LUXEPACK 2018
Slowly toward better and more sustainable packaging
Last week I had the chance to spend one day at LuxePack 2018 in Monaco. It was too short to complete an exhaustive visit, so I followed my curiosity and went from one booth to the other attracted by innovations, big names of the luxury packaging industry and their new interest in more sustainable solutions.
Obviously there is no miracle solution but many little improvements. Companies are increasing their offer of recycled glass and plastics and proposing wood, paper or ceramics as alternative to plastics.
Refilling solutions for perfume exist and are convincing more and more perfume brands.
I don’t know who is the one pushing toward the “zero waste” trend: consumers, brands or packaging providers? But the result is positive and I hope it will become soon more than a trend. I hope to participate, as a packaging designer, as much as I can to this transformation.
· ALTERNATIVES TO PLASTICS ·
Wooden caps and cosmetics – PUJOLASOS
Spanish provider offering wooden caps and containers for perfume and cosmetics. The wood is compatible for products with diverse textures: creams, perfumes, powders, lacquers, etc.
The wood still needs to be combined to metallic or plastic inserts to ensure sealing and conservation. pujolasos.com
A substitute to thermoformed plastic or foam – JAMES CROPPER 3D PRODUCTS
COLOURFORM™ is renewable, recyclable, moulded fibre packaging. It’s basically moulded paper and adapts to the shape of the products.
We can pick the colour, add textures and embossing. It cannot be printed yet. colourformpackaging.com
Porcelain in the bathroom – BERNARDAUD
Beauty accessories and cosmetics jars made in porcelain, a beautiful alternative to glass or plastic jars. The cosmetics become a decoration object in the bathroom, you keep your cream jar for ever and refill it when empty. The refills are inside small basic plastic containers and the porcelain caps still need to be combined to plastic inserts to ensure sealing and conservation. bernardaud.com
· CLEVER PAPER ·
LA PAPER FACTORY
New digital printing option to simulate hot stamping without tools investment: it looks like a “metal UV varnish” and gives a good metallic finish for reduced quantities.
They just patented a nice rigid box 100% paper: no glue, no magnet, no hinge. A clever folding does the trick. lapaperfactory.com
GMUND PAPER
Gmund Bio Cycle papers are compostable papers made from plant fibres providing nutrients to grow new plants. Up to 50% of this paper is made from resource-saving fibres such as wheat straw, grass, cotton and cannabis. gmund.com
· SAVING GLASS WEIGHT ·
VERESCENCE
The group is rather committed to find new sustainable options for glass packaging. verescence.com
Together with Guerlain, they reduced the glass weight of Orchidée Imperiale new pack: lighter product, smaller volume for transport. It’s a great improvement, well done without compromising too much the beautiful design. I wonder who designed it?
Verre Infini Neo is a bottle with less glass weight, made of recycled glass and decorated with sustainable materials. Even the cap is made of glass (with a plastic inner insert).
Also noticeable: the Unbreakable Glass technology, doubles the glass resistance and the formula’s duration of use. A patented technology ideal to substitute plastics for make-up, skincare and fragrance.
ESTAL
DobleAlto system: the bottom of glass bottles has a very deep empty dome, creating the impression of a very heavy glass weight. They’re using less glass, and therefore, have a lighter bottle.
They’re applying this clever design on perfume, spirits, cosmetics bottles, as well as candles. estal.com
· REFILLABLE PERFUMES ·
Finally, long after Angel perfumes by Thierry Mugler, famous brand start offering refillable solutions.
The concept of keeping our glass bottle, maybe a personalized one, and starting a new ritual at the store perfume fountain corresponds to luxury codes, especially Niche perfumery codes.
TECHNIPLAST technologies, RT Twist, and RT-spout are small accessories allowing refilling perfume bottles fitted with screw necks. The brands By Kilian, Atelier Cologne, Giorgio Armani and Kerastase have chosen this option.
Techniplast also developed a unique, patented technology called RT Plug to deal with the problem of set pumps and make it possible to fill in all types of bottles, even those with a pump that cannot be unscrewed.
Louis Vuitton and Viktor&Rolf filling fountains use this system. techniplast.com
Surely I missed interesting companies and innovations, or I missed them in the last edition and they looked new to me this year!
If you want to complete the list, you are more than welcome.
If you want to include these solutions to your future projects, we are excited to help!
Matíz Barcelona 