Research has shown retailers and consumers are wanting more sustainable packaging solutions when they make purchasing decisions. Moreover, the EU’s single use plastic (SUP) directive, which came into force on 3 July 2019, aims to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. This has caused large brands and manufacturers to re-evaluate their packaging strategies and seek out alternatives.
Ecogrip is designed to replace single use shrink wrap plastic for bottles between 330 ml and 1.5 litres, providing a recyclable and biodegradable corrugate solution for multi-packs. Adaptable to the many different bottle styles on the market regardless of diameter, it provides brands, retailers and consumers with a sustainable multi-packing solution for four, six or eight bottles.
The ergonomic design makes it easy to transport, handle and store and the corrugated board can be customised through a variety of print technologies for maximum brand and on-shelf impact.
‘Every business is now focused on sustainability,’ said Armin Höttges, managing director at Blue Box Partners.
‘While we continue to see improvements in recycling rates for many packaging products, secondary packaging such as shrink wrap falls into the category of single use plastic which can create issues if not disposed of responsibly.
‘This has resulted in considerable pressure from governments, environmental groups and consumers – all of whom are demanding packaging which is more sustainable and the launch of Ecogrip now delivers a solution for brands that want an effective multi-packing option.’
VPK Group offers, together with the other members of Blue Box Partners (Klingele Paper and Packaging Group, Hinojosa and Cart-One), expertise and collective intelligence and delivers local solutions across Europe. Working with brands to develop packaging solutions that not only solve their current issues around single use plastic, but also provide sustainable packaging solutions for the long term, the launch of Ecogrip is the perfect example of the partnership.
