Packaging In Focus - April 2021 - Beauty & Personal Care

Opinionated about packaging

WWF: Beauty shouldn’t cost the earth Luxury packaging needs to be more than just ‘skin deep’

Beauty & cosmetics market: The state of play

The Beauty & Personal Care Edition April 2021 Brought to you by

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FEATURES

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Come on a journey with ghd

EDITOR’S LETTER

The beauty and personal care market is a varied one; it covers FMCG items such as shower gel to the most luxurious of products like skincare commanding large price tags - the packaging mirrors this.

The simple, functional plastic bottles and premium, decorative perfume bottles all have their place. With the sustainability spotlight widened beyond the fridge and store cupboards towards the bathroom and more importantly bathroom bin, packaging professionals have a range of challenges on their hands. If this wasn’t enough, COVID-19 has also created various issues for the sector.

In this issue, we hear from experts on the status of the market and future trends to watch out for.

WWF shares its views on beauty packaging and the climate crisis. As well, you can gain next-level design inspiration from across the cosmetics market.

Charlotte Nickless, Editor, Packaging In Focus

The revolutionary reuse model Sustainable packaging - the ins and outs

EPR consultation brings make-over for packaging regulations

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How outsourcing is helping to change the face of the personal care market

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Making beautiful labels Balancing act WWF: Beauty shouldn’t cost the earth

The rise and rise of e-commerce packaging

FOCUS ON

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A new environmentally-friendly, sustainable and recyclable manufacturing material

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Luxury packaging needs to be more than just ‘skin deep’

TRENDS

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Beauty & cosmetics market: The state of play

Emerging packaging trends in the beauty and personal care industry

SPOTLIGHT ON DESIGN

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Sustainable luxury packaging design The future of in-store testing

How Molton Brown executed the perfect brief

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How PB Creative kept LYNX GEN-Z relevant

How Butterfly Cannon used Conscious Design™ to create sustainable gifts that keep on giving for VOYA Organic Beauty

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Style and substance for cosmetic labelling Embracing the changing face of business

Beauty & cosmetics: The state of play

By Neil Farmer, Packaging Expert, Neil Farmer Associates

Global packaging and print expert, Neil Farmer, dives into the beauty and cosmetics market to uncover the top trends, industry challenges and future outlook for this packaging sector. he status of the market

The global beauty and personal care packaging market was worth $35 billion in 2020. Western Europe accounts for 30 percent of sales, with the USA and North America accounting for 27 percent of the total. In emerging markets, notably AsiaPacific countries, the growth in aspirational middle classes, rising disposable income, greater demand for branded products and an improving retail infrastructure are all stimulating demand. It is forecast that China will become the world`s largest beauty and personal care packaging market during the next five years. In Western economies despite (or because of) an ageing population, greater consumer interest in beauty products, a growing demand for sustainable products and packaging, and greater disposable income will all drive market growth. Greater investment in environmental initiatives

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including recyclability, innovative new materials and e-commerce expansion will all help fuel market development.

Impact of Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly caused disruption to the beauty and cosmetics market, with the closure of bricks-andmortar high street retail outlets a significant factor. The pandemic has accelerated the rise of online selling. According to L`Oreal, e-commerce sales on its own websites, as well as those of its partner retailers, increased by 62 percent in 2020. This represented more than 25 percent of group sales, up from 15.6 percent of sales in 2019. With much of the population spending more time at home during the many lockdowns, wellness and self-care have become important factors in

many consumers` lives. Skincare and anti-ageing products have performed particularly well.

As the world slowly starts to recover from the ravages of the pandemic and vaccines become more widely available, there is much hope for the future of the industry. On 12 February 2021, when announcing its sales figures for the fourth quarter of 2020, L`Oreal provided an upbeat message at the investor conference for its annual results. To quote the “Financial Times Weekend” newspaper of February 13/14 2021, the company envisioned “a boom for beauty”, once the effects of Covid-19 had abated. L`Oreal said that the stronger-than-expected fourth quarter figures had been driven by Chinese shoppers and a surge in e-commerce business. As noted above, China will become

the vehicle of growth for the beauty market. This was confirmed

by L`Oreal who revealed that China is now it second biggest market by revenue after the USA. The company`s business there grew by 27 percent on a comparable basis in 2020. As in the West, premium products, notably skin care, were key market drivers.

Sustainable innovations

All the preceding market developments augur well for the beauty and cosmetics packaging industry. However, overriding issues still surround the vexed question over the sustainability of the packaging used in the sector.

Some leading companies in the industry are achieving much in the battle for improved environmental packaging performance.

Sulapac is a Finnish start-up established in 2016. The company`s products are designed for brands wishing to eliminate plastic waste and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. Sulapac aims to tackle the accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics and has developed a material which is environmentally friendly. Its products use biodegradable and

micro-plastic free materials made from FSC-certified wood chips and natural binders. Leading beauty company Chanel has invested in Sulapac, the first investor coming from the cosmetics industry.

Quadpack, of the UK, is a preferred global cosmetic packaging partner of the company. Sulapac has been listed twice in two years in the Top 100 start-ups in Europe in Wired magazine, a publication focusing on how emerging technologies affect culture and the economy.

In January 2021, cosmetics retailer Lush launched its “Bring it Back” initiative. With the scheme, customers can return any fullsized Lush plastic packaging to their local Lush shop to be recycled or reused. For each plastic Lush item returned, shoppers will receive a 50p deposit to spend in the store that day. The returned packaging will then be sent to the Greenhub, Lush UK`s recycling facilities. This is then processed and sent to the company`s partners, remoulded into new black Lush pots or used as industry feedstock materials. The question of disposal of black plastics is one which has seen much debate in

Beauty photo created by freepik www.freepik.com

recent years and Lush is to be applauded for playing its part in dealing with the issue. I concur with the Lush co-founder and product inventor Rowena Bird that positivity in the plastics packaging debate is required. As she has recently said, and I have always maintained, it`s up to each consumer individually to reduce, reuse and recycle their packaging. The holistic approach to sustainability is the only way we can win the battle over the reduction of plastic waste, aligned to greater consumer education.

The future

The author estimates that the global beauty and cosmetics packaging market will grow in value terms by an annual average rate of 4 percent over the 20212026 period. Much of this will come from emerging markets, notably China and other Asian territories. It is possible that the beauty and cosmetics packaging market will witness substantial mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity over the coming year.

Successful businesses are sitting on large quantities of cash which they have accumulated over recent times. The ending of the pandemic lockdown period could see a flurry of M&A deals, driven by changes in demand patterns and purchasing habits over the Covid-19 period. Private equity firms and trade buyers alike will assess company performance in minute detail. Businesses that have struggled financially over the 2020-2021 period will be vulnerable to approaches from larger, more successful rivals. Both exciting and challenging times lie ahead for the industry.

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Come on a journey with ghd

By James Welch, Packaging Designer, ghd

The twin pillars of cost-saving and improving sustainability are key targets of many packaging projects.

James Welch, Packaging Designer at ghd, shares how he negotiated them.

ebranding and redesigning packaging is always an exciting task, but as consumer awareness and expectations on sustainability and wastage become all the more prominent, there is a new level of complexity especially when the brand is established. Ghd produce premium hair styling tools and products, but most famously hair straighteners and dryers.

The rebrand was my first project when I joined ghd as their Packaging Designer. The primary targets briefed were for a stronger brand identity to allow ghd to be more recognisable in new markets, an emphasis on selfmerchandising and maintaining our premium values whilst cost saving and being sustainable/ recyclable.

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Identifying improvements

The first place to start is to identify where to improve our current pack.

One thing I always recommend when designing is step outside the internal mindset. Imagine it is the first time you have ever seen it – does it jump out? If so, which messaging is the loudest?

What values does it convey of the brand? Being completely new to ghd was very beneficial as it gave me a consumer’s perspective of the packaging and brand identity.

I saw an opportunity to create a ‘hallmark’ on the pack that was strong, bold and impactful that was also incredibly versatile regardless of the box design. An issue the pack faced before was inconsistent logo placement, design values and guidelines which can inadvertently weaken the brand.

Packaging as visual merchandising

I was aware that one of our main retail channels is premium department stores. This inspired me to think about how the pack could be used as a merchandising tool to indirectly save costs on POS material and to help introduce the brand to new markets and customers in unmanned retail settings. With our products, we have a very clear tiering structure of ‘Good, Better, Best’ which is recognised internally.

To a consumer, the differences between these products may not be immediately obvious. The new design made this tiering system a lot more obvious by using Silver, Gold or Champagne foil to differentiate between the tiers. Dot patterns are also used to differentiate between ranges

which signify the product use (for example, curlers have a wavy dot pattern). I felt it would be effective to extend these so they wrapped around the entire box, and the boxes could then be stacked as a trio to create an impactful wall of product. This allows retailers to promote certain ranges with more emphasis freely by rotating the product that has the main focus.

Cost saving and recyclability

So onto the real challenge of any rebrand, how to make a brand stronger whilst reducing costs and improving recyclability? While improving box COGs is vital, it is also important to understand the production process and supply chain. Consolidating box sizes was a huge win, we reduced the number of unique box sizes to just 5 for all products as well as simplifying the print processes/ material. In this instance, I reduced additional finishing options and used one paper stock across all boxes. Our old packaging was finished with a matt laminate

and used some problematic stock which meant our pack was deemed non-recyclable, a quick fix here was to change from a matt laminate to a matt varnish which also resulted in a cost saving. With these two changes our outer pack became fully recyclable!

Future plans and challenges

Whilst the outer pack is now fully recyclable, we still have our challenges. Inside all our packs we use a vac tray, this is a black, virgin plastic tray that is formed to hold the product in place.

Black plastic without any form of detectable pigment is by definition non-recyclable. The beam used to identify plastic in recycling plants

Images: 3 box self merchandising opportunity

is absorbed by the black and therefore passes through to landfill.

However, work is ongoing to find a solution away from this. There are some brilliant alternatives out there such as sugar cane, paper mixes and paper pulp, but they are at an inevitable price increase as virgin plastic is so cheap and the tools for our entire core range exist already.

More generally, the scope for packaging is moving rapidly with pressure on cost-saving due to sales hit by COVID, more people shopping online and sustainability. But it’s important to recognise that these factors don’t necessarily mean you can’t still design beautiful packs. It’s about designing intelligently and recognising how these premium values can be achieved with different materials.

There is the additional challenge

of consumer expectation vs education. It’s very easy to, on the face of it, assume anything plastic is bad, but if you spend time researching into the alternatives and their entire journey and lifecycle you start to see that paper alternatives aren’t necessarily better. A simple look into paper vs plastic bags is a very small case study on this. From a slightly sceptical viewpoint, I suspect a lot of brands are treating environment/recyclability as a PR tick point rather than something they genuinely care about and this is a dangerous mindset as it creates herd mentality. Within the industry and in a role where we can directly influence the future of packaging, we have a responsibility to both be informed and make others informed. It will be a long journey, and things like the plastic tax further increase the stigma against plastic for those who take it on face value without researching further.

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Emerging packaging trends in the beauty and personal care industry

By Lia Neophytou, Consumer Analyst, GlobalData

nnovative packaging materials and formats are emerging in the personal care industry to address evolving consumer preferences catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health-attentiveness is fuelling concerns around product safety and integrity, which will amplify demand for packaging formats that mitigate the risk of bacteria formation and transmission.

‘environmentally-friendly packaging materials’ a key driver of purchase, a sentiment which rises to 39% among Generation Z and 38% among Generation Y (millennial) consumers, according to GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 global consumer survey.

Heightened risk-aversion is further prompting the need for transparent information from brands regarding formulations and sourcing. This is The transition to a evident in that almost contactless society has a third (31%) of global already begun and will consumers consider likely increase demand ‘information or claims for hands-free packaging on packaging about solutions in the personal production method’ a key care industry. For example, driver of purchase, rising skincare products that to 35% among millennial can be dispensed directly consumers, according onto the hands or face to GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 will prevail over jars that global consumer survey. In require consumers to an increasingly uncertain repeatedly use their world, personal care hands to obtain the brands would benefit from desired amount of www.bolt-beauty.com/collections/home-jar/products/mad-about-moisture providing complete product. Single-dose transparency on product packaging formats are packaging about ingredients used, manufacturing well positioned to address demand for hygienic processes, and the benefits associated with personal care solutions, though manufacturers product usage, supported by scientific evidence. must address sustainability concerns by ensuring environmentally friendly materials are used. Bolt Lastly, brands are still expected to ensure products Beauty, for example, provides skincare products appeal to a diverse range of consumers. Beyond contained within biodegradable capsules made from product formulation, brands must ensure product seaweed to avoid plastic usage and packaging waste. packaging can be easily held and used by consumers of all abilities. For example, ensuring Similarly, concepts such as packaging-free beauty that braille is available on product packaging to that were emerging pre-pandemic for their cater to visually impaired consumers is crucial, as sustainability credentials may witness temporary is ensuring packaging is designed to enable easy stagnation as concerns around hygiene will likely use and application. Brands across the beauty remain high in the future. Instead, brands can engage and personal care space must continue to make in more traditional strategies to enhance sustainability strides to build an industry that is truly inclusive, credentials, e.g. ensuring recyclable packaging which will be continually sought after in the postmaterials are used. These efforts will appeal to over pandemic world. a third (34%) of global consumers who consider

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The revolutionary reuse model

By Amy Hasell, Social Media & PR Manager, Beauty Kitchen

t’s well known that we are facing a global plastic crisis, but it’s now time for the industry to take responsibility and use its voice collectively to make a change. Circular economy expert Jo-Anne Chidley, Co-founder of indie brand Beauty Kitchen and their Return•Refill•Repeat service, is stepping up to do just this.

To put the plastic crisis into context, 2 million tonnes of plastic per year was produced in the 1950s in comparison to 2020, where this figure has grown

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It is difficult to change habits but education and evidence that refillable beauty can be a success will provide a positive example to the industry. From Beauty Kitchen’s own research, 92% of consumers state they would switch brands for refillable packaging given the Traditionally, formulations and ingredients have driven the beauty option, and 63% of consumers would even switch retailers entirely industry whereas packaging has always been a secondary concern, (Beauty Kitchen, 2020). Despite profit not being the main motive driven by marketing rather than behind Beauty Kitchen’s B Corp corporate social responsibility. certified business, Circular has In essence, consumers buy a found that 74% product for what of consumers is inside, not would pay more the packaging. for products Jo questioned Reusable packaging in sustainable “why could we packaging not incorporate is really starting to (Circular, 2020). sustainable become a priority, Showing there is packaging into which has enabled a clear demand the development for refillable process?” us to become and reusable the pioneers of products, and The biggest sustainability and evidence that it challenge is still profitable with refillable showcase to the and scalable, so and reusable rest of the industry it is a matter of products is what they should be time before this to consider becomes the a circular doing. norm. economy over the current Collaboration and transparency traditional linear ‘take, make, are at the forefront of Jo’s mind waste’ supply chain approach. when it comes to truly shifting “We will not solve industrial the industry to a circular way of revolution problems with industrial working. “Reusable packaging is revolution thinking. To truly change really starting to become a priority something, we need to build a which has enabled us to become new model that considers Cradle the pioneers of sustainability to Cradle principles to overtake and showcase to the rest of the the current way of working. This industry what they should be is where our Return•Refill•Repeat service and Reuse model comes in.” said Jo Chidley. The idea behind the Reuse model is that taking refillable packaging and Refill Stations to the market will bring access to the circular economy to millions of households.

A simple breakdown of the model is that customers can send back empty packaging to be washed, reused and put back into the supply chain, or reuse their bottle for life from the Refill Stations. exponentially to a staggering 380 million tonnes of plastic produced a year (Statista, 2020). On top of this revelation, since the 1950s, just 9% of discarded plastic produced has been recycled (IEMA, 2017).

doing. What we are doing now is sharing our knowledge to collaborate with other brands, retailers, and corporations to accelerate an inclusive, scalable and repeatable circular packaging solution.”

Most recently, Unilever became the second customer of Beauty Kitchen’s Return•Refill•Repeat service to install in-store Refill Stations as part of ASDA’s Sustainability Store in Leeds.

Dispensing personal care products in reusable aluminium or stainlesssteel bottles, QR technology codes have been featured to enable full traceability of packaging to track the full circular journey. “The only way to make the circular economy really work is to work together to create the solutions as a team rather than focusing on competitive advantage, which is why we are so open to sharing our knowledge with others” said Jo Chidle.

What is the result of instilling a circular economy mindset?

Beauty Kitchen’s answer, A #ReuseRevolution – claiming that if one household switched their regular body wash to a Beauty Kitchen body wash, they would save 36 single-use plastic bottles a year. If every household in the UK did this, 1 billion single-use plastic bottles could be saved in a year…

Beauty Kitchen is truly on a mission to pave the way for a sustainable future.

Sustainable packaging the ins and outs

By Dominika Minarovic, Co-founder, BYBI

ustainable packaging, what does it mean to you? Low carbon? Fully recyclable? No singleuse cellophane or seals? Or the ability to reuse something like for like and close the loop? At BYBI, it means all of the above. We create skin positive, pro-planet skincare and our unique approach to packaging has become a really important part of our brand.

We created an internal auditing system, The Susty Score, that grades the material and ingredients we use based on the associated carbon footprint. In relation to packaging, it also takes into account the material’s afterlife (less to landfill = less greenhouse gas emissions) and helps us determine what we use: sugarcane polyethylene, aka the carbonneutral material we use for our tubes. It looks and feels Image: bybi.com like plastic, it is lightweight, durable, malleable AND fully recyclable. Yet, it’s a unique bioplastic -an upcycled material from the sugar industry! The sugarcane plant is crushed for its highly concentrated sugar juice that’s used for human consumption, at which point it’s usually discarded, despite the fact that it still has subsequent crushings of weaker sugar that can’t be used for consumption. It is this substance that is used to produce ethanol, and in turn, a fossil-fuel free plastic.

For everything we’re unable to house in bioplastic, we opt for glass, which has its pros and cons. It’s infinitely recyclable and not a fossil-fuel based material (pro), but when created as a virgin material, it’s actually very energy intensive and it’s made from sand which is not a renewable source (con).

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To help close the loop, we created ReBYBI, a circular recycling scheme for our glass packaging.

UK customers can return their empty bottles, pots and jars for free, to be used like for like. This reduces carbon emissions by not only saving virgin materials from being used, but also prevents glass from entering the energy intensive recycling process.

First impressions are everything right? Order from bybi.com and your products will arrive in a grasspaper box.

It’s a seriously sustainable material that requires up to 80% less energy to produce than conventional wood pulp (cardboard), saving approximately 4.8 tonnes of carbon and 3,000 litres of water per tonne produced.

Plus, it can be easily recycled alongside cardboard.

To avoid using single-use plastic labels, we print directly onto both glass and bioplastic, using biodegradable plant-based inks that don’t interfere with the recycling process. You also won’t find cellophane or tamper seals on any BYBI product, not standard practice in beauty, but we believe they’re unnecessary and only contribute to landfill.

Our major challenges when it comes to sustainable packaging have focused on availability and cost. Typically, lower carbon materials have been harder to source and more expensive, although the demand for innovation and competitive pricing increases every day.

Find out more about BYBI at bybi.com.

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EPR consultation brings make-over for regulations

By Dominique Barry, Strategic Account Manager, Valpak

The final consultation on extended producer responsibility is upon us and, with it, the greatest transformation that packaging legislation has undergone.

Dominique Barry, Strategic Account Manager at Valpak, explains what it will mean for the beauty product packaging supply chain. he packaging industry is on the brink of epic change. While the detail of new policy is still uncertain, we do know that total costs of packaging compliance for industry are set to rise from circa £300m in 2019 to £2.7bn when EPR is fully adopted in 2024. The increase will be borne by brand owners and importers..

The impact will be exceptional. Where the first regulations focused on building the infrastructure and procedures to enable recycling, the new, updated EPR is likely to result in a whole system change that incorporates design, brands and retailers.

The regulations will affect every type of packaging, from baked goods to shampoo. While individual beauty products are diminutive, their packaging is complex. A perfume bottle with a pump spray, for example, will comprise a number of materials. To provide an accurate compliance report, the perfume

bottle needs to be broken down into its constituent parts, with each weighed individually; under the new regime we are likely to extend reporting to cover polymer types and recyclability.

Why are the regulations changing?

The original Packaging Waste Regulations have achieved a high level of success, increasing UK packaging recycling to a rate of 70 percent.

However, the challenges we face today call for a new approach.

In 2018, the EU – including the UK – chose to adopt the latest Circular Economy Package. Driven by a commitment to introduce EPR to multiple waste streams, the package calls for retailers and brands to take more responsibility for their products’ packaging.

Specifically, it introduces a requirement to cover the full net cost of recycling packaging at end of life. This includes the cost of collection, which has so far been funded by the tax-payer through local authorities.

What changes are on their way?

Until the consultation closes, and government publishes its decisions, the detail is uncertain, but we do have some clues as to the direction of future policy. Firstly, as the regulations become more ambitious, costs are set to increase by 15-30 percent. The overall aim of the new EPR regulation

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is to reduce the negative impact of packaging on the environment, and it is very likely that producers of ‘better packaging’ will be penalised less than those whose packaging is unrecyclable, or which does not contain recycled material. December’s governmentcommissioned research project into modular fees backs this up.

The Plastic Packaging Tax will also have an impact on future packaging design. Under the tax, which comes into force in 2022, producers will incur the tax unless plastic packaging contains 30 percent recycled material.

Challenges

Finding a viable way to mitigate costs will become increasingly important, especially for those businesses set to incur costs under the proposed Deposit Return Schemes and Plastic Packaging Tax, as well as under EPR. Every business is different, so the first step when preparing to become EPR-ready is to create a clear map of potential costs and identify opportunities for change. This might involve the elimination of certain types of plastic, or implementing new systems to ensure that a previously unrecyclable product can be dealt with sustainably.

The importance of data

Such an ambitious overhaul must be underpinned by sound data. Valpak manages 33 million stockkeeping units (SKUs) in its EPIC database, which gives us the largest bank of packaging material information in the UK. It is clear from our records that, while businesses are meeting the legal requirements, there is a lot of work to be done to collate the detail that producers are likely to need for a reformed EPR system.

For example, lipstick packaging ranges from aluminium and steel elements to glass, paper, and up to 12 types of plastic. Of the 176 packaging materials listed in EPIC, only six are widely recycled.

The majority have no information on recyclability.

We list 405 facemask products, which utilise 109 packaging types. Of these, only paper boxes, cartons and inserts are known to be recyclable.

The same goes for hair products, deodorants and make-up palettes. If we are to meet the new requirements, we need to start collecting the data now.

For some products, such as mascara, which has a brush attached to its lid, the question is broader; does it fall under the regulations at all – is the lid classified as packaging, or is it part of the product itself?

Lifecycle analysis

Widespread redesign is a challenging prospect, but many have already started the process.

Some producers are already compiling data on problematic materials, such as coloured plastic.

The next step is to assess the suitability and financial implications of alternative options. Lifecyle analysis is crucial.

The consultation may have been published by the time this issue is printed. The results will affect packaging designers, manufacturers, brands and retailers. The solution is to collect the relevant data, and identify the greatest areas of risk. Starting the journey to become EPR-ready will safeguard the packaging industry, while building a more earthfriendly system for future generations.

How much will EPR cost obligated businesses?

Additional cost obligations +£ Disposing of residual waste from households +£ Management of ground & bin litter + education +£ National consumer communications on recycling +£ System administration & enforcement Costs incurred may be even greater for those affected by Plastics Tax and/or DRS. No trading of recycling evidence within EPR system.

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Estimated total first year cost of EPR From Government’s 2021 EPR Impact Assessment £2.7bn Litter Management

Estimated Cost

2021 Proposal Producers to fund recovery and recycling of all packaging placed on UK market

NonHousehold Packaging Management £366m

PRN Revenue (2019)

Household Packaging Management EPR (2024)

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A new environmentally friendly, sustainable and recyclable manufacturing material

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s global consumers are increasingly demanding more environmentallyfriendly products and packaging, the shift to sustainable packaging has become more vital than ever before.

Lo Mei Cosmetics is a professional manufacturer specialising in cosmetics packaging, formula research, finished product designs, and production for the past 50 years. We provide superior quality and excellent services to our customers and end-users.

To be more competitive in the world markets, Lo Mei established Too Charming Ent. Co. Ltd in 2011 to fit the GMP requirements for cosmetics products (ISO 22716, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, and SA8000), and has introduced additional green initiatives to provide more ecofriendly packaging.

PFP (Plastic Free Package) are the latest green patented materials that are far less harmful to our living environment. PFP materials are plant-based, made from natural harvest waste such as rice husk, bamboo, and green tea,

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As a cosmetics factory, Lo Mei used PFP originally to manufacture cosmetics components such as tubes and compacts that fully function like regular ones. Since PFP has been awarded food safety certification by SGS, we can use PFP in daily consumable products like tableware such as spoons, chopsticks, bowls, etc. Furthermore, PFP can replace plastic products like shampoo bottles, flowerpots, containers, and so on.

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Top left & bottom right image: Cosmetic components made out of PFP (rice husk & green tea).

Top right: Tableware made out of PFP (bamboo).

How outsourcing is helping to change the face of the personal care market

By Rodney Steel, Chief Executive, BCMPA

Rodney Steel, Chief Executive of the BCMPA - the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics - discusses how outsourcing businesses are meeting the packaging challenges faced by today’s personal care and beauty sector brands. urrent discussions about the performance of any part of the economy will invariably turn to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the personal care and beauty sector is no different. Nevertheless, at least part of the impact of the crisis has been to accelerate already existing trends such as the desire for sustainable packaging and products, growth in white label and private label manufacturing and the need to fulfil the surge in growth of online shopping.

A recent Mintel report estimated that online demand for beauty

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and grooming products increased by 24 percent annually to be worth over £1.9 billion. While this undoubtedly reflected the stay-athome message and closure of the high streets during the lockdowns, it was equally an indication of what was already a fundamental shift from the traditional retail environment.

In recent years, therefore, the personal care sector has had to become more fleet of foot to deal with the changing market and consumer demands and this is where outsourcing partners have increasingly been able to meet the needs of brand owners. From new product development and formulation to a comprehensive offering that also includes sourcing, procurement, packing and fulfilment, this is a process

that can take a product from initial concept to the end-consumer.

Whilst the Pandemic saw an increase in demand for hand sanitisers and other hygiene products, it also accelerated enquiries into the BCMPA from entrepreneurs and fledgling businesses who seem to have spent part of lockdown looking for fresh opportunities for new personal care and beauty products.

In both instances, speed-tomarket has been essential. BCMPA members offer both White Label goods, which are standard off-theshelf products that have already been formulated and tested, and Private Label products that are manufactured to a bespoke formulation and free up the customer to concentrate more on

the marketing and selling aspects of their business. In 2020, the BCMPA saw a 75 percent increase in enquiries for these services.

“The growth in this sector has been great for our business with enquiries coming through daily,” confirms Paul Stanton, Sales Director at SMC Cosmetics. “We believe the high demand is due to e-commerce sales booming, making bringing new products to market easier than ever before.”

“It has been hard to escape the demand for sanitising wipes, gels and more,” says Jeremy Freedman, Managing Director at Guardpack, the specialist sachet and wet wipe manufacturer. In terms of Private Label and White Label, our ability to run low quantities allows many of the smaller to medium sized cosmetic businesses to more easily, and cost-effectively, promote their brand.”

At the same time, the pandemic has not quelled the need for more environmentally friendly packaging solutions. Sustainable packaging is no longer just an option and businesses are taking a ‘reduce, reuse, refill, recover’ approach to deliver this. Examples include the removal of flexible plastics from multipacks and the use of recycled plastics or plant-based materials.

“It is no surprise that sustainability has been the most prominent development we’ve seen in personal care and beauty packaging,” agrees Ruth Stanley, Co-pack Commercial Manager at DCS Group. Initiatives such as the UK Plastics Pact have accelerated investment from the large brands we partner with to use recycled content and embark upon planet-friendly innovation in their packaging. This has been critical in developing a circular economy for plastics in the UK, making sustainability a core part of today’s business ethos.”

Pack size reductions have also been adopted to minimise product wastage with the aim of delivering a reduction in the environmental impact on the supply chain, although in some cases this has led to an increase in packaging materials. In terms of the pandemic, small packs minimise sharing and contact between individuals. Guardpack reports significant demand for smaller packs, with “things becoming a lot more individualised” and growth in individual sachets for cosmetic sampling, which provides a costeffective route for customers to trial products.

DCS meanwhile says that refillable and reusable packaging have been a key NPD driver for many products including haircare, deodorants, face & body care.

“Brands have created some attractive, ‘Instagram-worthy’ re-usable solutions, not only promoting their sustainability but equally as important, generating

brand loyalty,” says Stanley.

Nevertheless, demonstrating sustainability extends far beyond packaging and now has to be a vital part of a company’s entire offering. “It covers all aspects of our business, from ensuring our premises and control measures are run in the most effective manner, through to the purchase of our raw material and componentry,” confirms Stanton at SMC. From the brand owner’s point of view, packaging that communicates its sustainability message on responsible beauty is bound to be a key factor in attracting consumers.

Sustainability is just one of the ongoing challenges for businesses and several others are being driven by the continued unknowns of the true impact of Brexit and the dramatic increase in costs for global shipping. While the outsourcing sector will do all in its power to mitigate these challenges, the complexity of regulations and changes have made price increases virtually inevitable.

This has highlighted the importance of ‘buying British’ to many brands, both as a means to avoid complexities and rising prices and also to find the high standards of service they need.

“We are seeing more and more clients, who have previously imported finished goods, contact us directly for the benefit of UK contract manufacturing,” concludes Freedman.

Indeed, it is this expertise and experience ‘close to home’ that will enable BCMPA members and the wider outsourcing sector to continue to meet the production and packaging demands for today’s fast-moving beauty and personal care trends.

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Sponsored feature

Luxury packaging needs to be more than just ‘skin deep’

By Simply Cartons

he Clean Beauty movement is growing and today’s modern consumers are becoming more and more conscious of the ingredients they put on their skin.

But while users of beauty and skincare products want to remove ingredients they feel may have a negative impact on the environment, they are also increasingly aware of the packaging the product arrives in.

The landscape of packaging is therefore changing. Sustainability is objective number 1 and with the beauty industry set to grow to $131 billion by 2025, brands and ultimately consumers alike are leading the fight to ‘go green’ by questioning: • Origins of materials – are they ethically sourced?

• Supply chains – what’s the carbon footprint?

• Recyclability – what is life after use?

• Reductions – does this serve a purpose/is it necessary?

• Re-use – can the packaging fulfil other usages?

This school of thought combined with the introduction of new laws and government targets intending to abolish single-use plastics by 2040 and aiming for 100% recycled packaging by 2025, is initiating innovation within beauty packaging at a substantial rate.

Nottingham-based packaging

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company Simply Cartons is committed to such sustainability.

Head of Luxury Sales and Marketing Emily Bartlett says: “Every customer we talk to now is asking the same questions about sustainability.

They want to choose a packaging partner, who is aligned with their values and principles.

experience to help them achieve their goals and objectives.”

“The process is collaborative what do we need to achieve and how can we achieve it. Drawing on our experience to ensure that one objective does not counteract the other when developing beautiful packaging inside and out.”

“There must be synergy between aesthetics and sustainability for this to be a success.”

In keeping with their sustainability ethos, Simply Cartons has recently launched EnviraMet, an ecofriendly foil produced in-house, which is fully recyclable and used in multiple applications to elevate branding and aesthetic design.

They want a more holistic engagement with their partner, it’s important to them that we have the right green credentials and the

“For packs to be sustainable they don’t have to be colourless, they don’t have to be lifeless. You can still achieve beauty whilst being

Sponsored feature able to recycle” says Emily.

“Instead of compromising on appearance, we are bringing in more sustainable products that are being sourced ethically and reducing our energy consumption during the production processes by using smarter technology.”

Investing in a greener future Smarter technologies are enabling greener production in manufacturing and Simply Cartons has made significant investment in the latest equipment and production facilities to reduce energy consumption.

Just a small part of this was a £500,000 investment in solar technology across its sites which has to date, saved the equivalent of over 5,000 trees.

Simply Cartons Chief Executive Craig Mather explains: “To some, investment of this level on anything other than capital equipment to produce packaging may seem like an odd choice, but when we as a company are focussing our efforts on reducing our carbon footprint and achieving our environmental objectives, it was an easy decision.

Each month I look forward to seeing the figures of what we’ve managed to save through the solar panels and every time it feels like a positive step in the right direction.”

The company has also carried out extensive research into the costs/ benefits of working with virgin materials vs. recycled materials.

In some instances, carton board from managed sustainable forests has a higher yield of product, meaning less material is required to achieve the same performance properties in its cartons than a recycled substrate for instance.

Consideration must also be given to the energy required to prepare recycled products into fresh substrates ready for converters to work with.

achievements. One of the biggest factors contributing to this is the closed-loop cycle of inbound and outbound materials in the manufacturing of its flagship products. It also has its own biomass energy plant which is almost completely non-fossil and supplies green energy back to the grid.

It’s this kind of detail that matters to customers. It’s being genuinely green and not greenwashing.

Transparency in a world of sales

“It’s about striking a balance,” adds Craig. “Working out where different materials can be used, based on the requirements of the pack.

Structurally, a virgin material may offer greater support, whereas today there are some really great substrates with a % of recycled pulp which can provide a bright white finish, equally as good from a print finish perspective.”

“We use the greenest raw materials and foster sustainable practices within our supply chains to ensure that our packaging footprint is controlled.”

Simply Cartons’ environmentally friendly approach encompasses materials, transport, energy consumption, greener processes, facilities and equipment used.

The company buys much of its virgin materials from a board mill, just 200 miles from its factory site.

Many of the mills used for board manufacturing within packaging are in mainland Europe and the US. By opting for a locally produced material, Simply is actively reducing its CO2 footprint.

The mill has recently been awarded the Platinum level by EcoVadis who rate companies in terms of their sustainability

pitches and marketing campaigns is something to be proud of.

It’s not just what’s inside the box, it’s what’s inside the packaging.

Teaching the next generation that beauty is more than skin deep and that what goes into the packaging is what makes it truly beautiful.

Top left image: Clinique. Bottom left image: Beauty box. Top right image: Tisserand Right image: Elle.

For more information please contact: Phil Marklew Sales Director p.marklew@simplycartons.co.uk

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Sustainable Luxury Packaging Design

By Adam Ryan, Head of Pentawards

he sustainability agenda has become one of the most important issues for the luxury packaging industry.

Entries into last year’s Pentawards have been highlighting this change, so to celebrate the brand new sustainable luxury packaging design category, we identified some design studios and luxury brands that are taking significant steps to deliver more ecoconscious packaging solutions.

Burberry Sustainable Packaging

free, fully recyclable and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Find out more on Burberry sustainable packaging here.

Origins, Estée Lauder Estée Lauder Companies has

Using an innovative manufacturing technique, at least 40% of Burberry packaging material is made from recycled coffee cups. Since the launch of this new packaging, the brand has recycled 58 million coffee cups into packaging. The resulting product, which has a beautiful, luxurious feel, is plastic-

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announced a new sustainable packaging partnership with global chemistry leader Sabic and Albéa.

As a result of the partnership, Origins will be the first prestige beauty brand to leverage Sabic’s innovative, advanced recycling technology to produce a tube made from previously difficult to recycle, post-consumer mixed plastics material.

Francesca Damato, Vice President of Global Marketing and product development at Origins, says, “We have an exciting opportunity to define how the prestige beauty industry can create sustainable, attractive packaging solutions that please both consumer and the planet.” Find out more on ELC sustainable packaging partnership here.

Kevin.Murphy Beauty by Kevin.Murphy - 2020 Bronze Pentawards, Sustainable Design

green packaging back in 2020.

Successfully honouring the unboxing experience and our planet alike, all cardboard and paper used comes from sustainably managed forest sources, with the unique green colour of the paper decreasing the need of using inks.

To make it even more remarkable, the shopping bag handles use 100% recycled polyester and avoid using glues, and ribbons are made of organic cotton.

Haircare brand Kevin Murphy recently made the commitment to switch the material of its HDPE (high density polyethylene) bottles to recycled ocean plastic, becoming the first beauty brand to utilise 100% ocean waste plastic.

This initiative will not only have a profound impact on the world’s plastic production but is intended to start an industry-wide conversation about responsible packaging disposal. Also, it’s a fantastic example of using packaging to spread a powerful message to consumers in their own homes about the importance of recycling and sustainability.

Find out more on the Kevin.Murphy commitment here.

Green Packaging by Gucci

With sustainability considered for every part of the process, Gucci debuted its fully recyclable

Find out more on Gucci’s new sustainable packaging here.

Rue – Nordic Beauty, Giada

Tamborrino Studio An international brand known and loved for bringing ease to daily beauty rituals, the holistic visual identity of this product was inspired by Scandinavia’s deep seas and stormy skies. Taking inspiration from nature as a vibrant yet sustainable force, the colours and typography create a modern feel that contrasts Rue’s hand-drawn illustration and grounded the brand.

The packaging is made from sustainable paper sources and contains plant-based glue and laminate. Dropper tops can be easily broken apart for recycling, and glass bottles are made of easily recyclable white opal glass.

Find out more on Nordic Beauty and the studio here.

Juni Cosmetics - 2020 Silver Pentaward Winner, Luxury Make-Up

Determined to avoid plastic at all costs, Juni Cosmetics bespoke lipstick bullet is made from 100% aluminium. Called ‘the green metal’, aluminium is one of the most recycled materials on the planet and can be infinitely recycled without losing quality.

Many ‘recyclable’ materials used in day-to-day life still end up in landfill because they are glued together with other materials, making them ‘contaminated’.

Juni’s bullets’ unique ‘push-up’ design also eliminates the need for glue. Find out more on Juni Cosmetics and sustainability here.

Tom Dixon Packaging, Progress Packaging and Tom Dixon Fully recyclable and recycled materials were used to produce the corrugated boxes for Tom Dixon products, whilst the labelling for branding, as well as envelopes, gift cards and note cards, were also made using sustainable materials. The labels were foil blocked on FSC-approved, uncoated papers in the requested sizes to create a luxury yet crafted look. To partner with these items, Progress also produced recyclable Kraft carrier bags to be used in retail stores and as part of their online gifting range. When the items are being transported they require an extra layer of protection, so loose fill is added to the boxes using either recycled tissue paper or recycled Kraft. Find out more about the partnership between Progress and Tom Dixon here.

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Air Co. Vodka by Air Co 2020 Diamond Best of Show Pentawards winner The Air Co. mission is to be the most sustainable alcohol brand in the world, with the result being the world’s first carbon-negative vodka brand.

A thoughtful packaging programme that is 100% reusable and recyclable, labelling was kept at a minimum to not only reflect the purity of the vodka but to minimize the material usage.

As repurposing is the height of sustainability, the 100% FSC certified label adheres with a custom-made, natural, non-toxic adhesive that allows it to be easily removed so the glass bottle can be kept for other purposes, such as a bedside carafe, water bottle, flower vase or candleholder to name a few.

All printing is fully carbon offset with tree planting in South and Central America, and the label messaging actively encourages consumers to reuse the bottle and support sustainability.

“We talk more and more about the future of luxury and sustainable luxury, and this is it” Clem Halpin, President of the 2020 Jury and Design Lead at TAXI Studio.

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4.

Making beautiful labels

By Neel Madsen, Journalist

It has been said that digital printing is the easy part of making labels, it’s in the finishing process that the real skill comes in. While traditional methods of adding foiling and other special effects to labels still dominate, newer digital finishing technologies can offer more agility, flexibility and sustainability. erhaps nowhere more so than in beauty, cosmetics and personal care does the label on the product have to convey the brand positioning and attract the target customer.

In an overcrowded and highly competitive market, it has to work even harder to call the potential buyer into action.

So, should your brand exude luxury or are you appealing to the ecowarrior? Are you going for the scientific approach or are you promoting certain natural health benefits? Whether you’re aiming for the minimalist look or full-on bling that punches you in the face, your friendly label printing company will have a number of

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tools in their arsenal to help you.

When we talk about digital technology for labels, most will think of the printing process itself, however some label printers are using digital methods to increase the value-add in the finishing process. These new embellishment solutions can enhance labels with foiling and metallics in a variety of colours, high-build varnishes for tactile effects and patterns including braille, spot matt or gloss varnish, and holographic effects, as well as advanced security features.

Digital embellishment

Infinite flexibility, faster delivery and increased sustainability are crucial factors that make any type of digitally driven technology, including embellishment techniques, very attractive. When digital methods are deployed,

you get full design freedom as files can be amended right up until production starts. Each label can be decorated differently, customised or even personalised for the individual consumer.

With no tooling required, there is no waiting around for screens, dies and embossing plates to be made, which speeds up the time to market. And when combined with digital printing, the minimum order quantities can be very low, which is perfect for testing new product lines, releasing limited editions or producing multiple SKUs in short runs. This all adds up to big costs savings and less overall waste.

Just-in-time delivery has become the mantra for many brands and retailers in their quest to stay ahead of the competition. They are not interested in tying up

its Digital Label Embellishment solution, which is based around ABG’s DigiJet module and Springfield’s all-digital print capabilities. Most recently, the company has turned its focus to premium packaging for the personal care, beauty and cosmetic sector to offer personalised digital foiling, tactile finishes, spot varnishes, embossing, debossing and more, delivered in just five days.

capital in large amounts of stock and warehousing; they want to maintain a lean and sustainable operation. They certainly don’t want to be throwing away huge quantities of labels when the design needs to change or an SKU is discontinued, because it isn’t selling well.

“The flexibility of ordering what you want, when you want it, is something our customers are getting used to,” says Matt

Dass, Joint Managing Director – Innovation, at Springfield Solutions.

“Minimum order quantities, storing large volumes of labels and potentially having to write off stock is just not sustainable anymore.

We are seeing this more and more on the list of our customers’ considerations when starting a rebrand or new packaging project.”

New investments

Springfield Solutions is leveraging its digital expertise to introduce

“The quality is certainly on a par with conventional methods, if not better,” comments Dass. “The speeds are also increasing all the time and set up times are dramatically reduced. If you also factor in no tooling, less write off and less warehousing, then this process can be very cost effective.”

Amberley Labels has just introduced digital embellishment to its portfolio to meet customer demands with the UK’s first Kurz

DM-Jetliner pre-print foiling unit.

Managing Director David Richards notes, “We are investing in nextgeneration digital capabilities to continually lead innovation within the decorative labels sector. This is driven by increased customer demand for multi-foil capability in the cosmetics, fragrance and high-end beverage markets.”

“The Kurz DM-Jetliner means we now offer next-generation inline foiling capability and flexibility, with greater colour possibilities and brand control,” adds Richards.

“Mass customisation of metallic finishes – variable metallised print and colour – means versatility of design and print. Speed to market is also faster as the supply chain is reduced, and fewer processes are required to get products onto the shelf.”

finishing lines by adding an inkjet print bar or module. Inkjet is a versatile technology that can lay down various fluids either as full coatings or in specified areas to simulate embossing and cold foiling, create a multitude of It’s all about modularity varnished effects, variable data, Digital embellishment systems 3D warning triangles or security work with toner or inkjet features. This can be done with a technology, and very high degree there are many of precision due to options for label the ability of the printers to get into printheads to lay We are investing in down varying sizes this market. At the high end, there are of drops. next-generation embellishments digital capabilities webfed presses White ink is key to continually lead from the likes of in many label MGI, which can applications and innovation within add a tactile print bars can the decorative effect and foiling be used as an labels sector. to labels, and alternative to also print CMYK flexo or screentoner. Xeikon has printing to add launched its Fusion Embellishment high-opacity white to short runs Unit (FEU), which is based on MGI of labels. Inkjet modules are well technology, and HP offers the GEM suited to printing the type of very unit, both as a supplement to small white text that is often used their digital label presses for inline on beauty and personal care finishing, while Kurz has a range of labels.

Digital Metal machines that come as inline units or standalone.

The Xaar Print Bar System and Domino’s K600i inkjet Label printers can also choose printer are some of the many to expand the reach of their modular options on offer. French conventional printing press or manufacturer Cartes has just

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Image p28: Digital Label Embellishment from Springfield Solutions. Image p29: Foil effects created with Kurz Digital Metal technology. Image p30: Improving shelf standout with digital embellishment.

introduced the Jet D-Screen digital unit for its converting lines, which can add all types of embellishments, including tactile varnish up to 800 microns thick for making domed effects.

But digital embellishment is not all about looks. The technology can also be used for a more serious purpose to combat counterfeiting and grey market imports, which are rife in the beauty and personal health industries. Covert security features can be included on the label, helping to verify the authenticity of the brand and identify individual batches. And to make it even harder for criminals, digital can make every product different using algorithms that randomise the security feature, be it an invisible pattern, a microcode or a missing dot over an ‘i’.

Digital embellishment can also be found on combination presses, where digital and conventional types of printing create a hybrid production line that can print, varnish, foil, add special finishes, laminate and cut in a single pass.

With inkjet printing now able to match the typical run speeds of conventional flexo, the digital modules are no longer slowing down production, and label

Project development and construction of Form-Fill-Seal vertical machines. Contract-packing service.

Customized shape. Monodoses and vials production in recycled plastic material with capacity from 1 ml to 200 ml.

Creative marketing, full-service, private label.

Filling with liquids, creams, gels, powders and lotions.

Material with high barrier, paper, customized molds, one hand opening, stand-up monodose.

Valmatic s.r.l. Via Turati, 5 - 41030 San Prospero (Modena) ITALY Phone +39 059 90 65 50 - Fax +39 059 90 65 57 E-mail: commerciale@valmaticsrl.com - www.valmaticsrl.com

Speed to market is also faster as the supply chain is reduced, and fewer processes are required to get products onto the shelf. printers are able to produce fully converted and rewound jobs in a single shift with one operator. The modularity, agility and speed of this type of production is a good fit for high-end luxury markets.

A sustainable option

The sustainability argument for moving to digital embellishment techniques should not be ignored. By printing straight from a digital file without the need to manufacture dies or stamping plates and in essence eliminating several process steps, the method is much more efficient and less wasteful. The overall carbon footprint is also reduced by the fact that there is no transport of tooling or storage to take into consideration. Less storage needs also mean less energy consumption. A less wasteful foiling method from ACTEGA Metal

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Print is EcoLeaf where an ultra-thin layer of metal pigments is fused to a printed image from either flexo, screen or inkjet by curing it under a UV lamp. The metallic pigments that don’t make it onto the image are picked up and recirculated in the system for use in the next image, so no pigments are going to waste.

Set-up waste is also minimal in digital embellishment systems compared to traditional printing and converting, where often many metres of labels have to be discarded while the print, foiling or spot varnish elements come into register. Jobs can be changed

on the fly, which saves time and materials usually needed when the machine is stopped, and the new job set up manually.

The digitalisation of label manufacturing continues at pace and the sophistication of the various technologies will suit brands in the beauty, cosmetics and personal care sectors, which are known for their complex label and packaging requirements.

And with more products bought online than ever before, we can expect brands to exploit digital embellishment technologies much further to get the attention of consumers in the virtual world too.

Sponsored feature

Style and substance for cosmetic labelling

By Denny Bros

sector that represents beauty must be easy-onthe-eye when it comes to packaging. But there must also be substance alongside style when deciding on how to label cosmetic products. It is easy to fall foul of standards and regulations, not to mention the risk of a product being counterfeit and severely knocking customer confidence.

At Denny Bros, we have a proud and long-established history in producing the right packaging and labelling solution for any industry.

Cosmetic products come in all shapes and sizes and often pose a challenge of containing obligatory regulatory information with practical, yet eye-catching, packaging.

Our renowned range of multipage labels, led by our patented Fix-a-Form® multi-page label, offer an innovative and versatile combination of a printed and folded leaflet to accommodate extra content for the product user.

Suitable for a wide variety of purposes and available in custom finishes, shapes and sizes, the Denny Bros’ multi-page label can fit the obligatory information all on pack without having to change the design of the current packaging.

Supplied in a standard reel format, they can be tailored to suit different product needs and

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applied with standard industrylabelling equipment.

What labels are out there?

Designed more than 40 years ago, Fix-a-Form® continues to solve the puzzle of how to add information

requirements, offer the advantage of being a concertina-style pullout information pack which can be tailored exactly to meet the manufacturer’s requirements.

A multi-page label occupies the same space as an original single panel label but may contain up to 120 pages of extra product information.

We use carefully chosen materials to help keep labels flexible, easy to apply and fit for purpose for the item it is applied to.

For the cosmetics sector, this can be an ideal way of providing the necessary information while best representing the brand.

to products without making packaging more complex.

Multi-page labels, designed specifically to meet the challenges of small or non-standard labelling

This is especially true as there is often so much information that has to be included such as ingredients, usage and contact details, expiration dates and a brand backstory.

Sponsored feature Another option is Peel and Reveal label printing services. These are highly versatile as they are both

sustainable business choices. To support these initiatives, we have developed an innovative and fully recyclable peel and reveal label, featuring a liner made from ‘clean flake’ material designed specifically for labelling and recycling PET plastic bottles and containers.

Anti-counterfeit labels

As well as the required information listed above, anti-counterfeit labels are also a crucial part of the labelling.

water and chemical resistant and equally durable, providing more space for information that can be easily accessed time and time again.

This makes them well suited to repeated reference information such as product instructions and safety advice.

Many of our customers continue to drive positive change by placing increasing emphasis on

This fact turns what should be a pleasurable purchase into a potentially risky one.

For the last few years, Denny Bros has linked up with the cosmetics industry to strengthen the sector’s defences against counterfeiting.

By adding anti-counterfeit labelling solutions to its popular multi-page labelling, it can protect the profits and brand integrity of genuine cosmetic manufacturers.

From perfumes and make-up through to personal care products like toothpastes, soaps and sunscreens, no product is immune to attack from unscrupulous counterfeiters.

Although they may resemble the genuine article, counterfeit cosmetics rarely provide the expected level of quality, efficacy or enjoyment.

Moreover, a product’s safety may well be compromised as legal regulations will not have been followed.

Images: A multi-page label by Denny Bros

Why Denny Bros?

Denny Bros provides a consultative design service to ensure the right labels are created to suit a customer’s specific requirements.

While we are acutely aware of the importance of packaging designs for cosmetics and their brand, this will all go to waste if the right regulatory information is not included.

It is a balancing act and one Denny Bros is well used to treading for a range of cosmetic clients.

We are proud to work closely with our customers every step of the way to ensure they are 100% satisfied with the outcome.

Contact Denny Bros 01284 701381 www.dennybros.com

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The future of in-store testing

By Josh Brooks, Event Director, PCD Paris.

COVID-19 has changed many things, one of these is how consumers can test cosmetic and beauty products instore. This challenge was put to a group of bright packaging students. n-store testers for beauty and cosmetics are crucial to a consumer’s purchasing beauty packaging innovation decision. But the practice, and its community - last year set a packaging formats, are facing challenge to a group of packaging major challenges as the world and beauty business students: to gears up to emerge from the reimagine the Covid crisis. future of in-store First, and a beauty testers. direct impact of Covid, is The brief was perfectly PCD Paris hygiene. Parts of respected, and the teamed up the market are solutions presented with ESEPAC, a moving towards, were of high quality. The leading French and demanding, packaging touchless very detailed projects engineering solutions that revealed both highly school, and the allow shoppers technical aspects and Ecole Supérieure to test a du Parfum to interesting marketing product without launch the touching the concepts that could challenge. same tester as be retained by certain The fifth-year another person. brands looking for new students – 20 And second is from ESEPAC and the increasing ideas.

39 from ESP restrictions worked together on single-use plastics that are being imposed by in five teams, remotely, over the autumn to develop their concepts legislatures across the world. for the future of in-store testing.

The project then culminated in That’s why PCD – Packaging of an online presentation of the Perfume, Cosmetics and Design, concepts to a judging panel led by the world’s leading event for the

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Vincent Delavenne, Vice-President of luxury packaging at Coty, which sponsored the competition.

Speaking after the judging day, Delavenne praised the five “innovative” projects that had been presented. “The brief was perfectly respected, and the solutions presented were of high quality. The very detailed projects revealed both highly technical aspects and interesting marketing concepts that could be retained by certain brands looking for new ideas. Our ‘future noses’ and ‘future packagers’ will be excellent ambassadors in our industry tomorrow,” he comments.

For PCD Paris, which is organised

by Easyfairs, the competition is an important initiative in its mission to drive the future of packaging development and innovation for the global beauty packaging market. We were incredibly impressed by the quality of the concepts presented. But more than that, it is very exciting to be part of a project like this that

highlights and celebrates the young packaging developers who will shape innovation in the years to come.

The concepts The scenter

Watch the video here.

Inspired by the olfactometer, Le Scenter is a coherent and innovative response to the health crisis. The scent Hub is designed to offer a complete, connected and personalised testing experience, while the Scent Away integrates the Scenter into the urban environment and takes it out of the point of sale - a solution that is adaptable to both perfumery shops and outdoors.

hand over a sensor, which will then deliver a spray of the perfume onto the wrist; while displaying the perfume bottle in a case at the front of the device.

Safe touch (right)

The non-contact perfume

Watch the video here..

Why touch when you can smell?

This concept allows the consumer to test the product by passing their

Watch the video here.

Safe Touch is an innovative way to test any cosmetic product.

The hexagonal wooden ‘alveolus’, inspired by honeycomb, houses one of three testing options: a sensor-activated spray for perfume, distribution of test strips, or an option to insert a card to test cosmetics. The packaging is secure by an antibacterial coating.

HERMA, specialists in self-adhesive labelling systems HERMA Labelling Systems, UK division, design, manufacture and supply a wide range of self-adhesive labelling machines to meet your product labelling requirements.

Contact HERMA for further information: Tel. +44 1440 763366 Email. sales@herma.co.uk Website: www.herma-labellingmachines.co.uk

4.

Osmobo (above)

Watch the video here.

Osmobox is a modular testing system for perfumes. It is a new way to discover fragrances in an independent way, taking into account sanitary constraints. It allows a spray controlled by a contactless movement sensor.

The Osmobox can be combined endlessly to create a test structure adaptable to all perfumeries shops.

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Beadsthoven (below)

Watch the video here.

Beadsthoven is designed to help consumers rediscover the emotion related to perfumes through fun and playful in-store ‘organ’ distributors. The concept offers

a colourful and sensorial way to distribute testers in small balls made of vegetable gelatine. The concept, inspired by the M&Ms store in London, is a complete reimagining of the perfume and cosmetics retail environment.

Balancing act

By Andy Knaggs, Journalist

Image above: LAKO Tool’s MSD sealing jaws

Beauty brands and their customers want the best of both worlds from their products: great quality and minimal environmental impact. Andy Knaggs talks to packaging machinery manufacturers to see how they are responding to this twin challenge.

and production costs, how they perform in a production environment as well as how they look, and how they are perceived by the consumer.

As the marketplace looks to recyclable materials and different materials, that will inevitably provide different challenges, including how they flow, friction characteristics and how they seal.”

From LAKO Tool’s perspective, the response to the challenges that new materials bring has been to test samples and become involved in materials R&D projects. “The company’s reputation is built”, says Chamberlain, “on designing sealing systems and profiles for challenging or difficult to seal materials for production environments”. Its MSD sealing jaws allow different serration patterns to be changed quickly, so job and material changeovers take less time. “A paper film will not seal as well, or at all, with a serration pattern for a conventional film,” he explains.

ooking good and looking after the planet: it’s not just a personal standpoint that increasing numbers of individuals choose to live by; it’s also the key consideration that beauty and personal care brands strive to balance in both their products and their product packaging.

A premium look is essential in this market, more than almost any other, but consumer demands are placing ever greater scrutiny on the sustainable nature of the materials and processes used in creating the packaging that conveys that premium or luxury impression. The packaging industry is having to respond in kind.

“As with most markets, the current trends are towards environmental awareness, less plastic, a more natural look in packaging, recyclable plastics and more natural packaging materials such as paper,” said Jed Chamberlain, European Sales Engineer for LAKO Tool, the manufacturer of package sealing, cutting and punching systems such as the MSD range of sealing jaws.

“The materials used in packaging have been designed to be ‘fit for purpose’. That covers costs

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In the overwrapping space is Marden Edwards, supplying automated and semi-automated wrapping machines, capable of wrapping up to 300 cartons per minute. The company’s Marketing Manager Scott Williamson comments: “The market demands an extremely high-quality presentation wrap to reflect the product’s quality inside and requires a ‘wrapped by hand’ presentation, with no scratches or imperfections. Also, Marden Edwards are in the unique position to provide shrink wrap solutions to the Cosmetics market via trading division ‘ME Shrinkwrap’, capable of meeting the additional demands for wrapping solutions for presentation and transportation purposes.

“The cosmetics market is one of many looking

for reduced packaging and eco-friendly wrapping solutions. We work closely with film and paper material suppliers to ensure our machinery wraps cartons with all the latest eco-friendly materials without compromising production speed and wrap quality.”

Zero damage

Another company that touches on the combination of perfect aesthetic presentation with environmental responsibility is the banding system manufacturer ATS-Tanner. Its systems are particularly coming into play for automated multi-pack banding applications, either in logistical transportation or for discount offers on the shelves, according to Area Sales Manager Robert Cohen. “People usually come to us for two reasons: automation and reducing packaging,” he said. “They also want to protect the product, and with some alternative solutions you can get bands or straps that cut into the product. Our promise is that our banding has zero damage to the product.

They won’t have to over-produce by 10% to cover for damaged products or use extra sheets for protection.

Our banding might be more expensive than some, but for protection, efficiency and green: that’s where we win.”

The green aspect comes in the PP coating used on the paper bands so that they can be sealed.

Cohen says that new banding materials launched in 2020 contained less than 5% plastic, and they are FSC-certified. The banding can also be used to carry printed information such as branding, product information and barcodes, potentially allowing a reduction in outer packaging.

“We have made big advances in making our systems bigger and faster, to cope with the speeds that clients want at the moment, but we are also looking at making our materials even better,” Cohen added, though he said there will always need to be some PP coating on the banding material, otherwise the papers cannot be sealed together.

Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS) is also responding to green demands with more environmentally friendly materials. Its Managing Director, Glyn Johnson, observed that many cosmetic brands who emphasise

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the natural or eco basis of their products want to emulate these characteristics in their packaging too. “Manufacturers of soaps, bath bombs and shampoo bars in particular are trialling the benefits of bio-sourced, fully-recycable films, such as the B-NAT film from YPS,” he said, describing this film as “revolutionary”. Based on renewable sugarcane ethylene, the B-NAT film retains “all the standard properties of high clarity display polyolefin”, said Johnson.

Packaging reduction

Packaging quality can be at risk when environmental considerations come into play, according to John Marchment, Sales Director at Sollas UK, which manufactures overwrapping and banding equipment such as the quick changeover FSX and SE machines. He told Packaging in Focus: “Some of the luxury customer packs have improved in quality and on others, we have seen a reduction in overall pack size due to the liners being disposed of. We believe this is for packaging reduction reasons, which also affect transport and carbon reduction.

“Where liners have been left out and/or the carton gauge has been reduced, it can prove challenging to achieve the wrap quality that was previously enjoyed, as cartons can lose stiffness, strength and deform easily. Quality-produced cartons enable quality packing and appearance.”

Marchment is another who refers to the added emphasis in the beauty and personal care sector for products to arrive at the retailer or the doorstep undamaged from the packaging process. He said: “We line our machines with a special industrial grade of felt and this prevents scratches. Our machines can also be specified with Independent Product Transfer (IPT), which ensures that the wrapped product travels through the machine

without making contact with another, avoiding possible damage and adhesion.”

Another technology for ensuring that beauty care products reach the consumer in the same condition as they left the packaging factory – though one only suited to specific applications – is to use induction cap sealing. This is an area where Enercon Industries has a prominent position in the UK market, selling the Super Seal range of systems, which includes a handheld entry-level device (Super Seal Junior). The process creates an air-tight seal and is most often used on round jars with a screw-top cap. Much of Enercon’s ongoing development is in induction coils of different shapes to expand the application horizon, while an improved range of Super Seals coming out this year adds more efficiency to the technology.

www.sollas.com

Innovators in overwrapping and banding machinery

Improve your sales; overwrap your products The benefits of overwrapping in short: n Excellent appearance n On-pack promotion with printed film n Cost reduction n Closed packaging n No heat radiation n Efficiency n Ease of operation n Flexibility n Low maintenance n Easy opening with tear tape n Biodegradable film & paper Far left image: Enercon’s handheld Super Seal Junior.

Middle Image: The Sollas SE is a quick changeover overwrapping and banding system.

Right Image: Servo-driven, the Sollas FSX systems have quick-release change-parts, and size changes by the simple press of a button.

Over 10,000 machines sold world-wide!

01256 896930

“The requirement for induction cap sealing has increased because people are sensitive to things like tampering,” said Chris Sanger, Marketing Manager at Enercon. “The public are much more concerned that something is safe, and if you’re going to put something like a cosmetic on your face, you want to know it hasn’t been tampered with. Also, with the growth of internet sales, induction sealing is the simplest way of double sealing a product, so it doesn’t leak.”

In conclusion, for the beauty and personal care sector, conveying premium quality through packaging while reducing environmental impact are the major factors – perhaps with internet sales growth being an additional one – that are driving packaging developments.

With the introduction of initiatives seeking to reduce single use plastics, for example refilling of shampoo and soap packs by retailers such as Asda, Waitrose and The Body Shop, the balance between quality and sustainability is an even more important one for packaging producers and their equipment and materials suppliers to achieve.

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Beauty shouldn’t cost the earth

By Paula Chin, Sustainable Materials Specialist, WWF

e know we are facing an environmental crisis and must play our part to safeguard our future. Nature is in freefall and climate change is putting our home – our planet – at risk. But what does beauty packaging have to do with the climate and nature emergency? The answer: a lot more than you may think...

The Problem

More than 120 billion units of cosmetics packaging are produced globally every year, a lot of which is not recyclable. This is often due to the complexity and size of the packaging which recovery and recycling systems can’t handle.

Every piece of packaging which is produced, used and thrown away is a valuable resource taken from the planet in ways which often damage the natural world and adversely impact local communities.

Currently, we’re using natural resources faster than the planet can regenerate them – and only 8.6% of these resources are recovered and recycled. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), resource extraction and processing are responsible for 90% of global biodiversity loss and half of all carbon emissions.

This isn’t just about plastics – it’s about all packaging materials. Though the impacts of plastic pollution are well-documented, other materials cause impacts that are less visible to the consumer. While we urgently need legally binding targets to prevent mismanaged plastic waste polluting nature, we also need to be mindful of the impacts caused by other material supply chains.

Glass, metals and paper are materials that are often touted as “sustainable” alternatives to plastic, but these materials can also leave damaging environmental and social footprints throughout their supply chains. Switching from plastic to other materials doesn’t always solve our problems, instead, it can shift environmental and social burdens to a different supply chain.

The Solution

All is not lost - truly sustainable beauty packaging can be achieved through three key steps:

1. Elimination of unnecessary packaging – For

beauty products ‘unnecessary packaging’ is packaging that doesn’t provide a practical function for the consumer such as a doublewalled container for face cream. More brands are selling “naked” products where possible which is an encouraging step in the right direction.

2. Adoption of reusable and refillable packaging

– Brands such as The Body Shop had a reuse and refill approach to their packaging which was ahead of its time. We’re starting to see more brands adopt reusable packaging systems for their products and this helps to keep valuable resources in use for longer.

3. Supporting circular packaging solutions – As

consumers, we can check which packaging can be recycled locally and support brands and retailers who encourage the return of packaging for recycling. Look out for packaging which contains post-consumer recycled materials as this reduces the overall carbon impact. These steps support a transition to a more circular economy and promote greater resource efficiency.

Beauty choices are personal – such as which mascara we rely on and which moisturiser we swear by. But if each person has more awareness of the impacts his or her product of choice is having on the planet and the people who inhabit it, we will start to make a difference and collectively tackle the climate and nature crisis, one lipstick at a time.

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Sponsored feature

Embracing the changing face of business

By Spectra Packaging

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many businesses have been forced to adapt to a changing landscape beset with lockdowns, restrictions, and limited human contact. any have had to close their doors, placing employees on furlough or, worse still, making redundancies. Others have had to continue operating safely in often challenging conditions to provide essential products that help in the fight against coronavirus.

One such business is Spectra Packaging, an independent, self-financing rigid plastics manufacturer based in Suffolk in the UK. Founded in 2008, Spectra epitomises a forward-thinking business that embraces innovation and new ways of doing things.

At the height of the pandemic, the company witnessed unprecedented orders for hand sanitiser bottles, working roundthe-clock shifts to ensure products reached those in need as quickly as possible.

The difficulties thrown up by the pandemic have undoubtedly

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tested many companies who are having to navigate through what many now refer to as the ‘new norm’. One could argue that the business landscape will never be the same again. Businesses such as Spectra, which thrive on human interaction to provide a personalised service, have had to re-evaluate strategies to adhere to their core values.

With a greater reliance on remote technology, which some may see as an inferior makeshift substitute to human interaction, Spectra very much sees its role as complementary with genuine added benefits.

Jonathan Powell, Sales Director for Spectra, understands there are positive opportunities despite the uncertainties that lay ahead.

He remarked, “Covid-19 has impacted everyone’s lives, both on a personal level and in the workplace. As a business, we have

had to counter many challenges over the past year, ensuring the safety of our employees while satisfying unprecedented demand for our products.

He added, “Customer interaction continues to be fundamental to our on-going success. However, as more and more people work remotely, we have had to adapt to the changing face of business to ensure customers continue to feel supported. Technology has most certainly helped us achieve that”.

Unsurprisingly, one of Spectra’s initial concerns was whether the available technology would align with their customer-focused business model. However, what they found was the enforced changes had reaped benefits for both them and their customers.

Rather than seeing a decrease in customer contact, the firm has witnessed increased interaction thanks to platforms like Teams, Zoom, or Google Hangouts.

Sponsored feature Refreshingly, the company has also seen other departments within the business build remote face-to-face dialogues with customers. In contrast, before, telephone or email may have been the traditional communication method.

Jonathan explained: “By embracing remote face-to-face technology, all departments at Spectra are undoubtedly more accessible to customers than ever before. In many ways, we are increasing customer contact and support, at a time when it is theoretically more challenging to do so”.

Spectra has also been carefully crafting a new website, ready to go live in April 2021. Keen to ensure the new site has been developed to complement the ‘new way’ of doing business, many of its features have been specifically created with the customer in mind.

The design process has seen Spectra look in even greater detail at how it can maximise its online communications for the benefit of the end-user.

Spectra believes the new site is another excellent example of its desire to create a benefitsbased experience that builds interaction and gets to the core of customer needs, preferences and behaviours. One such feature on the new site is MySpectra - an innovative personalised online

portal that enables customers to gain exclusive access to a wealth of information not available to the casual visitor.

Other features include animated explanations of how products are made, an easy-to-use product selector and a sample ordering system that integrates with MySpectra. Customer education also plays a vital role, with an information-rich responsibility section focusing on recycled products, recycling processes, and bio-plastics.

COVID restrictions have also restricted another key element of Spectra’s sales support, namely customer factory visits.

Until the outbreak of COVID-19, visitors to Spectra’s modern purpose manufacturing facility were consistently impressed by enthusiastic and knowledgeable employees, happy to engage and share their extensive industry expertise. According to Jonathan, Sales Director, although safety continues to be uppermost, a lack of visitors partaking in conventional meetings and tours has proved frustrating.

“Factory visits have always been a key way to show visitors what Spectra is all about. Our tours show what we are trying to build here; they introduce passionate and approachable staff and offer an educational insight into all the

processes involved in producing bottles and closures”.

Unperturbed, Spectra didn’t want a lack of human interaction to hamper what can be an important customer relationbuilding exercise. With this in mind, the company is developing an innovative remote platform that

offers more than conventional virtual tours, including movies, Q&As from staff members and indepth departmental touchpoints.

Jonathan concluded, “In many ways, the pandemic has normalised remote working. That said, when we eventually return to some form of normality, those businesses that have embraced new ways of doing business will be better placed to navigate the hurdles ahead and engage and support their valued customers.

In our view, there are genuine opportunities that may not have been fully explored pre-pandemic.

COVID-19 has shown how resourceful businesses can be, and Spectra is most certainly up for that challenge”.

Spectra Packaging Ltd.

Antonine Way, Sparrowhawk Road, Holton, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8RX

+44 (0)1986 834190

sales@spectra-packaging.co.uk www.spectra-packaging.co.uk

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How Molton Brown executed the perfect brief

By Vincent Villéger, Luxury Packaging Creative Consultant, @vv_luxurypackaging

here is much negative talk out there about creative misadventures.

Tales of poor practices and of fractious client/designer relationships. Nightmare stories of misunderstood visions and dreadful compromise.

Today, I would like to offer a controversial, alternative take on this narrative. Today, I would like to tell the story of what happens when everything goes right.

I have been saying it to my clients for over twenty years now: my designs will only ever be as good as your brief. As it turns out, Molton Brown came to the table with a near perfect brief. Not by chance.

The teams had put a lot of work into establishing what the problem was, without trying to find a solution (that’s my job).

The problem in question: the fine fragrance category was not performing to expectations.

Presented in the same roundshouldered bottle as the brand’s famous body wash, the fragrances didn’t stand out amidst the wide product offering. The scents were created by master perfumers, using ingredients of the highest quality, but the perfumes just weren’t selling.

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That was the problem. Packaging was the answer.

Three key objectives were very clearly set out, against which any design concept would be measured. First, we had to reclaim a luxury positioning for the brand’s fine fragrance category. Then, credibility would need to be established in the fine fragrance market. Finally, the packaging should tell the brand’s story: born in 1970s London, with a progressive outlook characteristic of the period.

The design

I set out to address the bottle silhouette. Creating a form that would stand out amongst the brand’s vast range of products and establish a clear hierarchy between the different product categories. Inspired by 1970s art and visual references, the design borrows from various aspects of the brand’s design language.

So, although it stands out, it still

belongs. By turning it into a bold spherical cap, the Lens - one of the brand’s key assets - became the main feature of the bottle.

For the Eaux de Parfum, each scent has its own cap colour. This helps with range navigation of course, but more importantly it is an expression of individuality, a concept key to the brand’s approach to scent.

The production process means each cap displays unique patterns, so no two bottles are the same.

A concave mirrored surface to the top of the bottle creates distorted reflections reminiscent of the psychedelic imagery of the 1970s: a reference to the brand’s origins and an expression of perfume’s unique ability to alter perceptions and create our own reality.

To achieve the required level of luxury, I relied on three strategies.

First, there’s weight: the glass base is thick, with the shoulders covered

in a metal sheath. So, the bottle feels heavier than expected. Then comes tactility, which always plays a central role in my designs. In this instance, raised inks, laser-etched motifs and debossed repeat pattern textures all play a subtle part in raising the tactility bar.

Finally, I introduced a sophisticated use of colour. Dark smokey brown picks up on the brand’s core colour, the caps providing a subtle colour highlight. A departure from the array of colours previously seen on the shelves. Instead, a true sense of a collection of luxury perfumes. The brand comes first.

Having invested so much in designing - and making - such a qualitative bottle, it seems counterintuitive to expect it to be discarded after its original use. We ensured it was refillable, offering the service in Molton Brown stores.

Better for the environment. Better for footfall. Better for loyalty.

And of course, the commercials were considered as part of the design process. The Eaux de Toilette share the silhouette, ensuring they belong firmly in the fine fragrance family. But subtle differences in treatment allow for efficiencies. The aluminium cap, the lighter glass lacquering and

the simpler carton all make it viable for these to retail at a lower price than the Eaux de Parfum.

A collaborative process

Collaboration is what made this project such a success. The brand knew what it needed to achieve.

They did their homework in ensuring this was clearly communicated, then trusted me to deliver. Embraced the creative process.

Crucially, I was also involved throughout the entire development process: creating a bridge between brand and production teams, visiting the paper mill to develop two bespoke papers and the glassmakers to oversee the expansive lacquering range. I was on the shop floor at the printers, checking the carton embossing was deep enough.

I love working this way because I truly believe the development process is a creative one, key to the viability of the end result. That’s why I like to get hands-on, go to the factory, talk to the machine operator. Because it’s not what I design. It’s what we make.

This design has won multiple awards, and to some this would

represent the ultimate accolade.

To me, the greatest satisfaction is to have been able to help the client bring their ambitions to life.

The process delivered on all the objectives we had set ourselves, resulting in a design that is timeless - just the way I like them.

Yes, this project was great. But it is not unique. Over the course of my career, I have been fortunate to work - and continue to work with great brands. Great clients.

Great people. Be it Burberry, Clive Christian, Givenchy, or the ones I am not yet allowed to mention!

As we emerge from the toughest couple of years in a generation, it seems fitting to unashamedly use this platform to express my gratitude to them all.

Top left image: Vincent’s design for the EDP bottle. Top right image: The EDT collection. Bottom right image: Tactility detailing on pack.

The rise and rise of E-commerce packaging E-commerce truly boomed in 2020. But what does the future hold and where are the opportunities?

We interviewed James Harmer Planning & Innovation Strategy leader at Cambridge Design Partnership to delve into the detail of e-commerce packaging. n the last 3-5 years, what have been the biggest shifts or challenges the packaging industry has had to deal with?

The biggest macro shift has been the packaging industry’s need to find sustainable alternatives and doing so in a way that doesn’t impact their business while allowing them to supply goods customers need. There’s a massive push for this from the big FMCG companies. When I am talking to these clients, they say KPIs are as much around sustainability now as they are around the P&L, that’s going to put a huge amount of pressure on certain packaging suppliers. But it will also create a huge amount of opportunity. Then there is the shift that companies don’t just need a bricks and

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mortar presence, but they also need to be able to ship directly to the consumer (D2C). Beyond the requirements of robust packaging for D2C, are the opportunities around packaging being customizable, bespoke for different people’s needs and designed in different ways. Because of those things, there has been an increase in technologies surrounding digital printing allowing custom print. All of these have begun to converge all at once, so e-commerce but sustainable, ‘mass but custom’ are the fundamental themes that are changing the landscape.

The pandemic changed shopper habits and customer’s views on packaging. Do you think once lockdown lifts, people will go back to their pre-

Covid habits quickly or do you think some habits will remain?

I think there is going to be a desire by some consumers to get back to the high street without a shadow of a doubt. Those consumers who have always been seeking tactile shopping experiences in bricks and mortar retail and love shopping in stores.

But what has happened during lockdown is that e-commerce increased in its prevalence trend analysts like Benedict Evans has said that it fast-forwarded the development of e-commerce by 5 to 10 years in terms of its maturity over the lockdown. What lockdown has done for certain people who were not interested in e-commerce is promoted the understanding that e-commerce

is very straight forward and much easier than they thought it was, especially for the boomer generation. They’ve become much more adept at doing it and that is because of lockdown.

What do you feel are the main challenges around e-commerce packaging and why brands struggle to ‘get it right’?

I think on a pragmatic level there have been some problems around sizing. When we think about Amazon who are the leaders in e-commerce alongside Alibaba, they both struggled with rightsizing their packaging to start with. So, a lot of consumers got frustrated with small items being delivered in large boxes. Amazon has pushed hard to try and change that. It is a huge amount of waste for them, the consumer and had huge efficiency implications in terms of logistics. There’s been a lot of work to get the right size especially with sustainability in the background as a big watch out.

Amazon has started to encourage their suppliers to discuss getting rid of secondary packaging, to have primary packaging as the secondary packaging for shipping.

I have worked with them in the past and something they have now adopted is frustration-free packaging. Suppliers are rewarded by getting rid of lots of additional

packaging waste, ink and aspects you ultimately don’t need because you aren’t displaying instore on a shelf.

What are the main opportunities for brands in terms of online shopping and e-commerce?

I think there are loads of opportunities. One of the things that has been exciting to see is brands pivoting towards a consumer desire for sustainability, as they feel guilty about the amount of packaging and waste produced, resulting in brands producing condensed formulas of their products. This is always an issue with liquid-based products; you are shipping an awful lot of weight in the form of water. Brands like Splosh have been doing this successfully, through the letterbox cleaning products. Brands can also build a relationship with the consumer where they have subscription models, consumers don’t need to worry about going out to the shops because it will come straight to their door. I think this is something that brands will do more of, as it will block out the competition and offer a friction-free experience. There are other exciting examples from the beauty industry. Such as Skin + me, a skincare brand where the product is personalised based on the person’s skin profile. When you receive it, it doesn’t feel scientific

and medicinal, the pack has the person’s name on it. It feels so much more about the customer than any major, mass-produced brand could do. We are seeing things from the big players as well. So, Armani have their My Way products now where they send basic packaging to consumers, but they refill Armani bottles they have at home, so you don’t throw out the beautiful glass bottle decanter that is always on your dressing table. Why would you have plastic or disposable things on your dressing table when you can just refill these beautiful objects.

Another brand that I thought was interesting is called Beauty Kitchen. They have this great concept ‘Return, Refill, Repeat’, where people send packaging back to be refilled, like the LOOP system by Terracycle. One of the other reverse logistics systems I’ve seen which I think is really neat is a packaging supplier called RePack who have teamed up with lots of different clothing brands. Where you get sent something to try on and if you are not happy with it you send the product back in the pre-paid RePack envelope. They have reduced their packaging by 80% by using the RePack envelope.

These padded bags have been made for e-commerce which makes them better to go through that system. But it also protects the products in a much more agile way. The way they have been

Top left image: perfumesclub. co.uk/en/armani/my-way-eau-deparfum-spray-refill/p_079044/.

Bottom right image: canvas8.com/ content/2020/05/28/splosh-cleaning. html

designed means you can also use that Repack envelope time and time again compared to a oneuse box. But what I love most is the creative way Repack take the envelopes that have been used many times over and instead of trashing them after 20-30 uses, they turn the material into fashion bags and rucksacks - genius!

In your opinion, is there an industry that is benefiting most from e-commerce packaging currently and is there an industry that could really jump on the e-commerce bandwagon and maximise it in the future?

Currently, grocery is doing really well in e-comm there’s no doubt about it. The fact that Amazon has invested so heavily in their inner-city grocery delivery services shows this. In certain parts of London, you can get groceries within an hour with their service. Amazon’s focus is all around convenience and ultimately people want that level of convenience. I hate to say it, but I think that’s Amazon’s big push and as much as that’s not carbon friendly, a lot of people are driven by convenience.

I think there are going to be consumers who realise they are wasting money and need to be more frugal. So, the area I think that could be interesting and we are starting to see this emerge is the toy industry. If you check out a company called Whirli™ they have an interesting offering which is as the age of child changes their interests change. So instead of buying loads of plastic toys and have them sitting at home, you can send those toys back and you will get more suitable toys sent to you for the child’s age. I think the world is waking up to the fact that we can’t keep creating goods and

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putting them in landfill. I also think totally new models of hire rather than purchase for things like DIY, so tools you will only ever use once.

It will change the business model of the likes of B&Q and the DIY industry. In luxury and fashion as well, we have seen brands like Rent the Runway come from nothing and now really popular, whereby you don’t have to buy a cheap dress for one night you instead can have a really nice dress for one night and send it back after use.

You see a lot of surveys with consumers stating they would pay more for sustainable packaging, for example, but that doesn’t ever seem to play out in reality...

Yes, that’s a great point to build on. This is one of the reasons that packaging design is so important.

If we are going to get consumers to buy sustainable packaging, we must give them a better reason for buying the product than it just being sustainable. So, for example with LOOP’s metal container for Häagen-Dazs, the experience far exceeded the usual product experience. It’s a sustainable pack, it’s a returnable pack, it’s part of the LOOP system but people were paying more for it because we could make the experience so much better keeping the ice cream colder out of the fridge for longer. We need to change the experience dynamic by designing packs to be much more pleasurable, better to use like this.

That is when consumers are going to start spending more money on packaging not just because they are sustainable but because it

improves their experience of the product.

What do you think will be the main challenges over the next year or two?

Well, I think there is no doubt about it, the challenges for the packaging industry are going to be about how we find unity and how we find common purpose in what it is we develop and manufacture.

We have an incredibly divergent industry, as a brand you have so many options of what you can put your product in, and a lot of those options are led by consumer behaviour or consumer belief in what’s more sustainable or better.

But some of those things are pure semiotics; it’s what it looks like rather than the material science. I think the future looks like a lot more legislation, and a realisation that we must lead consumers. We can’t let the consumer lead us. There will be more limited packaging options, but they will be much more universally recyclable or circular to clean up a system that has gone haywire. Unless we do this at a systems level and take the bull by the horns and work out how we are going to deal with end of life, then we are going to be in real trouble. The way we need to respond to climate change will force the science to be the leader.

What we have seen with COVID is that science is having a new voice, the politicians have had to stand behind the scientists and say these experts know what they are talking about and we don’t. I think similarly in the packaging industry scientists are going to have to start leading the way versus consumers and marketeers.

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Whether it’s for contract manufacturing, filling, packing, fulfilment, e-commerce or logistics, your project is easier via the BCMPA Search our free database of 180+ members for co-packing, NPD, blending, gift pack, private label, rework, pick & pack, storage, distribution and more at: bcmpa.org.uk

The Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics

How PB Creative kept LYNX GEN-Z relevant

By Velda Croot, Marketing & Business Development Director, PB Creative

YNX (AXE outside the UK) is synonymous with young guys, with more than 8 million using the brand every day and almost half of all body wash products sold in the UK each year being LYNX. As expectations from this dynamic GEN-Z demographic continually shift, so the brand needs to continue to advance and evolve too, striving to stay relevant, connected and of course front of mind.

We have a long-established partnership with LYNX going back nearly a decade. This latest development of the brand is built on solid foundations following a re-calibration we undertook which successfully drove positive reappraisal with core consumers and reaffirmed the brand’s credibility.

Since then, we’ve taken LYNX on a progressive journey of expression, fuelled by an exciting yet challenging innovation pipeline of limited-edition fragrance collisions including the controversial yet iconic LYNX Africa x Marmite range which embraced a much more expressive and vibrant aesthetic.

This fresh and expressive visual code with its inspiration firmly rooted in street art, generated strong appeal with LYNX guys and presented us with an opportunity to transcend the master brand into a much more vibrant and progressive territory with the aspiration to put street art in the hands of every LYNX guy globally.

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Our ongoing partnership with the brand and deep understanding of each LYNX variant enabled us to curate a detailed back story for each of the brand’s iconic fragrances ahead of briefing renowned street artist Ben Tallon to bring this vision to life as a range of graffiti inspired illustrations.

We have now successfully progressed LYNX to a visual territory that feels more credibly edgy, vibrant and on-trend as the brand continues to engage and resonate with its core GEN-Z consumers.

Expression is the future for LYNX that will redefine what the brand stands for. This is the beginning of an exciting journey that will see the brand engage with its consumers on a higher level through increasingly compelling and desirable LYNX brand expressions.

We’ve successfully taken the brand back to its roots with a new focus and energy to deliver this new visual identity which is expressive, characterful and progressive.

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How Butterfly Cannon used Conscious Design™ to create sustainable gifts that keep on giving for VOYA Organic Beauty

By Chris Joscelyne, Marketing Manager, Butterfly Cannon

hat happens when you bring seaweed, sustainability and a spa experience together for the festive season? You get luxury gifting with a conscience.

Using wild seaweed hand-harvested off the West Coast of Ireland, VOYA Organic Beauty is a luxury spa and beauty brand with an earthy and environmentally friendly ethos. For the 2020 festive season, VOYA needed a seasonal gifting collection and campaign that celebrated these core beliefs in a meaningful way. We saw a chance to use our Conscious Design ™ approach to create a luxury gifting experience that put sustainability first.

In line with our Conscious Design™ approach, all the packaging in the collection is 100% recycled or recyclable. To ensure that the removable printed sleeve complimented this and the tactile and sensorial character of the collection, our Sustainability Manager selected Favini’s Shiro Alga Carta White paper. This is FSC certified stock from renewable, carbon offset sources which fittingly includes unwanted aquatic plant matter - helping protect fragile marine areas. With responsible decoration using Foilco’s ‘Zero 2 Landfill’ foil, its easy deconstruction allows the durable bags, pouches and tins to be reused and repurposed; a toy box, utensil holder and plant pot are just a few of the ideas we’ve seen shared on social media.

The end result is a striking, adaptable design with sustainability at its heart; truly conscious gifting. On its launch, there was naturally a wave of positive response from consumers.

Our creative platform ‘A Natural Touch of Beauty’ is rooted in VOYA’s belief in the healing properties of seaweed and the power of touch. Stemming from this is the campaign visual icon; a hand-painted brushstroke that flows like seaweed. Evoking the ribbon of a present, it neatly ties the collection together; organically cropped in different configurations to aid range navigation.

The festive season is typically associated with celebration, drama, and not to mention, excess.

However, there’s been a shift in consumer awareness towards conscious consumption. Tapping into this, there was the opportunity to encourage a change in perception towards packaging, to see it not just as a one-off but as something that can be reused and repurposed. The challenge was creating a gift collection that lived beyond the festive season.

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As an agency specialising in aspirational brands, creating sustainable packaging that still delivers the sensorial, tactile and culturally relevant experiences expected by aspirational consumers, we are only too aware of the complexities of creating packaging that ‘ticks all the boxes.’

If you want to be more conscious in your design or want to know more about how our proprietary Climatic Table™ of 28 sustainable elements can help navigate the stormy waters of ecological design whilst still delivering distinctive brand experiences; then we’d love to hear from you. Visit www.butterflycannon.com.

Packaging Innovations & Luxury Packaging London

22 & 23 September 2021 | Olympia, London

Showcase your products at the capital’s most innovative packaging event!

“We have been to the show before and this year it feels bigger and better than ever. We have caught up with new and old contacts, which has been great. It’s the type of event you just have to be at. We always come to the show and will certainly be back next year.”

Will Saunders, Business Development, Fleet Luxury

“A fantastic opportunity to network with people involved in the packaging industry. Many exhibitors like us were showcasing some amazing forms of innovative, eye catching, high quality products, which for the visitors to the show must have caused sensory overload!

I believe for us at least Packaging Innovations is the go-to show for the year.”

David Bristow, New Business Development Manager, Leading Edge Labels & Packaging Ltd

Book your stand

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DIGITAL

OPPORTUNITIES Elevate your brand

Our packaging events are unquestionably the leading hub for buyers to source packaging from across the supply chain, meaning that over the past 12 years of running shows we’ve built up an unrivalled database of key decision-makers within the packaging industry.

Utilising our digital reach can elevate your products and solutions, enabling you to get in front of the who’s who in packaging.

Talk to the team today Joe Riddett, Head of Sales joe.riddett@easyfairs.com +44 (0)20 3196 4354