Carton & Board
Cartonboard packaging: Connecting consumers with brands
purchase. In addition, the ability to gather and share information online has empowered the consumer to engage more deeply with global societal and environmental trends, adapting supermarket-shopping habits to suit. “In a new retail landscape, packaging is on the
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frontline of the brand experience. It’s the first thing the consumer comes into physical contact with - and cartonboard should be the material of choice for making an impression,” says Tom Garsed, marketing design and innovation director, Graphic Packaging International (GPI). A Euromonitor report revealed that ‘trying to
have a positive impact on the environment on an everyday basis’ is important to over 60 per cent of consumers across the world. In the UK, as in many other parts of the world, today’s educated Gen-X and millennial consumers demand packaging that supports health-conscious, eco-conscious and lifestyle-conscious shopping habits. In response, brands and packaging manufacturers are collaborating to create packs that extend the brand experience and help to establish trust outside the virtual space. But why cartonboard? Yes, it’s sustainable. However, according to leading folding carton manufacturer, GPI, sustainability is not the only trust-inspiring benefit that the ecologically balanced packaging medium has to offer.
AUTHENTICITY MATTERS “Cartonboard is the ideal material for building consumer trust in packaging. Particularly so with sceptical millennial shoppers who are quick to call
n 2017, shoppers using connected, mobile devices have, at their fingertips, all the information they need to make an informed
out companies whose goods or services they believe to be unethical, environmentally unsound or unhealthy,” continues Garsed. “It has extremely sound eco-credentials and it’s something that doesn't go unnoticed.” Indeed, according to a 2017 Pro Carton sustainability study, ‘folding cartons are perceived as the most sustainable form of packaging’. So much so, that 78 per cent of respondents across five countries chose cartonboard as the most sustainable packaging type above rigid and flexible plastics. “The real challenge is how to move a sustainable pack on from simply carrying out its core protective, preservative and presentation functions. Continual innovation and a commitment to manufacturing excellence is required to develop added-value features that enhance the experience for the consumer and facilitate ease of handling throughout the supply chain,” adds Garsed. Cartons such as GPI’s FruitPack range, which
offers a variety of stackable mono-material, shelf- ready solutions for protecting and preserving fresh fruit and vegetables demonstrate this point. The pack design incorporates patented easy-carry handles and a reinforced corner design that enables multi-layer stacking to optimise the number of packs in crate layouts.
RESOURCE EFFICIENT INNOVATION Does this level of innovation come at the cost of the environment? For example, it could increase pack weight and carbon footprint. “No,” says Garsed. “Cartonboard is an extremely versatile, lightweight material. We can introduce strengthening features to mono-material
designs and offset this with apertures to increase shelf-standout, all without compromising the integrity of the overall structure. “And we mustn’t forget, cartonboard can substantially reduce the carbon footprint of a pack if its predecessor was manufactured from tin or plastic,” adds Garsed. A GPI collaboration with 2 Sisters Food Group
(2SFG), for Fox’s Biscuits, has replaced the original biscuit tin with a cartonboard design. The ‘Fabulously’ design now weighs just 70g compared to the original 322g tin and a ‘Vinnie’ pack weighs 46g, compared to the 279g tin equivalent. David Tonkin, group packaging development manager at 2SFG, adds: “In addition to having a significantly reduced pack weight, the carton can be delivered flat packed to reduce pallet requirements, enabling Fox’s Biscuits to minimise logistics and inventory and helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. However, these savings don’t compromise the level of innovation; we’ve introduced added value features such as a herringbone tear-away opener that doubles as a consumer engagement tool.”
FUTURE PROOFING The ability of cartonboard, as a sustainable material, to be responsive to advanced innovation secures its position as a leading packaging material of the future. In a report by
trendwatching.com titled ‘5 Trends for 2017’, the ‘capacity capture’ trend was cited as a reason for ‘smart brands to broaden thinking around sustainability by finding and unlocking exciting new sources of value, or finding creative new ways to eliminate any wasted resource’. The trend demonstrates that whilst sustainability is a hot topic on the worldwide agenda right now, brands and retailers must also look to the future with innovative packaging. “Collaborating with packaging manufacturers to drive innovation that future proofs cartonboard packaging as a trustworthy and smart choice is essential. Cartonboard is secure in its ability to make a positive impression today. But as the brand experience continues to evolve and consistently raises consumer expectations, we must continue to drive innovation and manufacturing excellence to produce folding cartons that delight the consumer of tomorrow,” concludes Garsed.
www.graphicpkg.com 28 July/August 2017
www.convertermag.co.uk
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