Companies constantly innovate with technology and redesign their packaging to get better performance, improve marketability and enhance sustainability. Here’s a look at six recent product launches or revamps on Packaging Dive’s radar.
Foiled again
U.K.-based grocery chain Tesco is releasing its own-brand household aluminum foil without the standard cardboard tube in the center of the roll. The company is calling this the first tubeless foil in the U.K. and estimates the change will eliminate 12.5 million tubes, or approximately 330 metric tons of cardboard, annually.
“We are continually looking at ways in which we can cut down on packaging in order to help the environment,” Bronwen Williams, technical manager at Tesco, said in a news release.
Tesco credits the change to a “cutting-edge” machine that tightly wraps the foil around a spindle with air vents; air pressure released through the vents helps to unfurl the foil from the machine.
Find a strong hold
Atlantic Packaging released a new version of its fiber Fishbone can and bottle carrier, the Fishbone C-Clip. It’s designed with a second carrier layer that provides extra support in instances of lost tension or moisture exposure, and it’s suitable for refrigerated environments, the company said in a news release. The product is intended to be a sturdier version of the fiber multi-pack carriers that have emerged as an alternative to plastic ring carriers.
The Fishbone C-Clip is available for four-packs or six-packs and allows more space for banner-display branding. The product is curbside recyclable, according to Atlantic Packaging.
Put a ring on it
Rochester, New York’s Genesee Brewery also switched the multipack carrier for its beer: The plastic ring carriers for all 12-ounce and 16-ounce six-packs now contain up to 50% postconsumer recycled content. According to the company, the carriers also break down when exposed to UV light. Packaging system supplier Hi-Cone produces Genesee’s carriers and plans to produce a 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable version by 2025.
“We will continue to look at innovative solutions to decrease our waste. We have aspirations to become a zero-waste facility and continue to make small, but meaningful improvements in sustainability," said Mike Duemmel, director of Genesee Brewery, in a news release.
Floating an idea
CCL Label introduced EcoFloat White, a new version of its low-density polyolefin shrink sleeve material.
The product is designed to increase recyclability for dairy packaging and other light-sensitive products. The dairy industry often uses white HDPE bottles for yogurt, probiotic drinks and similar products, said Guenther Birkner, member of the management team at CCL, in a news release. But, said Birkner, “these white HDPE bottles are rarely recycled back into food grade applications for a number of reasons, including strict food contact regulations — so the bottles leave the packaging loop.”
However, switching from packaging made with HDPE to transparent PET — a more widely recycled resin — can affect light-sensitive products, the company suggested. Therefore, EcoFloat White is an opaque white sleeve made with carbon-free inks that blocks light while maintaining the current aesthetic of white HDPE. The shrink label aids recyclability because it floats in sink/float sortation systems while the heavier PET flakes sink, the company said.
Clean sheets
Household cleaner producer Cleancult released concentrated laundry detergent sheets that are sold in a “100% plastic-free and recyclable paper drawer box, eliminating the need for wasteful single-use plastic bottles,” the company said in a news release. The product is available on the company’s website and Amazon, with expansion forthcoming.
Along with the product launch, Cleancult is running a social initiative in partnership with rePurpose Global: It will “remove 10 plastic bottles from the environment” whenever a “no-plastic fanatic” shares a photo on social media with their laundry sheet box and the #trashplastic hashtag.
Freeze over
American Packaging Corp. said it commercially launched a product that’s “designed for recycling” in its RE portfolio: a monomaterial flexible packaging product for frozen foods, like fruits and vegetables. The all-polyethylene package is recycle-ready, according to APC, and replaces customers’ non-recyclable, multimaterial laminate flexible packaging.
The product resists puncturing, making it ideal for protecting frozen products’ rigid edges, APC said in a news release. It can be modified with enhanced moisture and oxygen barrier properties. It’s also compliant with the Association of Plastic Recyclers’ guidelines for PE films and is supported by a How2Recycle pre-qualification letter, according to APC.
