Page 39 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec 2021

November-December 2021 | www.packagingnews.com.au | PACKAGING INNOVATION
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packaging had to “disrupt and create theatre on the shelf”.
Enter the concept to use the card- board substrate as marketing real-estate to visually tell a story to the consumer, for immediate attention at store level.
Original design is Sadan’s forté, and this was an exciting project for him to undertake. He had also worked exten- sively with fruit growers and retailers in his previous role as a plastic pack- ing manufacturer, so this is a sector he is comfortable with.
“From the ideation session we cre- ated design options to engage with the retail partners to gain early buy-in and feedback,” says Lorenz, explaining that he and Sadan worked closely and col- laboratively with all the stakeholders to create the apple punnets.
The process took around six months from start to finish and entailed many design revisions and R&D, with all meetings done via Zoom due to the extended lockdowns.
Before starting the design process, Sadan says he analysed the pack- aging’s structure to work out the measurement and weights necessary for the product to fit into the pack, and on a larger scale, to work out how the packs would fit into a crate.
“From there I worked with the graphic designers to overlay the design and cascade other creative ele- ments,” he explained.
Lorenz and Sadan met with some challenges when working with the structural components related to the packaging measurements and internal dimensions of the punnets.
“It was challenging to work within the restriction of current packaging measurements and to ensure that the punnet design incorporated both hand and machine glue closures,” says Lorenz, noting that it was also tricky to
work with the weight and sizing of the punnets – internal dimensions had to accommodate 1kg of graded apples and external dimensions needed to accom- modate eight punnets in a tray, using a punnet assembler.
In addition, using cut-outs on the punnets to showcase as much fruit as possible was an intricate process, as care had to be taken to ensure that the punnet’s structural strength would not be compromised.
The cut-outs themselves are a key feature of the punnets and a hallmark of Sadan’s designs, which he describes as “the use of negative space to allow the product to interact with its pack- aging and design”.
In terms of the substrate, Sadan says that it provided a perfect canvas for marketing real-estate – which is exactly what the apple punnets have done.
“Every part of the substrate can be used as a canvas and widely injected with a blaze of colour,” he says, which he has achieved not just with the cut- outs but also with clever graphics that depict the orchard theme: tractors and carvings on trees.
Importantly, since the punnets are sustainable and recyclable, this mes- sage was also to be conveyed within the packaging.
Sadan has noticed a growing trend in product and brand owners using packaging to exhibit the sustainabil- ity of their offerings, in line with the 2025 sustainability targets.
“Suddenly there is a greater empha- sis to communicate a product’s sustainability profile and its recycla- ble materials. Information is becoming more prominently placed on packag- ing, where previously it was hidden in a small triangle on the packaging and pallet,” he says.
“Brown is the new green, and the modern consumer is looking for grass roots design and packaging that is made from natural fibre board.”
This was achieved with the punnets – PEFC certified kraft paper was used because of its tactile and sustainable properties.
In addition, the punnets were printed on a KBA litho press using soy-based inks and finished with water-based food contact coating.
Reflecting
teamwork involved in getting the proj- ect off the ground, Sadan believes that it has achieved a successful outcome.
“There’s a strong emphasis on work- ing closely together in the process,” he says. “In this way, everything is open, everything is transparent, everyone knows everyone and talks to everyone, so there's no hiding anything. There's no keeping anything behind the scenes – we are all working together to put something interesting on the shelf, which is ultimately what we have done with these apple punnets.”
Not only can the punnets provide consumers with a good example of the benefits and visual appeal of plastic- free packaging, but the concept itself may help to promote, more broadly, the idea of a fully sustainable shopping experience in the fresh produce aisles of the future.
So, how do you like those apples? ■
ABOVE: The Packaging Hippie’ – NAVI Co Global’s Gilad Sadan holds up the new punnet with pride.
on the
collaborative
Every part of the substrate can be used as a canvas and widely injected with a blaze of colour.”