18-24 months.
Did you see the demographic shift from female to male that you anticipated?
Kanik: Through 2020 and into 2021, we’ve seen that our core demographic remains women.
That said, we partnered with Mike Tyson ahead of his big fight this year which translated to an increase in male purchasers. Smart Cups serves world-class athletes, from boxing to surfing, rugby, football, basketball and beyond — so it’s exciting to see more and more men adopt Smart Cups.
Are there any plans to reach potential new markets such as hospitals, stadiums, schools, and cafeterias?
Kanik: Yes, we are planning to reach all these new markets in the near future. We are also looking at international markets as we continue to expand our reach.
Is there anything else happening this year?
Kanik: Stay tuned for exciting things from Smart Cups in 2021. We are committed to disrupting not just the beverage industry, but all consumer product industries by reimagining the way consumables are manufactured, packaged, and transported.
We’ve partnered with UCLA’s Institute of Environment and Sustainability to investigate how Smart Cups technology will impact the environment. According to that research, Smart Cups can ship a beverage volume of more than 600% compared to aluminum cans. This means Smart Cups is leading a very aggressive strategy to help the beverage industry reduce its transportation gas emissions by 40-fold, and to help reach the net-zero emissions status.
The largest global food packaging company keeps its focus on renewable, low-carbon materials and sustainable machinery
“This is not about a war on plastics. It’s about a war on carbon,” says Trewin Restorick, founder/CEO of Hubbub, a charity that collaborates with communities on campaigns that “inspire ways of living that are good for the environment.”
That’s an interesting take on sustainability today because, over the past several years, plastic packaging waste has become the poster child for what’s wrong with our consumption society and its wasteful actions.https://33f7e3ebd127c61aaef605a85b200d9b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
Restorick made this comment during a webinar hosted by Reuters Events Sustainable Business in partnership with Tetra Pak on January 19, 2021. (Restorick also serves on Tetra Pak’s sustainability advisory board.)
At the beginning of the “Redesigning products through a circular lens” webinar, moderator Ms. Terry Slavin, editor-in-chief of Reuters Events Sustainable Business, acknowledges the current negative perception of plastics by many in society. And then she points out that, despite the emphasis on recycling because it is the most visible action for consumers, “We can’t recycle our way out of the plastics crisis.”
Restorick agrees. “Businesses and governments and others need to broaden the conversation,” he says, “so people understand this is more than just about recycling.”
So, what can companies do? Well, let’s look at what the largest food packaging company, Tetra Pak, is doing: Focusing on lowering carbon emissions to mitigate the company’s climate impact, which is the broader, underlying environmental issue.
What story do the numbers tell?
On its quest to become the world’s most sustainable packaging company, in June 2020, Tetra Pak set a new target: To achieve net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2030, on its way to reaching net zero carbon emissions across its value chain by 2050.
Like most sustainability journeys, this one takes it a step at a time. Initially, Tetra Pak had decided to cap its 2020 emissions at the level it was in 2010, even though the company has grown more than 15% during that decade. The result? Tetra Pak actually reduced emissions by 11% over those years.
Lars Holmquist, webinar speaker and Tetra Pak’s evp for Packaging Solutions & Commercial Operations, says this proves that “decoupling growth and climate impact is, indeed, possible.”
Tetra Pak expects to reach its 2030 goal of net zero carbon emissions through a four-pronged strategy:
1. Lower energy-related emissions through energy conservation and improvement in energy efficiency. Tetra Pak is currently on track to meet the 2030 goal of using 100% renewable energy, according to Holmquist.
2. Establish partnerships with suppliers and other stakeholders to identify ways to significantly reduce the carbon footprint, and act on them. “[Partnerships are] critical,” says Holmquist. “We cannot do this on our own.”
3. Accelerate development of low-carbon, circular packaging materials — identified as renewable, recyclable, or recycled-content — and equipment to assist customers in meeting their sustainability goals, while also helping to keep food products safe and reduce food waste.
For example, Tetra Pak is working to develop an all-fiber package, made of 100% renewable material, and eliminate the approximately 30% polyethylene and aluminum components that exist in the current package. (The other 70%, give or take, is fiber.) Another benefit of that future pack is that it will be recyclable through existing collection programs for cartons, including curbside.
In the meantime, Tetra Pak is also exploring bio-based and compostable polymers and, if proven to be a viable solution, will include it in the company’s pipeline.
4. Develop sustainable recycling value chains via collaboration with customers, waste management companies, recyclers, municipalities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and others.
The reality of fiber packaging.
What Tetra Pak isn’t doing, though, is looking at reusable packaging, which is getting more legitimacy with American consumers as businesses, such as the Loop circular shopping platform, thrive.
Holmquist isn’t rejecting it as an option per say, asserting that “anything a packaging company can do to reduce, rapidly, the impact that our packages have on the environment is the way to go.” But the company prefers to focus on (1) reducing carbon emissions overall, and (2) expanding renewable, recyclable, and recycled content that is responsibly sourced for two valid reasons:
“Reuse is not the main purpose of a fiber package …” says Holmquist, meaning paper doesn’t hold up in water/wash cycles.
“One important element is about food safety,” he asserts. “We need to make sure — and increasingly so after COVID because of the concerns consumers really do have on food safety in general — that the products we distribute are, indeed, always safe to consume ….”Photo supplied by Tetra Pak
The Tetra Top with Separable Top allows separation of the plastic top and paperboard carton sleeve for easy recycling. Tetra Pak gives customers the option to manufacture Tetra Top with Separable Top at no additional cost to them.
Measurement standards exist.
Regarding how it measures its carbon footprint, Tetra Pak adheres to the GHG Protocol, which Holmquist tells us is “widely acknowledged as the leading methodology for the management of greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Protocol requires Tetra Pak to report on emissions in three areas, or scopes:
• Scope 1: Direct emissions from its own operations, including fuel consumption and the use of solvents and refrigerants. • Scope 2: Indirect emissions related to purchased electricity, heat, steam, or cooling. • Scope 3: Indirect emissions in the company’s value chain from sources not owned or controlled by Tetra Pak.
Currently, most large global companies account and report on the emissions from their direct operations (Scopes 1 and 2). However, Tetra Pak claims that emissions along the value chain often represent a company’s biggest greenhouse gas impacts. That’s why, in June 2020, Tetra Pak set a goal to achieve net zero emissions across the value chain by 2050 (Scope 3), with the intermediate goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2030.
For products, the company adheres to The International Organization for Standardization, specifically ISO 14044 “Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines” and ISO 14067 “Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification.”
Tetra Pak reports on its GHG emissions according to the GHG Protocol principles through its website, its Sustainability Report, and in the annual CDP Supply Chain Climate Program.
What does the sustainable packaging community think?
The Q&A portion of the well-attended webinar reveals the burning thoughts, concerns, and challenges other people have who are responsible for packaging sustainability.
One participant asked, “There is the need to get the message out about packaging and it needs to be simple. So why can’t we have a traffic light system for carbon?”
According to Holmquist, “In principle, a traffic light system seems useful. However, we need to take a holistic environmental approach to sustainability, rather than focusing on one specific element — such as packaging. Only by seeing circular economy models through a climate-lens will we decarbonize materials fast enough to protect our planet.”
Not all of the questions were answered during the webinar, but the questions themselves are still enlightening. Here is a spattering of other questions participants asked:
“How can we get the message across about plastic not being the devil and that there are circumstances where it is appropriate and beneficial to use??”
“Everything is, given enough time, biodegradable, so this is misleading. Look at the problem in China with biodegradable plastics, which are piling up because consumption doesn’t change and the time to biodegrade it is longer than what the industry can process. How can we change the message to focus on reduce and reuse to change behavior so that the industry can focus on environmental and CO2 neutral packaging?”
“When do we move to regenerative packaging and products?”
“Ahead of mass market biodegradability / compostability being the ‘norm’ potentially in years to come, do you think there is a place for local authorities / consumer representation to engage with brands / private label organisations (sic) at the product design stage to enable greater transparency across the supply chain?”
Takeaways from a global packaging manufacturer and supplier.
To me, the main takeaways from Tetra Pak’s sustainability goals and tactics are:
• The ultimate goal is to minimize a company’s climate impact for the good of the planet. • The best way to measure that impact is through carbon emissions. • A global standard for measuring carbon emissions exists and that’s what Tetra Pak uses. • A company can cut carbon emissions even while growing its business. • Packaging contributions for reducing carbon emissions include more than just using recyclable materials. Minimal, renewable, and responsibly sourced packaging materials, as well as recycled content, also count. Reusability should also be considered, if the packaging material allows for it. • It shouldn’t be a war against plastic packaging, or any other single packaging material, design, or process. • Progress on reaching a sustainability goal can/should be incremental.
“As most of the global greenhouse gas emissions are either directly or indirectly influenced by the corporate sector,” says Holmquist, “companies have a clear role to play in protecting climate and ensuring that the transition to a low-carbon circular economy is smooth and prosperous.”
Brand looked to a bolder scheme to reawaken interest for its sleep-supporting ice cream in a crowded freezer section.
There are few things better for your health than a good night’s sleep. Yet that natural act proves elusive for many whether caused by physical or mental conditions.
Supplements such as melatonin have provided relief to many, but a new option was introduced in 2019 when game-changing Nightfood debuted a market-first sleep-friendly food. Besides jumpstarting a new category, it earned product of the year honors in the ice cream category.
The emerging market quickly took off as major brands like Pepsi followed with sleep-friendly snacks and drinks.
There are few things better for your health than a good night’s sleep. Yet that natural act proves elusive for many whether caused by physical or mental conditions.
Supplements such as melatonin have provided relief to many, but a new option was introduced in 2019 when game-changing Nightfood debuted a market-first sleep-friendly food. Besides jumpstarting a new category, it earned product of the year honors in the ice cream category.https://4884b348b5af6c4e09b5031946cc6339.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
The emerging market quickly took off as major brands like Pepsi followed with sleep-friendly snacks and drinks.Nightfood/Packaging Digest
“Better-for-you-snacking has been a powerful trend for years and now sleep is moving to the forefront as well,” Sean Folkson, Nightfood CEO, tells Packaging Digest. “Those two powerful trends are now combining, as consumers are starting to get the message from the media about the critical impact sleep quality has on overall health, performance, mood, energy levels…really every aspect of our lives is directly impacted by sleep quality.”
Brands also get it, too.
“We see Pepsi moving in with the new Driftwell sleep-supporting beverage,” Folkson says, “and we hear rumblings from other global food and beverage players like Nestlé and Mondelez. Because a large number of consumers snack regularly shortly before bed, the category of sleep-friendly snacking was inevitable.”
With more competition in a fast-changing landscape, Nightfood decided it was time to invigorate the packaging design that’s currently in a soft rollout introduction.Nightfood
It starts with a re-assessment of the unique product’s attributes.
“We’re the only company addressing nighttime snacking in this way,” says Folkson. “There are tons of companies making snacks that are generally healthier and ‘better for you’. Yet with a significant percentage of snacking taking place between dinner and bed, none of those other healthy snack companies has ever addressed sleep quality through nutrition.
“We enlisted a team of leading sleep and nutrition experts, leading sleep doctors and sleep researchers, that are involved in decisions regarding our recipes, formulations, and ingredients.”
It stacks up well as a healthy alternative to ice cream, with about 90% less fat, 70% less sugar, and 50% more protein.
Notably, Nightfood is high in fiber, typical ice cream has none. Fiber, Folkson points out, “helps with satiety, blood sugar levels, digestion, and with sleep.”Nightfood
Nightime decided on a two-prong approach to attract a wider swath of consumers.
“With the new design, we wanted to convey nighttime and sleep both directly and indirectly,” says Folkson. “The nighttime blue color should ‘block’ very powerfully on-shelf. That’s important because many brands have gone to the pastel look, with each flavor carrying a different hue. That was how our previous packaging was, and it would tend to get ‘washed out’ on shelf. Each illustrated monster now has more of a nighttime feel, with drowsy monster eyes and face. It’s a great look, bold, powerful, and clearly communicates our primary point of differentiation: Sleep-friendly.”
The targeted consumer is as hard to pin down as last night’s dream.
“People who love us don’t necessarily have a persona or demographics in common, but they have a behavior in common,” says Folkson. “They have a ‘why’ in common. Our target consumer is one who snacks at night with ice cream in their rotation. To get a bit more granular, they believe that what you eat matters and they would prefer better sleep…which is just about everybody these days.”
Further challenging things is that the ice cream section has colorfully proliferated.
“Many of the newer ice creams have been moving towards a color-by-the-flavor pint,” says Folkson. “We wanted to stand out by being big and bold, and the dark blue carton can dominate the shelf. Because we know most pint ice cream is consumed at night, it’s a natural fit to have sleep-friendly ice cream in the pint section.”
On top of what the main color brings to the brand, it also communicates the brand message and the usage occasion.
However, it’s the big, bold, and playful text that screams SLEEP FRIENDLY front and center on the packaging that’s by far the biggest element.
“It’s the one key thing we want the consumer to connect with in that first millisecond,” adds Folkson. “We think we’ve done enough to command their attention.”
He gives a great deal of credit to the OffWhite Co. design team, which redesigned Chobani yogurt packaging to help lift sales from $30 million to more than $1 billion and to the #1 category position in less than four years.
“They came up with this platform, and everything came together pretty smoothly,” says Folkson. “We wanted one key message on the front panel, and things flowed from there. Nailing down the font for the words Sleep Friendly was probably the toughest challenge, and I really like what we were able to land that through trial and discovery.”Nightfood
Nightfood lids make a favorable impression when the pints are held.
Another aspect that was improved were the lids, which Folkson describes as fun and cute. “They make an impression when a consumer holds a pint in their hands.”
Notably, the redesign is gaining attention as the product’s soft rollout progresses across the country.
“The feedback on the new packaging has been great from our category managers and consumers alike,” offers Folkson. “When the new design hits shelves in Walmart and major supermarket chains around the country, we expect it to be a big hit with consumers!”
