The consumer plays an important role in the recycling process, especially when it comes to separating waste, so packaging must be convenient to handle. The K3® project with dairy product manufacturer Elsa-Mifroma, part of the Migros-Industrie group, demonstrates how this can be achieved in practice. The new tear-off system makes separating cardboard and plastic child’s play.
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
During the development phase, the customer worked with Greiner Packaging to test the machine compatibility of different cup sizes. As a result, Migros switched all its packaging to the new tear-off design within six months.
In adopting the new system, Migros also acted on customer feedback. As well as the cardboard and plastic being much easier to separate, the consumer is now left with just two components to dispose of rather than the previous three. All in all, this is another step toward greater customer satisfaction and improved recyclability.
Communicating with the end consumer through the packaging is becoming increasingly important. This is also true for Danone, where recipes are printed directly onto the packaging.
