Cardboard-plastic combinations have been established as sustainable packaging solutions for many years. The cardboard wrap provides stability to the cup. This means that the cup can be made with particularly thin walls and plastic is saved. Moreover, as the plastic cup is unprinted, it is perfect for recycling purposes.
New, intuitive tear-tab
To fully realize the sustainability potential of cardboard-plastic cups, consumers must separate the cardboard wrap from the plastic cup and dispose of the two components separately. To make this process as intuitive and user-friendly as possible, Greiner Packaging has optimized the tear-off mechanism of K3® cups in cooperation with the labeling firm Offsetdruckerei Schwarzach. The new, patented solution is not only eye-catching, but it is also particularly intuitive. After the tear-off process, consumers only have two packaging components in their hands: Wrap and cup.
Cardboard-plastic combinations are extremely environmentally friendly compared to other packaging solutions. But it’s important that the two components are actually separated and properly disposed of, too. With that in mind, we’ve put a lot of effort into developing a new tear-off system that makes their separation even more intuitive and, most importantly, is impossible to miss.
Jens Krause, Sales Director Switzerland at Greiner Packaging
Customers make the switch
As soon as the new tear-off mechanism was introduced, the first customers expressed interest. And many of them have also already switched to the new solution - such as ELSA-MIFROMA, part of the Migros industry:
We were keen to make full use of the K3® cups’ recycling potential. With the new tear-off system, we are making it even easier for consumers to separate the cardboard from the unprinted cup for clean recycling.
Jérôme Mathyer, Head of Packaging Development
The changeover to the new tear-off solution is largely being carried out internally at Greiner Packaging. Only minor changes in the design of the cardboard wrap are necessary on the part of the customer in order to carry out the changeover - in the interest of consumers and the environment.
