Pack Expo 2011 was held in Las Vegas from September 26-29 (See Photo Gallery).
Sometimes the best thing a package can do is get out of the way and show its contents. This approach has paid major dividends for those PET bottle manufacturers that have recently grabbed a significant share of the multi-serve juice container market from the from hitherto unchallenged carton suppliers.
The lesson in that shift to PET is a simple one: people want to see what they are drinking.
The carton manufacturers, however, are showing that they aren’t giving up without a fight.
At the recent Pack Expo 2011, BevNET got a look at a proto-type of a soon-to-be-launched 64 oz. carton featuring puncture-resistant PET laminate front panel windows. Made by Evergreen Packaging under the Fresh-Look Window Carton brand name, the new package will provide what older cartons couldn’t: a view of the beverage within.
Although these cartons might not have the eye-catching shelf-presence of a fully transparent PET bottle, they will give shoppers a view of the beverage within. Additionally, the new design will allow people to check the level at a glance to see how much is left in the carton.
Not confined to primary packaging, transparency is making waves in secondary packaging. Innovative Plastech displayed a new PET pallet tray which is intended for use in big box store displays. The obvious advantage relative to typical cardboard-based pallet trays is that the transparent shelving highlights the product. The company makes smaller scale PET trays for retailer environments.
Aiming to buck the transparency trend, however, are the folks at Ecologic Brands. Their Ecologic molded cardboard bottles use a #4 LDPE recyclable bag inside to preserve contents and a 100 percent recycled cardboard and newspaper outer shell which can be recycled seven more times. It is also compostable. Already used by eco-friendly consumer product manufacturer, Seventh Generation, for its laundry detergents, the package has been adopted by several dairy manufacturers on the West Coast.
Sponsor’s Message:
BevNET’s coverage of Pack Expo 2011 is sponsored by Owens-Illinois, makers of pure, sustainable, brand-building glass packaging. Visit O-I’s website www.GlassisLife.com to learn more.