Category: Smart packaging

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Edible packaging continues to come to our attention as brands and retailers trial ways to bring more sustainable products to market. This time we see Air New Zealand trial edible coffee cups in an attempt to reduce single-use packaging waste. The airline serves more than eight million cups of coffee each year. The leakproof vanilla-flavoured cup doubles as a dessert bowl and reported feedback so far is that they have been popular with passengers both in the air and on the ground. The cups are the brainchild of New Zealand developers Twiice. As part of a broader sustainability drive, Air New Zealand recently switched to plant-based cups on board all aircrafts and in lounges to prevent them from going to landfill. See also Edible smoothie cup hits Brazilian shelves.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Gourmet sausage brand delivered in tube format

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Catalan based wooden packaging experts Pujolasos specialises in the development and manufacture of caps for the perfume, cosmetics and spirits markets. The business has announced the launch of a natural and compostable cap for fragrance bottles. The patented solution made from natural materials is claimed to be the first cap of its type for the beauty sector and is set to help brands stand out on shelf as well as reinforce their environmental credentials. The Woork cap combines wood and cork and is also free from any plastic. No glue is used in its manufacture. The cap made with only natural materials is fully compostable.  The innovation features a wooden external part and a cork insert to create a junction between the cap and the perfume’s pump. The cap can be customized to adapt to the specific requirements of brand owners. See also Cosmetics pack ticks compostable, recyclable and reusable boxes. 

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Paper folding design removes need for coffee cup lids

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A new tool has been launched as an alternative to the ubiquitous QR code. The solution from subsidiary of Mobile, Alabama headquartered Xante Corporation, InfoMark aims to connect printed packaging with the digital world. The solution delivers a simple digital link that allows users to access a wealth of audio, video, PDF and other digital format content from not just smartphones but desktops and tablets as well. This is achieved through a four-digit printed code. InfoMark aims to replaces the QR Code format that has never really fully met its potential. It is felt that the QR code format is not particularly visually appealing and can also only deliver one link through a camera based smartphone. There are over nine million four-digit alphanumeric InfoMark combinations available.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 New tray delays avocado ripening process

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UK skincare brand By Sarah London has recently launched a gift set range of natural beauty products for Christmas with a hand-wrapped box that is resplendent in a sleeve made using crushed grapes. The grape residue is sourced from industrial wine and juice processing in northern Europe. This is a UK exclusive innovation for the skin care brand.and the first use of grape juice for packaging reported in the Innovation Zone.  The sleeve’s environmental credentials are further enhanced though the manufacture using hydroelectricity. The box inside the sleeve is made from almost 80% recycled content and are sourced from FSC-certified forests. The box can also be reused for sustainable further gift-giving.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Improved aluminium can temperature-reactive technology launched

Find out what ThePackHub’s LinkedIn packaging community thinks about this innovation:

21 comments and add your own.

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India based Uflex has multiple locations in their home country as well as film facilities in several other countries around the world. The business has announced the launch of ‘Asepto Eye’ for aseptic beverage packaging applications. The 3D effect ‘Asepto Eye’ is part of the company’s Asepto range and has a distinctive ripple concave lens and single lens technology to deliver impactful effects for aseptic carton packaging. This type of technology is usually the territory of premium and luxury brands in cosmetics, spirits and tobacco packaging and this is the first time it has been spotted for more mainstream applications. The lenses come in various shapes and shapes for brand customization. The pack delivers real depth, great shelf stand out and a wow factor for consumers. See also Fresnel lens technology is cost effective alternative to laminates.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Fast food chain experimenting with bamboo packaging

Find out what ThePackHub’s LinkedIn packaging community thinks about this innovation:

21 comments to see or add your own.

Sofidel Group is one of the leading manufacturers of paper for hygienic and domestic use worldwide. The business has announced the introduction of their Rotoloni Regina Eco product in a paper-based pack format. Italian supermarket shelves will see Rotoloni Regina Eco packed in kraft paper – a material that is renewable, biodegradable and easy to recycle instead of conventional PE film.  The initiative rolled out across their European brand portfolio is set to eliminate the equivalent of 600 tonnes of plastic a year from Sofidel Group packaging by the end of 2020. This is part of an overall group objective that will see a 50% reduction in the use of plastic in its production by 2030, equivalent to the elimination of over 11,000 tonnes of plastic used each year. They are also manufactured using electricity from 100% renewable sources, generated at Sofidel production plants. See also Kitchen roll brand takes lead from toilet paper pack with switch to paper.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Cartons made from post-consumer plastic waste is a beverage market first

The XBRIK project is a patented container and lid initiative hoping to transform how solid-food food packaging is produced and used. The innovation, which is ready for United States commercialisation, is a container with a plastic opening lid and closure that has some good consumer added functionality. The solution can help contain perishable products such as cereals, nuts, porridge, coffee, biscuits, pasta, sugar, salt and rice.  XBRIK does not carry an inner bag and it is reported that could do away for the need for plastic bags for a range of products.  The fully recyclable and reusable container consists of a laminated container with two micro sheets of PP. It is estimated that the lack of an inner bag can cut cost by around 30% in high volume situations.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Graphene’s carbon footprint reduction potential for packaging being scoped

Wigan based Nice-Pak International reportedly manufacture over 600 million packs of wet wipes every year and offer the product across four categories – baby, cosmetic, household and personal care. The leading wet wipe manufacturer has announced the launch of the UK’s first recyclable packaging for the sector. The innovation comes at a time where the category has been under increasing pressure to improve its environmental impact with accusations of high levels of waste associated with the product’s usage. The business has developed film and resealable labels which can be recycled together as part of carrier bag facilities that are often in situ in larger supermarkets. The mono materials still have the right moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) properties to achieve film recyclability without any adverse effect on the product. See also Lightweighting initiative reduces plastic use for baby wipes range.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 #3 Sunscreen pack has two dispensing outputs to reduce waste

New packaging developed by a Berlin-based designer aims to replace single-use plastic with a more environmentally-friendly alternative that leaves no trace.  Soapbottle is the brainchild of Jonna Breitenhuber and sees the creation of a pack for shampoo and shower gel made from soap. The biodegradable concept effectively turns the product itself into its own packaging to completely avoid any waste that can be completely avoided. The remains of the bottle can be used as hand soap or reprocessed into detergents or cleaning agents. The soap packaging is not the perfect solution from a functional perspective. Unlike plastic, it is unbreakable, is water soluble and also becomes slippery when used.  However, this does look a more viable alternative to another solution the Innovation Zone reported of this type recently Shampoo packaging made out of soap is probably not the next big bathroom item.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Glass beer bottle recycling machines start Brazilian trial

L’Oréal have announced the exciting development of a paper-based tube that could shake up the cosmetics market. The breakthrough innovation briught to market alongside Gennevilliers, France-based cosmetic packaging experts Albéa meets the need that many cosmetic brand owners have to reduce the amount of plastic packaging. It is reported to be the first carton-based cosmetic tube, where plastic is for the most part replaced with a certified paper-like material. Its full benefits to the environment will be assessed through a multi-criteria Life Cycle Analysis. The new technological solution has a target first market launch for skincare products for the second half of 2020. See also Tube packs promise to simplify tea drinking on-the-go.

More info in The Innovation Zone.

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#3 Online refill pouches include postal recycle scheme