Packaging innovations: Bandit Wines cartons offer augmented reality, Huggies ups PCR in diaper bags

Companies constantly innovate with technology and redesign their packaging to get better performance, improve marketability and enhance sustainability. Here’s a look at four recent packaging product launches or redesigns on Packaging Dive’s radar.

Fill and fill again

Dionis Goat Milk Skincare has introduced 16.9-ounce pouches of its lotion to refill separately purchased bottles. The company said in a news release that the refill pouches “use significantly fewer resources and reduce the overall carbon footprint when compared to rigid bottles.”

Dionis also highlighted its work with How2Recycle to develop “consistent and transparent” disposal instructions for its products. Additionally, the company is beginning to roll out product tubes with 50% postconsumer recycled content.

Reality check

Three cartons of Bandit Wines products with digital animals emerging from the packaging. — Optional Caption

Courtesy of Bandit Wines

Bandit Wines incorporated augmented reality features into its wine cartons, which are made by Tetra Pak, that allow users to virtually tour U.S. national parks. The platform, including a 360-degree video portal, is an “innovative step in consumer engagement,” the company said in a news release. Consumers activate the AR by scanning a QR code on in-store displays, and then interactive digital images and videos of various national parks — such as Yosemite and Mt. Rainier — are imposed over the wine boxes. No app is necessary for the features to work.

“We're excited to blend technology and a passion for the outdoors, all while highlighting our commitment to sustainability,” Brie Wohld, vice president of marketing, said in the release.

Recycled content ramp-up

A Huggies diaper box next to an adult with a baby. — Courtesy of Amcor

Kimberly-Clark worked with Amcor to develop packaging for its Huggies Eco Protect diapers with 30% postconsumer recycled content. The packaging incorporates plastic film that has been “processed to be reused as a raw material maintaining performance and minimizing impact on visual appeal,” according to an Amcor news release.

“[W]e've developed more sustainable packaging solutions using recycled plastic films,” Laetitia Sanchez, Amcor Latin America marketing director, said in the release. “This results in impressive environmental benefits, including 30% less energy consumption, 23% lower carbon footprint, and 23% less water usage compared to standard packaging.”

The diaper packaging with 30% PCR is being introduced in Peru.

Pet pouch permutation

Courtesy of American Packaging Corp.

American Packaging Corp. created a flexible pet food pouch that is designed for recyclability, adding to its RE Sustainable Packaging portfolio. While conventional bags typically use multimaterial laminates that impede recyclability, this solution is made from polyethylene-based materials that are compatible with recycling, according to a news release.

Transitioning to this option “required use of newer material offerings and process technologies,” and APC optimized the process for both packaging functionality and appearance, the release said. Some technologies allowed for greater heat resistance, which resulted in an improved “manufacturing operating window for these PE-based laminates.” The sealants also were tailored for this application, with compositions that offer “low seal initiation points, options for moisture and oxygen barrier properties, as well as grease resistance, and product durability.”