Carlsberg prioritizes the consumer experience when developing innovative packaging designs. Packaging Innovation Director Marine Andre emphasizes, “For us, consumer experience has top priority. After all, in store we have less than two seconds for our products to be noticed on the shelf. If you’re not conspicuous, you’re not there.” This insight becomes all the more critical considering that shoppers encounter around 300 products every minute at the supermarket. Through rigorous market research, Carlsberg has found that while consumers expect sustainability, they are not inclined to pay a premium for it. Thus, it is essential that sustainable packaging effectively captures attention while remaining functional. “We’re consciously trying to break down the barriers between sustainable packaging, optimized costs and the perfect consumer experience,” explains Andre. “If a system doesn’t score with at least two of these criteria, it’s doomed to fail.”
Enhancing Visual Brand Presence
An exemplary case of Carlsberg’s exploration into food and drink packaging innovation is the DS Smith Round Wrap®, a cardboard multipack with curved edges designed for beer bottles. This packaging solution adds value in three significant areas. First, it enhances brand visibility and elevates shelf impact, supported by studies from institutions like Harvard Medical School, which indicate that rounded shapes are perceived as more attractive than their angular counterparts. Second, this innovative secondary packaging minimizes material usage, reduces carbon footprint, and offers greater protection against damage during transit. Lastly, it can be produced on existing machinery, requiring no hefty investments or higher consumer prices.
A Long Learning Journey
Before the new multipack could reach store shelves, it underwent an extensive learning process. “We started the first trials in Sweden back in 2020,” recalls Bogdan Volkotrub, Senior Packaging Implementation and Optimization Manager at Carlsberg. “Before scaling up, we aimed to validate the concept on a small scale. Initially, we faced challenges in producing consistent quality.”
The breakthrough occurred in 2022 with the collaboration of key partners. DS Smith, a provider of sustainable packaging solutions, offered the necessary materials and demonstrated the commitment to testing and validation alongside KHS, a Dortmund-based systems supplier. KHS analyzed existing machines within the Carlsberg network that could efficiently process the new packs without significant modifications. “It’s like playing with LEGO,” Volkotrub describes the process, highlighting that each component—material, machinery, and teamwork—had to align perfectly for success.
Identifying the Right Market
The next step involved choosing an appropriate test market. Carlsberg’s Polish subsidiary emerged as the ideal candidate, particularly for bottled brands like Carlsberg, Garage, and Somersby, which are primarily packaged in larger sets of 20 or 24 units using wrap-around cartons instead of plastic crates. The site was already equipped with a KHS Innopack Kisters WP Advanced packer capable of producing the new multipack. By 2024, the first rounded-corner packs began appearing in Polish supermarkets.
Testing Material Combinations
Creating rounded corners necessitates specific material requirements and processing techniques. Jonathan Carter, Head of Innovation Product Management at DS Smith, outlines the critical aspects: “We need an outer liner that’s robust enough to stabilize the curve, whereas the inner liner must be much lighter to enable the fluting to form perfectly.” To ensure quality, DS Smith undertook extensive testing of various paper types, corrugation methods, adhesives, and machine settings before finalizing the material sent to the customer. Carter considers this successful combination the “golden ratio” of material composition.
A Surprisingly Simple Solution
In the final phase, DS Smith delivered thirteen pallets featuring various material options to KHS in Kleve, where rigorous machine testing was conducted. One of the packaging experts, Tobias Kersten, explained the initial skepticism about the rounded corners: “When we first heard about a wrap-around pack with rounded corners, many of us questioned how it would work.” The eventual solution was straightforward; minor adjustments to guide and folding tools were all that was required. Kersten notes, “This enables the machines to provide excellent process stability and fabricate the new type of packaging without any notable loss in performance,” underscoring the flexibility and market acceptance of the wrap-around packer.
Achieving Resounding Success
The new secondary packaging has been well-received by both retailers and consumers. Rounded corners not only reduce damage during transportation and storage but also appear to enhance sales. A consumer study commissioned by DS Smith revealed that 77% of participants would prefer purchasing products packaged in this innovative rounded wrap-around design. The design allows for additional branding space, and the box lid can be utilized as a vertical display for single bottles, further encouraging sales.
Proven Sustainability
In addition to design and functionality, the new premium pack excels in its ecological impact. Thanks to the optimization of its inner liner and blank, it requires up to 20% less material. “Depending on the basis for comparison, we use up to about 24% fewer CO2e,” Carter states with satisfaction. Carlsberg in Poland anticipates saving approximately 224 metric tons annually, with further logistical benefits, including improved pallet stability and reduced stretch film usage.
Plans for Broader Launch
The DS Smith Round Wrap® is now fully developed and poised for expansion into additional markets. Carter is optimistic, stating, “We’ve already successfully tested production in numerous key locations across EMEA.” Carlsberg shares this sentiment, confident in the demand for their subsidiary products. They plan to selectively roll out the new packaging format where market volume, brand strategy, material supply, and machinery capabilities align.
Innovation Through Collaboration
This rounded corner multipack exemplifies how sustainable packaging innovation can thrive through collaborative efforts across the entire value chain. Marine Andre sums it up well: “We can’t change anything in packaging on our own. Only by working together with strong partners can we develop systems and solutions that are better for our customers, the environment, and our companies.”
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