Companies constantly innovate and redesign their packaging to boost performance, enhance sustainability and improve marketability. Here’s a look at three recent packaging product launches on Packaging Dive’s radar.
Barrel of laughs
A candy that’s more than a half century old is getting reworked packaging after years of consumer complaints that it’s too difficult to open. Laffy Taffy introduced wrappers designed to be easier to open.
The new wrappers exhibit reduced stickiness and shredding, according to a news release from Chicago-based parent company Ferrara.
The company made the changes in response to years of receiving feedback that consumers are irritated with the packaging. Some social media users have posted videos of themselves yelling in frustration while trying to pick shredded wrapper bits off the sticky taffy. Others have posted tips for a less aggravating package opening experience, such as tearing from a certain point of the back of the wrapper or even freezing the candy first.
Ferrara began rolling out the “smooth new wrappers” for Laffy Taffy mini bars this month. The packaging on each candy piece still features the brand’s signature “dad jokes.”
Splish splash
A new packaging format is taking shape for Boogie’s bubbling vapor bath. Parent company ĕleeo worked with Ohio-based liquid packaging company AeroFlexx to introduce flexible packs with a tear-off top as an alternative to the standard rigid bottle with a cap.
This format has a self-closing top with a one-way self-sealing valve that eliminates spills, according to an AeroFlexx news release. The lightweight, flexible packaging also floats in water. AeroFlexx says its products use 50% to 70% less plastic than competing liquid packaging.
“The packaging uses significantly less plastic than traditional bottles and ships easily without additional packing materials," said Richard Palmer, ĕleeo brands CEO, in the news release.
Click into place
A different soap solution comes from Graphic Packaging International, in collaboration with private label manufacturer Radienz Living, which introduced what it calls a “category first”: a certified child-resistant, curbside-recyclable paperboard box designed for laundry detergent pods. The fiber package is a curbside recyclable alternative to flexible plastics and protects children from the detergent pods inside, according to a news release.
The packaging was engineered to be intuitive for adults to open, while also being difficult for children and closing with an audible click for security purposes.
The box is made from paperboard with 50% recycled content and is at least 10% more space efficient than plastic pouches, according to the news release. It’s also optimized for use in club stores and for ships-in-own-container e-commerce applications, the companies say.
