Companies constantly innovate and redesign their packaging to boost performance, enhance sustainability and improve marketability. Here’s a look at five recent packaging product launches on Packaging Dive’s radar.
Leapfrogging into fiber
FrogTape is switching from plastic to fiber containers for its flagship painter’s tapes. Owned by Shurtape Technologies, the FrogTape brand anticipates the substrate switch will eliminate about 1 million pounds of plastic annually.
The products traditionally have been sold in plastic containers to protect the tape edges from damage and dust, and the new fiber containers will still provide that protection, the company says.
The paperboard packaging is made with FSC-certified materials and is widely curbside recyclable, according to the company. The fiber container also could also be reused for storing items. It is easier to open than the plastic version, according to FrogTape, and can be resealed.
The new containers started showing up on store shelves this month, with a full rollout anticipated by the end of this year.
Conversation piece
Digital Link is giving packaging a voice. At Labelexpo Europe last week, it unveiled what it calls the world’s first AI-powered product assistant that talks with users.
“Conversational intelligence” is embedded into a next-generation QR code on packaging, the company says. When a user scans the QR code, they can ask the assistant, Cleo, questions about the product and receive tailored verbal responses in real-time. For instance, Cleo could answer questions about product ingredients, safety, or sustainability. The answers come from verified information the brand uploads to the system.
“For the first time, a product can respond when you ask it a question,” said Paula Rivero, Digital Link co-founder and CEO, in a news release. “This is not a gimmick. This is packaging becoming a voice, an ambassador that speaks for the brand, and listens to the consumer.”
The QR codes work on existing labels, so brands do not need to completely redesign their packaging, according to Digital Link. The labels adhere to GS1 Digital Link standards.
The white stuff
Mondi is expanding its digital inkjet printing offerings by delving into colorful territory it says few have so far.
Its six-color digital printing range for corrugated packaging now includes white ink, and the company says it’s among the first to offer this color. Using white ink on brown corrugated material is a growing trend that “enables vivid, high-contrast designs,” the company says in a news release.
The white ink also can be used for an underprint to help other colors pop more than if they were directly printed on the brown material. This helps brand identity and product visibility on shelves, according to Mondi.
The ink is water-based and can be used on a variety of primary packaging types, including for food and beverages or e-commerce.
Dry run
Fiber materials company Fiberdom and packaging machinery company Kiefel, both based in Finland, are teaming up to develop and commercialize home-compostable dry molded fiber items, starting with beverage cup lids.
The partnership combines Kiefel’s dry fiber forming technology with Fiberdom’s newly launched Duranova material, which is derived from FSC-certified pulp or paperboard and offers high wet strength, moldability and bending resistance. It’s recyclable in paper recycling streams and is home compostable, according to the company. The material has already been used to make single-use cutlery.
After the initial product run, the partners plan to expand into new packaging formats and markets.
Lap of luxury
Finland-based Stora Enso is expanding its premium offerings with the introduction of an uncoated solid bleached sulfate paperboard that has “velvet-like smoothness” on both sides. It developed Ensovelvet for luxury applications including cosmetics and fragrances.
This SBS “provides an enhanced sensory experience while ensuring excellent printability,” the company said in a news release, noting it’s suitable for applications where touch and visual appeal both matter.
“Luxury packaging is about more than protection. It’s about creating an impression. Ensovelvet gives brand owners a material with a distinctive, natural surface that helps their products stand out in a crowded marketplace,” Tomas Larsson, head of product line for FBB, SBS, liner and book paper, said in the release.
The board is recyclable, according to the company, and the fact it’s uncoated means fewer materials are needed during production — thus reducing its carbon footprint.
