John West was looking for new packaging for its tuna products to replace the previous plastic shrink wrap and avoid waste. The collaboration between the Schubert Group, CCL Label and Touch Design resulted in Ecotwist, an innovative new solution.
Ecotwist, a patent-pending packaging solution, replaces the traditional plastic shrink film thanks to a so-called Smartstrip. Thanks to Smartstrip, consumers can simply twist and pull off the top can to remove it from the stack of cans. Thanks to Ecotwist, John West saves around 65 tonnes of plastic shrink film or 300 tonnes of cardboard one. The solution has been independently categorised as fully recyclable. Consumers can easily dispose of the packaging via the UK recycling system.
Touch Design developed the Twist principle in close collaboration with John West's team. James Pryor, Managing Partner at Touch, explains:
„We tested around 20 sustainable packaging concepts. John West gave us the brief to develop a ‚Multipack 2.0‘ with minimal packaging in order to completely remove the plastic shrink wrap and thus fulfil John West's sustainable packaging goals. At the same time, they wanted to retain the stability of the multipack.“
CCL Label had to find the right balance to ensure the aluminium Smartstrips were strong enough to be stacked and transported and easy to open for all ages. Wayne Firth, UK Sales and Marketing Director at CCL Label, adds: „Twisting and pulling off a can has to feel good. So the Smartstrip should give at the right moment, sound right and look right. The ones we have developed Labels therefore had to fulfil various properties and offer the right level of adhesive strength.“
The Schubert Group developed a packaging line specially designed for John West, which integrates all the requirements of the Touch Design concept and the aluminium strip from CCL Label into an industrial solution. Cyrille Zimmermann, Project Manager at Schubert, adds: „We have developed, built and commissioned a pioneering new packaging technology here. John West now has the first packaging line in this category worldwide."
John West started the Ecotwist project three years ago with the aim of completely removing plastic shrink wrap from their products and replacing it with a fully recyclable solution. During the course of the project, John West formulated further requirements to improve Ecotwist. Vikki Babb, International Marketing Director at John West, says:
„We have completely redesigned our tins. They now have a contemporary look, are slightly higher, fully printed and have an easy-to-open lid. The cans have also become lighter despite containing the same amount of tuna, which means we save over 400 tonnes of steel every year.“
Ecotwist has been available in shops of the British supermarket chain Asda since this week. Other major retailers will follow shortly. John West's Ecotwist minimal multipack packaging is a finalist in the Packaging Europe Sustainability Awards, which will be presented in Amsterdam on 11 and 12 November.
Source: Schubert
