Margarine and spreads giant Flora has revamped its packs in the same brand style as its dairy butter alternative Flora Plant B+tter.
The full Flora range has been united under one look, inspired by the products’ natural and 100% plant-based ingredients.
All the recipes have been aligned to be made from 100% plant based and dairy free and palm oil free.
All Flora spreads will now be in store with a fresh new look, with each product featuring a bold, colourful palette making it easier for consumers to choose their favourite.
Ian Hepburn, marketing director, UK, of Flora owner Upfield, said: “Flora has been a kitchen staple across the UK since 1964 and over six decades, we’ve continued to innovate to meet shoppers’ needs.
“We have also been continuously working to deliver a fully 100% plant-based range, that is even tastier and are pleased that Flora Buttery is now deliciously dairy free. Our purpose is at the heart of everything we do, and we will continue to make new products to continue the Flora movement.”
Walkers has rolled out new paper outer bags for its Baked multipacks following a trial.
The crisp brand claims that the move will reduce its use of virgin plastic by 180 tonnes a year. The packs where trialled in 800 Tesco stores earlier this year. According to Walkers, the paper bag can be widely recycled in home recycling bins.
Gareth Callan, sustainable Packaging Lead at PepsiCo UK and Ireland said: “We are constantly innovating new ways to remove virgin plastic in our packaging. It’s exciting to see our successful trial of this paper pack lead to a nationwide roll-out. At this scale, the new packaging will deliver a huge reduction in virgin plastic, while also helping to lower our carbon footprint.”
The development follows a trial for Walkers’ Snack A Jacks range, where a bagless format was made from a tape-like strip which held together five individual packets of Snack A Jacks. The brand invested over £2m in new equipment at its Skelmersdale, Lancashire where Snack A Jacks are manufactured.
BellaGiada has created a limited edition pack for Dublin Liberties Distillery’s 27-year-old single malt whiskey – ‘King of Hell’.
Dublin Liberties asked BellaGiada to create a new packaging design that would reflect the ‘disruptive and unruly’ character of the brand.
Drawing inspiration from the 1600s materials of the Hell Fire Club era, the pack incorporates dark matt materials, foil blocking, and debossing, adding an air of mystique and historical significance.
The Dublin Liberties logo and a metal King of Hell crown were tastefully inset into a bespoke recess on the matte black material, showcasing attention to detail.
Internally, the miniature was securely nestled in the main body of the pack, held in place by a ‘shoulder’ gold accent, exuding opulence and sophistication.
Additionally, a light-sensitive LED illuminates the miniature skull bottle, placed on a luxurious black silk cushion, and the pack is opened with a period ‘O ring’ handle.
BellaGiada’s pack has been shortlisted in the Limited Edition of the Year category at this year’s UK Packaging Awards.
The pack will be on display on stand J30 at London Packaging Week, held on 21 & 22 September at ExCeL London.
Design consultancy Morrama has worked on cosmetic start-up Wild’s plastic-free, compostable, liquid cosmetics refill packs – a ‘world’s first’.
The refills are made from 70% bamboo starch, a fast-growing plant known for its natural waterproof properties.
The remaining 30% is plant starch from agricultural waste and is used to enhance the refills’ structural integrity.
The aluminium case has been designed to complement the deodorant’s sleek aesthetic and encloses the bamboo refill, fully protecting it from water and humidity.
Wild said the only plastic part of the product is the pump which is made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic.
Once the refill is empty it can be put on the compost heap or in general waste where it will biodegrade faster than a banana peel.
Jo Barnard, founder of Morrama, said: “Transporting liquids without plastic or high energy aluminium has, until now, been a major challenge for the cosmetics industry. As with the Wild deodorant, we wanted to ensure that the refill would leave no trace, breaking down completely, even in landfill conditions, in less than two years.
“We designed the Wild shower gel case with consideration for every detail, from ease of user experience, to its recyclability and sustainable credentials. It has been designed as a truly premium product experience, but at an affordable price.”
Plant-based dairy brand Alpro has revealed a new look, having worked with Elmwood.
The design includes a series of on-pack and digital design accents.
Elmwood said its design ramps up flavour both through the photography and ‘the language used’ by the brand on and off-pack.
Taste descriptor notes such as “smooth, subtle, Creamy Oat” have been brought to the forefront.
A rebalanced palette that combines vibrant whites with pops of colour.
The agency said the logo plays a bigger role in the updated brand world – showing up in more confident ways across various touchpoints and building on the leaf’s iconicity.
Kyle Whybrow, executive creative director at Elmwood London, said: “We decided that there was room to move the needle, creatively, by focusing on Alpro’s wider brand story, rather than pack design alone. The result is an evolved design that focuses on the incredible taste and smooth, moreish texture of Alpro products.”
Hedwig Borgers, global marketing director for the plant-based division at Danone, said: “Having partnered with Elmwood for nearly a decade now, we are incredibly proud of the updated packaging and brand world experience across Alpro’s core and premium portfolio – which looked to emphasise the benefits and health of our products as a core element of the rebrand.”
Dunnet Bay Distillers has launched a new look for its award-winning Holy Grass Vodka.
The new design, which has been created by Pocket Rocket Creative, Holy Grass Vodka is now packaged in a premium glass bottle, sprayed with colour to create a greater stand out on shelf.
The label, which features a fresh font, has been designed to reinforce the hand crafted nature and provenance of the spirit.
The bottle also now includes a QR code linking to the brand story and recommended serve.
Each batch is hand numbered and secured with a recyclable ‘Kelpie Serpent’ seal – said to be found in the Thurso river next to where Holy Grass grows.
Martin Murray, co-founder of Dunnet Bay Distillery, said: “We wanted to create a spirit that captures and celebrates the heritage of Caithness and its local botanicals. We are really excited to launch this new look, which gives Holy Grass the attention it deserves as a standalone range. The unique bottle and spray colour are not only aimed at giving it greater stand out in store, but also allow for brand extensions in the future.”
Appartement 103 has developed the branding and packaging design for Brugal’s new rum range Colección Visionaria.
The project involved creating a unique visual identity for this limited-edition series, including primary and secondary packaging. The bottle boasts a matte gradient-coloured coating with a screened shiny varnish on top, subtly highlighting a ‘smoke-like’ pattern, reminiscent of the toasting process, while the top part reveals the amber liquid.
The label on the bottom part provides further information about each edition, with its key characteristics, the rum master’s signature as a stamp of quality, and the batch number to convey this product’s crafted and limited series aspect. Lastly, the bottle is wrapped in navy blue netting, an elevated version of Brugal’s iconic protective netting, carefully sealed by hand with blue wax.
Virginie Cuvillier, Brugal’s global brand manager – prestige, said: “Appartement 103 have been a fantastic partner throughout the process of creating the visual identity and packaging for this unique limited-edition collection.
“Their expertise and creativity have been instrumental in delivering an elevated and differenciated prestige packaging for the entire collection aligned with the Brugal brand identity.”
Article-Recyclable Trays Bring Sustainability to Retail
Clearly Clean’s patented PET food trays give retailers and their customers a recyclable new alternative to polystyrene foam packaging.
Retailers continue turning to sustainable options for private-label packaged foods that meet consumer preferences and address the growing amount of government regulations.
Clearly Clean Products is poised to take a bite out of traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) food trays with two new recyclable overwrapped food tray options: the first is for grocery retailers and wholesalers of poultry, meat, produce, seafood, and deli; the other is a compartmented tray for meatballs and the other patty-style configurations.
Made of crystal-clear PET, the patented trays are thermoformed using a thinner gauge sheet than Cearly Clean’s food processor-grade trays.
“Consumers appreciate the clear tray that allows them to view the actual product they are buying from all sides,” comments Jimmy Herring, CEO, who adds that compared to EPS, the trays meet or exceed all shelf-life requirements.
Although Clearly Clean believes clear is the best choice for recyclability, the company also offers the trays in transparent colors, too.
The trays can be recycled anywhere that accepts other PET packaging, which is often curbside. The trays are labeled with a #1 PET recycling symbol to help encourage responsible disposal.
Herring contends that the trays are more than just a compelling ecological solution, they offer an intrinsic bonus of being cost-effective too. Grocers typically receive their foam food trays in bundles and Clearly Clean’s grocery program supports trays packed in quantities similar to foam trays for easy use at the store level.
“Grocery retailers and wholesalers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly packaging, but how the trays have historically been packaged and their cost have been a hindrance to adoption,” Herring says. “Clearly Clean’s solution addresses both; the trays are shipped in boxes and quantities with which they are readily familiar and can be produced in a thinner gauge to reduce costs.”
PET tray’s patented rolled edges are functionally, aesthetically beneficial.
The trays feature Clearly Clean’s patented rolled edge, mitigating tears in overwrap film and providing a “three times stronger” resistance to “bow tying”, which can occur because of weak sidewalls. This maintains the tray’s structural integrity and on-shelf appearance despite the thinner gauge.
The trays do not require an equipment change, withstand high-speed processors without a loss in structural strength, and can be reworked if there is a film or styling issue. In short, these trays are made for holding moist products without losing their shape or protective features, while their the rolled edge curtails leakage, delivering all the benefits of EPS minus the negative environmental impact.
The new grocery trays are available with or without soaker pads and come in 21 sizes, ranging from a 2S small tray to a large 15D. The meatball tray has 12 pockets while the patty tray offers two cells; they can be customized in size, thickness, shape, and color.
Clearly Clean’s rolled-edge trays are available in processor grade and supermarket grade, the latter of which is a thinner gauge. “The processor-grade trays are thicker to be able to endure shipping and high-speed equipment,” Herring says. “They are also packaged differently for easy use by the processors.”
The tray’s reception was instantly positive.
“We have seen strong interest in our grocery solution with multiple clients already on board,” Herring says. “Historically, we have primarily sold to food processors, but as consumer pressure increases and government bans and corporate sustainability goals begin to take effect, retailers and wholesalers are increasingly looking for more eco-friendly options.”
Kraft Heinz’s move to recycled content is expected to eliminate approximately 100 million pounds of virgin plastics from its packaging globally by 2030.
Kraft Heinz has an ambitious new global packaging sustainability goal. By 2030, the company aims to reduce the use of virgin plastic in its packaging by 20%, vs. a 2021 baseline — the equivalent of about 100 million pounds of virgin plastic.
The company is targeting all petrochemical-feedstock-derived plastic that has not been used previously. This builds on its intention to replace 15% of its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) rigid packaging in the United States with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content by 2025.
Previously, Kraft Heinz had announced a goal of making 100% of its packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging by 2025. It is also aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with emissions halved by 2030.
“As we aim to meet our virgin-plastic commitment, we’re looking for new packaging solutions across our entire global portfolio where we can make the biggest impact,” Linda Roman, associate director of packaging environmental social governance (ESG) and technology at Kraft Heinz, tells us.
“When deciding what packages to focus on, we first see if there’s an opportunity to remove any unneeded plastic, then we look for opportunities where we can reduce plastic weight, add recycled content, or replace plastics with other types of materials, while ensuring we do not compromise the product quality and [do] meet consumer expectations,” she adds.
To boost the percentage of recycled content in its packaging, Kraft Heinz is leveraging its existing work with the US, Canada, and UK Plastic Pacts.
Replacing virgin plastic in packaging with recycled content.
The Kraft Real Mayo and Miracle Whip brands will transition from virgin PET to 100% recycled PET jars and squeeze bottles in the US starting in 2024; the goal is to eliminate about 14 million pounds of virgin PET.
Additionally, Kraft Heinz has transitioned from virgin PET to 30% recycled PET for most Heinz bottles in Brazil, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
For Heinz baked beans in the UK, the company created recyclable Heinz Beanz Snap Pots. Made from soft plastics, the pots are food-safe and contain 39% recycled plastic collected from consumers at Tesco stores.
Kraft Heinz is clearly rethinking its plastic packaging across product categories. “As we pursue our packaging goals, we’re transforming packaging across our entire portfolio, from Kraft Real Mayo and Miracle Whip in the US to Heinz in the UK,” Roman says.
“There’s no one size-fits-all across our vast portfolio, so we’re evaluating solutions through iterative development to find the best option while considering the packaging appearance, functionality, cost, how it can run on our manufacturing lines, and the environmental impact.”
A role for paper fiber-based packaging.
Shake ‘n Bake provides an illustration of Kraft Heinz’s success to date in reducing its dependence on plastics. In 2022, the company removed the plastic shaker bag (which appears to be made of polyethylene) from packaging for the entire Shake ‘n Bake product portfolio, eliminating 900,000 pounds of plastic waste annually.
Fiber-based materials are emerging as viable replacements for some plastics in Kraft Heinz’s packaging. In the UK, Heinz replaced plastic shrink wrap with paperboard multipack sleeves. The switch eliminated more than 1 million pounds of plastic in 2022.
In Canada in 2023, the company’s Nabob coffee brand replaced its nonrecyclable plastic coffee bags with recyclable canisters made of 80% paper fiber from renewable resources. Kraft Heinz estimates the switch will eliminate about 2.5 million plastic bags annually.
In addition, the company partnered with Pulpex in 2022 to create a paper-based, recyclable bottle for Heinz Tomato Ketchup. The bottle, a first in the sauce category, is made from 100% sustainably sourced wood pulp; a prototype is currently in test.
Pro Carton Announces the Public Award Finalists for the Student Awards
Pro Carton, the European association of carton and cartonboard manufacturers, has today announced that voting for the Public Award category in this year’s Pro Carton Young Designers Award and Pro Carton Student Video Award is now open.
24 carton packaging concepts, designed by students studying at universities across Europe, have been shortlisted for this year’s Pro Carton Young Designers Award – sponsored by one of Turkey’s leading packaging designers, Duran Dogan, and leading cartonboard producer in Turkey, Kartonsan. Additionally, eight engaging and highly creative videos have been shortlisted for the Pro Carton Student Video Award.
Together, over 850 entries were received from institutions from across Europe and judged by esteemed judging panels. Satkar Gidda, former Sales and Marketing Director of SiebertHead; Sanjeev Das, Unilever’s Global Packaging Director in the Foods and Ice Cream business; Alican Duran, Managing Director of Duran Dogan and Chairman of KASAD; and Kemal Ozkirim, Marketing Manager of Kartonsan, formed the jury for the Pro Carton Young Designers Award.
The shortlist for the Pro Carton Student Video Award was selected by Simon Bolton, who sits on the boards of esteemed Scandinavian agencies EVERLAND, Kontrapunkt, and Kapero; Bady Minck, and award-winning film director and producer; and Winfried Muehling, Head of Marketing and Communications at Pro Carton.
Industry professionals, academics and the general public are now invited to cast their votes for their favourite projects to recognise this talented next generation of designers and filmmakers.
An evening of celebration in September
The Public Award winners will be revealed at the Awards gala in Seville, Spain on 21 September 2023, together with the winners of other award categories and the prestigious European Carton Excellence Award. The event promises to be an unforgettable evening. It will bring together industry leaders, professionals, and visionaries to celebrate the outstanding achievements and groundbreaking advancements in sustainable packaging design.
Winfried Muehling, Head of Marketing & Communications at Pro Carton and member of the jury, said:
“The quality of the entries into both the Pro Carton Young Designers Award and Pro Carton Student Video Award demonstrates that the future of our industry is in good hands. The judges for the former award – who represent the entire cartonboard value chain – found it extremely difficult to select a shortlist. Indeed, a number of designers created novel and functional packs that could go on to be used commercially. And the videos we received showed great skills of storytelling, using creative techniques to promote Pro Carton’s key messages about cartonboard.”
