Redesigned environmentally-friendly packaging

To respond to the consumers’ interest in greener products, a large number of companies have taken the opportunity to associate new environmentally-friendly packaging with a new brand image. Here are two recent examples:

Gillette opts for blister packaging. The benefits of Gillette’s use of BlisterGuard include: 1) Packaging reduces the amount of plastic in the environment (by 50-70%); 2) Products are theft-resistant at the store and easy to open at home with scissors; 3) Package increases brand visibility and is more consumer-friendly; 4) Packaging was changed without changing equipment; 5) Assembly process was made more efficient, with minimal retooling.

KFC introduces eco-friendly packaging. Starting this month, KFC in the UK and Ireland will switch its burger packaging from cardboard "clamshells" to paper wrappers, and its individual-portion meals from cardboard boxes to paper bags. The new packaging is made from 100% renewable sources from European forests, which are 100% recyclable and biodegradable. The changes follow an initial measure taken to reduce cardboard waste in 2008, when the business stopped packing boxed meals for eat-in customers, saving approximately 554 tonnes in waste.