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Leading supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, Valvoline has revealed new user-friendly packaging design for its gear-oil product. The patented FlexFill bag promises to make changing synthetic gear oil easier for consumers as well as contributing to a less wasteful automotive DIY experience. The FlexFill bag has been designed for use in tight spaces and to reduce product waste, allowing users the ability to utilize every drop of gear oil whilst doing so with much less difficulty. Gear-oil packaging is conventionally made of a hard plastic bottle that can be difficult to manoeuvre in tight spaces inevitably resulting in unused product. FlexFill’s innovative packaging contributes to less waste, whilst providing an easier user experience, even in compact spaces. FlexFill packaging is available in two synthetic gear oil grades and is available at various US retail outlets including Amazon, Walmart and AutoZone. See also Bag in box concept is smart alternative to rigid plastic bottles.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Recyclable, paper-based wrapper introduced for ice-cream brand

KanKan is a soap brand that is embracing a different pack format as a way to stand out as well as to make a sustainable packaging measure. Unusually, KanKan hand soap is available in a beverage can format that is used to refill the conventional hand pump bottle.  The brand is also committed to planting a tree with every can sold and have partnered with onetreeplanted.org for the initiative. The brand is keen to point out that the can is the only pack that more than covers its recycling costs to help finance the collection and recycling of other materials such as plastic and glass. The super light weight of about 13g is also beneficial for the reduction in transportation emissions. KanKan has a starter set that costs £24 and includes a can and refill bottle. This is not the first unusual product the Innovation Zone has tracked in a format conventionally used for beverages – see Chicken stock breaks category rules in recyclable can format.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Beer brand puts pictures of consumers’ pets on their cans

The growth of the Chinese e-commerce market continues to outpace bricks and mortar sales. It is the largest online marketplace in the world with an estimated volume of $1.94 trillion in 2019, which is more than three times the size of the US market. The growth has meant that sustainability has become an increasing challenge. Many companies are now introducing packaging solutions that tackle environmental issues as well as the ever-growing costs associated with the packaging. Beijing Yiside Logistics Technology has released its corrugated paper Zipper Carton Box. As opposed to conventional carton boxes, this easy to use solution does not use adhesive tape, making it easier to pack as well as open. It is also cheaper to recycle. The business has thought outside the box with a redefined box that has a zipper attached to the carton. This also improves the consumer unpacking experience and gets rid of costly and less environmentally friendly adhesive tape. Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao has offered the packaging to more than 500 sellers on business-to-consumer online retail site Tmall. The zipper boxes are reported to cost twice as much as conventional packaging, but sellers that opt to use them get extra promotion on the Tmall website.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Scratch off labels keep wine drinkers engaged

An alternative to wood-based paper production is in development. A student from the Zhytomyr area of The Ukraine has developed a new paper material created from fallen leaves from trees and plants. It is fair to say that at certain times of the year, tree leaves are abundant and often need to be cleared. The carbon impact of rotting leaves is also something that is not fully considered. The project aims to reduce the environmental impact of paper production. The teenager is heading an initiative called Re-leaf Paper and has been creating bags and packaging from the fibre extracted from dead leaves.  Re-leaf Paper has partnered with a cardboard producer to further develop the solution. Re-leaf Paper has recently produced its first solid paper batch made from leaves collected from major Ukrainian cities. There are plans afoot to go into commercial production. Small fibres are extracted from fallen leaves by a process developed and patented by the Re-leaf team.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 E-commerce platform launch brings pack personalization to market