Playbook PkgDevo v3 Opt

packager’s playbook series
education for packaging professionals 2012 Edition
PACKAGE
DEVELOPMENT HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY
Playbook CREATE
CompelLing
packages
ALL-NE
EXPA W&
SU N D ED
STAINA
SECTIOBILIT Y
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8 Updated for 2012 8 Package development best practices

8 New and expanded sustainability section 8 All-new packaging gallery
SPONSORED BY
2012 Edition
packager’s playbook series

education for packaging professionals
Package Development Playbook
CONTENTS 3 / 95
CONTRIBUTORS
5 Brand owners, consultants and design experts
contributing to this playbook
INTRODUCTION
7 Best practices for the life cycle of your package
DESIGN
10 Know your consumer
12 Insights on eye tracking
15 Assemble a cross-functional team
18 Eight steps to great package design
21 Closure design strategies and tactics
24 Two ways to justify package design
27 Ten steps for shaping your own ethnographic research
29 Best Practices in Package Development
CONTENTS 4 / 95
DEVELOPMENT
34 Balancing risk with innovation
40 Solving the marketing disconnect
43 Trends in appearance additives
45 How to work with demanding retailers
50 How package development projects fail
SUSTAINABILITY
54 Ten tips for sustainable package design
63 Waste-to-energy: Worth a second look
67 Coke sparks revolution in bioplastics
71 Tackling food waste through package innovation
78 Marketing 'green' to the mainstream
83 Design and technical resources for sustainability
GALLERY
87 Package Development Gallery — Selected examples of packaging innovation
CONTRIBUTORS 5 / 95
The following brand owners, consultants and design experts contributed to this playbook:
Kevin Myers Virginie Acquart

Packaging Development Manager Innovation and Packaging Technologies
Utz Quality Foods, Inc. Schweppes Australia
Brad Rodgers Shannon Bowers

Manager—Sustainable Pkg. Senior Package Design Manager
& Advanced Materials Research Henkel Consumer Products
Frito-Lay
John Helferich Ray Bourque
Executive-In-Residence President
Northeastern University Ray Pack Inc.
(formerly with Mars) (formerly with Ocean Spray)
Jeff George Tim Bohrer

Vice President of Research & Development President
Sara Lee Corp. Pac Advantage Consulting
Paul Redwood Shawn French

Sr. Research Engineer Engineering Director
Church & Dwight Dannon
Robert C. Collins II, CPP/MH Melinda Wooten

President Owner/Partner
Global Packaging Optimization, LLC KW Strategems
CONTRIBUTORS 6 / 95
Additional contributors:
Dean Lindsay Nina Daily

President Brand Manager-Dial NutriSkin
Dean Linsday Design Inc. The Dial Corp.
Stuart Leslie Christian Simms

President Associate Director, Consumer Market Knowledge
4Sight Design Inc. Procter & Gamble
Pamela Waldron
Liz Shoch
Global Director, Oral Care
Project Manager
Johnson & Johnson
Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Several other brand owners were interviewed

Jackie DeLise for this playbook on the condition of anonymity.
Director, New Business Development
The Zunda Group
We gratefully acknowledge
Tirso Olivares the contributions of these suppliers:
Berlin Packaging, Carolina Color , TricorBraun, Weatherchem
President
Tirso Olivares Design Other sources:
Paco Underhill, The Wall Street Journal, Clariant Masterbatches,
Perception Research Services, Tobii Technologies, Packaging &
Technology Integrated Solutions
INTRODUCTION 7 / 95
Best practices for the life cycle

of your package
By Bob Sperber, Last year, we launched this Playbook series of educational e-pubs with documents on flexible,
Special Projects Editor, labeling and other topics, not having any idea how popular they would become. Judging by
Packaging World the thousands of people like you who have offered their praise for these publications, now we
know:
“The Playbooks are an excellent introduction to the package design phase for non-packaging
professionals… a great resource to share with senior management to help them understand that
the product package can make or break a product in the crowded market.”
“It is unfortunate that many packaging engineers tackle their projects alone with minimal
feedback from different stakeholders. Senior management should read this playbook to help them
reinforce the idea that the product package is a critical key to a successful product launch, not an
afterthought!”
“The Playbooks are great. I have noticed that there is not a lot of help in the digital world for
packaging technologists who need to develop specifications. The Playbooks will become a very
powerful tool that are heavily relied upon—especially for those less-initiated in new pack formats.”
FORWARD ADD COMMENT RETURN TO CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 8 / 95
continued
“The information the Playbook contains provides a helpful guide to improve our selection
Best Practices for process and justification for new equipment requests.”
the Life Cycle of
your package “Brilliant presentation, allows a really functional step-by-step approach.”
In approaching the new 2012 Package Development Playbook, we already knew what
numerous studies have confirmed: Distinctive packaging can play an active role in enhancing
consumer perceptions and purchasing behavior. Well-designed packaging can enhance the
value of the product, and deepen the consumer's bond with the product. Additionally, using
the right materials -- from flexible films and pouches to rigid glass, plastic or metal containers
-- can do these things while also providing functional benefits. Considering the machinability
of a package early in your package design product can optimize cost-efficiency, line speeds
and plant throughput.
The need to engage so many people working across so many disciplines is a fundamental
reason we've designed this Playbook with distinct sections:
• The Design section gives you tools to better know your consumer and target your package.
• The Development section picks-up where design considerations leave-off by giving you
best practices and tools to avoid pitfalls from machinery to marketing.

INTRODUCTION 9 / 95
continued
Best Practices for • A new Sustainability section addresses best practices for achieving greener packages that
hit the right marketing notes and help you make the transition to high-performance packages
the Life Cycle of
that perform in the marketplace as well as in the plant by reducing material as well as energy
your package usage.
• A gallery of real-world packages that capitalize on some of the best practices presented in
this playbook.
For this year’s Playbook series, we interviewed or consulted with more than 45 sources,
primarily via in-depth phone interviews with experts in the field, including engineers and
managers at leading consumer packaged goods companies.
This Playbook is designed to serve as a handy reference to be consulted, and shared with
others – onscreen or printed-out – throughout the life-cycle of your package development
project.
Moreover, this Playbook – like others in this series – is a living document. At the bottom of this
page and all pages, you'll find an "Add comment" link that invites you to offer comments that
will help advance best practices, fuel improvements for future editions of this document and
strengthen the canon of packaging knowledge.
A final word: The cost of producing and distributing this playbook has been underwritten by
the companies who have sponsored it. We thank them for their support, and we thank you
for reading. 

DESIGN 10 / 95
Know your consumer

By Jim George The path to great package design starts with understanding factors that influence purchase
intent, as well as how shoppers view and use products, and scan store shelves.
American shopping tendencies and habits are changing, with direct ramifications for package
design decisions. Paco Underhill, in his book Why We Buy, notes four cultural factors that
influence the way consumers shop today—and that affect how consumer packaged goods
companies draw consumers’ attention.
1. America is aging. Visual acuity is becoming a more important factor that package
designers need to address. Exercises are conducted in which consumers wear smeared glass
lenses or attempt to open childproof medicine bottles using gloves—all to simulate the
difficulties that older consumers have opening, operating and reading packages. Yet package
designs today—often designed by young people—routinely befuddle older consumers at a
time when more product information than ever is included on packaging.
2. Gender differences are eroding. Evolving gender roles are influencing purchase
decisions. By the late 1990s, men were making a discernable portion of purchases of
feminine hygiene products. More recently, women have begun to shop in auto aftermarket
aisles, where rigid packaging dominates. Lines have blurred for the products themselves as
well. Fragrances used to be the domain of women, but today any number of body washes,
colognes and other fragrances are marketed specifically to men. The packaging needs to
satisfy visual cues that are specific for each gender.

DESIGN 11 / 95
continued
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Know your consumer
3. Shopping patterns are evolving. The family
unit is shopping together more, and dad appears to be less
likely to say “no” when kids pick up an impulse item. And
shoppers may enter the store to get one item but typically
leave also carrying an impulse purchase or two.
4. Immigrant affluence is increasing. In America,

OR immigrants are moving from the ranks of the poor to the
middle class. With it, the need for multilingual packaging is
DESIGN
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DESIGN 12 / 95
Insights on eye tracking

By Jim George Once you understand the forces that influence consumer shopping patterns, it becomes
important to understand how they shop and why they make the purchasing decisions they
do. Two effective ways to gain this knowledge for shaping package design are eye tracking
and ethnography—the latter is covered in a separate article.
You’ve created multiple mockups for your package, and you need to determine the best
design option. Foremost, you want to answer two questions:
• Which design provides the most shelf visibility?

• What elements on your package did shoppers see, and for how long?
Eye tracking is one approach that can provide these answers.
“The potential loss of sales to a business by diluting their equity and getting lost on shelf
is enormous, and it’s not a risk one wants to take in this day and age,” says Pamela Waldron,
global director, Oral Care, in Johnson & Johnson’s Global Strategic Insights Group. “We use eye
tracking frequently to assess new label design for major brands. We would not implement
a graphic label design change without understanding its impact on visibility and imagery,”
which extends to how well the label and the package—a glass bottle or plastic container, for
example—complement each other.

DESIGN 13 / 95
continued
Eye tracking can be done in at least two ways:
Insights on eye
tracking • If the goal is to measure shelf visibility of a package, individual consumers can view a series
of store scenes in which store shelves are presented on a screen. Consumers view categories
as if they were shopping, and using a joystick, they click to navigate between categories. Their
eye fixations are recorded and used to produce a heat map showing the areas on a package
or shelf that drew the most fixations.
This type of eye-tracking research confirmed P&G’s belief that creating blue blocking would
improve visibility for its Pantene Aqua Light conditioner in Western Europe. The light-blue
pack the company had been using was too visually recessive on shelf.
• If the objective is to understand shoppers’ in-store habits, a mobile approach can be used in
Consumer-confirmed: Procter & which the shopper wears a special pair of glasses to record viewing data while shopping.
Gamble determined through eye-
tracking research that shelf visibility “You cannot close the sale unless somebody has seen the package first on the shelf,” says
for its Pantene Aqua Light conditioner Christian Simms associate director of consumer market knowledge at Procter & Gamble. “With
in Western Europe needed more eye tracking, you can determine if you are stopping consumers with your product.”
visual impact, resulting in this new
packaging. Some CPG companies conduct their own eye-tracking research, but this requires a substantial
capital investment for special glasses and other equipment used in conducting the studies.
More often, brand owners takes either of two forms approach research companies, who
work with a cross-functional team at the CPG company that includes members of marketing,
branding, and R&D.

DESIGN 14 / 95
continued
Here are four tips for conducting an eye-tracking study:
Insights on eye
tracking 1. Define the questions to be answered (i.e., .Do shoppers see the product on shelf? How
much attention did the product get, compared with competing products?)
2. Define experimental details from exposure time (timed or shopper controlled), stimulus
(mock-ups or renderings), and experimental design issues such as randomization, sample size,
and scripts/prompts.
3. Conduct a pilot test to ensure that the prompts and environment elicit the interaction
desired.
4. Test full items in realistic environments, if possible, for maximum validity. 

DESIGN 15 / 95
Assemble a cross-functional team

By Jim George The axiom is two (or more) heads are better than one. Yet far too often, package design still
is an isolated affair in which departments work in “silos,” seemingly with little thought to how
the decisions they make can affect a package as it moves through the value chain.
Did you know that making the wrong decision on one layer of a multilayer bottle can change
its color? Or that different films used in shrink-sleeve labels can make a big difference in how
they decorate your highly contoured container? Or how a neck label might be justified to
hide the inconsistent fill line in your beverage bottle? These are just some examples where
advance planning and cross-functional teamwork can sidestep problems and bring benefits
without adding cost to your project.
Each project's requirements may dictate variations in the team members, but generally,
any package design project involving rigid containers should include the following internal
members: Brand and/or manager, marketing manager, package design manager, innovation
manager, packaging engineer, and operations manager. If your rigid container could face
harsh environments in shipping, your transportation/logistics department should be
represented, too. Also include vendors, from material suppliers to contract packagers.
From such a cross-representative team, you can learn the answers to questions such as the
following: Will glass, metal, or plastic do the best job of presenting the innovative design that
we have mocked up for our beverage package? What tweaks can we make to the different
bottle layers to get a richer red or bolder blue, while also saving my company money?

DESIGN 16 / 95
continued
A cross-functional team also provides the opportunity for streamlined planning that begins
Assemble a cross- with production and works backward.
functional team
It is crucial to include external members in the discussions at the earliest stages of package
creation. Vendors can offer a wealth of innovative ideas, and their suggestions might prevent
costly mistakes from occurring downstream in production.
Vendors can offer useful ideas for getting the color right in rigid packaging when extending
a brand from its everyday line into a premium product. Case in point: Procter & Gamble
achieved eye-catching distinction for its Folgers Coffeehouse Series with a special color mix
in which several vendors concentrated on color physics rather than color chemistry, drawing
inspiration from personal-care packaging. The HDPE containers for Folgers Coffeehouse Series
achieve their rich color through the development of a multilayer color system. Color in each
layer serves a different purpose, from reflectivity and brightness to opacity to functionality.
The right mix: Procter & Gamble Product manufacturers that were once very secretive about package creation are looking
and its supply chain overcame the to their supply chains—and even their consumers—for innovative ideas. Procter & Gamble,
challenges of getting the right Kraft, Clorox, General Mills, and Estée Lauder are among companies embracing “open
colors on Folgers Coffeehouse Series innovation,” a concept that is discussed further in the development section of this Playbook.
canisters through early supply chain Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions makes three recommendations for a successful
collaboration on a multilayer color open-innovation strategy:
system that tweaked each canister
layer to produce the desired color • Establish trust in relationships with partners to forge win-win scenarios.
shade, gloss, and reflectivity.
• Look for a strong value proposition in which each partner gains something.
DESIGN 17 / 95
continued
Assemble a cross-functional team
We Can • Select the right internal leader for the program—a

Decorate strategic thinker with strong knowledge of trends.
Just About • Don’t get hung up on cost early on. Consumer value may
overcome that issue later.
Anything Beyond creative and innovation considerations, it is

essential for marketing and operations to work seamlessly
Kaufman Container can take a plain bottle and turn it
into a piece of art. We offer state-of-the-art decoration to to achieve the best possible overall package. Operations
embellish your packaging to the fullest, including screen should be up to speed on marketing’s needs from
printing, labeling, roll stamping and more! We can accommodate
virtually any shape, size or material in large or small quantity runs.
packaging and, conversely, marketing should understand
Our in-house graphics department is here to assist with your artwork that even minimal design changes could significantly
needs. Lets us help your projects stand out from the crowd!
impact the package’s performance on a production line. It is
important to note that lean changeover is both a tactic and
a companywide strategy, and senior management must
direct it. Changeover costs are rarely measured, but they
typically amount to thousands of dollars per hour. 
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DESIGN 18 / 95
Eight steps to great

package design
By Jackie DeLise, Here are eight ways to maximize the design impact of rigid container packaging.
Vice President New Development,
The Zunda Group 1. Understand your customer’s needs, both real and perceived. In a perfect
world (or category), what would the brand have to do or represent to consumers to make
their lives easier, happier, or better; solve a problem; or enhance or enrich their lives in some
way? If you can visualize this and then be able to articulate it, you have uncovered the hidden
dimensional value of your target audience, and you have a benchmark and foundation to
move forward.
2. Identify what motivates shoppers to interact with a brand.

Understanding the key behaviors, whether rational or emotional, drivers, motivators, or
influencers on which they base their purchase decisions, is key. These motivational drivers rest
in shoppers’ subliminal subconscious, and they trigger emotional responses that are followed
up by rational behavior.
3. Shop the category within the retail environment(s) in which the

product will be sold. Conduct a category audit, and act as the consumer. Speak in “rich”
terms about the consumer’s needs within the category. That’s how 7-Eleven introduced its
exclusive Yosemite Road wine brand in its stores.

DESIGN 19 / 95
continued
4. Learn about the competitive shelf set. Do not copy your competitors’
Eight steps to great packaging or aspire to mimic it. Rather, understand competing products’ core equities, and
package design also the similarities and differences between what they represent to the consumer against
your brand’s DNA, character, and personality.
5. Articulate the brand’s DNA, character, and personality. The goal is to more
fully realize a competitive difference and have an ownable idea for your package that is based
on a brand promise, versus features and benefits.
6. Conduct research to perform what we call a sensorially based

Visual Dig™. Key members of the creative team and the marketing department interact
with consumers. Our moderator is schooled in psychology to tap into emotional aspects
of decision-making and perceptions. This person asks a battery of customized questions
about brand meaning, brand equity, and emotional-connection triggers that are difficult to
articulate. This is a collaborative process for identifying and closing the perceived visual brand
gap between strategy and design. You want to answer questions such as, what is the brand
meaning? What are the emotional connections to link back to the consumer? What are the
Good in glass: 7-Eleven talked with
core brand equities?
consumers who shop its stores and
found an untapped need—consumers
7. Design with an agency partner that will “push back” and not just take
wanted to be able to purchase wine in
direction. When creative teams get stuck, it’s often because of failure to executive this step.
C-stores. The company introduced its
Brand owners may not always know what they want or need, so keep an open mind within
Yosemite Road label in glass bottles.
and outside of the category. Be willing to challenge the conventional wisdom of a typical
Private-label wine brands in c-stores
design brief.
are targeting household incomes of
up to $75,000.

DESIGN 20 / 95
continued
Eight steps to great package design
8. Collaborate with your agency’s creative

team through open communications. From a
consumer packaged goods company, a strategic brand
marketer and a design manager should be involved. It is
helpful to have a working knowledge of printing processes,
so the designed package functions as you intended. 

DESIGN 21 / 95
Closure design strategies

and tactics
By Jim George When designing your package, the job is not done by merely addressing the body of the
package. The closure is equally important to the impact of the overall design, but it often gets
short shrift.
The right closure can make or break the chances for a successful package, says structural
designer Tirso Olivares, owner of Tirso Olivares design. He offers the following guidelines for
developing a strong closure.
• The closure is the first part of a package that draws a consumer response. If it’s difficult to
operate or creates a leaky package, “they get real upset about it,” he says.
• Many package designs make the mistake of over-engineering the closure and not spending
enough time on the aesthetic aspects of the design. The goal is to create a balance between a
closure that’s functional and that also complements the overall design.
• Custom shapes are becoming more prevalent for rigid cans and bottles as well as pouches
and other flexible packages. If you go this route, however, you don't always need to use a
custom closure. A stock closure may work just fine, both functionally and aesthetically.

DESIGN 22 / 95
continued
Closure design • The closure and the package body should both do their part to stimulate sales. Engage
shoppers by telling the brand’s story. Dial NutriSkin hand and body lotion succeeds with a
strategies and tactics
custom bottle design and a custom, dual-injected, flip-top closure with a stock pump. The
blue cavity of the closure flows to the right to continue the fluid flow of the bottle shape. The
bottle’s curved shape, on the other hand, flows right into the closure. A shaped depression
at the top of the bottle, and a ridge on the blue cavity of the closure, provide two benefits.
Functionally, they make the bottle easy to open. Aesthetically, also help provide the soft
curves that serve as a metaphor for nature and beauty, which are important aspects of body
care imagery.
Custom container shapes, in which the closure can play a strong supporting role, are more
than a mere decorating whim. They’re a must today in crowded categories such as lotions, in
which private-label products have become prominent.
“There is quite a lot of private-label packaging that is mimicking our competitors,” says Nina
Daily, Dial NutriSkin brand manager, about Dial’s decision to enter the lotion category with a
predominantly custom package.
Complementary components: Dial

Adds Shannon Bowers, Dial’s senior package design manager: “It’s becoming more of a
NutriSkin’s custom-shaped bottle, and a
consumer expectation to deliver a custom shape and provide a higher benefit. A custom
carefully selected stock flip-top closure,
shape is a commitment to your product, and it reflects how we feel about our brand. We
work well together to form the flowing
couldn’t have achieved the S-curve in our design with stock closure.”
lines Dial desired in communicating
the brand’s attributes.

DESIGN 23 / 95
continued
Daily and Bowers outline the approach that Dial followed in achieving the custom shape for
Closure design the NutriSkin bottle and closure, and it provides a good blueprint for developing any custom
strategies and tactics package. First, agree internally what the design is to achieve, make senior management
aware of the decision to create a custom package. Get their buy-in, providing justification
for the design’s additional expense and estimates of anticipated results to the bottom line.
Next, get early input from a cross-section of key players, including the marketing, branding,
design, engineering, and production departments as the package is being created. And don’t
forget to draw vendors into the conversation. Finally, make sure to build in enough time so all
stakeholders can perform their jobs well. The Dial NutriSkin packaging, which spans several
sizes, required one year from concept to arrival in stores. 

DESIGN 24 / 95
Two ways to justify package design

By Jim George Money merely can’t be spent on a whim for package design. The design process can be costly,
and there needs to be justification for the dollars spent. Ultimately, the investment needs
to be justified to senior management, which operates under the notion that “If you can’t
measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Jeff George, vice president of research and development at Sara Lee Corp., says a step in the
right direction is letting packaging lead the entire product-development process. George
refers to this approach as “packaging-based product innovation.”
George says, “Rather than developing the product first and having packaging come in as an
afterthought, let packaging be the driver of the overall innovation proposition.”
At some point, an important early output of a creative team’s efforts will be initial packages
for market testing. You’re looking for the right package to protect the product and support
the brand. The package also needs to be highly visible in the store and compels shoppers to
place your product in their cart. But along the way, you also can make package tweaks that
deliver to consumers the value they expect from your brand, while also optimizing materials
and equipment to minimize costs.

DESIGN 25 / 95
continued
Here are two approaches for justifying your package design.
Two ways to justify
package design • Eye tracking, mentioned earlier, can help justify the creative team’s work. In one example,
eye tracking was central to Procter & Gamble’s redesign for bottles and graphics for the Herbal
Essences line of beauty care products. The redesign was built around the brand’s newly
defined core consumer, the “Herbal Girl.”
Through eye-tracking research, P&G was able to validate that the proposed new graphics
reflected the appropriate tone in support of the revitalized brand’s core consumer as
adventurous and experience-seeking. The brand also shed its clear bottle for a design that
fuses both product and bottle color combinations reflecting the Herbal Girl’s personality
attributes.
The right mix: Redesign and • Validating a package design requires financial metrics to gain a buy-in from senior
redecorated bottles of Herbal Essences management. An increasingly popular approach at CPG companies is to “walk in the other
shampoo have revived the brand person’s shoes.” People from each facet of the create team spend time interacting with other
around the aesthetics of the “Herbal departments and learn their “language.” Designers, for example, visit the finance department
Girl” core consumer. The distinctive to learn how to present their creative ideas in ways that incorporate costs into the picture.
bottle shape is a key brand identifier on This approach can pay huge dividends in validating the expenses of a packaging project.
shelf from 10 feet away, and graphics
take over as shoppers move closer to Taking this approach, some product manufacturers are finding success by letting a package
the bottle. design pull itself into the marketplace through quantifiable cost savings and consumer
benefits rather than the more common method of the marketing department pushing a

DESIGN 26 / 95
continued
design into the market that fails to like anticipated benefits to the overall business strategy.
Two ways to justify Unilever’s restage of its Suave Naturals shampoo and body wash lines offers an illustrative
package design example.
Unilever, mentioned earlier in this Playbook, increased dollar sales volume for the Suave
Professionals like by 51% and unit volume growth by 12%, even after a retail price increase.
Dollar sales volume for the Suave Naturals line rose 3% and unit volume grew 2% after the
new packaging’s first 12 weeks on the shelf.
Using a cross-functional team, Unilever achieved these results by communicating each

line’s price-value relationship more effectively to consumers while also reducing production
costs. Visual cues were introduced on the label and elsewhere on the Suave packages, while
avoiding frivolous decoration. Unilever switched to a wider cap and lighter-weight materials
to deliver impact while also reducing costs. Designing the packaging with simple, contoured
sides allowed for a wider label and the ability to mold the brand logo into the bottle.
The success of the project, says Stuart Leslie, president of design consultancy 4sight, which
worked on the redesign, springs largely from multiple departments inside Unilever, and
external partners, understanding not only Unilever’s business and consumer needs, but also
its manufacturing capabilities prior to launching the creative stage. 

DESIGN 27 / 95
Ten steps for shaping your own

ethnographic research
By Jim George Ethnographic research is a technique that is fast gaining favor for providing reliable insights
about how consumers view and use products. In simplest terms, ethnography is the study of
human behavior in its natural environment. A CPG company’s packaging team members can
observe consumers as they prepare to visit a store, when they shop, and when they use the
product in the home.
A well-rounded ethnographic team should include a representative from R&D, a brand

manager, a marketer, and a designer, advises Melinda Wooten, owner and partner at KW
Strategems and former manager of consumer insights at E&J Gallo Winery, which conducts
ethnographic research as part of the package-creation process. Wooten offers the following
steps for conducting effective ethnographic research:
1. Control expectations. Identify two or three objectives.
2. Make early decisions early. Will you select a moderator internally or hire one from outside
your company?
3. Open the interviews. Decide how you will dress and act so that the interviewee feels
comfortable. Join in whatever activity your interview subjects are doing in order to establish
a bond.

DESIGN 28 / 95
continued
4. Have icebreakers prepared. Get into your interviewee’s mind-set. Ask what their top three
10 steps for concerns are right now. Ask open-ended questions.
shaping your own
ethnographic 5. Watch how products are used. Who is present, do they help them get into the package
research or use the product, and how do they feel about it? How does the interviewee handle your
package?
6. Accompany your consumer to the store. Ask them to drive you through their normal
shopping route, and talk to them about it. Inside the store, what goes in the shopping cart
first, and why?
7. Debrief the interview. Review the scribe’s notes for those “aha” moments.
8. Recap the project. This should be done before the end of the week of the interviews, while
information and observations are fresh.
9. Create a record. Include visual stimulations and create a video record or even a photo
album of your encounter with each consumer who was interviewed.
10. Translate insights into stellar design. 

DEVELOPMENT 29 / 95
Best Practices in Package

Development
By Marty Weil, There are a number of best practices you can follow to design a package and its various
Contributing Editor components that meets your product’s marketing and production requirements today and in
the future. Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Coordinate suppliers. Early in the process, meet with all of your container, film,
closure, label and all pertinent suppliers to work out specifications. Labeling, filling, and
capping machinery suppliers need to be part of those meetings as well. Such up-front
coordination can head off future problems due to the expertise that each party brings to
the table. Brand owners that rely on contract packagers are especially at risk for potential
problems; contract packagers must be involved early on to ensure that there are no issues
with product fill temperatures, container handling, or sealing using existing equipment.
2. Evaluate stock versus custom. Many different looks can be achieved by pairing
stock containers or other standard materials with creative color and/or labels. However,
for brand owners trying to stay a step ahead of private-label brands, distinctive or unusual
shapes remain the best way to grab consumers’ attention and leave a lasting impression. And
that means custom packaging, which has been on the rise. For example, one major packaging
container distributor reported that only five percent of its business was custom ten years ago;
today, it’s 50 percent. When custom containers are developed, consider applying for a design
patent to protect your brand equity against look-alikes.

DEVELOPMENT 30 / 95
continued
3. Understand when to work with distributors. Distributors of containers
Best Practices and materials used to broker smaller quantities and scale up as needed. Today they do
in Package much more. Brand owners rely on distributors to have detailed regional knowledge of
Development what manufacturing capacity and capability exists where to best match a manufacturer
to a project. Distributors also can help assemble an entire package, down to the closure,
and label. They can manage the complexity of broad geographical just-in-time delivery,
ensuring the right components show up at the right plant just in time for production. Larger
distributors have evolved to include full-blown, in-house design firms with creative designers
on staff. Distributors have also become financiers of custom tooling, offering creative ways to
subsidize the cost by building it into the piece price.
There are also advantages to working directly with a material, container or closure
manufacturer. Manufacturers sometimes can be in a position to provide a quicker response
to complaints or issues. Also, some may offer technical services to their customers for free,
whereas some distributors may charge. Ultimately, decide what services you need given how
widely you sell your product, how robust your internal resources are, and how much you’ll
need or want to outsource some tasks.
4. Accelerate package design changes. Most CPG companies are dissatisfied with
their ability to make quick packaging changes. The culprit may be a reliance on the increasingly
outmoded, traditional approach of creating innovative, new package concepts for individual
brands and packages. To accommodate changes, many brand owners are starting to actively invite
suppliers to pitch new ideas during an “innovation day.” The goal is to review all new ideas at once
and apply them across the entire brand portfolio where and when it makes sense to do so.

DEVELOPMENT 31 / 95
The Clear Path continued

to Package Integrity Best Practices in
Package Development
5. Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Don’t

look at package components such as the container,
label, and closure in isolation. Always consider how these
components, working together, ultimately are going to
be displayed in the context of the shelf set. That beautiful
label design might be obscured by your special retail-ready
Let MOCON be your single source display once it’s assembled and on the shelf. One ready-to-
solutions provider for all things drink, or RTD, iced tea company keeps its flavor names at
packaging! the top of the package for maximum visibility in visi-coolers
• Barrier Analysis commonly found in c-stores.
• Headspace
• Leak Rate
• Hole Size 6. Don’t lose sight of the consumer. The focus
• Burst Strength must always be on the consumer and what attributes of the
• Seal Integrity package concern them. What consumer attributes are you
• Shelf Life
• Odor & Aroma Analysis addressing on the shelf? Consider emotional or physical
• Advanced Packaging needs, such as easy opening or cleanliness of access. People
Solutions
get upset using scissors or if a package makes a mess upon
opening. Balance what the consumer wants and needs with
the need to maintain food safety and package integrity
equal to the rigors of distribution.
Instrument Sales, Contract Testing, Consulting
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DEVELOPMENT 32 / 95
continued
Best Practices in
Package Development
7. Design with equipment constraints in

mind. Many companies begin with a discussion with
the filler manufacturer to determine ideal container
parameters or constraints. Flexible and rigid designs alike
can be created with these ideas in mind. Solid models can
be presented both internally and to customers for final
determination. Closures, labels, and pack sizes can be
discussed for best presentation, depending on container
The shape. Plant operations should determine overall handling
and potential problem analysis. Only then should prototype
molds be ordered to provide actual samples for testing.
8. Don’t let the sustainability ‘snake-bite

you.’ Sometimes the pursuit of innovation can push the
proverbial envelope too far and too soon. This is especially
true when lightweighting bottles or engineering reductions
in films or corrugated materials. Properly engaging these
sorts of technologies and initiatives means considering at
which point the integrity of the package, or the production
Where color, design, and performance live in harmony and delivery of it, will be adversely affected, and staying
within that boundary.
®
DEVELOPMENT 33 / 95
continued
Likewise, be careful not to overreach. For instance, designers may want to move forward
Best Practices aggressively on sustainability or other initiatives that, if done in without cross-functional
in Package teamwork, can adversely affect production goals such as the need to deliver cost reductions
Development on machinery that may require special retooling or automation tweaks to accommodate
“greening.” Therefore, operations and engineering associates must be part of a constant
and effective communication feedback loop with those who engineer the actual package.
Remember, efficiency, too, is a form of sustainability, and it’s one that won’t take a piece out
of your skin.
9. Remember, different channels require different strategies. Consider a

manufacturer with three channels: grocery, c-store, and foodservice (hotels, restaurants and
cafes, in-store deli departments, etc.) Depending on where the product is sold, the package
will be different in terms of size and material. Of course, packages can differ within these
channels as well. For instance, glass is more prominent in premium channels such as upscale
venues vs. mainstream retail grocery aisles, where profit margins are typically thinner. For
each target market or sub-group within it, look at customer requirements. Do research on
consumer insights, format size preference, and their ideal packaging. Also look at what your
competitors are doing within their channels. 

DEVELOPMENT 34 / 95
Balancing risk with innovation

By Bob Sperber One of the major roles of the packaging R&D function is to identify and address all the risk
areas in a project, one by one. The goal isn’t to eliminate risk; rather it’s to decide which risks
are worth taking. Because a willingness to try new materials and package formats — even at
the risk of commercial failure — can be a price worth paying for innovation.
There are as many approaches to market-testing new packages as there are companies. One
well-known retailer, for instance, skips consumer testing entirely when launching new private
label packaging. Instead, it just launches new packages. The pack’s success or failure in the
marketplace is the test. Another consumer packaged goods (CPG) company purposely invents
temporary brands to test new concepts without risking any damage to the real brand’s equity;
if the package format succeeds, the temporary brand is replaced with the actual brand.
When trying new or unproven technologies, such examples make a strong case that it’s a
good idea to relax your standards, or at least strict adherence to past practices, in the name of
innovation. The best advice is to build-in time to work-out the kinks, and to run any unfamiliar
or experimental materials or machines more slowly at the outset.
Comparing a promising new technology to a mature one that’s had 30 years of cost
engineered out of it is unrealistic. New technology always has inherent risks that may or may
not be known or solved yet. Balance the risk against the benefits.

DEVELOPMENT 35 / 95
continued
Balancing Risk with Innovation
Not Sure Which companies are most likely to blaze a trail? Innovative
packaging formats are often implemented by small start-
up or entrepreneurial CPG concerns. This seems to be a
What Direction byproduct of their agility. It’s easier for a small company to
change a packaging or marketing strategy; there’s less to
Your Package lose and more to gain by taking market share from a larger
CPG counterpart.
Should Take? When the proverbial David fells a large CPG Goliath,
Sometimes you need more than a choice or two. Packaging for your product
it’s often because the large firm was unable to bend its
is integral, and not always as clear as left or right. At Kaufman Container, we infrastructure and older capital assets top the will of a new,
provide options, guidance, and in-house decoration to get you a package that
large scale packaging change.
stands out. We understand that your product has something to say. Let us
help you get that message across through the perfect package. We’re here to
guarantee your search doesn’t reach a dead end! At the same time, the most powerful innovators who
dominate the marketplace are often at the top or
approaching the top of their field. Many of them can
be working on similar ideas, but only one can be first to
market. How do they commercialize an innovation quickly?
By allowing some risk-taking to coexist with all the research
and analysis. Every year, many of the best-planned new
products fail. When failure happens, learn from it.
1000 Keystone Parkway, Suite 100

216.898.2000 tel
Cleveland, Ohio 44135
800.824.4119 toll free
www.kaufmancontainer.com
216.898.8940 fax
sales@kaufmancontainer.com
DEVELOPMENT 36 / 95
continued
Whether small start-up or established leader, however, the common thread among those
Balancing Risk with that innovate is that they are driven to do so, and willing to take risks in order to reap the
Innovation rewards. They don’t follow trends so much as make them, because it’s impossible to lead if
you’re following – or to be original if you’re copying. Those companies with ability to drive
the market seem to have innovation embedded in their corporate culture. They understand
that playing it safe can result in a failure much more devastating than packaging: having your
competitors pass you by. 
Balancing risk:
Innovators plan ahead
Planning ahead affords the organizational agility. To meet the changing needs of the
marketplace, companies must remain flexible, from the business processes to packaging
line designs and layouts. Additionally, innovators don’t rely on the retailer to tell them what
consumers want; they continually research new package ideas to meet present and future
needs.
To meet the future, innovators maintain a continuous, sustainable pipeline of innovation,

planning two, three, four or more years out. Leading innovators also maintain multiple teams
so, for instance, as one team works on plans for the coming year, another works on plans
further in the future.

DEVELOPMENT 37 / 95
continued
It’s easy for companies to waver in their commitment to innovation in lean economic times by
Balancing Risk with scaling back resources, downsizing departments and red-lighting projects. But these short-
Innovation term cuts can be hurting themselves in the long term. Packaging improvements that hit the
market today can take two or three years to reveal their profitability and unleash the power of
a new or a newly differentiated product.
Below are some additional tips to help jump-start or revitalize your leadership in managing a
new package innovation.
• Identify opportunities: Research the marketplace to discern growth opportunities.

This is a practice for packaging R&D groups, not just top management.
• Retain educated leaders: The best packaging R&D groups include leaders who
are experienced and/or educated specifically in packaging. Packaging leaders should be
packaging leaders, not merely managers who see it as a stepping-stone in the organization.
• Be a true believer: Leading packaging professionals believe that innovative packaging

that is good for the company as well as society at large, and want to deliver quality goods to
consumers that retain their integrity, shelf life or other characteristics.
• Roll-up your sleeves: Even managers should have the experience and capability
to execute in order to lead a packaging project from concept to market, to work with
engineering, manufacturing and external material and machinery suppliers.

DEVELOPMENT 38 / 95
continued
Balancing Risk with • Measure to improve: Measure brand performance with consumers. If expectations
trend downward in one or more measured area, consider how you might revitalize interest,
Innovation
possibly through new packaging ideas.
Package innovation is a team sport in a game that never ends. Take your eye off the ball – or
consumer – for a moment, and a competitor can pass you by. 
Balancing Risk:
Innovators tear-down walls
You don’t need X-Ray spectacles to see that information shouldn’t be hidden behind
departmental barriers or organizational “walls.” It’s important to share consumer insights with
all personnel and teams that can drive improvements in packaging platforms and formats.
It’s especially critical to ensure that marketing and technical teams work together to prevent
tensions from arising. Engineers and technical R&D professionals may suspect that marketing
doesn’t understand what is or isn’t possible, while marketing pros may feel that tech teams
are stuck in the proverbial mud. One packaging engineer succinctly explains both the
problem and the solution:

DEVELOPMENT 39 / 95
The Clear Path

to Package Testing “As packaging engineers, we can get bogged down in the day-
to-day details. Marketing wants 10 options for an idea, and
at the end of the day we’ll deliver the same old thing – unless
we're empowered to get packaging specific data to drive to the
right solution. Arriving at that is really more than just using
packaging to drive a solution; it’s more about consumer [wants
and needs] influencing the solution. That, and having the data
to justify that decision.”
Laboratory Support As this engineer explains, the key is for all departments
Internationally to understand that each has a role to play in packaging
improvements, and that they have the same end-goal.
MOCON laboratories across the globe provide Packaging innovation design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. 
permeation and package integrity analysis...
no matter where you are!
Minneapolis, MN
Austin, TX
Toronto, Canada
Koblenz, Germany
Mumbai, India
Shanghai, China
Instrument Sales, Contract Testing, Consulting

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DEVELOPMENT 40 / 95
Solving the marketing disconnect

By Bob Sperber Brand, sales and, marketing managers for packaged goods products have a tough job.
Charged with identifying market opportunities and fending off competitive threats from rival
brands and private labels, they can tend to go overboard asking their packaging engineering
departments for packaging that pops. Packaging engineers sometimes immediately know
when such a package is not going to fly in the way the creative team initially envisions it,
either from a cost or timeline standpoint, or a packaging line compatibility standpoint.
Trouble is, most marketing people don’t take “no” for an answer, which can create problems in
package development, because most marketers lack a packaging background. In such cases,
packaging engineers have no choice but to dutifully create the mockups, do the costing,
show the impact on the financials, and let the marketing people reach the conclusion on
feasibility (or lack thereof ) on their own.
There are a few things that can be done to mitigate the naturally occurring disconnect
between Marketing and Packaging, Engineering, and Production:
1. Insist on functional package descriptions. When communicating consumer

and brand requirements to the packaging team, brand and marketing managers should
provide functional package descriptions, as well as design-oriented descriptions. In addition
to defining the desired brand image by saying things like, “We need a package that’s soft and

DEVELOPMENT 41 / 95
continued
flowing,” or “masculine and angular,” objective design criteria need to be articulated as well.
Solving the Using only subjective terms can make an unstable basis for engineering a package, and can
marketing disconnect lead to additional design revisions (and hence, development time), until the final objective is
achieved.
2. Plant tours for marketing people. Some companies schedule regular trips to the
plant so that marketing people can see first-hand the realities of production on the company’s
packaging lines. That way marketing people may be less inclined to introduce a nonworkable
idea in the first place.
3. Discuss existing capabilities. Schedule meetings where Marketing asks

Production, “Show me all the things you can make that I don’t know about.” Between all the
different package formats, sizes, and shapes, the inherent flexibility in the equipment or
flexibility that easily could be added, it paints a clearer picture for Marketing what’s (easily)
possible.
4. Give Production a seat at the table. Where possible, Marketing should try to
give Production some say in the package. This is especially true when it comes to determining
container counts in a multipack. Sometimes adding one more unit to a multipack can slow
things down significantly on the packaging line. For example, going from four to six units in
a multipack might reduce a shrink bundler or case packer speed by 20%, which might be the
difference between a line that runs well and one that doesn’t.

DEVELOPMENT 42 / 95
DID YOU KNOW? continued
Solving the marketing disconnect

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DEVELOPMENT 43 / 95
Trends in Appearance Additives

By Marty Weil Liquids, pearls pellets and more; here are some trends the experts have identified in the area
of appearance-altering additives:
1. A shift in deployment. Instead of being put into hoppers, there is a move by some
packagers to feed additives directly into the throat of the machine, allowing for quicker
color changes during production – there’s no need to wait for the whole hopper to bleed
out. Gravimetric weigh scale measures have provided the ability to dose accurately, even in
very low doses. This has been an important breakthrough, because it also eliminates labor,
as the need to hand blend is rapidly diminishing. There had been for years a general industry
belief that liquid color allowed for faster changes, because it was dosed at the throat. But this
attitude has been changing as pellets have made inroads.
2. Pearls for more than girls. CPGs are looking for extra pop in their packaging. One
result has been a significant rise in the use of interference pearls. Consider the Hershey’s mint
Icebreaker tins; originally they were metal and quite beautiful. For cost purposes, they were
switched from metal to plastic, but lost their luster, looking less like jewel boxes and more like
something more like a hockey puck. Interference pearls, which partially change hues, fixed
the problem by imparting greater shelf impact. Since they’ve been added, the packaging
shines. And the cost of attaining a pearlescent appearance can be reduced, because the
pearls can be used with traditional resins.

DEVELOPMENT 44 / 95
continued
3. Pellets on the rise. Newer pellet technologies are emerging that are competing
Trends in Appearance favorably with liquid color. Also, sentiment regarding the cost-efficiency of liquid color is
Additives starting to erode. With CPGs, there had been a push to switch to liquid color that was largely
based on cost, but the reality is that all too often, injection molders aren’t producing cost
savings when liquids are used. The primary reason cited is that 100 percent of the liquid color
isn’t used; from 5-10 percent gets stuck in the barrel, and is also messy to handle, especially in
the event of a spill. Further, the shelf life of liquid color is limited.
Sustainability is also an issue that weighs in the favor of pellets. While liquid color isn’t
hazardous, the containers along with residual color left in them, translate into more landfill
waste. In contrast, notes one advocate of pellets, 100 percent of pellets are consumed.
4. Severe cost pressures. Commodity costs have been moderate over the last quarter
century, but over the last two years, commodity prices have risen dramatically. For example,
costs of the standard, white Ti02, base pigment used in essentially all colors, have increased
up to 85 percent over the last year, and it’s difficult to get even at high prices. The pigment is
also used in house paint; when housing sales slowed, so did paint sales. Keep in mind that this
is just one example of many factors affecting the cost of a single pigment!
Even as the industry seeks to develop low-cost fillers to displace resins, and producers look
into nanotechnology as a possible solution, progress will take years, while a confluence of
factors relating to geo-political petroleum supply-and-demand issues point to continuing
price increases. 

DEVELOPMENT 45 / 95
How to work with

demanding retailers
By Bob Sperber Manufacturers no longer call the shots the way they did more than 100 years ago when Henry
Ford told consumers that they could have their Model T painted any color “so long as it is
black.” Just as the Information Revolution supplanted the Industrial Revolution, retailers –
empowered by scanner data – supplanted manufacturers as the most powerful players in in
the supply chain.
“The balance of power shifted 25 years ago, and that just continues,” says one packaging
professional with a CPG manufacturer. The advent of retail scanner data gave retailers access
to shoppers’ buying habits that effectively turned the tables on brand owners, who until then
were presumed to have the closest ties to consumer wants and needs.
The challenge for packaging professionals is to wrangle some semblance of control, or at

least sanity to the pressures of major retail buyers who think that creating a new package
consists of “flipping a switch” and having shipments appear. Too often, they expect their CPG
suppliers to jump through hoops that may be detrimental to the product, the integrity of the
packaging, the brand owner’s packaging operation and the profitability of doing business in
the retail arena.

DEVELOPMENT 46 / 95
continued
Here are some tips to help you cope:
How to work with
demanding retailers Improve sales/packaging communication: Too often, CPG sales reps will cave
to pressure by retail buyers’ pressure to create unique customer-specific packages. While
working to help customers improve their packaging knowledge – something that may or
may not be accomplished – packaging leaders can, nonetheless, make efforts to improve
communication with their own sales organization. Leaders on cross-functional package
development teams are in a position to make this happen.
Knowing what package designers and packaging line operators can – or can’t – produce is
vital for setting realistic expectations in the retail buyer’s office.
A sales rep who is educated on packaging issues is in a better position to direct the buyer
toward practical custom-packaging packaging solutions.
Don’t rush products to market: One packaging pro is sad to say that he sees sales
reps over-promising custom packages to retailers “today more than ever before.” He says
package development efforts are sandwiched between a sales organization that needs to
generate revenues and retailers “who in an effort to develop traffic, are just throwing stuff out
onto the shelves without really having a long-term vision.”
The solution is simple to say and hard to do: Discipline. Speeding a custom
package to market is a great idea for cementing your retail relationship – but not if sales
makes promises that production can’t deliver. So make sure you set reasonable expectations,
staring with the timeline. Pace your sales force to keep them from overselling a new package

DEVELOPMENT 47 / 95
continued
while your gleaming, new line reaches peak production. This will keep packaging, from
How to work with designers to the shipping dock, from working in a reactive mode that is the enemy of a well-
demanding retailers executed retail launch.
Spec machines for plant flexibility: Meeting every customer whim may not be
possible, but when possible, producing retailer-specific packaging can be profitable if the
plant producing those packages is flexible and efficient.
To achieve that efficiency, packagers must redouble their efforts to optimize machine speeds
and line throughputs to maximize plant capacity. In addition to sheer speed, extra minutes
or even hours per day can be gained by speeding changeovers by specifying machines with
tool-less disassembly and reassembly for fast, easy changeovers as well as access for cleaning
and maintenance.
Put primary emphasis on secondary packaging: Changing decorative aspects

of a package can be costly in terms of time, labor, inventory, vendor ordering channels and
shipping logistics. Secondary packaging may be easier to tweak. Custom case counts, multi-
pack shrink/tray variations, floor and shelf and displays and various retail-ready options may
help the retailer store and stock your product while improving your package’s shelf presence
– and the retailer’s willingness to do business with your company.
When shelf space shrinks, try smaller packages: One CPG source notes a trend toward major
reductions in shelf space for branded products over the past few years. This has results in
more product labels competing for consumer attention. This has led the company to find

DEVELOPMENT 48 / 95
continued
ways to be more creative and innovative with limited space. One solution has been to move
How to work with to smaller packs for higher unit counts on the shelf.
demanding retailers
Greet the seasons: Another way to plan for customization is to think seasonally.
Seasonality is a big driver for retail sales and is planned well in advance. Naturally, custom
films, labels and containers can entail advance planning and machine modifications, however,
secondary packaging and displays can easily give retailers a custom solution, too. Kitting,
even outsourcing gift packs, can be a source of incremental sales gains as well.
Be ready for the challenge, however, of the added complexity that adding SKUs brings.
One packaging pro says his CPG firm, in its effort to please retailers, added 70 seasonal
SKUs without planning for the work involved. As a result, his department had to “shoehorn”
custom changes into existing packaging, which he says resulted in sub-par brand image and
lackluster shelf impact.
Power-up with bright ideas: For many years, Big Box stores have been coming-up
with ideas for new and custom packaging requirements. But today’s thin margins and still-
uncertain economy are affecting retailers, who occasionally surprise packaging departments
by asking for new ideas to help them differentiate their products –your products – on their
shelves. Even chains as big as Walmart, who “used to push their own designs,” says one pro,
are now asking their suppliers for new ideas, especially if sales have been flat or trending
downward.

DEVELOPMENT 49 / 95
continued
You design the package How to work with demanding

retailers
Why the humility? Perhaps open-minded wisdom. Or
perhaps because if sales are down, no chain buyer wants to
make a decision that costs his company money – or costs
him his job. In any case, says the packaging expert, buyers
who ask questions are those who have found that “dictating
packaging didn’t really work all the time.”
While big retailers still command the lion’s share of power

in the supply chain, there are still opportunities for smart
and we’ll brand leaders, flanked by talented packaging professionals,

to make competitive inroads. 
help it jump
oﬀ the shelf.
Where color, design,and performance live in harmony
®

DEVELOPMENT 50 / 95
How Package Development

Projects Fail
By Marty Weil There are more than a few ways for package design projects to end in failure. Here are a few
pitfalls to watch for:
1. Requirements that aren’t fully thought-out up front. This is a perennial

complaint on all types of packaging projects. Two areas that are particularly vulnerable in are the
label and the closure, simply because they’re too-often an afterthought. In one case, a consumer
packaged goods (CPG) company had a container distributor develop tooling for a custom package,
but didn’t explicitly specify the label type. The container distributor supplied a pre-decorated
container, only to find out the CPG company wanted to use labels that wrinkled when applied to
the chosen container. Another example is a mismatch between a container and a specialty closure
such as a trigger sprayer. The neck finish may match, but the barrel on a foamer that sits inside the
bottle actually reduces fill capacity inside the bottle. Not working that out up front could result in a
container with, in this case, insufficient fill capacity for the intended product size.
2. Saying “yes” to an idea that can’t be produced. The disconnect between

what Marketing wants and what Engineering and Production can produce can be quite large.
When a project is planned that is substantially different from what’s been done in the past,
budget extra time up front for cross-functional meetings and due diligence by all parties
before a “go” decision is made.

DEVELOPMENT 51 / 95
continued
3. Forcing suppliers to meet an aggressive timeline. Sometimes suppliers are
How Package forced to comply with extremely short deadlines from CPG companies, resulting in insufficient
Development time to go through the necessary steps. This is true of new technologies that take time to
Projects Fail adapt as well as consumer research.
For example, when developing a custom container, CPG companies may ask to skip the unicavity
or prototype mold that is ordinarily used to flesh-out the design. By rushing right to the creation of
the production tooling, unanticipated flaws could creep into the final design that could have been
caught and corrected at the prototype stage. Examples include how a package feels in the hand,
both filled with product and empty, how a label fits or looks, or even the finished package color.
For custom packaging, build in a timeline of sufficient length (typically greater than six months) to
develop tooling while allowing the necessary time for validation and quality.
4. Faulty assumptions based on past projects. Don’t assume that one packaging
component that’s been successful in the past, even for an identical product, will work for
a new product. In one case, a pressure-sensitive label construction was picked up from
one deodorant package and reused on another. Once in production, frantic phone calls
were received from the plant that the labels were peeling off. It turns out that the colorants
and anti-stats in the new package were incompatible with the old pressure-sensitive label
construction. Doing your homework up front rather than simply repeating something from
another project can prevent such disasters.
5. Too many projects underway at once. The “mental make-ready” time of having to
constantly switch mental gears between different projects can add delays, introduce mistakes, and reduce
overall quality of work. You’re better off knocking out projects sequentially with fewer distractions.

DEVELOPMENT 52 / 95
continued
6. Poor supplier coordination. There’s often little or no coordination among the label
How Package supplier, design firm, container supplier, closure supplier, equipment suppliers, and/or the
Development contract packager. Snags may occur due to unclear, inadvertent, or incorrect assumptions
Projects Fail surrounding container size, shape, material, and machinability. Avoid these bottlenecks by
bringing together all the suppliers, setting clear expectations, and including them on your
team. Ensure that everyone reviews and commits to a common timeline. The shared clarity
and responsibility can reduce the potential for things to go wrong and minimize finger
pointing when problems occur.
7. Poor container tolerances. Inconsistent label placement accuracy, which at first

glance may seem like a machinery problem, may be due to variances in container shape.
Always verify the tolerances on the package. Be aware of the impact of the package’s shape
on the successful application of labels. Tapered containers, for example, are notoriously
difficult to label with longer wraparound labels.
8. Lack of leadership. Projects fail when no one takes the lead; someone must run
things from concept to commercialization. Typically, organizations don’t know all that is
involved in commercializing new product packages; they hit a few bumps in the road and
want to abandon the course. Projects fail when organizations lose belief in them; leaders keep
belief alive and projects on track.
9. Failure to set financial goals. Sometimes projects fail because clear financial goals
are never set. If you’re not going to make money, why pursue the idea?

DEVELOPMENT 53 / 95
DID YOU KNOW? continued
How Package Development

Projects Fail
There’s a cost neutral barrier coating
alternative to 100% polyethylene that provides: 10. Lack of consumer insight. A project idea needs
• significant environmental gains
to be based on more than someone’s feeling or intuition.
Solid data from consumer research and focus groups is a
(i.e. less C0² emissions, reduction of water & energy use, applications using
EarthCoating may qualify as recyclable under ISRI recyclability standards) necessary foundation. Always allocate adequate time and
• superior barrier properties

resources for research.
(i.e. up to 80% better moisture vapor transmission rate, enhanced grease, oil
and fatty acid barrier performance) 11. Underestimating design issues. Did you
budget properly for design? Have you budgeted for
EarthCoating changes and revisions? Keep communications clear
Contact us today to learn more about:
is featured in
between the designer and those for whom the design is
earthcoating
Packaging World
™ being done. Egos and personalities are involved here, which
Magazine’s
patent pending innovative barrier coating technology
earthcoating.net
July 2012 Issue can be the most devastating cause of failure.
(and mentioned on the cover)
Ideal for all types of barrier packaging applications including: 12. Being misunderstood by the consumer.
Packaging projects will fail if they don’t acknowledge the
consumer experience. The package must be seen, it draw
the consumer’s interest and it must be understood. If the
package doesn’t do these things, and fails to convey the
Cupstock Take Out Boxes Fast Food Sleeves Frozen Food Cartons product’s value and usage, it won’t wont win many points
Ice cream Packaging, Food Trays, To-Go Containers, and more... with consumers – or with top management. 
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SUSTAINABILITY 54 / 95
Ten tips for sustainable

package design
By Anne Marie Mohan, For nearly a decade, the biggest buzz in packaging has been the move toward sustainability,
Editor, Greener Package or “green” packaging. Driven by retailer requirements, public perception, economic pressures
(petroleum, in particular), and government policies, sustainability impacts every aspect of a
package—from the source of its raw materials to its end of life—and as such has proven to be
an incredibly complex issue.
Begin with the fundamentals
But over the years of debate and discovery, we have learned some core truths about the topic.
First, there is no such thing today as a completely sustainable package. Instead, sustainability
is a journey. The goal is to make incremental improvements over time in the sustainability of a
package to reduce its overall environmental impact.
Second, in sustainability terms, packaging materials—including glass, plastic, paper, and

aluminum—cannot be classified as good or bad. Each has its advantages and shortcomings,
depending upon the product application and the goals and mission of the packager. Trade-
offs are an inherent part of pursuing sustainability.
And last, packaging must be put into perspective by understanding its role in the full product
supply chain. Packaging typically makes up less than 10% of the carbon footprint of a

continued
product; raw material production and consumer use often comprise the largest proportion.
Ten tips for While packaging’s footprint may be small, its importance cannot be understated. If the
sustainable package package fails in its primary functions—protecting the product through the supply chain,
design enticing consumers to purchase, and facilitating consumption—all the energy consumed in
manufacturing the product is lost when the product is wasted.
Ten tips for sustainable packaging design
With these fundamentals in mind, following are some areas to consider when implementing
changes to your packaging for improved sustainability:
1. Take a lifecycle approach to package design. There are many Life-

Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools available today to help package designers understand the
environmental impacts represented by different packaging options. One is the Sustainable
Packaging Coalition’s COMPASS (Comparative Packaging Assessment) online design software,
Slim Finish: Big savings can be which helps users make more informed material selections and design decisions by providing
found in small but significant tweaks visual guidance on a common set of environmental indicators. PackageSmart LCA Software,
to package components. LIV Organic one of several software-based LCA tools from EarthShift, also allows packaging designers to
reduced the weight of its PET bottle by evaluate the environmental impacts of their design selections.
14.6% by employing a redesigned neck
finish. One caveat, however: Sustainability metrics and standards are still evolving, so pick a
program, and stick with it. Using different tools to measure the same package may yield
slightly different results. The key is to be consistent and make sure you are moving in the right
direction in the core environmental areas that are of greatest concern to your company.

continued
2. Evaluate each component of your package. Ask yourself whether any
Ten tips for changes can be made to use less material in these components without compromising
sustainable package product integrity. One successful example is all-natural sports drink-maker LIV Organic’s move
design from a traditional PET bottle to one with Amcor’s Groovy finish technology, which uses 31%
less resin than a standard 38-mm finish. After LIV implemented the new design, the total
weight of its 16.9-oz bottle was reduced 14.6%, from 36.8 g to 31.4 g. The technology also
enabled the use of caps with 20% to 25% less resin.
Another example is GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare’s Os-Cal calcium supplement.

In 2010, GSK rolled out redesigned packaging that included a high-density polyethylene
supplement bottle in a bold, full-body shrink-sleeve label capable of holding all product
information. Scrapped were the product’s secondary carton and an insert with outdated
graphics. On an annual basis, GSK says the new package saves approximately 208 tons of paper,
or 1,440 trees; eliminates nearly 330,000 lb of CO2 emissions (the equivalent of removing 30 cars
Dead Weight: Evaluate secondary
from the road); and conserves about 2,052 million BTUs, or the energy used by 23 U.S. homes.
packaging for unneeded excess. GSK
eliminated a secondary carton and
Suppliers are continually innovating with containers, caps, labels, and other components that
insert for its calcium supplements to
improve the package-to-product ratio, resulting in a smaller footprint, and oftentimes in a
save nearly 1,500 trees/yr.
smaller price tag, as well.
3. Consider new alternatives for distribution packaging. New machinery

and material technologies are enabling packagers to use fewer materials to create multipacks,
bundles, and pallets, as well as create shelf-ready packaging that minimizes waste at the
retailer level.

continued
For water distributor Unlimited Water Processing, Inc., switching from corrugated cases to
Ten tips for new shrink-pack technology for its bottled water bundles was a risk that paid off. The Nested
sustainable package Pack from Polypack positions bottles in a staggered-row configuration that results in a sturdy,
design stable shrink-wrapped bundle that eliminates the need for corrugated trays or pads. After
implementing the Nested Pack, Unlimited Water reduced its cost per case from roughly 45
cents to just 10 cents. And, according to company owner Elliott Henry, customers love the
new package because it uses fewer materials, is easier to dispose of, and is more attractive.
Several options exist for more sustainable stretch wrapping/palletizing, including machines
engineered to optimize film use. Another method is the elimination of stretch wrap and hot melt
in favor of removable adhesives, such as those from Lock n’ Pop, that stabilize loads while reducing
the footprint of the pallet. In California, artisanal food maker Premier Organics is employing a
Bundling Innovation: Advances in reusable polypropylene pallet cover that can be used up to 250 times. The company estimates that
distribution packaging are changing the system will eliminate 4,500 lb of material annually, or about 40% of its pallet-wrap usage.
the ways CPGs are unitizing their
products. Unlimited Water’s use of a 4. Look for opportunities to make your packaging reusable—where
staggered-bottle nesting technology it makes sense. In Costa Rica, Pizza Hut customers have been introduced to a new
eliminates the need for corrugated pizza box design that allows the box to be broken down into plates and a smaller box for
trays or pads for its bottled-water leftovers. In 2010, Kentucky Fried Chicken debuted its Reusable KFC Sides Container. Made
multipacks. of polypropylene, with patented “ventless vent technology” that allows moisture to escape
without requiring a hole in the lid, the clear container with red lid is promoted as being
reusable, and microwave- and dishwasher-safe.
But reusability is not just for food packaging. PUMA garnered great attention when it
introduced its “Clever Little Bag,” an attractive, reusable red shoe bag used to package its

continued
footwear. As a result of the change, PUMA reduced its paper consumption by 65% and
Ten tips for estimated it would reduce water, energy, and diesel consumption at the manufacturing level
sustainable package by more than 60% per year.
design
5. Consider changes in your product. The best example of a product category that
has undergone significant change to accommodate more sustainable packaging is household
cleaning products. Beginning with laundry detergents and rippling through other cleaner
and chemical products, CPGs have turned to concentrated formulas to reduce the amount
of water shipped from factory to retail shelf and to enable smaller package sizes. Perhaps the
most compact of all: Method’s 8X-concentrated laundry detergent formula can wash 50 loads
per 20-oz bottle, and 25 loads per 10-oz bottle. Also popular in the cleaning products industry
have been systems that combine concentrated product refills with reusable packaging.
Reusable Options: Some package Another lesser-known yet very innovative example of a product modified to affect changes in
applications logically lend themselves packaging is General Mills’ Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper. Several years ago, the company
to reuse. A sides container for KFC is a reengineered the physical properties of the noodles within the meals to enable the design of
natural for reuse by consumers for their a smaller carton size. The change resulted in a savings of 890,000 lb/yr of paper fiber, an 11%
leftovers. reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and the elimination of 500 trucks on the road
per year.
6. Whenever possible, design for recyclability. One of the most effective ways
to preserve the energy expended in manufacturing packaging materials is through recycling.
While many materials, such as paper and PET, may be widely recycled, oftentimes coatings,
labels, and other elements added to enhance package functionality or aesthetics may render
them unfit for the recycling stream. But new options are emerging.

continued
One promising technology is from Smart Planet Technologies. The company’s EarthCoating
Ten tips for can be used as an alternative to 100% polyethylene coatings in high-barrier folding carton
sustainable package applications. EarthCoating’s formulation includes powdered minerals. This reduces the plastic
design content in the coating, allowing the finished packaging material to be recycled under ISRI
(Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) recyclability standards.
From Paperworks Industries, a filmless holographic technology called HoloBrite is now

being used for packaging to achieve a shimmering holographic appearance without the
use of a film lamination. This process results in a package that can be recycled in traditional
paperboard recycling streams without contamination from polyester and metal. In 2010, GSK
Consumer Healthcare used the decorative process with a metallic coating to create eye-
catching, recyclable paperboard packaging for its Aquafresh White & Shine toothpaste brand.
Another new recyclable (and recycled-content) package technology that has caused
consumers to take a second look is molded-pulp packaging from Ecologic Brands. The most
well publicized application of the material is from Seventh Generation, which launched its
4X-concentrated liquid laundry detergent in the package in 2011. The container consists of a
molded-pulp outer shell made from 70% recycled cardboard (OCC) and 30% old newspapers
(ONP) that can be recycled up to seven times. The package's inner film pouch with spout has
Rethinking Products: Sometimes been constructed of polyethylene only, making it suitable for recycling with plastic grocery
a reformulated product can allow bags, while the pack’s polypropylene closure is recyclable through Preserve's Gimme 5
for sustainable packaging changes. recycling program.
Method Cleaning Product’s
8x-concentrated laundry detergent
results in a slim and sleek bottle.

continued
7. Employ packaging strategies that encourage product consumption.
Ten tips for Approximately 34 million tons of food waste are generated in the U.S. each year, according to
sustainable package the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. So packaging that increases the likelihood that the
design majority of a product is consumed provides a tremendous sustainability advantage. Among the
technologies that can be used to help reduce food waste are reclosable features, clearly marked
use-by dates, and technologies that assist in evacuating all of a product from its package.
Hellmann’s Easy Out! Mayonnaise package employs a nonstick surface on the inside of the
container that provides the slip properties needed to get the last bit of mayo from the jar.
And, while bulk packaging may seem a more sustainable alternative than single-serve
packages, given its smaller package-to-product ratio, single-serve may prove a more
environmentally friendly option if it ensures product consumption.
8. Know where your packaging materials come from. Increasingly, retailers

and consumers are looking to CPGs for transparency. It is to your benefit to make sure
you are using responsibly sourced packaging materials. For example, toy manufacturer
Mattel recently faced very vocal criticism from Greenpeace, which accused Mattel of using
paperboard packaging that contained significant amounts of timber from Indonesian rain
Refillable Options: Concentrated forests. Since then, Mattel has launched new sustainable sourcing principles to guide its
product refills coupled with reusable procurement of paper and wood fiber. Hasbro quickly followed suit.
packaging, such as iQ’s REFill (Reduced
Environmental Footprint) cartridges, For Stonyfield Farm, the use of non-Genetically Modified (GM) crops is a core value. When
are becoming a popular household it switched to corn-based bioplastic for some of its yogurt cups, it learned its resin supplier
cleaning option. could not guarantee the use of non-GMO corn in its feedstock. So Stonyfield became the first

continued
major purchaser of offsets through the Working Landscapes Certificates, which ensures that
Ten tips for an equivalent amount of corn is grown to sustainable agriculture standards.
sustainable package
design 9. Evaluate your distribution system for space-saving opportunities.
In a presentation at Michigan State University’s second annual Packaging Executives Forum,
consultant Kevin Howard of Packnomics, LLC, emphasized the importance of designing
packaging “from the outside in, rather than from the inside out,” to minimize distribution
logistics costs. “It is vital to understand what is happening in your own environment,” he said.
“Some packages that don’t pass ISTM [International Safe Transit Assn.] standards pass real-
world tests and vice versa. Walk through your distribution pipeline.”
His message, in “Space…The Final Frontier,” was that wasted space in packaging results in
excess materials, transport, handling, and storage. To reduce a package size while maintaining
Design for Recycling: Consider its integrity, he noted that the packager must begin by understanding the known sizing of the
new technologies that allow formerly transport mode that will be used and then minimizing the package size to hold everything at
un-recyclable products to be recycled. the lowest possible cost.
This Aquafresh White & Shine pack
uses new holography technology that Other takeaways: “Space is found around components, inside of boxes, on pallets and
eliminates non-recyclable polyester between pallets,” “Maximizing load density is vital to minimizing environmental impact,” and
and metal. “Space costs money… minimize it!”

continued
Ten tips for sustainable

package design
10. Consider materials made from renewable

feedstock. Packaging based on renewable feedstocks—
from bioplastics made of corn or sugarcane, to protective
packaging constructed of mushroom roots—is a rapidly
growing area. But there are many questions still to
be answered regarding the viability of some of these
technologies and their relative sustainability versus
traditional materials.
NatureFlex™ Renewable, Compostable Packaging: When evaluating renewable feedstocks for use in packaging
Building Brands, Changing the World. materials, as advised above: Use a full life-cycle approach;
understand how these materials perform in the recycling
NatureFlex™ flexible packaging film: renewable,
compostable*. And, now available with one of the highest
stream; know where the raw materials are sourced from;
barriers of any biofilm on the market. To learn more about and ensure that the resulting packaging provides the
how to develop packaging that differentiates and builds
brand loyalty, visit www.natureflex.com.
required functionality for your product.
Above all, be very wary of additives and other technologies

NatureFlex™ by Innovia Films. Innovate. Differentiate. Grow. that promise to make packaging “just disappear.” While it
877.822.3456
is a very alluring idea, many scientific experts debate the
environmental safety of such technologies. 
*Certified by ASTM D6400 to compost within 12 weeks. Also, suitable for home composting.

Waste-to-Energy:
Worth a second look
By Anne Marie Mohan Waste-to-Energy – an end-of-life option for materials that would otherwise end up in landfills
– is a technology whose time may have come. As the name implies, Waste-to-Energy, or WTE,
is a process by which electricity, synthetic gas, fuels, and recycled feedstocks for new plastics
and other chemistry products can be generated through the thermal treatment of Municipal
Solid Waste (MSW).
In contrast with its established use in many European and Asian countries, WTE has been slow
to catch on in the U.S. Early incinerator technology released unacceptable levels of dioxin
emissions, and although these issues have been resolved, opponents of WTE use the image
of a villainous smokestack pumping out dirty, black smoke to support their claims of its
environmental hazards.
Opponents have also argued that the technology reduces incentives for waste minimization
and for other recovery options such as recycling. Packagers have stayed above the WTE fray,
choosing instead to focus their sustainability efforts and messages on the less-controversial
options of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
But there is good reason to take a second, studied look at this technology as a waste-
management option for those packaging materials that cannot be reused or recycled. While

continued
the decision to invest in WTE is typically in the hands of municipalities, packaging suppliers
Waste-to-Energy: and consumer packaged goods companies may want to lend their support to greater
Worth a second look development and implementation of this technology.
Reasons to like WTE
There are several solid and proven reasons why WTE makes sense. Here are a few:
• Most of us agree that it’s preferable to recycle most packaging materials at end of life, rather
than use them for WTE or landfill. However, as Sandra Keil, vice president of Government
Relations and Industry Affairs for Earth911, explains, “recycling is hyper-local; you can’t make
any generalizations.” As Keil relates, while technically many materials are “recyclable,” that
does not mean that they are in practice “recycled.” It depends upon the municipality, available
infrastructure, demand for material, etc. And then there are those polymer materials, such as
multilayer flexible film, that cannot be recycled. WTE provides an opportunity to recover the
energy from these materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill, offering packagers
with nonrecycled and nonrecyclable packaging a strong sustainability proposition.
• On the issue of pollution from WTE, Marco Castaldi, assistant professor of Earth and
Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, says that since the early days of WTE
technology, there have been “orders-of-magnitude reductions” in emissions. “As we become
more efficient, our processes get better,” he says. “So in general, today’s combustion systems
are far below the emissions limits.” In fact, in a striking comparison, Castaldi notes that the
amount of dioxins released by a WTE plant over 100 years is equal to the amount of dioxins
released by fireworks in just 15 minutes.

continued
Waste-to-Energy: • Countering the argument that greater use of WTE use leads to less composting and
recycling, Castaldi relates that the opposite is true. Citing data from countries such as
Worth a second look
Germany, where the WTE industry is much more developed, he says, “what you typically
notice is that those countries that are extracting energy from materials actually have higher
recycling rates.” He adds, “While it may seem counter-intuitive, it actually makes sense,
because a country or a society that is looking toward managing their waste in the most
sustainable fashion will look at all possible options, and those options include recycle, reuse,
reduce, and extraction of energy.”
• Plastics, which are growing at a rate greater than the GDP, offer 25% more energy value
than coal, informs Greg Wilkinson, president of Third Oak Associates, Inc., a strategy,
communications, and advocacy consultancy. He adds that research from Columbia University
shows that we are burying the equivalent energy in plastics each year to power all the homes
in Georgia and Oklahoma combined. “From a policy perspective,” he said, “we should think of
this technology far more seriously than we have to date.”
• WTE can also provide cost advantages. In early 2012, the Solid Waste Association of North
America (SWANA) announced its support of WTE as “an important part of an integrated solid
waste management system.” As part of its support of WTE, SWANA released a policy that
outlines the best practices in planning, designing, and operating WTE facilities (see http://
bit.ly/GFt8GH), as well as a white paper outlining the economic benefits of the technology.
Among the financial advantages, SWANA notes that over the lifespan of a WTE facility,
communities can expect to pay less for MSW disposal than for regional landfill. It also says
that monies spent on WTE facilities remain within the community, while 90% of the monies

continued
Waste-to-Energy:
Worth a second look
spent on landfills are traditionally transferred out of the
local communities. Another advantage is that WTE facility
construction generates high-paying jobs that cannot be
outsourced. And, SWANA adds, WTE facilities also generate
significant amounts of baseload renewable energy that can
be sold to the local power grid.
Hurdles still remain
Despite these advantages, WTE is not a slam-dunk for the

U.S. Even if public perception of WTE changed tomorrow
to full acceptance, hurdles still exist, including what some
industry insiders say are unrealistic pollutant standards by
the Environmental Protection Agency. It remains to be seen
how a possible change in administration, increased public
concern over the amount of waste ending up in landfill, and
positive publicity of successfully operating WTE facilities
may change the waste-management landscape. 
Tested and proven.

Coke sparks revolution

in bioplastics
By Anne Marie Mohan In May 2009, The Coca-Cola Company announced a new packaging initiative for its bottled
products that marked the beginning of a new wave of innovation around bioplastics for
packaging. Coca-Cola’s groundbreaking launch, the PlantBottle, made from 30% plant-based
materials, represented a new direction from the bio-based polymers making headlines
at the time. Rather than employing a new polymer made from renewable materials that
offers compostability and biodegradability, Coca-Cola used renewable materials—Brazilian
sugarcane, to be exact—as a building block for an existing polymer: PET.
Today, this technology is referred to as a “drop-in bioplastic.” Drop-in bioplastics are bio-based
equivalents to widely used plastics made from fossil fuels. The beauty of this technology is
that because the materials are identical to their petroleum-based counterparts—with the
exception of the age of their carbon source—they can seamlessly integrate into existing
production lines, can provide the same packaging functionalities, and can be disposed of in
the same manner (e.g., recycling, in the case of PET).
From the time the PlantBottle was introduced, Coca-Cola has emphasized that the 30%
package is the just the first step in its long-term goal of developing a bottle that contains
100% plant-based material. While the technology exists to create such a package, the
challenge is to find a way to make the other 60% of the PlantBottle, the purified terephthalic
acid (PTA), from renewable materials in a way that is commercially viable.

continued
The race is on
Coke sparks
revolution in While Coca-Cola was busy building a new supply chain for this breakthrough bioplastic,
bioplastics expanding distribution of its PlantBottle globally, and introducing a 100% plant-based HDPE
container for its Odwalla Brand, PepsiCo in March 2011 threw down the gauntlet, announcing
its own version of the PlantBottle, which at the time it called the “green” bottle. PepsiCo’s
stated twist was the ultimate use of its own agricultural waste as a feedstock for the bottle,
such as orange peels, potato peels, and oat hulls.
Subsequent details on PepsiCo’s green bottle project have been sparse, but the company
originally stated that it would begin pilot production of the new bottle in 2012, with full-scale
production “upon successful completion of the pilot.”
In time for Earth Day 2012, Coca-Cola Coca-Cola has been more forthcoming, with its next move the announcement in December
Co. said its Odwalla single-serve bottles 2011 of three multi-million dollar partnership agreements with biotechnology companies
will use up to 100% plant-based Virent (www.virent.com), Gevo (www.gevo.com), and Avantium (www.yxy.com), to accelerate
materials with HDPE; and Dasani PET development of the first commercial solutions for next-generation PlantBottle packaging,
bottles would use up to 30% plant- “within the next few years.”
based materials.
And so, “the new cola wars” are underway, as industry observers have noted.

continued
Use of drop-ins expands
Coke sparks
revolution in While Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have certainly been the most publicized consumer packaged
bioplastics goods companies pursuing drop-in bioplastics as an alternative to petroleum-based
materials, they are not the only ones. Both large and small CPGs have begun announcing their
use of drop-ins for a range of applications. Here are just a few:
• In a strategic partnership with Coca-Cola, Heinz introduced its 20-oz ketchup in the
PlantBottle for restaurants and retail outlets in September 2011.
• AT&T has redesigned the thermoformed clamshells for its accessories packaging to use
Klöckner Pentaplast’s (www.kpfilms.com/en) TerraPET film, 30% of which is sourced from
PepsiCo gets extra sustainable ‘mileage’
ethanol harvested from natural sugarcane.
by using its own agricultural waste,
such as orange peels, potato peels, and
oat hulls, as a feedstock in producing
• In April 2011, Procter & Gamble’s Pantene shampoo and conditioner got a new bottle for
Western Europe. The HDPE bottle is also made from sugarcane, a feedstock that P&G plans to
its ‘green’ bottle.
use for other brands in its personal care line, including Cover Girl and Max Factor. In mid-2011,
P&G joined into a binding multi-year joint development agreement with ZeaChem, Inc.
(www.zeachem.com), a developer of biorefineries for the conversion of renewable feedstocks
into sustainable fuels and chemicals.
• In January 2012, Johnson & Johnson Brazil launched its Sundown line of sunscreen
products into drugstores and supermarkets in new packaging containing sugarcane-based
polyethylene from Braskem (www.braskem.com.br). The package is said to contain 60% green
plastic and 40% recycled material.

Great ideas become great products. continued
Great products deserve great packaging. Coke sparks revolution in bioplastics
DESIGN | ENGINEERING | MATERIALS | EQUIPMENT | WORKFLOW | LOGISTICS

• Liquid carton supplier Tetra Pak (www.tetrapak.com)
now offers four of its cap styles in versions made from
sugarcane derivatives. In July 2011, Nestle Brazil introduced
two of its popular milk brands, Ninho and Molico, in Tetra
Brik Aseptic packages using the green PE StreamCap 1000.
Based on this successful trial, Tetra Pak launched green
alternatives for another three caps: the DreamCap 26,
the LightCap 30, and the Helicap 27. The green caps are
distinguished from the petroleum-based closures by a leaf
logo embossed on the top of the cap. 

Tackling food waste through

packaging innovation
By Anne Marie Mohan For food manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, and consumers, food waste is a pervasive and
unavoidable reality. Or is it? Michael Hewett, director of environmental and sustainability
programs for Publix Super Markets, Inc., outlines the scope of the problem and offers
examples of how packaging can be used to address the food-waste crisis.
Human impact
“Food insecure” is the terminology used to describe those people who cannot get their
nutritional needs met through any traditional means. According to Hewett, the Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that there are just over 1
billion food-insecure people in the world; or roughly one of every seven of the world’s 7
million people “don’t have enough food to eat,” he says.
In the U.S., the latest statistics suggest that 48 or 49 million of the country’s 313 million
people are food-insecure, 14 million of which are children. “That’s 14 million American kids
who may not get three meals a day,” says Hewett. “And by the way, the UN estimates that by
2050, there will be nine billion people in the world. So the problem is not going to get better
on its own.”

continued
What are we doing wrong?
Coke sparks
revolution in In America, where the perception seems to be that food is everywhere, and there is plenty
bioplastics for all, what are we doing wrong? Statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
indicate that 35 million tons, or 70 billion pounds, of food are thrown away every year.
Hewett notes however that preliminary findings calculated by The Food Waste Opportunities
and Challenges Initiative—a new, cross-industry initiative launched by the Grocery
Manufacturers Assn. (GMA), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), and the National Restaurant
Assn. (NRA)—show that number to be too low. “It’s more like 40 million tons, or 80 billion
pounds, of food grown for human consumption in the United States each year goes to
landfill,” he says.
Another 42 million pounds of food waste are diverted away from landfills, for use as animal
feed, or for energy recovery in the form of compost or anaerobic digestion. “Add those
numbers together,” says Hewett, “and that’s over 120 billion pounds of food grown for human
consumption that people never get to eat.”
Hewett estimates that if there are 50 million people in the U.S. who are food insecure, and we
want to feed each one three pounds of food per day, we would need 1,095 pounds of food
per person to meet their nutritional needs for one year, or 55 billion pounds of food per year.
“Now, do we really need to figure out how to grow more food per acre? Is that the problem
here?” asks Hewett. “Or, aren’t we actually growing more than enough food right now in the
United States to feed everyone?”

continued
Financial costs
Coke sparks
revolution in What are the social, economic, and productivity costs of food insecurity in the U.S.? Hewett
bioplastics notes that in 2010, these costs totaled $167.5 billion, plus $94 billion in federal nutrition
programs. “That’s a $260 billion-drag on our economy every year, not because we are not
growing or producing enough food, but simply because we are throwing away too much
food,” he says.
The cost to households can range anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per year, he notes, adding
that estimates show that U.S. households pitch 25% of the food they buy, resulting in $115
million of food waste in the U.S. attributable to this segment. “And by the way,” Hewett
adds, “throwing away food is not free. We put all the resources into growing it, preparing it,
transporting it, retailing it, and bringing it home before we threw it away.”
For food retailers, there are costs associated with food that is not sold, as well as waste
removal.
In terms of resources such as water, the losses are also significant. In the U.S., Hewett notes,
we use more drinkable, potable water for agriculture than for anything else. “It is estimated
that about 25 percent of all the water used in the United States is tied up in food waste,” he
adds.
In terms of energy, Hewett says that annual U.S. food waste equals the energy equivalent of
350 million barrels of oil, which is enough to power the whole country for a week.

continued
Who’s to blame?
Coke sparks
revolution in According to U.S. Food Waste Disposal Data, food waste percentage by sector is as follows:
bioplastics
• Residential—44%
• Full-service restaurants—20%
• Quick-service restaurants—13%
• Grocery stores—11%
• Institutional—10%
• Industrial—2%
The role of packaging
Packaging can play a vital role in reducing the amount of food waste at different stages in
the supply chain. Among the innovations that can help address this issue are those that
provide actionable data on the state of the product at the manufacturer and retail level;
protect the product against damage and unsaleables at the retail level; extend product shelf
life at the retail and consumer level; and encourage consumption, at the consumer level.

continued
Following are just a few examples of such innovations:
Coke sparks
revolution in First-expire, first-out technology: Putting actionable data on the condition of
bioplastics fresh food products in the hands of the grower, distributor, and retailer is the object of the
Intelleflex (www.intelleflex.com) Freshness Management Solution. The system uses RFID
technology to allow on-demand visibility for tracking and monitoring the temperature
and condition of produce, dairy, meats and seafood, and frozen and packaged foods, from
the producer to consumer. Without unpacking pallets, the user can instantly determine
the shipping and storage history of every container of product and can quickly calculate
the remaining relative shelf life index of a product, allowing them to better manage their
inventory and optimize their operations.
Results from a pilot project conducted by Intelleflex with a major grower of blackberries
shipping product from Mexico to the U.S. confirmed a significant reduction in internal shrink
when the grower was able to monitor and prioritize or reroute pallets affected by in-transit
temperature change once they reached U.S. distribution centers. During the study, Intelleflex
found that temperatures varied significantly from pallet-to-pallet, to the point of having
some pallets lose twice the expected shelf life in-transit.
Better product protection: One example cited by Hewett of product-protection technology

at the distributor/retailer level is the use by Publix of plastic totes to ship product from the
distribution center to individual stores. “We realized that a lot of food gets damaged through
the supply chain, with outer packaging collapsing,” he says. “The plastic containers are rigid

continued
and palletize well. They also allow us to break open industry standard-size packages within
Coke sparks distribution and put specific amounts of product within those containers, so we are not
revolution in sending more to the stores than they really need.”
bioplastics
Extended shelf life: Another packaging innovation Hewett references is one by U.K. retailer
Marks & Spencer that extends the shelf life of its fresh strawberries from four to six days.
Introduced in early 2012, flexible packaging for M&S’s strawberries now incorporates a thin
band, or strip, containing a patented mixture of high-tech minerals and clay that absorbs
ethylene, the hormone that causes fruit to ripen and then turn moldy. M&S says that tests
have determined that the band—which will be used for all its berries by year-end 2012—will
result in a 4% savings, or 40,000 packs of strawberries, at the height of the U.K. season. The
fruit will also taste fresher, longer, the retailer added.
As Hewett points out, in the U.S. there are several suppliers of consumer packaging that have
tuned in to the food-waste dilemma and are capitalizing on the opportunity by offering
products that address this issue. “We are beginning to see food waste actually used as a
marketing tool,” he says. Among them is SC Johnson’s Ziploc food-storage container brand,
which offers an online “Shelf Life 101” guide to help consumers “save more and waste less.”
Rubbermaid and Pyrex have also introduced storage containers designed to increase the
shelf life of food products, he adds. Rubbermaid’s Produce Saver is said to keep fruits and
vegetables fresh and crisp up to 33% longer, through use of the Fresh Vent, which allows
produce to breathe, and the Crisp Tray, which separates produce from moisture.

continued
Coke sparks revolution in bioplastics
Increasing consumption: While it may be counter-

intuitive from a sustainability standpoint, some industry
observers suggest that single-serve packaging may be a
better alternative than bulk packaging when it comes to
addressing food waste. That’s because consumers are more
likely to eat all of the contents of a single-serve portion,
whereas multi-serve packs—especially those lacking
reclosable features—may result in stale or wasted product.
Related to this concept was an initiative by U.K. retailer

Tesco launched several years ago that allowed consumers to
“Buy One Get One Free – Later.” Under the BOGOFL scheme,
customers received a voucher from the cashier that allowed
them to redeem the second item later. The deal applied only
to perishable products such as yogurt, salad, vegetables,
cheese, and other products with a short shelf life.
Another example of a packaging innovation designed

to ensure product consumption is Hellmann’s Easy Out!
Mayonnaise package. The product uses a nonstick surface on
the inside of the container that provides the slip properties
needed to evacuate all of the product from the jar. 
Tested and proven.

Marketing ‘green’ to the

mainstream
By Anne Marie Mohan Not long ago, green products and services appealed mainly to a small minority of die-hard
eco-conscious consumers. Today, a majority of U.S. consumers identify with green values
at some level. In 2010, the Natural Marketing Institute’s LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and
Sustainability) Consumer Trends Database found that 83% of the U.S. population is involved
in green values, activities, and purchasing.
“This eighty-three percent of U.S. adults is now creating a $290 billion market for green
consumer goods over wide-ranging categories,” says Jacquie Ottman, founder and principal
of J. Ottman Consulting (www.greenmarketing.com) and author of four books, including
“The New Rules of Green Marketing.”
“Green has gone mainstream,” Ottman adds, “and one of the strategies that we need to
address is how to reach mainstream consumers with our green message.”
In the past, many barriers to green purchasing existed. Among them, the consumer’s
perception that green was too expensive, their concern that green products may not be any
better for the environment, the consumer’s lack of knowledge about these types of products,
and a lack of availability of green products. But Ottman says those barriers are becoming less
of an obstacle over time “as more and more good-quality green products with real value to
offer consumers are coming onto the market.”

continued
Marketing ‘green’ to the mainstream
Following are several tips to market your green message to

a mainstream consumer:
1. Avoid greenwashing. One persistent barrier is the

“credibility issue,” also referred to as greenwashing, Ottman
says, “where a company overstates the environmental
benefits of its product.” One prime example she cites is
the Hefty degradable garbage bag product, introduced in
1989 by Mobil Chemical. “They marketed the product as
‘degradable,’ with an asterisk that led to a message down at
NatureFlex™ Renewable, Compostable Packaging:
the bottom of the package that indicated that degradation
Building Brands, Changing the World.
is activated by exposure to the elements. But unfortunately
they didn’t tell the American public that 90 percent of the
NatureFlex™ flexible packaging film: renewable,
compostable*. And, now available with one of the highest bags were going to wind up in the landfill, where there
barriers of any biofilm on the market. To learn more about were no elements to actually degrade the package,” she
how to develop packaging that differentiates and builds
brand loyalty, visit www.natureflex.com. says.
One year later, Mobil was sued by the attorneys general

NatureFlex™ by Innovia Films. Innovate. Differentiate. Grow. in seven different states, as well as the Federal Trade
877.822.3456 Commission, on charges of deceptive advertising and
consumer fraud. The separate lawsuits charged that Mobil
*Certified by ASTM D6400 to compost within 12 weeks. Also, suitable for home composting.
misled the public with false advertising claims that its

Great ideas become great products. continued
Great products deserve great packaging. Marketing ‘green’ to the mainstream
DESIGN | ENGINEERING | MATERIALS | EQUIPMENT | WORKFLOW | LOGISTICS Hefty brand garbage bags were “degradable,” eventually
forcing them to pull the product.
“That’s something that stuck in consumers’ minds,” says

Ottman. “It is kind of emblematic of what can go on out
there. Even though Mobil had a perfectly legal message,
and it was all true, in the green world, what is challenging
about communications is that according to the FTC, what’s
important is how a reasonable consumer would interpret
the message.”
2. Evaluate your product from a life-cycle

perspective. “In terms of product attributes and
product development issues,” says Ottman, “one attribute
does not a green product make.” Her advice is to evaluate
the full life cycle of your product to understand where the
environmental benefits exist, and determine what product-
related life-cycle issues are important to your customers.
“Today’s consumers are doing more at the shelf than just

checking prices and looking for familiar brand names,”
Ottman notes in her book. “They turn over packages in

continued
search of such descriptors as ‘pesticide-free,’ ‘recycled,’ and ‘petroleum-free.’” In fact, she
Marketing ‘green’ to says, the buzzwords that consumers now use to guide their decision-making—refillable,
the mainstream unbleached, ethical, fuel-efficient, and bio-based, to name a few—represent every phase of
the product life cycle.
“Not every consumer is interested in every phase,” Ottman adds, “but cumulatively, the emphasis
is for business, government, retailers, etc., to focus on all phases of the product life cycle.”
3. Focus communications on those benefits most important to

consumers. While green product attributes add competitive value to a product, Ottman
does not advise brand owners to lead with this message. “You underscore value by telling the
consumer that the green laundry detergent will get their clothes cleaner, that the compact
fluorescent lightbulb will save them money,” she says. “Skip the babies, the planets, and the
daisies, and just go for the real benefits that your greener product or package provides.”
Successful examples cited by Ottman include Tide Coldwater liquid laundry detergent, which
is marketed as saving the consumer money, and Method household cleaning products, with
their emphasis on affordable, attractive design.
4. Provide transparency. One way to underscore the credibility of your company and
its products is through transparency in communications.
Ottman notes that one of the best examples of this is clothing retailer Patagonia’s online
communications, The Footprint Chronicles (www.patagonia.com/us/footprint), which

continued
provides “product stories,” or footprints for a number of its products. For example, a look at
Marketing ‘green’ to its Pima Cotton Shirt provides viewers with information on energy consumption, distance
the mainstream traveled, carbon dioxide emissions, waste generated, and water consumption. Pictures,
video, and a map provide details on the product’s design and manufacture. Copy gives an
overview on “The Good” and “The Bad.” According to Ottman, by pointing out where the
product footprint could be improved, Patagonia enhances its credibility.
5. Promote responsible consumption. Also referred to by some CPGs as “shared

responsibility,” responsible consumption deals with the area of a product’s life cycle that cannot
be controlled by the brand owner. “Coke can make their bottles recyclable, but they can’t force
consumers to put them in the bin,” says Ottman. “Tom’s of Maine can make their toothpaste
natural, but they can’t maker the user turn off the water while they brush their teeth.”
Promoting responsible consumption means engaging consumers in a way that will help
them understand how their actions impact the environment. Successful examples, Ottman
says, include SunChip’s on-pack messaging that directs consumers to their Web site to learn
more about composting; the dashboard on the Toyota Prius, which makes it more fun and
motivating for owners to drive the car in a more fuel-efficient way; and infographics on
Procter & Gamble’s Web site that clearly illustrate the life-cycle impacts of 10 of its products.
“Part of this has to do with credibility for consumers,” says Ottman. “They want to know if
your company is walking your talk, whether you really care about all the life-cycle impacts of
your product.” 

Design and technical resources

for sustainability
By Liz Shoch, As recently as five years ago, very little information was available to package developers
project manager, GreenBlue with regard to how to create a so-called sustainable package. Shortly after it was founded in
2004, GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) began producing a steady series of
reports, research, and software tools designed to allow package developers to make informed
and responsible decisions. Here’s an overview of some of the most important reports. All are
priced at less than $150 for non-members, and are free for members.
1. Design Guidelines for Sustainable Packaging
These guidelines are a great crash course in getting started in

sustainable package design and development, covering the four
sustainable design objectives: optimizing resources, responsible
sourcing, material health, and resource recovery. For each design
Liz Shoch is project manager at objective, the Design Guidelines walks the reader through a series
GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging of key questions and examples of design strategies, sparking ideas and leading designers
Coalition, an industry working group to think about packaging in a fresh way. This 104-page publication is considered the gold
based in Charlottesville, VA, dedicated standard for understanding how to incorporate sustainability objectives into packages at the
to a more robust environmental point of creation, and is written specifically for package development engineers and package
vision for packaging. designers.

continued
2. Closing the Loop: Design for Recovery Guidelines
Design and technical (Aluminum, Glass, Paper, and Steel)
resources for
sustainability Expanding on the SPC’s Design Guidelines (above), the Design for
Recovery Guidelines for Aluminum, Glass, Paper and Steel Packaging
takes a deeper dive into how to design packaging to address one
specific design objective: resource recovery. The suite of four reports
provides packaging designers with information about how different
treatments to, or components of, packaging added during the design
phase affect their package’s recyclability, and in the case of paper,
compostability. The Design for Recovery Guidelines were inspired by
and intended to complement the Association of Postconsumer Plastic
Recyclers’ Design for Recyclability Guidelines for plastic bottles.
3. Guidelines for Using Recycled Content in Packaging
Sustainability resources Increasing recycled content in packaging has long been a key
»
BROWSE sustainability strategy by many packagers who want to close the
REPORTS recycling loop. However, packagers and converters must grapple with
http://bit.ly/spcreports the technical, regulatory, and aesthetic challenges that come from
incorporating recycled content into plastic and paper packaging. These
two reports, one focused on plastics and the other focused on paper
and paperboard, look at the use of recycled content in high-volume
packaging applications and include pragmatic solutions for many of the
barriers to the use of recycled content.

continued
4. “How 2 Recycle” Packaging Recovery Label System
Design and technical
resources for Sustainable design for packaging also includes messages on
sustainability the package’s label. The proliferation of recycling-related labels
on today’s packaging creates confusion in the marketplace. The
SPC created the How 2 Recycle label to reduce confusion by
creating a clear, transparent, and harmonized label that enables
industry to convey to consumers how to recycle a package
after its use. The voluntary label system was developed through broad
stakeholder input, and supported by data gathered in accordance with
Federal Trade Commission guidance. The label is currently being piloted
in the marketplace. For more information, see www.how2recycle.info.
5. COMPASS – Comparative Packaging Assessment
COMPASS (Comparative Packaging Assessment) is an online

software tool for packaging designers and engineers to assess the
human and environmental impacts of their packaging designs,
from manufacture to end of life. COMPASS generates comparative
profiles of packaging design options, based on metrics such as
fossil fuel consumption, water consumption, greenhouse gas
emissions, and human and aquatic toxicity. To do this, it uses production-weighted, industry
average data in its calculations. For this reason, it is best used as a guidance tool or industry
benchmark to ask "what if" questions - not to calculate definitive answers or substantiate
marketing claims. www.design-compass.org

continued
6. Compostable Packaging: The Reality on the Ground
Design and technical
resources for A growing number of companies, especially in the foodservice sector, make and use
sustainability packaging designed to be compostable. But what really happens to this packaging when it
reaches industrial composting facilities? Can composting truly be considered a beneficial end-
of-life option for packaging? This report reveals survey results about the fate of compostable
packaging from 40 U.S. composting facilities that accept food waste. It’s a must-have for any
packager contemplating compostable packaging.
7. Environmental Technical Briefs of Common Packaging Materials
No designer should be without a clear understanding of the environmental impact of all the
major packaging materials, including impacts on human health and other relevant issues
associated with the production, use, and end-of-life of materials used in packaging. To meet
this need, the SPC publishes an objective series of profiles of each major packaging material.
Each material profile describes the predominant manufacturing processes in North America,
resource inputs, and associated cradle-to-gate emissions. Key production data include energy
intensity, greenhouse gas, water consumption, emissions to air and water, and solid waste. In
addition, each technical brief reviews the material’s sustainability profile based on use and the
potential end-of-life patterns. To date, the SPC has produced briefs on fiber-based materials
(corrugated and boxboard), glass, steel, aluminum, and polymers (PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET, PS,
PVC, and PLA). 

GALLERY 87 / 95
Striking under glass: An aspirational package, to be This is not a test: The Greek cosmetic brand Frezyderm
sure, Yves Saint Laurent’s Forever Youth Liberator anti-aging inspires consumer confidence using a test tube-shaped
product line is radiant in fire polish, and shimmers with container inside an airless bottle. The shape eases
spray technology. dispensing, as well.

GALLERY 88 / 95
Flexibly Rigid: The eco-conscious Method brand Pitcher perfect: Shenyang Huishan Dairy of China
introduced its Laundry & Dish Refill Pouch in a stand- followed its earlier pasteurized single-serve standup
up, spouted pouch with a difference: A high-density milk pouch with an aseptic version in 2012 that needs no
polyethylene spine built into the side of the pack adds refrigeration. The 240 mL (about 8 oz.) mini-pitcher features
rigidity to let consumers pour the product one-handed. an air-filled ‘spine’ for easy handling.

GALLERY 89 / 95
Less is more: Help Remedies' unique design is more Girl-powered redesign: Inside the blister card pack,
than eye-catching; standardizing the package format across Mentholatum's new Softlips redesign makes a consistent
a full line of SKUs has reduced tooling inventory. appeal to sophisticated teens and young women.

GALLERY 90 / 95
Bedtime snack: Miss Muffet & Co.’s novel book-shaped Byte-sized RFID: U.K.-based Blue Skies brand ensures
package sells the fairytale and nursery rhyme-inspired freshness with RFID time/temperature monitoring built
candy inside, which is wrapped in 95% renewable cellulose- into the package for instant access to product data during
based film. transit.

GALLERY 91 / 95
Freedom of choice: Heinz Dip & Squeeze Ketchup lets Resource-reducing lid: In-mold labeling for premium
consumers dip their fries in the cup or alternately squeeze dips accommodates high-res graphics, eliminates the usual
ketchup out the top of the 'bottle.' Multiple barriers double foil seal/film membrane and is 100% recyclable.
shelf life over the competition.

GALLERY 92 / 95
Foiling the fakes: Colgate Palmolive’s holographic foils Getting self-destructive: Schreiner MediPharm’s
not only help their brands shine, they help the company Pharma-Comb Void label is destroyed at initial use, and uses
keep one step ahead of today's increasingly sophisticated hidden 'opened' and 'used' messages.
counterfeiters.

GALLERY 93 / 95
Rotating dosage label: Children’s AccuDial liquid Enhanced dosing: Prestige Brands’ PediaCare and
OTC medications use a patented two-part label that can be Little Remedies acetaminophen products ensure proper
twisted to reveal the correct dosage through clear windows. kid-medicine dosing using a press-in-bottle syringe and a
flow-restrictor.

GALLERY 94 / 95
100% recyclable: Mars Drinks announced the fall 2012 Happy Earth Day! In time for the 2012 green holiday,
debut of its first 100% recyclable Freshpack single-serve Coca-Cola announced that its PlantBottle packaging was
packs for the Flavia hot-drink brewing system. They use a coming to Dasani water water and Odwalla single-serve
single layer of fully recyclable plastic, and eliminating two juice bottles. (See p. 68 of this playbook for more details.)
plastic layers and a third foil layer.

95 / 95
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packager’s playbook series

education for packaging professionals 2012 Edition

8 Updated for 2012 8 Package development best practices

packager’s playbook series

Kevin Myers Virginie Acquart

Brad Rodgers Shannon Bowers

Jeff George Tim Bohrer

Paul Redwood Shawn French

Robert C. Collins II, CPP/MH Melinda Wooten

Dean Lindsay Nina Daily

Stuart Leslie Christian Simms

Several other brand owners were interviewed

Best practices for the life cycle

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Know your consumer

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4. Immigrant affluence is increasing. In America,

MEET STUDIO ONE ELEVEN

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Insights on eye tracking

• Which design provides the most shelf visibility?

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4. Test full items in realistic environments, if possible, for maximum validity. 

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Assemble a cross-functional team

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Assemble a cross-functional team

We Can • Select the right internal leader for the program—a

Anything Beyond creative and innovation considerations, it is

1000 Keystone Parkway, Suite 100

Eight steps to great

2. Identify what motivates shoppers to interact with a brand.

3. Shop the category within the retail environment(s) in which the

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6. Conduct research to perform what we call a sensorially based

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Eight steps to great package design

8. Collaborate with your agency’s creative

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Closure design strategies

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Complementary components: Dial

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Two ways to justify package design

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Using a cross-functional team, Unilever achieved these results by communicating each

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Ten steps for shaping your own

A well-rounded ethnographic team should include a representative from R&D, a brand

1. Control expectations. Identify two or three objectives.

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10. Translate insights into stellar design. 

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Best Practices in Package

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The Clear Path continued

5. Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Don’t

7. Design with equipment constraints in