“Eco-design is a business approach that requires investments and time in the long term,” explains the president of Solarenn, Christophe Rousse. A joint effort from three actors of the fruit and vegetable sector -the Solarenn cooperative, DS Smith as global supplier of sustainable packaging and ETpack mechanizer - has helped optimize tomato packaging throughout the supply chain. The common goal? Moving to more sustainable solutions and eliminating single-use plastic. They have therefore developed a 100% cardboard packaging which is eco-designed and innovative, allowing maximum flexibility and visibility of the product. The joint design was initiated in September 2020. This commitment fits the expectations of the French consumers, who are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their consumption and who are now questioning the food industry . For the past 2 years, there is indeed strong consumer’s pressure to eliminate single-use plastic. In 2021, Solarenn will have 7 different trays on the market that are 100% cardboard with zero-plastic.

The packaging design team of Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, was involved in designing a spectacular packaging for a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage. In addition to protecting the bottle, the packaging also forms a beautiful entity with the bottle. The design of both the bottle and the packaging is based on a painting by six-time world boxing champion and artist Eva Wahlström. For every product sold, 50 cents will be donated to the Finnish Cancer Foundation. "We wanted to bring consumers a product that visually transcends the everyday. The drink gets its flavour from the rose petals, which are also displayed in a striking way on the bottle and packaging," says Kimmo Koivikko of Lasso Drinks, which produced the drink. "The packaging is open on both the front and the back, forming a frame around the bottle. This also minimises the amount of material needed for the packaging. The product story was printed on the packaging in Finnish and English," says Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director, EMEA and APAC, at Metsä Board.

When packages come and go, label choice matters. A truly closed loop solution is here with new and improved UPM Raflatac RW85C wash-off label materials for PET containers, now available in the Americas market. Part of the UPM Raflatac SmartCircle™ sustainable product range, products with RW85C adhesive offer best in class wash-off technology. Because PET plastic packaging is lightweight and economical to manufacture, it is in high demand. Although PET has the highest recycling rate among plastics, less than half is collected for recycling, and the vast majority that is recycled is downcycled because it is not suitable for turning back into bottles or food containers. This can be due to the labels not separating well during the recycling process. As more and more global brands seek recycled content in their packaging materials, label choice has never been more important.