–packagingworld.com. January 5, 2012. By Anne Marie Mohan, Editor, Greener Package –

With these fundamentals in mind, following are some areas to consider when implementing changes to your packaging for improved sustainability:

1. Take a life-cycle approach to package design.There are many Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools available today to help package designers understand the environmental impacts represented by different packaging options. One is theSustainable Packaging Coalition’s COMPASS® (Comparative Packaging Assessment) online design software, which helps users make more informed material selections and design decisions by providing visual guidance on a common set of environmental indicators. PackageSmart LCA Software, one of several software-based LCA tools from EarthShift,  also allows packaging designers to evaluate the environmental impacts of their design selections.

One caveat, however: Sustainability metrics and standards are still evolving, so pick a program, and stick with it. Using different tools to measure the same package may yield slightly different results. The key is to be consistent and make sure you are moving in the right direction in the core environmental areas that are of greatest concern to your company.

Another example is GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare’s Os-Cal calcium supplement. In 2010, GSK rolled out redesigned packaging that included a high-density polyethylene supplement bottle in a bold, full-body shrink-sleeve label capable of holding all product information. Scrapped were the product’s secondary carton and an insert with outdated graphics. On an annual basis, GSK says the new package saves approximately 208 tons of paper, or 1,440 trees; eliminates nearly 330,000 lb of CO2 emissions (the equivalent of removing 30 cars from the road); and conserves about 2,052 million BTUs, or the energy used by 23 U.S. homes.

Suppliers are continually innovating with containers, caps, labels, and other components that improve the package-to-product ratio, resulting in a smaller footprint, and oftentimes in a smaller price tag, as well.

3. Consider new alternatives for distribution packaging. New machinery and material technologies are enabling packagers to use fewer materials to create multipacks, bundles, and pallets, as well as create shelf-ready packaging that minimizes waste at the retailer level.

For water distributor Unlimited Water Processing, Inc., switching from corrugated cases to new shrink-pack technology for its bottled water bundles was a risk that paid off. The Nested Pack™ from Polypack positions bottles in a staggered-row configuration that results in a sturdy, stable shrink-wrapped bundle that eliminates the need for corrugated trays or pads. After implementing the Nested Pack, Unlimited Water reduced its cost per case from roughly 45 cents to just 10 cents. And, according to company owner Elliott Henry, customers love the new package because it uses fewer materials, is easier to dispose of, and is more attractive.

Several options exist for more sustainable stretch wrapping/palletizing, including machines engineered to optimize film use. Another method is the elimination of stretch wrap and hot-melt in favor of removable adhesives, such as those from Lock n’ Pop, that stabilize loads while reducing the footprint of the pallet. In California, artisanal food maker Premier Organics is employing a reusable polypropylene pallet cover that can be used up to 250 times. The company estimates that the system will eliminate 4,500 lb of material annually, or about 40% of its pallet-wrap usage.

4. Look for opportunities to make your packaging reusable—where it makes sense. In Costa Rica, Pizza Hut customers have been introduced to a new pizza box design that allows the box to be broken down into plates and a smaller box for leftovers. In 2010, Kentucky Fried Chicken debuted its Reusable KFC Sides Container. Made of polypropylene, with patented “ventless vent technology” that allows moisture to escape without requiring a hole in the lid, the clear container with red lid is promoted as being reusable, and microwave- and dishwasher-safe.

But reusability is not just for food packaging. PUMA garnered great attention when it introduced its “Clever Little Bag,” an attractive, red reusable shoe bag used to package its footwear. As a result of the change, PUMA reduced its paper consumption by 65% and estimated it would reduce water, energy, and diesel consumption on the manufacturing level by more than 60% per year.

5. Consider changes in your product. The best example of a product category that has undergone significant change to accommodate more sustainable packaging is household cleaning products. Beginning with laundry detergents and rippling through other cleaner and chemical products, CPGs have turned to concentrated formulas to reduce the amount of water shipped from factory to retail shelf and to enable smaller package sizes. Perhaps the most compact of all: Method’s 8X-concentrated laundry detergent formula can wash 50 loads per 20-oz bottle, and 25 loads per 10-oz bottle. Also popular in the cleaning products industry have been systems that combine concentrated product refills with reusable packaging.

Another lesser-known yet very innovative example of a product modified to affect changes in packaging is General Mills’ Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper. Several years ago, the company reengineered the physical properties of the noodles within the meals to enable the design of a smaller carton size. The change resulted in a savings of 890,000 lb/yr of paper fiber, an 11% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and the elimination of 500 trucks on the road per year.

6. Whenever possible, design for recyclability. One of the most effective ways to preserve the energy expended in manufacturing packaging materials is through recycling. While many materials, such as paper and PET, may be widely recycled, oftentimes coatings, labels, and other elements added to enhance package functionality or aesthetics may render them unfit for the recycling stream. But new options are emerging.

One promising technology is from Smart Planet Technologies. The company’s EarthCoating can be used as an alternative to 100% polyethylene coatings in high-barrier folding carton applications. EarthCoating’s formulation includes powdered minerals, which reduces the plastic content in the coating, allowing the finished packaging material to be recycled under ISRI recyclability standards.

From PaperWorks Industries, a filmless holographic technology called HoloBrite™ is now being used for packaging to achieve a shimmering holographic appearance without the use of a film lamination. This process results in a package that can be recycled in traditional paperboard recycling streams without the concern of contamination from polyester and metal. In 2010, GSK Consumer Healthcare used the decorative process with a metallic coating from Henkel to create eye-catching, recyclable paperboard packaging for its Aquafresh White & Shine toothpaste brand.

Another new recyclable (and recycled-content) package technology that has caused consumers to take a second look is molded-pulp packaging from Ecologic Brands. The most well publicized application of the material is from Seventh Generation, which launched its 4x-concentrated liquid laundry detergent in the package in 2011. The container consists of a molded-pulp outer shell made from 70% recycled cardboard (OCC) and 30% old newspapers (ONP) that can be recycled up to seven times. The package’s inner film pouch with spout has been constructed of polyethylene only, making it suitable for recycling with plastic grocery bags, while the pack’s polypropylene closure is recyclable through Preserve’s Gimme 5 recycling program.

7. Employ packaging strategies that encourage product consumption. Approximately 34 million tons of food waste are generated in the U.S. each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. So packaging that increases the likelihood that the majority of a product is consumed provides a tremendous sustainability advantage. Among the technologies that can be used to help reduce food waste are reclosable features, clearly marked use-by dates, and technologies that assist in evacuating all of a product from its package. Hellmann’s Easy Out! Mayonnaise package employs a nonstick surface on the inside of the container that provides the slip properties needed to get the last bit of mayo from the jar.

And, while bulk packaging may seem a more sustainable alternative than single-serve packages, given its smaller package-to-product ratio, single-serve may prove a more environmentally friendly option if it ensures product consumption.

8. Know where your packaging materials come from. Increasingly, retailers and consumers are looking to CPGs for transparency. It is to your benefit to make sure you are using responsibly sourced packaging materials. For example, toy manufacturer Mattel recently faced very vocal criticism from Greenpeace, which accused Mattel of using paperboard packaging that contained significant amounts of timber from Indonesian rain forests. Since then, Mattel has launched new sustainable sourcing principles to guide its procurement of paper and wood fiber. Hasbro quickly followed suit.

For Stonyfield Farm, the use of non-Genetically Modified (GM) crops is a core value. When it switched to corn-based bioplastic for some of its yogurt cups, it learned its resin supplier could not guarantee the use of non-GMO corn in its feedstock. So Stonyfield became the first major purchaser of offsets through the Working Landscapes Certificates, which ensures that an equivalent amount of corn is grown to sustainable agriculture standards.

9. Evaluate your distribution system for space-saving opportunities. In a presentation Michigan State University’s second annual Packaging Executives Forum, consultant Kevin Howard of Packnomics, LLC, emphasized the importance of designing packaging “from the outside in, rather than from the inside out,” to minimize distribution logistics costs. “It is vital to understand what is happening in your own environment,” he said. “Some packages that don’t pass ISTM [International Safe Transit Assn.] standards pass real-world tests and vice versa. Walk through your distribution pipeline.”

His message, in “Space…The Final Frontier,” was that wasted space in packaging results in excess materials, transport, handling, and storage. To reduce a package size while maintaining its integrity, he noted that the packager must begin by understanding the known sizing of the transport mode that will be used and then minimizing the package size to hold everything at the lowest possible cost.

Other takeaways: “Space is found around components, inside of boxes, on pallets and between pallets,” “Maximizing load density is vital to minimizing environmental impact,” and “Space costs money… minimize it!”

10. Consider materials made from renewable feedstock. Packaging based on renewable feedstocks—from bioplastics made of corn or sugarcane, to protective packaging constructed of mushroom roots—is a rapidly growing area. But there are many questions still to be answered regarding the viability of some of these technologies and their relative sustainability versus traditional materials.

When evaluating renewable feedstocks for use in packaging materials, as advised above: Use a full life-cycle approach; understand how these materials perform in the recycling stream; know where the raw materials are sourced from; and ensure that the resulting packaging provides the required functionality for your product.

Above all, be very wary of additives and other technologies that promise to make packaging “just disappear.” While a very alluring idea, many scientific experts debate the environmental safety of such technologies.

–www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com. By Pan Demetrakakes, Executive Editor. –

Shrink-wrapped containers and bundles are increasingly becoming primary packaging. Here’s how to help make them look good on shelf.

“Shrink film has moved from just being a simple protective cover to get the product from Point A to Point B, and then ripped off the pack, to where now shrink film is used increasingly as the final retail pack,” says Ed Orick, director of beverage sales for Douglas Machine. “So it has to have consumer appeal.”

This means that the machinery that applies and shrinks the film has to operate more precisely than ever.

One of the biggest challenges is in handling printed film. It presents two major hurdles: applying the film so that the graphics appear in the right place, and shrinking it so that the graphics wind up looking as they should, with no distortion.

Apply within

Applying the film is especially challenging because most printed film no longer comes with registration marks, the big bars that serve as guideposts for the application equipment. They’re efficient but unattractive, and most end users don’t want them. Instead, modern shrink wrap systems have cameras that can recognize specific portions of film graphics, and software that can translate the camera readings into guidance for the film applicators.

Film application is the first function of a shrink wrapping system, and important advances have taken place. Application has to be both fast and economical, to meet the needs of end users for ever-faster production and to counter the rising cost of film.

One improvement that helps speed up shrink wrapping is processing two or three lanes at a time. The most common way to do this was to split the film prior to application. This meant the system had to keep two or three film streams under control at the same time, plus positioning them correctly over each lane simultaneously. A new system from Douglas Machine uses a perf wheel, located between the two lanes, over which the film is drawn. This creates a perforation in the film, which is then applied over the packages in each lane. The packages enter the tunnel, and the force of the heat shrink separates them. This system is available on Douglas Contour Series machines.

Similarly, the Clear-Print shrink wrapper from Polypack, which can run dual lanes of clear or print registered film at up to 120 wrapped packages per minute, perforates film between wraps, which eliminates the complexity, size and costs associated with cutting, controlling and delivering separate lengths of film, according to company spokesperson Nadia Vizza.

Seal of approval

Another widespread innovation, which helps with both speed and precision, involves how film is sealed around the package. Many modern shrink wrap systems, like the Standard-Knapp 296S Continuum, have bypassed the heated sealing bar often used in the wrapping stage. Instead, the Continuum overlaps the film around the package by 1.5 to 3 inches, which allows the shrink tunnel to effect the seal. This allows for a continuous motion and higher speeds.

Innovations in the shrink tunnel account for many of the modern advancements in shrink wrap systems. Kristofer Kolstad, vice president of sales of marketing for Standard-Knapp, calls tunnels “maybe the most high-tech component of the system.” That’s why wrappers and tunnels, even if they are separate modules, are almost always furnished by the same supplier.

“There’s a lot of know-how and a lot of science behind [the tunnel], and to have two companies, one supplying one and one the other, and things go wrong in the field, I would imagine that would be somewhere between a disaster and something that end users just would rather avoid,” Kolstad says.

How to heat

The most profound improvements in shrink tunnels have to do with how the heat is applied. To get the film to shrink uniformly, ensuring a smooth appearance and graphics integrity, heat has to be applied as evenly as possible.

That is one reason why Lantech has instituted convection heating, as opposed to forced-air, in its shrink tunnels. The problem with forced-air heating is that temperatures near the intake ports tend to be lower than in the center, says Jean-Louis Limousin, Lantech’s design engineer for shrink machinery. This makes the film liable to shrink unevenly, which can lead to “dog ears” (too-thick seam ends) and wrinkles.

Convection ovens, on the other hand, have no intake or discharge ports for air. Heating elements are inside the chamber, with low-speed fans behind the elements. The package and film receive both radiant heat from the elements and hot air; because the air is agitated much less than in a forced-air tunnel, the heat is applied more evenly.

Convection ovens have several advantages over forced-air systems besides even heating, Limousin says. Packages can be “re-shrunk” in another pass if necessary. The gentler airflow is less liable to damage the product—an important consideration for products with loose components, like pizza toppings. They can handle a wider variety of shapes than hot-air ovens. They generally run at lower temperatures, which saves on energy. And, in dual-lane and other applications that use perforated film, they are less liable to break the perforations prematurely.

Douglas Machine improved its tunnels a few years ago by “starting with a blank piece of paper,” Orick says. The company consulted with academic aerodynamics specialists and an electrical supplier and, as Orick jokes, “discovered that hot air rises.” They redesigned their tunnel to push heat up from below, allowing for better control and energy efficiency. They also made the tunnel shroud a moveable part that can be raised and lowered to accommodate different container heights.

One of the biggest challenges in modern shrink wrapping stems from downsizing of fiber-based material. To meet pressure to cut costs and reduce environmental impact, many end users are migrating from trays to pads—or, in some cases, nothing—underneath their rigid containers.

Douglas Contour Series systems deliver corrugated pads from underneath, just before the film is applied. They also have moving front-containment bars that prevent products from tipping over, which can happen when the system is suddenly stopped. Douglas systems can also accommodate a U-board, a pad with tabs on either end, which offers more support than a pad while using less material than a tray.

In many current applications, shrink wrappers have to do more with less. Judicious selection of machinery will make sure everything gets wrapped up tight.

–www.packagingworld.com. By Anne Marie Mohan, Editor, Shelf Impact! November 11, 2011. –

A complete transformation for Summer’s Eve’s feminine hygiene products packaging brings brand relevancy to a new generation of users.

First introduced in the 1970s, the Summer’s Eve brand of external feminine cleansing and freshening products from C.B. Fleet Co., Inc., Lynchburg, VA, is a category leader. But in mid-2009, the company realized that although it had a strong and loyal following, the brand’s outdated packaging hampered a long-term growth strategy.

“One of the major things we heard was that we had lost touch with the new consumer,” relates Angela Bryant, C.B. Fleet’s director of U.S. marketing for Feminine Care. “Over the years, we have really focused on our current users, who we absolutely love and who have gotten us to where we are today, but we wanted to start reaching out to a new generation, a younger generation, of women.”

The project of transforming the Summer’s Eve packaging line from a mostly 80’s-inspired design to a contemporary, feminine feel; from a medicinal, problem-solution product to one that is part of the daily routine; and from an embarrassing item in the grocery cart to one that can be confidently displayed in the shower or on a bathroom counter, took about a year and a half, and involved the expertise of two valued design partners. Product Ventures handled the structural design of the new packaging, while Little Big Brands was responsible for the graphics.

“One of the questions I get asked a lot is, ‘Wasn’t it chaotic having all these people involved in the project?’” says Bryant. “I have to say it really wasn’t because we respected one another and what each brought to the table. It’s all about how you set up the expectations upfront.”

Consumer insight drives design
The Summer’s Eve product line consists of 33 SKUs, comprising five package structures, six product types, and 17 fragrances. Products include a cleansing wash, a deodorant spray, a body powder, cleansing cloths, a bath and shower gel, and a douche.

Bryant says C.B. Fleet’s expectations for the new packaging were shaped and clarified by consumer research done by the company itself, as well as by Product Ventures and Little Big Brands, including ethnographic studies, focus groups, and qualitative studies. One requirement that remained in place throughout, however, was to retain the original footprint of the packaging within 20%, so that new retail catalog numbers and UPCs would not be necessary. Beyond that, Bryant shares, C.B. Fleet hoped to “lift the barriers,” by bringing women what they really wanted.

At Product Ventures, consumer research took many forms. Says company CEO and founder Peter Clarke, “We have a consumer-driven approach to how we work, and we have a whole complement of ways we effectively connect to consumers to inform our packaging design. We look at macro-trends in particular to make sure the design stands the test of time.”

– www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com by Suley Muratoglu, guest columnist and VP, Marketing and Product Development, Tetra Pak. December 13, 2011. 

From farm to fork, the food supply chain is evolving more rapidly than ever before. Consumers, retailers and food producers alike are looking for fresher, more convenient food packaging solutions that have a minimum impact on the environment. The space is a competitive one, in which packaged goods companies need to advance. With this in mind, what should packagers examine in order to stay ahead of the curve and get smart about achieving success?

1. Pay attention to consumer preferences   

As consumers expand their knowledge on issues pertaining to sustainability, there is the growing sense of responsibility when it comes to their purchases and the impact these purchases have on the environment. The purchasing power that consumers yield is progressively influenced by the sustainable aspects of the products they choose to have in their households. The result? Consumers are evaluating how the “things” in their world align with a lifestyle that for many is increasingly green.

According to a 2010 “Greendex” research from National Geographic and GlobeScan, findings suggest that 40% of individuals across 17 countries reported avoiding excessively packaged goods ‘all’ or ‘most of the time.’ Additionally, recent data from Tetra Pak’s “Environmental Research 2011” survey shows that 88% of consumers in 10 countries expressed a preference or strong preference for products in recyclable packaging. In the United States alone, some 70% of consumers said they are willing to buy a “green” product if the quality is the same as a “non-green” alternative.

For packagers, these types of preferences are critical to informing product development to deliver products that are relevant to consumers. One way companies in the U.S. can gain this level of insight is through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment (DfE) approach, which ensures a product’s environmental impacts are understood as part of the standard design process. The DfE informs industry, environmental groups, and academia on a variety of approaches to reduce the human health and environment impact of products and services.

2. Change with the times   

Today, nearly 60% of households in America are comprised of one or two individuals, and more and more we are seeing convenience, size, ease of storage and disposal drive consumers toward the need for greater efficiency in their day-to-day lives.

The rise of non-nuclear families such as couples without children, single parents and empty nesters also has implications for packaging sizes. The shift from a “bulk” mentality is requiring manufacturers to increase their portfolio of single-serve/reduced-size packaging offerings in order to appeal to these changing demographics.

To know what types of products will be successful, packaging companies must go deep into the consumer’s experience. Ethnographic research methods are seen as beneficial ways to determine how people use specific products and services. The key to this research method is to focus on observing and recording how people actually behave in various familiar environments using a specific product, rather than simply asking consumers to express their attitudes about particular products.

3. Design today for tomorrow   

Packaging companies will do well by their innovation and R&D pipelines to initiate “future think.” When aseptic technology first emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, consumer convenience and cost-effectiveness, together with hygiene and food safety, drove innovation. And these key demands still drive innovation today, but it’s not enough to plan and design five years ahead. The ongoing challenge packagers will face year-over-year  is to understand the way we live today and how we can translate these key learnings to inform the way we will live 20 years from now.

–www.packagingworld.com. By Pat Reynolds, Editor. May 8, 2011. –

Pabst and its design firm hit one out of the park with this full-body heat-shrink label designed to make a 12-oz glass bottle look like a wooden baseball bat.

A glass beer bottle made to look like a baseball bat is at the foundation of a fun promotional campaign now underway through July from Pabst Brewing Co. It’s all about Chicago’s beloved Cubs baseball team.

“Our partnership with the Cubs is 61 years old,” says Rohith Reddy, Pabst brand director for the Old Style brand. “It’s the longest-running sports sponsorship deal in the world. Centered on two icons as it is, Old Style and the Cubs, it’s a huge source of passion and pride for Pabst. As part of our partnership, we do a commemorative package each year. This year the design brief was intentionally wide open. We just wanted to be authentic to our home town, to Old Style, and to the Chicago Cubs. The design team came back with a phenomenal concept,

and we’re getting confirmation from our partners in operation that the bottles coming off the line look even better than we had imagined.”

Spearheading the design team was Scott & Victor. The two-man design shop came up with a collector’s edition bottle in a full-body shrink label that makes the bottle look like a wooden baseball bat. Included in the design are the Cubs and Old Style logos and the phrase “Chicago’s Beer Since 1902.” Early signs of the campaign’s success are clear, with a 58 percent year-over-year increase in distributor orders for the package over the last two months.

“It came to us as a comprehensive assignment, a complete marketing and communications package,” says Victor Laporte of Scott & Victor. “We knew the bottle itself was going to be the main element, but we had to think through the package design, secondary packaging, POS, and advertising in and around Wrigley. When I look back I’m surprised we were able to do what we did with just four people. We contracted two outside people for the project.”

–www.bevindustry.com. 16 December, 2011–

The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, announced a multimillion dollar partnership agreement with three leading biotechnology companies to accelerate development of commercial solutions for next-generation PlantBottle packaging made from 100 percent plant-based materials. The company signed agreements with three industry leaders in developing plant-based alternatives to materials traditionally made from fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources which are as follows: Madison, Wis.-based Virent, Inglewood, Colo.-based Gevo and Amsterdam-based Avantium.

The beverage company conducted an in-depth two-year analysis of different technologies from more than 30 companies before partnering with these companies, explained Rick Frazier, vice president of commercial product supply for The Coca-Cola Co. during the company’s announcement of the partnership on Dec. 15. The Coca-Cola Co.’s first-generation PlantBottle packaging is a fully recyclable bottle made with up to 30 percent plant-based material made from mono-ethylene glycol (MEG). The remaining 70 percent of the bottle is made from purified terephthalic acid (PTA), which is the portion that The Coca-Cola Co. is partnering to replace with plant-based materials, the company said.

“While the technology to make bio-based materials in a lab has been available for years, we believe Virent, Gevo and Avantium are companies that possess technologies that have high potential for creating them on a global commercial scale within the next few years,” Frazier said in a statement. “This is a significant R&D investment in packaging innovation and is the next step toward our vision of creating all of our plastic packaging from responsibly sourced plant-based materials.”

Agreements with the three companies will help The Coca-Cola Co. support its long-term commitments through sustainable practices in sourcing and packaging supply. While Virent, Gevo and Avantium will follow their own routes to make bio-based materials, all materials will be developed in line with The Coca-Cola Co. and industry recycling requirements.

Virent’s patented technology uses catalytic chemistry to convert plant-based sugars into products that are identical to those made from petroleum, according to the company’s Chief Executive Officer Lee Edwards. The company offers plant-based paraxylene, which it brands as BioFormPX. PET made from Virent’s bio-based paraxylene contains the same high quality and recyclability as materials used today, it said. Virent is targeting early 2015 for the opening of its first full-scale commercial plant. The majority of the paraxylene produced from Virent’s plant will be allocated for purchase by The Coca-Cola Co.’s supply chain partners, the company said.

Gevo’s technology is able to produce paraxylene from bio-based isobutanol, explained Patrick Gruber, chief executive officer of the company. It plans to convert renewable raw materials into isobutanol and renewable hydrocarbons that can be directly integrated on a drop-in basis to existing chemical and fuel products to deliver environmental and economic benefits, the company said.

Avantium has developed a bio-based poly-ethlyene-furanoate (PEF) plastic it has branded as YXY. The material uses plant-based materials as feedstock to enable the manufacture of more sustainable packaging materials, according to the company. Avantium has produced PEF bottles with promising barrier and thermal properties that are created in a production process that fits with existing supply and manufacturing chains, explained Tom van Aken, chief executive officer of the company. Avantium’s PEF pilot plant opened Dec. 8 in Geleen, the Netherlands.

“PEF is 100 percent bio-based and when commercialized will be fully recyclable,” von Aken said in a statement. “We believe that PEF fulfills key criteria to become a next-generation bio-based plastic for food, beverages and other applications. We are very excited about the co-development phase we are entering with The Coca-Cola Co. to continue the development of PEF and make this new material ready for mass production and recycling. Their leadership and experience in commercializing bio-based materials make them a great partner to work with as we commercialize this exciting new material.”

It is estimated that the use of PlantBottle packaging in the first two years of availability has helped save the equivalent annual emission of more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to the company.

During the announcement, Frazier noted that he has issued a challenge to employees at The Coca-Cola Co. to develop bio-based label and closure materials that might someday complement the 100 percent plant-based bottle.

Elisabeth Cuneo,  Associate Editor of Food and Beverage Packaging reports on consumer preferences, problems and solutions with labeling.

An excerpt from the article reveals that shrink sleeve labeling is the best advantage for getting consumer emotional connection and delivers an impact graphic message.

Excerpt below from article:

“What types of labels are getting noticed by consumers? Shrink-sleeves.

Shrink-sleeve labels take advantage of the superior “printability” of polyvinyl chloride, a substrate that works well for flexographic or rotogravure printing. Its high shrink rate makes it perfect for use on contoured containers and a popular choice because of its ability to cover the entire product, increasing canvas size for messaging.”

To read more from the Food and Beverage Packaging article CLICK HERE

NAFM Group launches packaging solution for labeling services division website.

For more information on how NAFM can provide complete project development, management and technical support for your shrink labeling technology, visit their new website: www.NAFMLabeling.com

NAFM Group partners with many local label, film and container suppliers to develop the most effective packaging solutions.

– www.packagingoftheworld.com. Posted by subby on Nov 9, 2011 –

Following the recent private label market growth on beauty and care product offerings, this concept aims to address shopper’s experience while looking for simple solutions to their daily needs.

Targeted to families of 1+ kids, the messaging is clear, direct and yet playful for the whole family. Male and Female siblings ages 4+ usually tend to gravitate to individual choices for body washes and shampoos, some labeled with their favorite characters and colors. Instead of cluttering the structures with well-known movie characters used by national brands, the black-and-white cartoon-like figures try to represent their own expressions on an almost “do-it-yourself” drawing exercise. The parents version purposely comes in a combined two-bottle structure which represent unity and “togetherness” within the couple. Assuming that most couples shower or bathe in the same bathroom, having the structure coupled together also address easy-storage in space-limited shower layouts.

The bottle structures are differentiated by shape. Female shapes for mother and sister are categorized by inverted side panels while male form is expressed by more bulging side panels, creating a puzzle effect at shelf. Base indentations also help differentiating forms and creating movement at retail. Labeling is done via oriented shrink film or as an optional 2-color screen printing. Dad’s bottle structure is blow-molded with a pigmented blue tone-resign and parent’s bottles are joined at top via silver finished collar. Pump Foam actuator is the same component for all structures, offering costs savings for the private label retailer.

On a larger scope, the brand has enough platform to grow into more offerings such as shampoos, toothpaste and other beauty/care line extensions. The brand itself can easily fit into today’s most successful private label channels.