Fresh Thinking Paper Ideas – May 2024

The latest creative and effective uses of paper-based materials, from a cardboard ramp for a paralympic sport to sustainable cable ties, we bring you the latest innovations in paper and card.

Sustainable Spirits

New Two Sides member Frugalpac has launched arguably the world’s most sustainable spirit bottle. The sustainable packaging company, whose mission is to decarbonise the food and drinks industry, is providing the Welsh spirit company Grounds For Good with its paper Frugal Bottles to safely and securely package gin made from used coffee grounds.

Made from 94% recycled paperboard, Frugal Bottles have a carbon footprint up to six times lower than a glass bottle, as well as being five times lighter than one. This exciting collaboration comes just a few weeks after Aldi announced that it was to become the first UK supermarket to stock its own-label wines in Frugal Bottles in their UK stores.

Frugalpac’s partnership with Grounds For Good marks a significant step forward for the spirits industry, combining eco-friendly packaging with exceptional taste.

“We use recycled paper to make our Frugal Bottles and they use used coffee grounds to make their amazing gin,” explained Frugalpac CEO Malcolm Waugh. “Put the two together and it’s probably the most sustainable spirit launch we’ve ever been involved with!”

Snack Pack Breakthrough

The recyclability of crisp packets has been a longstanding problem for snack manufacturers, but The British Crisp Co. has announced that it’s released the first fully kerbside-recyclable paper crisp packet in the UK.

The packets have been developed in partnership with EvoPak, a manufacturer of sustainable paper-based flexible packaging, and have been certified by On-Pack Recycling Labels (OPRL) as recyclable, meaning they are compatible with consumer kerbside collection streams alongside other paper material.

“Brits consume over eight billion packets of crisps each year, the majority of which are not recyclable and end up in landfill or incinerators – that’s a lot of waste and a huge environmental problem,” said Tom Lock, CEO of The British Snack Co. “In partnership with Evopak and using exciting new polymer technology, we have created the first fully recyclable crisp packet – something that consumers have been demanding for a long time.”

Sweet Succession

Italian confectionary company Perfetti Van Melle has been gathering awards and accolades all over Europe for its Mentos Pure Fresh Gum. Not only was the product voted Product of the Year 2024, but it won both the Public Award and the Sustainability Award in the European Carton Excellence Awards (ECEA) 2023.

Working with their packaging partner Graphic Packaging International, the fibre-based pack produced for Mentos Pure was the first time a major global confectioner had created a paperboard bottle in the chewing gum category. With a unique shape that’s printable on all six sides, the container is fully certified as recyclable, so can be recycled in the paper-based waste stream.

Judges for the ECEA said: “The innovative and flexible design demonstrates how sustainable packaging alternatives can uphold identical functionality, setting a great example for the packaging industry.”

Sport For All

Lesters Packaging has been working with academics and students at Loughborough University to develop a specialist ‘Boccia’ ramp made completely of cardboard. Boccia is a paralympic sport that involves propelling balls from a seated position to land as close as possible to a jack. Having been trialled by Special Olympics sports coaches Clare Pattison and Angela Morley over the last six months, the ramp could soon be replacing its more costly alternatives.

“The athletes have also been drawn to the inclusive golf game,” said Pattison, “This has benefitted their social skills, as well as helping athletes to adapt to standing sideways, with more able and confident players using a golf club and ball.”

The ramp has been designed to be highly adaptable and can easily be turned into the golf game. It’s also foldable, allowing it to fi t into a standard car boot, making it easy to transport between events and schools.

“To our knowledge this is one of the very few times that corrugated fibreboard has been used to manufacture a product that isn’t just used as packaging,” said Greg Burton, Design Manager at Lesters. “It could open the floodgates for the industry and designers to use more of the sustainable medium in the future for other applications.”

Environmental Security

Plastic cable ties are one of the simplest and strongest ways to secure products during shipping and can often be the last remaining pieces of plastic in fibre-based packaging. But with millions used around the world every day, the environmental impact of these tiny components soon adds up.

However, the Italian packaging company BOTTA EcoPackaging has revealed a fibre-based solution with the launch of its eco–paper cable ties. Made from recyclable paper, the ties offer both strength and durability, as well as simple application and easy removal, resulting in less frustration during unboxing.

Supplied flat to save space, the ties not only reduce the amount of plastic in the supply chain, but also cut down emissions in the transport process.

Read more interesting articles like the above in the latest edition of The Page here!

Join the community

By signing up for the Two Sides newsletter, you join 70,000 industry professionals getting up-to-date sustainability news from across the print, paper and paper packaging industry.

Sign me up!