WEIGHT DEBATE PACKAGING
be very light. With this approach, “you are shrinking the total volume of packaging to the volume you intend to pack inside”, says Beneyto. When it comes to swapping materials, Beneyto observes that swapping a glass jar for a plastic version would be a classic example. And he impresses that plastics themselves come in different densities, with polypropylene (PP) being at 0.9g/cm³ density one of the lightest (but lacking glass-like transparency) and the heavier polyethylene terephthalate (PET at 1.4g/cm³) offering brands the ability to provide an easily decoratable, high end product.
In addition to the reduction of the overall size and/or weight of a pack, lightweighting “can also be the simplification of packaging with less packaging – the removal of secondary boxes or cellophane, or removing leaflets inside packaging”, notes Eva Lagarde, CEO & founder of sustainable beauty platform re-sources.
THE BENEFITS OF LIGHTWEIGHTING Shining some light on why lightweighting is a favoured option, Punchard says: “Traditionally lightweighting has been driven by cost efficiency: less material used means lower material costs. “However, the most recent push towards lightweighting has been a response to consumers’ plastic pollution concerns. This has driven many brands to consider lightweighting as a route to reducing their, and hence their customers’, plastic footprint. “We see the results of this lightweighting mainly in food packaging where brands are very happy to highlight a shift to a lower plastic use on the packaging. “However, this kind of claim is not widely used in beauty on lightweighted packaging. Here, the claim is more likely to be used on refills when comparing the refill itself with the standard packaging.”
Punchard continues: “Beyond potentially lower costs and more responsible material use, in some cases a move to a lightweighted and more flexible pack can come with convenience benefits, such as being able to squeeze out the last drop easier. “However, given the strong focus by both consumers and brands on responsible plastic use, reducing plastic footprint is clearly the biggest driver for lightweighting innovation at the moment.”
An example from Faca, says Beneyto, is its current work on engineering a refill system where it is “working to lighten the inner walls by creating bubbles in the middle of these walls”. The Smoothie bottle by Bakic Group, meanwhile, has been developed on the principles of ‘bionic design’ and entails a 50% reduction of the bottles’ material without compromising on functionality and a premium appeal.
There are also emissions reduction benefits associated with lightweight packaging. As Dominic Bakic, CEO of Bakic Group, explains: “Less weight and less material mean that fewer resources need
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Bakic’s Smoothie (above) has been engineered to be both light and functional; meanwhile, for refillables, like Faca’s jar (above, right), cartridges can be made lighter with freedom to use heavier materials for the reusable outer
to be used. In turn, this reduces the carbon footprint and cuts carbon emissions per item of packaging.
“Fewer materials also mean lower costs in the production process as fewer consumables are required in filling, packaging and transportation.” That said, lightweighting is not the final word in slashing your packaging carbon footprint. As Benjamin Cohen, Chief Marketing Officer at Knoll Printing & Packaging, observes: “Creating a lighter package, which would have less carbon emissions during transportation, is certainly an area [for reducing one’s carbon footprint]. “However, also producing more regionally could potentially have a beneficial carbon footprint result during production, too,” as would “using renewable energy to offset some of that used in production.” Knoll’s recently-opened Philippines factory, for instance, has “solar panels on every inch” and (in March 2023) 50% of the factory’s energy was offset by the renewable energy captured on the building.
LIGHT ON LUXURY? Rightly or wrongly, there is also something of a stigma surrounding lighter packaging for luxury beauty goods.
“In the beauty and luxury segment, consumers identify luxury products as heavy and decorated,” explains Lagarde. “Over-simplifying packaging or removing weight can give a ‘cheaper’ impression to the consumer.”
“Consumers might defect to a different product because they might get the impression that the brand saves on the core assets,” adds Bakic. Lagarde advises: “Weight reduction needs to be accomplished with a fine-design thinking approach, in line with the brand’s ethos.” Two examples Lagarde provides of this being done well are the redesign of Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale and Pai’s use of the inside of its outer packaging in lieu of a consumer information leaflet.
June 2023 27
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