Despite the reduced blank length, products are not damaged during cross-sealing.
Once packaging has served its purpose, it’s far from being useless waste. Many of the large quantities of bags, boxes and trays that end up in recycling bins every year can be reused – to the benefit of both people and the environment. And, if they can be produced using less material from the outset, consumer goods manufacturers and recycling companies benefit even more. There are many ways to reduce packaging, thanks in no small part to creative ideas from the packaging machine industry.
When it comes to the environmentally friendly use of cardboard, paper or plastic, one thing that springs to mind is the circular economy – where used materials are transformed into new raw materials. This results in less packaging waste and reduces the use of already scarce resources for new products. This is why recycling plays such an important role in the EU’s Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Starting in 2026, at least 65 per cent of packaging waste must be recycled within the EU, and by 2030, this figure will rise to at least 70 per cent. Furthermore, the regulation stipulates minimum material-related proportions of recycled content in plastic packaging, which will apply from 1 January 2030 or three years following implementation of the delegated acts.
What is often overlooked is that reducing packaging material plays the most important role. It not only serves to prevent waste – the primary goal of waste management – but also has its raison d'être for economic reasons. When less material is used, less packaging material needs to be produced, transported and subsequently recycled. As such, reduction has its place in the groundbreaking EU regulation alongside recyclability: packaging should only be used to the extent that is necessary for its function. In practical terms, this means no unnecessary material or empty space. This affects, for example, void fill packaging, which manufacturers mainly use for product presentation, seasonal packaging or gift packaging. Placed on pedestals or in the middle of generously sized hollow package walls, these packaging materials can showcase products to their best advantage. Here, too, 2030 represents an important milestone: by then, consumer goods manufacturers will have to minimise the weight and volume of their packaging – always within the limits of what is technically feasible and without compromising product protection.
Reducing packaging, however, calls for a rethink of tried-and-tested packaging materials and, in most cases, modifications to materials and design. Because even reduced alternatives can sooner or later find their way back into the cycle, they must be made of easily recyclable materials such as mono-plastics or paper. It is also not uncommon for packaging materials to be redesigned. A cardboard tray, for example, has different requirements in terms of stability and shape than its plastic counterpart for the same product. It is also possible that products may be rearranged within the packaging to take up less space and reduce the size of the packaging. Shorter cut lengths, for example in flowpacks, can also dramatically reduce the amount of packaging material required.
Trays for a firm footing
First, the tray: the widely used moulded part with cavities allows products to be held securely in position, while ensuring a product-promoting presentation. The switch from plastic to cardboard trays presented an established cosmetics manufacturer with the following challenge: cream jars standing upright tend to tip over due to their central flanged rim; they cannot be positioned securely on a flat tray base. Instead, the change in packaging material necessitated a structural solution, designed entirely by Schubert, which enables the product to stand securely via the side guides. To this end, the tray has slanted support surfaces with slots into which the flanged edge of the jar fits – the tray provides additional support for the packaging material.
This example also illustrates how modifications to existing features can impact the entire packaging and, importantly, the processes involved. Unlike the thermoformed tray, the cardboard version has no draft angle, no dividers and no die-cut edge, resulting in a significantly smaller footprint. To achieve this, the manufacturer worked with Schubert to revise the process in such a way that the supporting slopes were folded into the specially developed cardboard tray and glued to the inside of the tray base – a challenging process that required, among other things, a lane reduction in the magazine, as the blanks were quite wide. Although more technologically advanced, the cardboard tray enables the reduction required by the PPWR on several levels: the blank for the corresponding wrap-around box was reduced by 30 per cent and the total volume of the packaging by 23 per cent.
Columns of stacked portion cups
The journey to less packaging doesn’t always lead directly through the packaging itself – sometimes its contents also offer valuable starting points. The placement of products can be adjusted so that not only do more of them fit into the packaging, but its size can also be reduced. The advantages of this approach are especially evident with loose and fragile portion packs: instead of pouring them into boxes in a disorderly manner – and possibly risking damage – structured stacking ensures a firm footing and makes optimal use of the available space. Many industries are highly aware of this: optimised configurations are playing an increasingly important role, especially in the context of the sustainable use of packaging materials.
Stacking is ideal for round packaging such as that used for coffee cream cups: several layers of cups are arranged evenly on top of each other; for very large quantities of round products, half-offset arrangements are also used to accommodate additional products. Regardless of the approach, it is important to avoid empty spaces so that the cups stand firmly and the available space inside the box is not left unused. When implementing such concepts, it is often necessary to consider the different heights and weights of the portion packs. Such requirements for flexible, material-saving packaging can be implemented very efficiently with top-loading machines. Advanced robotics take care of the precise grouping and placement of the products, while transport units such as Schubert’s Transmodul ensure continuous, gentle transport.
Modern lines can easily process over a thousand individual products per minute, enabling packaging formats that can comprise several hundred portion packs. The economic advantages of efficient arrangement are also clear: because the boxes are smaller, more of them can fit on a pallet, while the amount of packaging material required is reduced. As a result, the manufacturing company needs up to a third less storage capacity for the same quantity of product. The frequency of freight transport – and therefore CO2 emissions – can also be reduced through better utilisation of cargo space.
New dimensions for blanks
Food manufacturers can achieve the same results with flexible packaging materials as they can with boxes. With flowpacks, there is often room for improvement, literally: sometimes there is unused space inside the sealed film sleeves next to the product, which manufacturers can reduce by resizing the blanks – with a positive impact on material consumption and line performance. Oversized packaging can adversely affect this: at a typical film speed of 50 metres per minute, 500 flowpacks per minute can be produced with a usable length of 100 millimetres; for lengths greater than 100 millimetres, the number is correspondingly lower. This is why many consumer goods companies are taking a closer look at the sizing of their blanks.
For a bakery product manufacturer in France, Schubert identified oversized flowpacks and recalculated the length and width of the blanks for a pouch format. By reducing the cut length by just five millimetres and the width by ten millimetres, the company now needs 11 per cent less film – thanks to a standardised formula that takes into account the maximum width and height of the product so that it is not damaged during cross-sealing. Thanks to their more compact design, the pouches also fit more easily into the sales carton, which has also been reduced in size.
Choosing the right reduction strategy from the available options should never be underestimated: products, marketing objectives and packaging processes need to be aligned, ideally with the help of experienced packaging developers and line experts. Schubert brings together material, line and process experts under the umbrella of the Packaging Competence Center. They work closely with customers to meet reduction requirements in a way that is well coordinated, application-oriented and regulatory-compliant.