Pasta sauce maker Dolmio has refreshed its look in partnership with brand consultancy Elmwood
The new visual identity refresh will feature flashes of Italian heritage with the aim of reaching beyond its traditional family-based audience and attract younger consumers.
Elmwood said: “Dolmio’s word mark is also a significant diversion from the brand’s previous identity and of pasta sauces in general, with a more eye-catching and ‘epic’ quality that captures the joy we get and the freedom we feel from creating big-hearted Italian meals full of overflowing yumminess. This is personified by the exclamation mark, an epic celebration that’s big and bold, full of generosity and warmth.”
Elmwood’s global provocation officer, Greg Taylor, said: “Through our partnership with Dolmio, we’ve reinvigorated its brand identity with new, distinctive brand assets that create the perfect balance between ‘Big Heart’ and ‘Great Taste’. Dolmio’s heart comes from the generosity, accessibility and inclusivity of its brand identity, offering people the freedom to use the sauce how they want. But its big heart doesn’t come at the expense of great taste. It’s been a pleasure working with Dolmio to reinvent branding in the pasta sauce market.”
On Earth Day, April 22nd, Pentawards caught up with members of its Sustainable Design Jury to hear about the latest innovations and collaborations they are keeping an eye on, and insights on how to design sustainably.
As an annual celebration to demonstrate support for environmental protection, Earth Day is a great opportunity for businesses, consumers and designers to share their love for the planet, and what they are doing to support it.
In 2021 we launched our Sustainable Design Jury for our competition, alongside our Sustainable Design category which is sponsored by UPM Raflatac. Today we speak with members for some insights.
Bio-based materials and collaborations
Marta Suslow, Sustainability Expert and ex-Beiersdorf
Despite my previous skepticism towards biopolymers, I am now actively seeking out Shellmer, a product created by Shellworks. Their premier product, Shellmer, seems to be the most environmentally-friendly bio-based packaging plastic that I have read about so far. It meets all the desired criteria for a perfect bio-plastic, as it can be fashioned into thin films that dissolve in hot water and can be used as fertilizer when disposed of.
I strongly believe that sharing knowledge, building communities, and forming partnerships is essential for achieving truly reusable packaging and harmonized metrics. In this regard, I recently learned that the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Initiative and WRAP have collaborated to exchange knowledge and promote global progress in addressing plastic pollution. This collaboration is particularly encouraging since I believe that the 2025 goals are at risk.
However, I also hope that we can establish a global venture capital and design agency in the future. Such an agency could work together with startups and established suppliers to develop global reuse standards and bring these cost-efficiently to the market. This effort could contribute to achieving truly harmonized metrics and advancing progress toward our sustainability goals.
Source: Shellworks
Key steps for sustainable design
Jenny Greenwood, Sustainability & Innovation Manager at Butterfly Cannon
When it comes to sustainable design, the first key element for brands to focus on is to make it simple. Sustainability is a minefield, and different stakeholders will have their own opinion about what the priority is. So breaking things down into easily digestible, bite-size chunks is the key.
It’s the reason we created our Conscious Design process – to bring clarity to this complexity through a simple step-by-step process with our Climatic Table at its heart – a matrix of 28 distinct sustainable elements, which allows us to visualize and discuss what the different priorities and options are with our clients.
Butterfly Cannon’s Climatic Table
Another key element is to be open. Make thoughtful and informed decisions from the start and be open about their implications, in order to reach agreement with all stakeholders.
Draw up a roadmap. You cannot do everything overnight. It takes time to make change.
Think systemically – you are part of a bigger picture. Do not see design as a silo, you are in a partnership with the other departments such as marketing and production. What you decide to do will have an impact not only on sales but upon your sustainable footprint.
We recently helped develop a whiskey brand using this thinking. The brand – an artisanal Indian single malt called Godawan – was built around the purpose of saving Rajasthan’s endangered Godawan bird from extinction, with every bottle sold contributing to conservation efforts.
The whisky is created in an Alliance of Water Stewardship-certified and water-positive distillery, using barley that has been sourced locally. The bottling supplier was local, the glass weight was minimised for the category, the paper labels were FSC certified with a high percentage of recycled content and the carton-board outer was produced with Diageo India’s first locally sourced FSC stock.
Godawan Artisanal Indian Single Malt Whisky, Butterfly Cannon
Whilst working on a sustainable design, it’s worth keeping an eye on recent advancements in the sustainability space too. Some of these that we are keeping an eye on include:
Biomaterial development and materials inspired by nature
Such as orange fibre and algiknit (or ‘seaweed wool’) being used as yarns within H&M clothing. Or Stella Mcartney’s use of Mylo a sustainable leather alternative made from mycelium, the root-like system of mushrooms.
AI & digital influence
Many fashion industries are making use of AI eg. 3D knitted garments which use material mapping to ensure no material is wasted in the product manufacturing process. This approach could be utilised in the packaging industry;we’re already seeing this with companies like Kurz and their digital foil.
Rental systems
We are already seeing an increase in returnable or refillable packaging, but this could go even further by taking inspiration from other industries eg. Hurr’s fashion rental, Netflix, Uber’s Lime Bike rental
Transparency
Being open and honest about all elements of your brand eg. Guerlain’s ‘Bee Respect’ traceability platform.
The importance of sustainable labeling
Robert Taylor, Sustainability Director at UPM Raflatac
A product label is a critical driver of the packaging brand experience, and the sustainability of the label choice is integral to the circularity and climate performance of the package.
Companies have a lot of reasons to make their product packaging increasingly sustainable: consumer demand, regulatory pressure, and the opportunity to drive long-term brand value. But how? Label choice is often not the first question when designing new packaging, but it can have a monumental impact on overall sustainability. A label can have an impact on the whole package greater than the label on its own. Also with the high volume of consumer goods sold daily, the impact of labels builds up.
Companies have a lot of reasons to make their product packaging increasingly sustainable: consumer demand, regulatory pressure, and the opportunity to drive long-term brand value. But how? Label choice is often not the first question when designing new packaging, but it can have a monumental impact on overall sustainability. A label can have an impact on the whole package greater than the label on its own. Also with the high volume of consumer goods sold daily, the impact of labels builds up.
Rebiome’s label by UPM Raflatac
The challenges we are facing for a sustainable future are so huge that no company or industry can solve them alone. Collaboration is hence key to accelerating technology innovations in the packaging industry and is very much supported. To make consumer packages circular, design for recycling is the first step needed, and here we see many initiatives like RecyClass and 4evergreen. Packaging sorting prior to recycling is also an area where digital watermarks in the form of Holy Grail 2.0, or artificial intelligence are piloted and it’s interesting to see how these initiatives develop.
Consumer information and recyclable tubes
Silke Bochat, Head of Design, Europe Africa-Eurasia, Colgate Palmolive – Switzerland
Colgate’s breakthrough toothpaste tube won the 2022 Gold Pentaward as the world’s first recyclable tube recognized as recyclable. Here’s a walk through the process of the initiative.
An estimated 20 billion toothpaste tubes end up in the world’s landfills every year. Aluminum layers in toothpaste tubes have historically been used industry-wide yet make recycling almost impossible because most reprocessors can’t work with mixed materials. We had billions of good reasons to take action and lead the way. As a global market leader in toothpaste we knew that if we succeed, the impact would be meaningful, and others will join. It took us 5 years to develop our Recyclable Tube and to begin driving change in the market. Production was among the challenges to solve. We had to crack how to design a tube that technically fit the #2 HDPE recycling stream but was soft and squeezable.
The breakthrough came when we discovered how we could layer different grades of HDPE on top of each other, which allowed us to create a tube that was more squeezable, as Greg Corra, our Worldwide Director of Global Packaging & Sustainability explained recently in a Bloomberg article. To build momentum for global change, from the start we’ve been sharing our learnings and technology with other tube makers and companies.
Our Recyclable Tube is just the beginning, as it is part of a broader push of our company to reimagine a healthier future for all people, their pets, and our planet. Ann Tracy, our Chief Sustainability Officer, just recently shared in an interview with Reuters that we’ll soon elevate our Recyclable Tube to a new version using less plastic, which is both lighter to ship and even easier to squeeze.
Equally important as innovative technology is to engage consumers to build sustainable habits for life. How can we bring awareness to recycling, how can we educate consumers? This is when Gerard Rizzo and Kristina Karaiskos from our design team joined forces with marketing, particularly Anne-Marie Keller, our NA Marketing Associate Director. They crafted a design and communication strategy in collaboration with our design agency partner, Designbridge NY. Together, they came up with a design that turns the tube into a call to action. For a period of time, our most beloved Colgate toothpaste products were shouting out loud a “Recycle Me!” on our tube – A genius idea to build awareness among consumers and other stakeholders.
Our biggest challenge is to create packages composed of monomaterials that can easily be taken apart at the end of a package’s life making it fully recyclable. 80% of the impact on sustainability depends on decisions at the beginning of the design process.
The right choice of material and a clever construction pays you back at the end. Michael Braungart, the cradle-to-cradle founder says, “Everything else is designed for you to throw away when you are finished with it. But where is ‘away‘? Of course, ‘away’ does not really exist. ‘Away‘ has gone away.” Reuse paired with cradle-to-cradle will play a major role in the future. Materials from renewable sources or even agricultural or food waste are on the rise.
The latest example of new packaging material that has the most potential is Traceless. It is a fantastic new material that fully biodegrades and has the same properties as molded plastic. The first application is a sock-packaging hook. Tiny little piece but super exciting. Another spectacular material is Papira. It is made from cellulose (wood) and can substitute styrofoam. There’s an endless list of new developments, at the ‘Rethink Material‘ conference in London many of the new players line up and showcase their work.
With people adopting sustainable lifestyles, consumers can learn to make more sustainable choices with the right information. Two inconvenient truths are that consumers state to have a sustainable lifestyle but if you look deeper into their behavior or check their receipts at the cash desk it’s often ‘greenwashing‘.
Furthermore, it is really difficult for consumers to identify true sustainability. Paper is a fantastic material but depending on the use case it may not always be the perfect solution. Customers and manufacturers have to have tools for orientation and measures for their decision. SUSY (sustainable score) for example is an holistic, scientific and independent evaluation method that sums up 84 dimensions to a comprehensible result. It goes far beyond a life cycle assessment.
Procter and Gamble has announced that paper-based, FSC-certified, recyclable packaging for its Always Cotton Protection Pad Range has now been rolled out across Europe.
The packs are now available in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark – and were launched in Spain and Portugal last week.
The solution is made from what P&G describes as “sustainably sourced”, FSC-certified kraft paper which can be fully recycled in the paper waste stream. According to a recent ISO Life Cycle Assessment, the new Always Cotton Protection paper packaging reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% compared to virgin fossil plastic bags across Europe.
The paper packaging, made as part of an entirely European supply chain, is also reportedly lighter compared to cardboard. The production site, a paper mill in Northern Europe, operates using 100% renewable electricity.
Zooming out, this launch comes as part of P&G’s commitment to using 100% recyclable packaging and incorporating 50% renewable or recycled materials by 2025.
The Always Cotton Protection Pads enclosed within the pack feature a topsheet made with 100% organic cotton certified by Cotton Inc. The absorbent cellulose core boasts liquid-locking gel pearls, and the pads have a moisture-proof backsheet. The pads have also been approved by the Skin Health Alliance.
Dr. Peter Kramkowski, P&G’s feminine care research & development packaging director, commented: “Always Cotton Protection paper packaging is the brand’s first-ever fully recyclable paper packaging that is lightweight, robust and easily recycled in the European paper waste stream.
“Manufactured within a completely European supply chain, the package delivers responsible sourcing, manufacturing, and disposal, all without compromising on performance or protection.”
Dove has launched its first refillable and reusable deodorant packaging with the aim of providing an accessible refill solution for consumers and reducing plastic waste.
According to Dove, the ‘super-durable’ stainless steel case is capable of enduring forces of nearly 900lb in weight, while the pack’s exterior incorporates 96% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable. It is designed to be compact and is described as having a ‘sleek, minimalist aesthetic’.
Consumers are expected to buy one pack and continue to refill it until its end of life, cutting down on the disposal of single-use packaging – a practice that will otherwise result in 12 billion tonnes of plastic in landfill or the environment by 2050, the company says.
“We’re excited to make sustainable personal care products accessible with the launch of Dove Refillable Deodorant,” says Firdaous El Honsali, global vice president of Communications & Sustainability at Unilever. “Dove Refillable Deodorant is only the beginning. We are looking at every facet of our packaging and are working towards our commitment to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.”
The Dove Refillable range is certified by PETA and comes in four fragrances marketed towards male and female consumers, respectively. Each scent contains an aluminium- and alcohol-free formula enriched with Dove ¼ moisturisers, as well as odour-blocking ingredients for a reported 48 hours of protection.
The packs are currently available at all Canadian brick-and-mortar retailers, as well as through e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, and London Drugs.
Paco Rabanne collaborated with VPI in 2021 to unveil a refillable spray cap that incorporated NFC technology into its 100ml and 150ml bottles.
RecyClass has updated its Design for Recycling Guidelines and Recyclability Evaluation Protocols in line with recent developments in packaging features and recycling technologies.
After conducting a reported fifteen test campaigns and issuing fifty Recyclability Approvals in 2022, new evaluations were carried out regarding the recycling compatibility of components appearing recurrently in rigid and flexible packaging. The behaviour of polypropylene in the rigid HDPE recycling stream, the impact of HPDE on the polypropylene stream, and the compatibility of different types of lids for polystyrene pots, as well as such technologies as laminating adhesives and functional barriers, were all tested.
In response, new guidelines have been developed for white and natural polystyrene, polypropylene, and HDPE containers in collaboration with the relevant value chain players. White packaging in general has been noted as having a high material value, and the updates state that white and natural packaging should be recycled in separate streams, although they leave the previous design recommendations unchanged.
Furthermore, the Recyclability Evaluation Protocols have been adjusted to fall in line with the testing procedures of the US-based Association of Plastic Recyclers with the aim of standardising recyclability evaluations across regions. This is said to include clarifications on testing conditions and definitions and alterations to accommodate for current recycling practices based on feedback from recognised RecyClass testing facilities, members, and recyclers.
RecyClass has made the new Guidelines, revised Protocols, RecyClass Internal Rules and Quality Management and Procedures for Recyclability Approvals available on its website. Moving forward, it aims to contribute towards the standardisation of design for recycling guidelines and testing protocols across Europe in line with targets for plastic packaging laid out in the proposed revisions of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.
The announcement comes after RecyClass released a Design Book last summer in the hopes of establishing a definition of recyclability and creating a roadmap to designing high-quality rigid and flexible packaging for recycling.
The 4evergreen alliance has released the beta version of its Fibre-Based Packaging Recyclability Evaluation protocol, with the tool as a whole expected to create an improved and standardised framework for evaluating the recyclability of packaging products in Europe.
75 experts from across the fibre-based packaging value chain collaborated to develop the protocol by analysing data and drawing upon the results of over 50 recycling tests, said to have resulted in almost 100 samples. It helps users to interpret the results of Cepi’s recyclability test method, giving them insight into the quality of the materials their product uses and the efficiency of its recycling process.
These results are subsequently entered into a score calculation tool, which will provide a score between -100 and +100 based on the ease with which the product can be recycled at a standard mill. If a score is negative, it is considered less recyclable, yet it may still be compatible with recycling technologies at a flotation-deinking or specialised mill.
As such, the protocol is being expanded to include evaluations for such mills, and these additions are set to be launched throughout 2023. Users testing the current evaluation protocol are being encouraged to provide feedback to refine the beta release into a first completed version and contribute to future updates.
4evergreen anticipates that the tool can be used throughout the sector to score packaging products made of cellulosic fibres based on their suitability for recycling in standard mills, and by policymakers as a reference point for upcoming legislation of recyclability, collection, and sorting.
“The 4evergreen alliance’s strength comes from our ability to share expertise and join the dots across the whole fibre-based packaging value chain,” said Hans Wortman, 4evergreen chair and internal business consultant at WEPA Group. “This beta release of the Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for standard mills is a major step towards a straightforward, reliable recyclability evaluation method that the entire sector can use.
“The next step is the development of the Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for deinking and specialised mills. These efforts take us closer to our goal for a 90% recycling rate by 2030.”
Peter Hengesbach, project co-lead and recyclability manager at Stora Enso, added: “We’ve worked together intensively across the whole fibre-based packaging sector to share our knowledge and build consensus around this new and unique recyclability evaluation protocol. We are looking forward to hearing what people think of this version so that we can finetune it and expand its use to include all types of recycling mills. Our goal is to make this a widely used and accepted tool across the entire value chain.”
Cepi’s test method, announced earlier this year, is thought to estimate a paper product’s recyclability in an ‘ideal’ scenario by recreating industrial-scale paper recycling methods in laboratory conditions. It hopes to result in a complete transition into recyclable paper packaging by 2025.
Another recyclability assessment tool, Henkel’s Easy D4R software, was a finalist in the Sustainability Awards 2020 for its assessment of the recyclability of various kinds of packaging materials, including paper.
We also spoke to Tiina Pursula – 4evergreen’s deputy chair and SVP Sustainability and Division Packaging Materials at Stora Enso – and Ralf Mack, co-lead of the 4evergreen Expert Group on Circularity by Design and also Director New Business Development Consumer Products at Graphic Packaging International, about 4evergreen’s Circularity by Design guideline. It is said to outline the types of fibre-based packaging, particularly for household and on-the-go applications, that are compatible with recycling technologies currently available in Europe.
Tim Hortons is seeking to improve its packaging’s recyclability by trialling a fibre alternative to its single-use plastic hot beverage lids, amongst other transitions into renewable and recyclable packaging materials.
The trial will run in the City of Vancouver for around twelve weeks, with the new fibre lids – said to be both plastic-free and recyclable – seeking improved sustainability without sacrificing a positive consumer experience.
Additionally, the company is set to make the transition to fibre lids permanent for its Loaded Bowl packaging in its locations across Canada. It has also redesigned its breakfast and lunch wrapper to eliminate 75% of the material from its previous wrap box – a move expected to save over 1,400 tonnes of material every year.
The change comes in light of the Canadian federal government’s ban on the import and manufacture for sale of single-use plastics, which came into effect in September 2022. The legislation rules out foodservice items that contain or are entirely made from hard-to-recycle plastics, including drink stirrers, straws, and cutlery – the latter of which will now be made from wood or fibreat Tim Hortons establishments in a bid to save 90 million single-use plastics a year.
As the ban also prohibitssingle-use plastic bags, the company is providing its customers with reusable bags to purchase.
“Through our sustainability platform Tims for Good, we’re always looking for ways, big and small, to make thoughtful choices on material and design in order to reduce and eliminate packaging and contribute to more sustainable innovation,” says Paul Yang, senior director of Procurement, Sustainability and Packaging at Tim Hortons.
PulPac also worked alongside HSMG to enhance its Dry Molded Fiber technology with plant-based water and oil barriers; the resultant material was expected to be applied to coffee cups, alongside other packaging types, with the aim of ensuring their recyclability.
JBM Packaging has launched EcoView, a plastic-free, windowed paper pack which uses a clear biodegradable film made from wood and cotton-seed fibres.
As a whole, the pack is designed to serve as an alternative to multi-material or “poly”film packages made of non-renewable sources. It comes in three different sizes – the sneak peek, partial view, and full display – to offer customers varied yet consistently clear views of the products within.
EcoView can be customised to meet individual customers’ sustainability goals, utilising differing percentages of recycled content and a variety of papers, closures, and hanging holes. As such, each package can be tailored to look unique.
The pack makes use of JBM’s FiberFilm, a proprietary transparent film derived from wood pulp – in itself said to be PEFC-certified, with the final film reportedly meeting TÜV’s environmental regulatory standards.
As it is made of diacetate, FiberFilm is compatible with kerbside recycling systems, but it has also achieved certification for home composting and is thought to serve this function bestin natural, freshwater environments.
“People want to enjoy natural environments without seeing plastic waste littered alongside hiking trails and waterways,” said David Warren, vice president of Sales and Marketing at JBM Packaging. “Our EcoView packaging line evolved from customers looking for curbside recyclable packaging solutions that showcased their product and eliminated plastic. EcoView delivers optimal packaging performance without the environmental impact.”
KM Packaging’s C-Cling clingfilm, meanwhile, is also said to be home compostable, as it is made from bio-based renewable materials. It is set to package fresh products in catering and retail and can be paired with compostable trays for a complete packaging solution
Inside the Kraft Heinz brand’s decision to eliminate the iconic shaker bag and save 900,000 pounds of plastic waste.
Less is more, addition by subtraction…those cliches are spot-on for The Kraft Heinz Company’s sustainably driven decision to eliminate the clear plastic “shaker” bag from Shake ‘N Bake packaging. The bag was used across the portfolio of 11 stock-keeping units.
The bag, which appears to be made of polyethylene, has been part of the brand’s story since the introduction in 1965.
That simple change is projected to eliminate 900,000 pounds of plastic waste, which is the weight equivalent of more than 270 mid-size cars.
Image courtesy of YouTube
In place of the bag, fans are encouraged to shake using a reusable container for adding that extra layer of crunch to their favorite recipes.
“As a family staple for over 50 years, we are proud to evolve with the world around us, ushering in a new effort to help our brand — and our fans – take steps toward a more sustainable future,” says Brianna Galvin, brand manager, Shake ‘N Bake. “While the ‘shaker’ bag is an important part of our legacy, our product is just as effective and delicious without the plastic waste, and we are excited for all the good to come from this simple, yet effective packaging change.”
Other than periodic graphics updates, it’s the brand’s first change inside the box across all these years, Galvin tells Packaging Digest.
It’s clearly a move away from a legacy of packaged convenience that stretches back to the 1960s done for the greater good of the environment.
Change driven by corporate strategy, research insights.
“In developing this project, we leaned into all of the insights that exist around consumers and their relationship with plastics,” Galvin explains. “Research shows that 86% of US consumers want to see companies lead in developing sustainable packaging solutions and 73% say they want to use less plastic but don’t know how.”
It’s also a direct result of Kraft Heinz’s broader Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, designed to prioritize the issues that matter most to the company’s business and stakeholders.
“Specifically, this works towards a goal to make 100% of our packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025,” Galvin says.“We identified an opportunity and worked as quickly as possible to implement this change.”
Surprisingly, the now bagless-and-boxed packaging graphics design remains unchanged; wouldn’t it be helpful to inform consumers about the change and sustainable improvement?
“Change always comes with an adjustment but we look forward to ushering in a new effort to help our fans, along with our brand, take steps toward a more sustainable future,” Galvin tells us. “While we don’t have any external packaging updates to share at this time, we are exploring options for 2023.”
What also remains unchanged: the suggested retail price.
As savvy brands know, shape is a potent packaging design option that can trigger an emotional response from consumers.
One way to further leverage the visual impact and engagement is to have the packaging’s shape associated with the product.https://2f392b32a84f8d6542c038c7c03f7dd0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
That’s why the redesigned packaging for America’s #1 selling peanut brand, Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts, works effectively on several levels — and with a sustainable improvement.
While curvier and more peanut-like looking than before, the new 16-ounce PET containers also reduce the amount of plastic required. The bottles use 8% less polymer than the prior bottle, saving up to 220 tons of PET plastic yearly.
“Our new packaging allows us to truly stand out with a unique ‘shell’ that is just as premium and satisfying as the delicious [nuts] within,” says Allie Abney, associate brand manager. “Now snack lovers can enjoy their favorite peanuts in an even better, crave-worthy bottle that puts flavor in the spotlight.”
The redesign makes the bottle’s two rounded sections more pronounced than before when the bottle’s upper section was flat.Image courtesy of Planters
“The peanut-shaped hourglass bottle more closely resembles a legume than the original 16-ounce bottle,” Abney points out.
Along with the bottle’s physical change, the brand redesigned the label graphics.
“The new labels spotlight one supersized peanut rather than a pile of peanuts, so snack-nut fans can easily see the detail and appetite appeal of each respective flavor,” Abney tells us. “Mr. Peanut is still front and center, and we’ve reduced the label surface area so shoppers can get a better glimpse of what’s inside the clear bottle. New typography emphasizes the dry roasted preparation of the product.”
Maintaining the same amount of peanuts in the redesigned bottle was a key challenge, according to Abney.
Kudos to Hormel for maintaining the net weight status quo in this era of rampant shrinkflation.
The peanutier bottle is rolling nationwide for three product varieties, salted, honey roasted, and sweet & spicy.
Hormel’s other sustainable moves.
Like the diminutive peanut, small changes like reduced plastic can help make a big impact.
This packaging update is part of ongoing efforts by the brand’s parent company Hormel Foods in which the packaging team’s sustainability initiatives reduced product packaging by more than 727,000 pounds in 2021.
Hormel reports that more than 80% of packaging by weight is recyclable, with more than 30% made from recycled materials.
Some examples:
Justin’s PET jars are using 30% less plastic in 2022. The new jars, which were redesigned, tested, and approved in 2021, will save more than 165,000 pounds of material annually.
Hormel fully cooked entrees packaging was redesigned to include 25% of material from post-consumer recycling (PCR), which saves more than 382,000 pounds of virgin material each year.
Club Part Trays reduced the height of the PET plastic trays and eliminated the shrink sleeve from the tray locking design. This saved more than 23,000 pounds of plastic annually for a club party tray product.
Improving the palletization pattern of Columbus turkey bacon reduced the number of pallets and trucks needed to ship the product, saving more than 114,000 pounds of material annually.
Last, but not least, Hormel also added How2Recycle labels to more than 250 items in 2021.
