ARBO, by Boticario, is a premium perfume for men. The aluminum bottle was designed as a lightweight cologne refill that is easy to recycle and user-friendly. The bottle includes a patented dropper/overcap, which was designed to fit the original glass pack. The bottle is directly printed to avoid secondary packaging. It contains up to 10% recycled content, saves 89% of weight compared to the original packaging, and can be infinitely recycled without loss of performance. The energy used to produce this packaging comes from green sources. Boticario's brief was based on original concepts developed by their in-house design team that challenged suppliers to find a refill solution for the regular packaging.
The brief had several interfacing areas, addressing the need for circularity, choice of material, aesthetic appeal, dispensing, closing, and preservation of the bulk, as well as refill purposes. Trivium's concept used a special aluminum bottle with a dedicated dropper to allow the end-user to easily refill the regular glass. Boticario selected a partner to develop the dropper and join Trivium in the final solution. The concept was tested in Boticario's filling line with the final solution being submitted to several protection tests, like Shelf life (compatibility test), vacuum, sealing (child test and inviolability proof), leakage, and transportation test. All the packaging was guaranteed in terms of contamination, passing through a washing machine and into a special assembly machine that assembled the entire solution; bottle, product, dropper, and cap without the risk of contamination.
Boticario developed a circular economy model that ensures the packaging will be recycled or reused. The solution is 100% recyclable and was certified to be free of hazardous materials. The main bottle was designed to utilize aluminum coming from green energy and to use the least amount of material possible while being easily recycled in an LCA concept. The artwork printed on the bottle avoids the use of secondary packaging, and due to its lightweight, it avoids the use of heavy transportation boxes. A lifecycle assessment was run to ensure the new refill solution is more sustainable, with a lower carbon footprint, compared to the other refill competitors, mainly produced with plastics. On the consumer side, the project had clear targets. It was vital to have an easy-open solution, designed to be intuitive and used many times while also being easy to handle and carry.
The artwork showcases the sustainability of the packaging and all product information via direct print. Due to the properties of aluminum, the package protects against oxygen and UV lights, extending the shelf life of the product. The packaging contains a QR code that leads the consumer to product information and instructions for use.
Additionally, the fully recyclable packaging encourages the end-user to recycle it. Overall, the project brought the consumer a new experience. It was well-accepted and brought the economic benefit of around a 30% discount compared to the original packaging, positioning the brand in a high level of perfume consumption.