Sonoco Alloyd recently worked with Pentel® writing instruments to design a package that is recyclable and simply integrated into their existing packaging line of sealing machines. Pentel wanted something easily recyclable and environmentally friendly to match the recycled and reusability of their R.S.V.P.® line of writing instrument products. Sonoco Alloyd offered the all-paper, How2Recycle® pre-qualified, PaperBlister® design with much enthusiasm received by the customer.
Pentel's previous package consisted of a traditional plastic-to-card face-seal package. This is the gold standard of packaging across the writing instrument market. With a clear view of the product and theft-deterrent/tamper-evident packaging, plastic thermoformed packaging continued to be the winner in all categories of shoppability, efficiency, and low-cost production. Unfortunately, the package was difficult to recycle due to the two different materials making up the final sealed product. Furthermore, once the plastic blister was separated from the back blister card, fiber-tear was left behind on the plastic blister, making it impossible to completely separate plastic from paper. With the new PaperBlister, Alloyd offered Pentel a chance to stand out amongst the already crowded market of writing supplies with an eye-catching billboard of print messaging and alternative look, all while utilizing recyclable paper packaging.
By using existing equipment, Pentel was able to have Alloyd retrofit their Aergo 8 sealing machine to produce an entirely new style of sustainable package. Going from a traditional face seal plastic blister package to an all-paper PaperBlister style package, Pentel provides environmentally conscious consumers a fully recyclable experience to complete their refillable ballpoint pen product offering.
A simple, low-cost, four-hour, one-time retrofit was all that was needed by an Alloyd technician to get Pentel up and running the PaperBlister design. Once retrofitted, the machine is capable of going back and forth to producing traditional plastic blister packaging with a simple, factory operator-assisted tooling changeover, which usually takes around 30 minutes. By utilizing existing equipment, Pentel not only saved hundreds of thousands of dollars buying new machinery, they saved existing equipment from being decommissioned and possibly put into the landfill.
The Pentel R.S.V.P PaperBlister package consists of a flat front consumer-facing card made of 20-pt C2S SBS that is offset printed using four-color process with one color, black, on the reverse. The paper cavity portion is a 14 pt. SBS C1S that is offset printed in black only. Both portions of this package ship flat, meaning more parts per corrugated shipping box, pallet, and ultimately, truckload. It is determined 3-times more PaperBlister cards can be shipped when compared to equivalent-sized thermoformed plastic blister.
Once at the shelf, the Pentel R.S.V.P. package serves as a 360-degree marketing billboard, delivering product messaging to shoppers while providing retail protection necessary in today's stores. With strong, tamper-evident seals, the PaperBlister provides brands security necessary for shipping, shelving, and shopping. Furthermore, the consumer can feel confident they are making sustainable choices by buying fully recycling-ready products and packages.