Welcome to the PAC Global Awards Nominee Roundup! Each week we will be featuring five of the fantastic nominees, leading up to the ONEof100 Summit on February 18, 2020 where the winners will be announced.
THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL
The Body Shop is sourcing plastic waste from Bengaluru, India where they work with waste pickers who work tirelessly to clean up their city’s streets. Not only does the package derive some of its constituents from an abundant sustainable source, but the entire package is designed to be fully recyclable in the standard recycling streams. The Body Shop adds to this ability to recycle by encouraging and rewarding customers to bring back used containers to their shops for transport to recyclers.
KEURIG HOLIDAY PACK
The Keurig holiday pack offers a great gifting solution for coffee-loving, Keurig-owning friends and family members, as well as personal enjoyment. This Advent calendar-like design surprises recipients with a new and different beverage to enjoy each day. It has a premium packaging structure and unique unboxing experience, while the graphics stand on their own as “gifting ready” and don’t need to be gift wrapped. The structural pack design, combined with the delightful graphics, tell a cohesive story that takes the consumer on a flavourful journey from beginning to end.
GSK FLONASE ALLERGEN TRACKER SMART IN-STORE SCREEN DISPLAY
The allergy smart display is intended to attract consumer attention, educate, raise awareness of live, regional pollen count and help consumers accurately assess their symptoms, diagnose correctly and medicate accordingly – all on a digital platform that displays clear, accurate, real-time, personalized information. The collective experience of the display and the QR mobile handoff differentiate the Flonase brand against the competitor base, using the digital era as a stage for attracting consumer attention, education and personalized engagement.
TASTY
Melding Tasty’s mission to help people cook with McCormick’s vision of bringing the joy of flavour to life, enabled the creative team to tap into a bold and expressive design concept that targeted the millennial consumer. The team developed a strong brand architecture to enable recognition and showcase a playful ingredient story to allow users to recreate delicious recipes from the Tasty cooking videos they watch online. The packaging solution delivered on the re-use and up-cycle trend while maintaining a premium feel for consumers to continue to reuse in their kitchen space.
REDDI WIP BARISTA SERIES
The Reddi Wip Barista series targets coffee drinkers who are looking for a coffee house experience at home. The design uses the entire can to create a strong brand experience on pack with coffee house cues, striking imagery and a dark matte background. Rich imagery not only builds an elevated tone, but it also clearly communicates what the product is and how it can be used – clarity that is important for this new innovation to drive trial. The premium, simple design creates disruption through its deep color palette and matte finish, drawing consumer eyes from behind closed refrigerator doors.
The Motomaster brand inspiration is derived from the automotive landscape itself. Every auto manufacturer creates a simple, mnemonic device that instantly tells you what car someone is driving. This design offers noticeability and ease of transference across many substrates, sizes and proportions.
Eight Treasures provides staple solutions reminding consumers of their cultural heritage with an authentic taste at the same time integrated into their new home. The attention to authentic ethnic details with a hand-drawn dragon tattoo and custom lettering in English and Chinese as well as bold use of yellow makes the packaging innovative in the category. The design conveys an authentic Asian look, not just in the graphic cues and imagery, but also the overall look and feel.
With the Bluehive brand migration the content was simplified on the front of packaging and streamlined on the back to make the customer experience smooth. A simple, colour-blocked packaging is used to draw the consumers attention to the visuals. The photography elevates the appearance and enables incorporation of security devices in the packaging to reduce theft, a large concern in mobile electronics.
The goal for this package was to create a premium design system that was timeless, unique and ownable. The Our Finest brand is unified through its goal to provide exceptional, quality food that is clean using simple and premium ingredients at affordable prices to families. In a category such as coffees, where the moment of enjoyment is more than just taste, but also smell and touch, the visual of hands warming around a cup of coffee really speaks to the experience.
The Special Edition Kit Kat cartons are designed to be sold at a specialty Kit Kat store in the Greater Toronto Area, with Nestlé intending to provide an exclusive consumer experience, offering personalized Kit Kat bars packaged in unique and high quality packaging. These special edition cartons are produced in small quantities, with embossing, soft touch inks, high quality print and with short lead times. The team worked together to create packaging that provides a sense of exclusivity. This package is made with 100% recyclable paperboard and the consumer messaging encourages customers to recycle the package after use.
The Good Stuff is a new innovative range of no-rinse conditioners, each consciously tailored for different hair types and packed full with essential nutrients. The challenge was to simplify and elevate millennial women’s haircare routine while delivering an eco-friendly solution. The bold design of The Good Stuff stands out on shelf next to competitors by expertly balancing its prominent brandmark, iconic tagline, and sustainable packaging. It is 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, with graphics that focus on the water-saving benefits of the product. It is also 100% vegan, with 0% dye and parabens.
This package has been specifically developed for Gaya Gold Coffee to give the coffee a high-class look in store. The full metal can gives the iced coffee the best possible barrier properties, allowing Gaya Gold Coffee to distribute the product in the hot Arabian climate while securing optimum freshness. This packaging is a perfect example of the circular economy in action.
The bespoke bottle shape and striking graphics clearly communicate ALKIMI’s brand positioning while reassuring consumers that they are getting a powerful and highly efficacious product that is more natural and safer to use. The pack design reflects the science behind ALKIMI’s power, with the brand symbol inspired by alchemist symbology, the synthesis of science and nature. A suite of ingredient symbols was created to inform consumers of the engineered nature of each ALKIMI product in a clear and understandable way. Dramatic surges of colour at the top of each pack hints at the scientific process inside and delivers clear range navigation. The ALKIMI bottle, trigger and sleeve are all 100% recyclable, in line with the brand’s alignment with its natural origins and ingredients.
Buddig’s goal was to maintain their brand presence and sales volume on shelf amidst a significantly smaller foot print. A new 50% narrower package structure was developed holding the same amount of meat but deeper, allowing them to keep the same number of SKUs in half the space. This created an opportunity to refresh the brand and connect better with consumers. They were able to keep the design modern and simple, by focusing on designing an updated brand logo, mouth-watering photography, and strong flavor differentiation. The combination of using colors on a white background created a fresh and vibrant package. The new package uses less materials than before, and is also recyclable.
The challenge was expanding the brand ‘EAT THESE PICKLES’ to include other products and line extensions. With the success of their initial five sku launch of Eat These Pickles, they developed other preserved food selections. Their solution was to be direct with the consumer as to what the product actually is, adding the name to the trademarked ‘Eat These’. Eat These Peppers, Eat These Onions, Eat These Celery. These line extensions are easily identifiable and familiar to the consumer.
The innovative design of the Coors Light Chill Pack is optimized for all the key aspects of the supply chain. The design provides as much or more product protection than traditional beer packaging, while optimizing efficiencies in storage and distribution. The stacking strength allows Molson Coors to achieve optimum pallet configuration and realize in-store display space efficiencies at retail. This design by its nature is complex. The case is manufactured from recyclable materials and has to expand to add volume for the consumer to add ice, all while making sure it doesn’t leak.
Cracker Barrel cheese is in a commoditized category. It was known for quality, but awareness and penetration was low. The new Cracker Barrel cheese packaging establishes recognizable assets to convey the premiumization of this product and to be accentuated on the shelf. It enables the brand to stand out through elevated associations of a bespoke monogram seal and ribbon. New colorways and equities means that whilst the brand may be merchandized in different areas of the store, its cohesive visual strategy makes it recognizable and encourages cross purchase. The future-proofed system has rolled out across numerous innovations since the first pack hit shelf, to further drive brand presence.
Already popular amongst older consumers in China for a long time, Weitai 999 wanted to expand their market to target young, busy professionals. Redesigning their core packaging would enable it to highlight the product benefits and appeal to young, modern Chinese consumers who are concerned about the impact of their busy lifestyle on their stomach wellness. The new packaging introduces a vibrant colour palette along with fashionable illustrations of plants and herbs to cue the product’s 100% natural ingredients.
The Loop tote was designed to collapse for storage in users’ homes. When expanded, the Loop shipping tote holds a full range of reusable containers in different sizes and – utilizing a reusable foam grid system to secure containers and keep them padded from impact. The shipping tote is designed for many reuses. When looked at compared to single use packaging and shipping material the Loop shipping tote out-performs a cardboard box of comparable size on life cycle and environmental impact after three reuses. The reuse model of the shipping tote is also more cost effective than single use shipping materials as the cost is amortized over many uses making the cost per use lower than that of single use.
A new collapsible lunchbox has been introduced that makes takeout easier to transport as well as being better for the environment than the single-use equivalent. The MolaBox patent-pending design is easy to use and can eliminate every single piece of waste related to takeout food including cutlery. MolaBox is made using recycled materials and has a slimline design that’s easy to carry around. The collapsible container has a leakproof multipurpose lid and comes with a bag to help carry the MolaBox around. MolaBox also includes a reusable fork and spoon and a divider to make it easy to transport different food items in the same container.
Algramo has already been featured in the Innovation Zone with their in-store refillable vending machines in their home market of Santiago, Chile. Now it’s expanding to include a mobile refill unit. Customers bring a reusable plastic bottle back to a vending machine that travels around offering refills. An RFID code on the bottle gives discounts on future purchases to lock in consumers and create a habit of refillable behaviour. Brands aren’t paying for added packaging, which reflects in the detergent being sold for up to 30% less than in store. Consumers also get an additional 11% discount every time they return the pack. The cashless system also reduces risk of robbery. There are plans to extend the Unilever endorsed trial to the US market in due course as well as a pilot with Nestlé to sell pet food refills.
Retailer Carrefour is testing a refill station for detergent in an outlet in Dubai. The ‘Green Home’ Zero-Waste refill station has been initiated in collaboration with Planet Pure and is part of the retailer’s ongoing efforts to reduce single-use plastic. The business has calculated that if a shopper was to refill a 154 g bottle 10 times over a year, this would prevent the purchase of the equivalent of around 55 grams of single use plastic and therefore reduce their plastic waste by 70%. Customers have the option to buy reusable bottles and fill them with detergent instead of buying new bottles. An RFID chip is embedded into the label of the reusable bottles so that the station unit can ensure that the right product is dispensed. Following the pilot test, it is hoped the refill station will be rolled out to additional stores in UAE in due course.
Scottish distillery Dunnet Bay has announced the introduction of a fully recyclable pouch for its Rock Rose gin brand. Rock Rose is well known in the market for its collectable hand signed ceramic bottles that are popular with drinkers. Shoppers are encouraged to keep their previously bought bottles and order 70cl pouches to refill their bottles. The pouch weighs 65 grams compared to 700 grams for a bottle. The pouches have been designed to fit through letterboxes. There is a significant saving of £4 over the price of ordering a new ceramic bottle. The pouches can be returned to Dunnet Bay via a freepost postal recycling scheme. A four layer laminate pouch has been designed to lock in all the freshness of the gin, with an easy-to-use plastic spout closure. The refill solution will be recycled by TerraCycle. Dunnet Bay are also offering in-store refills at their distillery retail outlet.
The Body Shop now has some 3,000 stores in more than 60 countries. Like all retailers, it is under pressure to reduce the amount of packaging in the business. The cosmetics, skin care and perfume retailer has announced a new initiative that sees a refillable shower gel system installed in its busiest UK store. The new concept store in central London is an attempt to return to its roots. The chain had previously scrapped a similar refillable scheme two decades ago due to lack of shopper demand and confusion on how it worked. Times are different now and it if felt the new initiative could have real traction in the market. The Body Shop’s trial refill station will initially just be for shower gel. The Bond Street store will also include a water station for shoppers to refill their beverage bottles. Aspects of the pilot are likely to be rolled out to stores in Europe and North America if successful.
Heinz have often got marketing mileage out of how to pour their leading ketchup out of their iconic glass bottle. Heinz Canada has taken things in a different direction by using packaging to help consumers pour the contents. The business has created a cheeky execution that uses the pack labels to help consumers to more easily pour ketchup. The tilted stickers help to get the sauce to optimally flow when the labels are shown to be standing upright. The position guides consumers to hold the bottle at 45 degrees, the apparent ideal angle to pour Heinz ketchup. The Pour-Perfect bottle have been created by Rethink Canada and will be tested in Toronto. We’re not sure if a left-handed version is still at the drawing board…
The plastic wrap used to extend the shelf life of cucumbers has been held up as the example for debating the virtues of plastic used in packaging. Pro parties claim the material adds vital days to the life of the product whilst detractors claim the single-use unrecyclable material should not be used. South Australian produce business IG Fresh Produce and packaging company Peak Fresh have made the debate slightly harder with the development of a 100% biodegradable compostable cucumber wrap. This has been developed for use by independent supermarket business, Drakes Supermarkets in their 38 stores in South Australia and replaces the traditional shrink-wrap. Claimed to be a game changer for the supermarket and grocery industry, the product development took 12 months. Future plans for the biodegradable and compostable wrap include other fresh fruit packaging and meat products. Following the Drakes Supermarkets trial the plan is to make the product available to other supermarket chains.
Work is ongoing to convert commercial pumpkin waste into a biodegradable packaging film that could one day replace plastic food wrap. The pumpkin industry creates waste via the peel and seeds that are not consumed. Researchers from Tezpur University in Assam, India ground pumpkin seeds into a powder and mixed with water. Ultrasound was used to break down the polymers. This was then plasticised by creating an emulsion with glycerol. Calcium chloride was added to give the film added strength. The research team are working on varying ratios of peels to seeds and discovered that the strongest film was produced by using an equal ratio of pumpkin seeds to peel. The film could be used for food products such as bread, cakes and confectionery. The full findings of the study were published in the 
The move to replace plastic in consumer good brands continues at a pace. Coca-Cola has a policy to reduce the amount of the material in their business and has announced that they will no longer use plastic shrink-wrap on can multipacks sold for the UK market initially and rolled out to Europe. A transition to recyclable cardboard will take place over the next 18 months across their range of carbonated soft drink brands. Four, six and eight packs of cans will be packaged in 100% recyclable, sustainably-sourced cardboard. The move will remove 4,000 tonnes of plastic from circulation. The shrink-wrap being replaced is already recyclable, but only approximately 10% of UK local authorities currently collect the material. This compares to just about all (98%) of local authorities collect cardboard. Multipacks of 10 cans are already collated in cardboard. See also 
It is well-known that beer taste significantly more refreshing when served at sub-zero temperatures. The industry spends millions on advertising every year encouraging consumption of their brews in these ideal conditions. Africa’s biggest premium beer brand, Castle Lite is using secondary packaging to help keep beer extra cold for an additional three hours perfect for those out-of-home drinking occasions. The Cold Lock innovation was four years in the making and has been tested to be the only product in the world to keep beer extra cold in this way. The claim has been verified by verification and testing company SGS South Africa. A sample of Castle Lite 500 ml cans was placed in the Cold Lock packaging, while an identical sample was placed in normal shrink packaging. The results of the tests proved that Cold Lock keeps beer extra cold for three hours after refrigeration without the use of ice. Cold Lock comprises minimal plastic and is made mainly from corrugated cardboard. Double flute laminate lines the entire inside of the packaging, which provides an added layer of insulation. This prevents heat from being transferred whilst keeping the Cold Lock exterior from getting wet. Cold Lock is currently exclusive to the South Africa market
A new plastic-free alternative for e-commerce envelope mailings has been introduced. The WaveBag solution uses a proprietary wave padding to protect the contents. Instead of using PE-based air bubble wrap, the Wave Bag envelopes have an inner protective layer consisting of paper ‘waves’ to give the necessary rigidity and strength. Internal drop and resistance tests have shown that WaveBag is able to better maintain protection compared to a bubble mailer where the bubble starts to deplete causing a loss of protection. Wave bag is 100% paper-based making it fully recyclable. It is claimed that it can reduce CO2 footprint and transport costs of more than 50% with an additional reduction of 47% in storage space. There are 10 different sizes available.
It is not always easy to create a point of differentiation through packaging in the beverage industry and the task in hand is increasingly sustainability based. Carlsberg have undertaken several environmentally-focused initiatives over the last few months. They have a different focus for their latest innovation which aims to improve the longevity of their products with a new initiative via their bottle cap. Carlsberg’s view is that ‘fresher beer equals better beer’. Their Fresh Cap innovation has been designed to reduce oxidation via an oxygen scavenger inside the liner of the cap. This results in less oxygen in the bottle actively absorbs oxygen, removing it from the head space in the bottle. The reduction of flavour oxidation ensures that the beer that tastes fresher for longer. The solution promises up to a 15% longer freshness period compared to other conventional caps on the market.
August Faller are a German manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical packaging headquartered in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The business has developed a new three-layer label that has excellent practical medicinal applications. Their new DryPeel Flag label has been designed to be removed easily in layers. No residue or adhesive is left behind. The labels have been designed so that they adhere to the container and stand out like a flag. It is suitable for documentation and product marking for medical practitioners to record product usage. The middle layer is easy to separate from the base label. More label parts can also be removed for necessary medical descriptions and comments. The user can mark the labels easily with a pen. A transparent base label ensures that the main pack is not visually compromised.
Cohda is a product design, development and research studio based in the North East of England. The business has been working on a development to help consumers better identify waste packaging materials. There remains a lot of confusion about what can and cannot be recycled with similar looking packs often having different recycling rules and on-pack guidance is not always completely clear. The business has developed near-infrared spectroscopy technology that incorporates a unique ‘digital fingerprint’. Cohda have developed a R.I.D (Recycling Identifying Device) concept. The handheld device uses NIR to identify recyclable and non-recyclable materials. Materials absorb varying wavelengths when encountering NIR radiation. Different bonds within the material absorb varying wavelengths giving the material a unique absorption pattern. There is a stored database of these digital fingerprints that can be updated as and when new product lines enter the market.
Skinny Tonic is a UK-based Indian tonic water from Double Dutch brands. The business has responded to pressure to remove plastic with the switch from plastic shrink wrap into cardboard. The new boxes have clear messaging to on the packs to ensure that the boxes are removed before being displayed. Using a paper-based material, the new solution is overtly more environmentally-friendly and easier to recycle. The business concedes that it would have been a lot easier and less expensive to use plastic shrink wrap to deliver the product. The solution reduces operational energy consumption as a shrink tunnel is no longer required.
Researchers from the University of Alaska Anchorage have developed lightweight panels made from mushroom tissue that could act as a packaging insulation material. The team is targeted the insulation for the shipment of frozen fish. Researchers plan to find a viable bio-based replacement for Styrofoam-lined boxes with a goal to compete with Styrofoam in terms of cost and effectiveness. Mushrooms grow quickly into resilient kitin networks that has properties that could be suitable for use as insulation. The panels, treated with a special mixture, take about eight days to grow and dry. Plans to ship a few test kits with frozen fish cradled by the boards, possibly with thermometers and instructions on how to tell them the condition. The panels are in theory edible although the taste is very bitter. A start up called Rhizoform has been launched to help commercialise the technology.
Swedish paper manufacturer 
The e-commerce market continues to go from strength to strength with many new packaging developments being introduced to improve functionality, increase sustainability as well as to ensure that the unboxing experience supports brand values.