Lacuna Innovation: Shrink Wrap Packaging Report

VERSION1 / NOVEMBER 2019
SHRINK WRAP
ALTERNATIVES IN THE
BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

CONTENTS CURRENT SHRINK WRAP ALTERNATIVES IN USE 4
THE PRODUCTION OF SHRINK WRAP ALTERNATIVES 19

© Lacuna Innovation Ltd. 2019 3
INTRODUCTION TO
Shrink wrap packaging is an area ripe
for disruption, with many companies
designing new packaging materials,
while conglomerates in the beverage
industry introduce new machinery
and materials to lessen plastic waste
in their production and the product’s
lifecycle. This report explores some
of the alternatives introduced in the
beverage industry.
Shrink wrap is a thin plastic film
primarily used as secondary
packaging for products. Products
are stacked together and wrapped
in order to simplify storage and
transportation. It is used by multiple
industries, including the beverage,
food and fast-moving consumer
goods (FMCG) industries. Plastic
wraps were traditionally made
using PVC plastic, however, they
are now made primarily with
LDPE (low-density polyethylene),
which still poses a risk to
environmental sustainability.
According to online scientific
publication Our World in Data (OWID),
plastic pollution contributes eight
million tons of ocean waste annually.
In the current climate, manufacturers
are more cautious of the packaging
designs that eventually end up in
landfills. They have committed to
changing their production methods
and discovering alternative
forms of packaging that are
environmentally friendly.
SHRINK
WRAP

CURRENT
SHRINK WRAP
ALTERNATIVES
IN USE

CURRENT
SHRINKWRAP
ALTERNATIVES
IN USE
The beverage industry is exploring new,
sustainable packaging methods that
reduce the amount of plastic used
per package. World-leading producers
including Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch
InBev, Molson Coors, and Carlsberg are
experimenting with new technologies to
replace single-use plastic wrap and six-
pack beer rings with more sustainable
materials. Cardboard cartons and trays,
paper-based wrap, adhesive and reusable
materials are some of the options on
offer by companies.

CURRENT SHRINK WRAP ALTERNATIVES IN USE
CASE STUDIES

CARLSBERG
Carlsberg introduced its Snap Pack in
September 2018, the implementation of
which will reduce plastic waste by 1,200tons,
or nearly 76% per year.
Carlsberg uses glue to stick cans together
in a production process, replacing the
plastic wrapping that used to hold together
its six-packs of cans. The small patch of glue
left behind when cans are pulled apart can be
recycled along with the aluminium can.

CORONA
Established in 2017, Mexican
manufacturer E6PR offers brewers a
biodegradable sixpack ring packaging.
Corona was the first major brand
to pilotE6PR’s technology.
The Mexican brand unveiled its alternative
approach to ring packaging, for which it
uses an aggregator made from plant-based
biodegradable fibres mixed by-product waste
and compostable materials to produce the
packaging, which will break down into
organic material if left in the environment.

MOLSON COORS
Molson Coors ditched plastic rings
from its Carling and Coors Light
cans in the UK and Ireland in August 2019.
The brewer is set to replace the plastic film
wrap from large multipacks by the end of
March 2020 with 100% recyclable fully
enclosed carton board.

SALTWATER
Florida-based brewery Saltwater is
working with Mexican-based startup E6PR
on a sustainable way of handling cans. This
collaboration includes New York ad agency
We Believers, Mexican biodegradable
supplier Entelequia, and private investors
from the beverage packing industry. The
ring is created from by-product waste
and other compostable materials.
It naturally degrades when
properly disposed of.

SEGAFREDO
ZANETTI
Italian beverage company Segafredo
Zanettihas a newly sustainable 100%
paper-based packaging solution to
eliminate plastic shrink wrap from its
supply chain. The new one-piece solution
with perforations enables the coffee to be
safely transported and easily placed on
a shelf in the same pack. The recyclable
and biodegradable design has
helped the company to save USD
$182,000 annually.

VICTORIABITTER
In March 2019, AB InBev-owned Carlton
& United Breweries (CUB) began selling
its Victoria Bitter and Carlton
Draught beers in Australia
without plastic ring packaging.
CUB’s Carlton Brewhouse in
Abbotsford, Melbourne is using cardboard
to connect cans. It replaced plain shrink
wrap on slabs of cans with new cardboard
packaging. The brand has sourced and
tested the new packaging and installed
new equipment in the canning line
at Abbotsford.

CASCADE
Australian beer brand Cascade
stopped using plastic six-pack rings
on its cans and will use cardboard
as its secondary packaging.
The brand is conscious of the effect of plastic
packaging on wildlife and the environment,
which inspired its new method.

GARÇONWINES
In February 2019, UK manufacturer of
wine bottles and related packaging
GarçonWines introduced
a new flat bottles case that efficiently
saves space,slashing excessive
packaging and carbon emissions.
The case is designed in association with DS
Smith, a UK leader in packaging. Its capacity
is ten full-sized flat wine bottles of the same
volume. The bottles are made of 100%
post-consumer recycled PET in the UK
by RPC M&H Plastics.

CORONA
In June 2019, Anheuser-Busch
InBevowned brewer
Corona tested stackable
cans which do not require
six-pack rings.
It does not need any material to fit its
packs, just the lockable teeth at the
top and bottom of each can. Up to
10 cans are held together using this
design. The environmentally-friendly
design saves on secondary
packaging costs.

COLORADO
NATIVE
Colorado Native Lager launched a
plastic-free, fibre-based six-pack ring
for beverage cans in association with
Footprint, a Colorado packaging company
that has come up with a promising
alternative six-pack ring made from
post-industrial recycled fibre material.
It is both recyclable and compostable.

FLEXI-HEX
Packaging giant, Macfarlane
launched Flexi-Hex,
a 100% plastic-free bio packaging
for wine bottles that retailers can
use to send wine to consumers.
Flexi-Hex is made from recycled materials
and a water-based adhesive. Its design
encompasses a concertina style honeycomb
sleeve protector that expands to form an
impact-resistant layer around the bottles. It
is suitable for e-commerce businesses, gift
packaging and customised branding.

GUINNESS
Diageo-ownedcompanyGuinness plans
to remove plastic rings from its multipacks,
which will apply to Harp, Rockshore and
Smithwick’s. Its plastic six-pack rings and
plastic shrink wrap will be replaced
with a recyclable and biodegradable
cardboard alternative, which is easily
recyclable alongside cans
in kerbside systems. The new packaging hit
shelves in Ireland and the UK in August 2019
and will be on shelves in other international
markets in 2020. The company is investing
$19.76 million to replace the rings and shrink
wrap. It believes that the move will save
400 tonnes of plastic from going to
waste annually.

THE
PRODUCTION OF
SHRINK WRAP
ALTERNATIVES

THE
PRODUCTIONOF
SHRINKWRAP
ALTERNATIVES
To fully understand shrink wrap
alternatives in the beverage industry, the
patents and other technical aspects
of its production should be explored.

CARDBOARD
CARTONSORBOXES
Cardboard cartons or boxes are used as a sustainable alternative to shrink wrap
for products including food, beverages and FMCG. They are fully enclosed and
sealed by using glue or tape or with interlocking flaps or closures.
Keel Clip packaging:
Developed byBudweiser
BrewingGroupUK&
Ireland,KeelClippackaging
is made from recyclable
paperboard that can be used
as a lightweight pack, as
well as wraps and boxes. The
packaging can be used to pack
up to 2,000 cans per minute in
a recyclable paperboard ‘clip’
called a Keel Clip. By 2020, The
keel packaging focuses on
removing 250 tonnes of plastic
rings previously used to hold
packs of beer cans together.
Coca-Cola:
In September 2019, Coca-Cola
started plans to replace plastic
shrink wrap with cardboard
for its can multipacks across
Western Europe. Theplanisto
removetheshrinkwrap
andreplacewith100%
recyclable, sustainablysourced
cardboard, with either a
Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) or Programme for the
Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC)
certification.
THE PRODUCTION OF SHRINK WRAP ALTERNATIVES
EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2

REUSABLEPALLET
CONTAINMENTSYSTEMS
These systems use reusable pallet wraps, bands, straps and
nets to pack products. They reduce the need for plastic wraps
and offer better protection to products.certification.
Pallet Wrapz:
Madefromheavy-dutyventilated
andbreathablemeshoropaquevinyl,
the packaging is an environmentally-
friendly, reusable pallet wrapper
alternative to plastic wraps. The
company also developed Cart
Wrapz for U-Boat Carts and Pallet
Wrapz for pallets.
EXAMPLE 1

LOCKN’POP
The technology uses water-based,
organic palletising adhesive
to eliminate slippage between
palletised layers of boxes, bags,
or shrink-wrapped trays. The
adhesive is used to secure one
layer of a pallet over another. They
release minimal carbon dioxide
during production and only
require the application of adhesive
over the packaging. Gransden
PackagingLineProductsisa
UKleadingmanufacturerand
distributorofLockN’Poppallet
stabilisationproducts.
THE PRODUCTION OF SHRINK WRAP ALTERNATIVES EXAMPLE 1

BANDEDBUNDLES
CB Fleet Co:
Virginia-based medical
laboratory CBFleetCo.isusing
paperbandingequipmentin
placeoftheshrink-film
bundlingsystemforcloth
products (feminine care
products). The cartoned
products are grouped into
3-counts and are ultrasonically
sealed using 70-gram
biodegradable, brown Kraft
paper. According to the Fleet
Laboratories’ project engineer
Steve Overby, the method
reduces packaging waste
by 46%.
Bandall:
In April 2019, Canadian
packaging company Banding
Systems showcased its
latest bundling solution, Bandall.
Bandall provides an array of
materials for banding,
from plastic to biodegradables
as well as metal clips, elastic
bands and adhesive labels.
Biodegradable materials include
FSC-certified Kraftpaperand
bio-basedbandingfilm,whichis
100%recyclable,compostable
andbiodegradable. Banding
with paper and biodegradable
films are preferred by many
industries as it promotes
productivity and sustainability
and slashes costs.
EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2

BIO-BASEDAND
BIODEGRADABLEPACKAGING
Most plastics are not biodegradable, so bio-based and
biodegradable cartons are used as replacements for
shrink wrap.
EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2
Cascades:
In May 2019, Canadian leader in
ecological recycling, packaging
and hygiene solutions
Cascades received the
Innovation-of-the-YearRuby
Awardintheconfectionery
industry for its recyclable
and insulating container
called ‘northbox’. Made of
100% recycled cardboard,
the recyclable container
also maintains the internal
temperature.
CuanTec:
In August 2019, Scottish
biotechfirmCuanTec
announceditsplantoreplace
plasticfoodwrappers
with an eco-friendly and
bio-based alternative. The
clear food wrapper is made
by transforming a natural
biopolymer called Chitin to
more malleable material
called Chitosan. The material
is made out of fermented
shellfish remains.

MULTIPACKCARRIERS
BrandPak system:
The packaging is developed
by US leader in plastic-based
multi-packaging systems for
global beer and soft drink,
HI-Cone. Thepackaging
systemconsistsofatop-lift
handle,aglass-bottlering
carrierand a wraparound
stretch band. The packaging
is used for 4-, 6-, 8- and
12-can multi-packs and is
applied using Ringmaster™
portable low-speed ring-
carrier application machines.
The packaging uses minimal
materials and reduces
overall waste.
Fishbone:
Developed by US-based
Fishbone Packaging, Fishbone
is a paperboard-based, eco-
friendly beverage packaging
system that eliminates plastic
multi-pack low-density
polyethylene (LDPE) rings,
high-density polyethylene
(HDPE) caps and shrink film
overwraps. Itspaperboardcan
beconfiguredtosuitnumerous
designconfigurations such
as 2-pack and 3-pack designs,
all while offering increased
shelf appeal and consumer
acceptance.
EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2

MULTIPACKCARRIERS
Nature MultiPack:
The packaging is developed by
Germany-based NMP Systems
for packaging in the beverage,
food and non-food markets.
The multi-packaging system is
a sustainable solution to the
multipack PETbottleandcan,
andholdsindividualproducts
togetherwithdotsof
adhesive.Using the packaging,
bottles and cans can be
grouped to form 1x3, 1x4,
2x2, 2x3 and 2x4 multipacks
designs. The system also
includes a carrying handle and
uses 85% less material. The
system can be used to pack
45,000 bottles or cans per hour
at nominal line speed.
CarrierKote:
Developed by Atlanta-based
packaging leader WestRock,
CarrierKote is a multi
packaging system designed
for the beverage industry.
The recyclable packaging is
madefromhigh-performing
unbleachedKraftpaperboard
andrecycledfibres.The
packaging has a smooth, glossy
surface on the surface for easy
and efficient printing.
The company has also
developed other types of
packaging designs that can
be used in the beverage and
food industries.
EXAMPLE 3 EXAMPLE 4

FUTURE PROOF YOUR BUSINESS TODAY.
DISCLAIMER
This report is provided for information purposes only and should not be copied or redistributed. Trademarks, logo designs and/or
brand names featured in this material and not owned by Lacuna Innovation are owned by the relevant proprietor of the particular
trademark and/or brand name in question and are referred to in this report for informational and/or illustrative purposes only.
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