magazne P A C K A G I N G F O RA B E T T E R W O R L DPRO CARTON

Packaging Trends: Time for cartons to seize the dayConsumer Study: Consumers call for changeSustainability: Sustainability in the spotlightEuropean Carton Excellence Award: Without equalPro Carton Young Designers Award: CaptivatingResponsible Packaging: The 5Rs

FORCARTONS TO SEIZE THE DAY

INTR

ODUC

TION

TIME

?

A warm welcometo this edition ofthe occasional ProCarton magazine.

Pro Carton is thevoice of the carton-board industry pro-moting cartons andcartonboard as the

most sustainable of packaging materials.Our website www.procarton.com is an ex-tensive source of facts and figures explainingthe unrivalled environmental credentials ofcartonboard. We now get around 150,000visits to our website every year so please takea look next time you are browsing the inter-net or need some information about carton-board or just want to see the latest winnersof our long established award schemes.

As you may know, Pro Carton is the promo-tional arm of CEPI Cartonboard. As well asproviding detailed services for its members,CEPI Cartonboard also provides backgroundand information for interested parties, data onthe markets in which it operates, and otherfacts, figures and related items.

The packaging market is in a time of muchchange and it’s appropriate that we includea variety of independently written features inthis journal looking at not only the changeswe’ve already experienced but also what thefuture might hold.

I hope the magazine informs and, hopefully,stimulates thought but more than anythinghelps to explain why the role of Pro Carton isso important in supporting our members andhelping to share our story not only for thebenefit of the industry but also for the envi-ronment.

Happy reading.

By Neil Osment, NOA-PRISM

2 Introduction

Tony Hitchin, General Manager, Pro Carton

here was a time when turningon the news and NOT hearing ananti-plastic story was the norm.The media frenzy has grown inmomentum with television pro-

grammes such as Sir David Attenborough’sBlue Planet II (seen in over 80 countries whenit was first broadcast) leading the way, meantthat at every turn plastic has been taking apounding ever since.

The reaction over a 12 to 18 month period hasseen the Chinese refusing to import plasticwaste; seen retailers getting on board andadvocating a “no plastic packaging pledge”(famously led by the UK retailer, Iceland);seen an increasing number of countries introducing plastic bottle deposit schemes tochange consumers’ waste disposal habits; andseen a growing band of European govern-ments promising to eradicate unnecessaryplastic waste… the fate of single use plasticappears to be sealed.

Stepping into that gap could and should bethe opportunity for cartons. In fact, thiscould be a case of cartons getting the lastlaugh, because for the past several years,cartons have had minimal growth, losing outto flexible plastic packaging. Where consu-mers once bought their teabags and confec-tionery such as Tetley Tea and M&M’s (twowell-known European brands) in a carton, inrecent years plastic has become the packa-ging material of choice. So now really shouldbe the ideal opportunity to kick-start agrowth curve for cartons in Europe oncemore.

So, before all this plastic frenzy, how has theworld of carton-converting been doing overthe last few years? More importantly, whatare the prospects for cartons as we look atthe future?

If we look at recent market data we can seethat carton-making actually stood still in2016 (a trend that saw 3 previous years withmodest volume growth in 2012 to 2014 andnil sales value growth over the same period)reflecting the tough market conditions forcartons over the last few years. Looking atthe scene on a country level, we can seewhere the large volumes of carton conver-ting are currently situated. The migration ofcarton-converting volumes are also in a pe-riod of flux, with a growing trend for volu-mes to migrate further east to the emergingrising stars of Poland and the other centraland Eastern European countries, and thescene hasn’t been spread evenly across thesedifferent countries of Western Europe either.There have been winners as well as losersduring this period of commercially difficulttrading times; Turkey leading the field interms of year-on-year growth and showing

no sign of losing that premier position any-time soon.

So what does this say about cartons and thefuture view? There are fewer and fewer ni-ches where cartons seem able to offer a dis -tinct advantage and to add real value, sonow, surely, it’s a case of carpe diem for

carton producers: seize the day, grab the bullby the horns, fill the gap…

But – to use yet another cliché – the latestopportunity that plastic suggests is by nomeans a shoo-in for cartons. Single use plas -tic may be on its way out, but will cartonsbe able to fill the void?

T3Packaging Trends

000Tonnes

Carton Production

Estimates & Forecasts of Carton Production and Sales Value – 11ECMA Countries – 2011 to 2021 – 000 Tonnes, € Million, % Change, Index 2011 = 100

Forecast of Incremental Carton Output to 2021

Carton Sales Value

% chgIndex

2011=100 €M % chgYear

20112012201320142015201620172018201920202021

42104182420242784381438144354488455046194690

1.3-0.70.51.82.40.01.21.21.41.51.5

10099

100102104104105107108110111

88538783886688629216902291069197929294019520

3.6-0.80.90.04.0

-2.10.91.01.01.21.3

Index2011=100

10099

100100104102103104105106108

U.K.12%

Germany10%

Spain9%

France9%

Italy9%

Turkey39%

Austria1% Netherlands

6%

NordicRegion

3%

Belgium2%

4 Packaging Trends

LET’S FIRST TAKE A LOOK AT WHATPRESSURES EUROPEAN CARTON MAKERS ARE FACING:

‘Bricks and mortar’ retailers are strugglingagainst the backdrop of ecommerce sourcedgoods taking some of their market share,and so retailers respond by pressing on thecost button. This cost pressure is passed onto brand owners, who in turn pass the com-mercial pressures down the line. The effectis a squeeze on carton prices.

With this commercial pressure, producers inlower cost economies – Eastern and SouthernEurope and even further afield in the FarEast – begin to gain volumes, offering cartonsat marginally lower prices and able to servicesupply requirements. We predict 41 percentof the growth coming from Turkey in parti-cular.

Finally, despite public opinion, plastic is fa-voured over more expensive packaging for-mats (in some instances, a plastic orientatedsolution can be less than half the cost of acarton solution).

As we’ve said, times are changing. The Eu-ropean Commission has launched the first-ever Europewide strategy on plastics, with afocus on reducing waste and moving towardsa more circular economy. As Commissionvice president Frans Timmermans said, “Ifwe don't change the way we produce anduse plastics, there will be more plastic thanfish in our oceans by 2050.”

•

•

•

There is a real opportunity presented by themove away from single use plastic, but iscorrugated a potential rival for the plasticcrown and likely to wrestle the opportunityaway from cartons?

The corrugate industry has been growing byas much as 4 percent year-on-year. Withinthat figure there are some interesting trends.Traditional format SRP (standard format shelf-ready packaging) is falling out of favour, asconsumers lose faith with out-of-town retai-ling. While it’s true that the large display for-mat SRP is favoured by the limited listdiscounters such as Aldi or Lidl, overall thegrowth of SRPs is gradually slowing. At thesame time, the much smaller SFSRP (singlefacing shelf ready packaging) is growing withthe rise of smaller, metro-style supermarkets.

This in turn is likely to lead to white papervolumes levelling off. This is due as much tothe march of ecommerce as to increasing ac-tivity in convenience retail. The impact ofthis, we believe, will be felt around 2020/21.

2015

000 Tonnes

Short Term Trends in Carton Output Analysed by Country2015, 2016 and 2017 – 000 Tonnes

% Annual Change

2016 2017 2015 2016Country

AustriaBelgiumFranceGermanyItalyNetherlandsSpainSwitzerlandTurkeyU.K.Nordic RegionTotal

122115522

1045646270336100473593158

4381

122114528

102565027534293

490582160

4381

123115533

102565827935190

511589162

4435

-3.2-0.11.02.34.51.93.52.15.11.01.72.4

0.0-1.31.0

-1.90.71.91.9

-7.03.6

-1.91.30.0

2017

0.60.51.00.01.21.62.4

-3.34.31.11.11.2

5Packaging Trends

As Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe said: “Manyof our suppliers have a lot of embedded cap -ital in machinery that they have invested inover decades. To change the substrate ofplastic packaging will require a huge amountof investment over time. It could take de -cades.”

Cartons have an advantage over corrugated;they are much more closely seen as primarypack solutions. The design skills are certainlythere to help capitalise on the many low-hanging fruit on hand, as too are the inno-vation skills. And, after all, teabags andconfectionery more often used to come incartons – surely they can be packaged incartons again?

Ecommerce packaging has been growinghugely and has contributed significantly to-wards high demand levels for brown corru-gated papers, which is up by 3.6 percent.

With the focus on light weighting, ‘right siz -ing’, sustainability and an overall drive for areduction in packaging, the pressure for re-ducing paper packaging will lead to an over-all slowing in the growth of paper volumes(both by area as well as tonnage).

In the long-term, both white and (more signi -fi cantly) brown or unbleached papers are likely to slow in growth from the heady daysof 2017/2018, faltering by around 2020/21.

So which will be champion for the plasticcrown–corrugated or carton or can both win?There are barriers to entry for both materials.

For corrugated, the switch is complicatedand is a very long-term and extended propo-sition. It will take around ten years for cor-rugated to penetrate plastic volumes, mainlybecause expensive machinery that automa-tically packs products using plastic packa-ging solutions will only gradually be replacedby brand owners.

But here is the rub: does the sector have theconsultative skills, conceptual skills or per-suasive/selling skills to move ahead and takeadvantage of the plastic opportunity? Is thecarton world really innovative enough? Tack-ling the complex situation, namely wrestlingthe favoured state position that plastic cur-rently occupies is a huge challenge. After 5+years taking the knocks that substitution andvolume migration has wrought on WesternEuropean carton making, is the carton indus -try ready and equipped for the fight?

My own view is, having had the opportunityto meet some of the leaders of the industry,the talent and skills are evidently there. Thisis the time for cartons to stand up and becounted…

…and this could prove to be the turningpoint for the industry. I look forward to re-porting on the good news soon!

Neil Osment is the owner of NOA-PRISM, aEuropean market research consultancy spe-cialised in the European paper packagingmarket.

CON-SUMERS CALLFOR CHANGE

6

ollowing on from Pro Carton’ssurvey on packaging sustainabilityamong trade buyers, an extensiveproject has now been conductedwith consumers across seven European countries to gauge the

public’s views and to see how their attitudesto packaging sustainability have changed.

There is clear evidence of a period of changein the packaging industries, with consumersincreasingly looking to reduce waste andmake more environmentally-conscious choi-ces. However, we wanted to dive deeper intothe debate and assess the importance ofpackaging sustainability on consumers’ pur-chasing habits.

The European Consumer Packaging Percepti-ons study was conducted in France, Germany,Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the UnitedKingdom – with a total of 7,000 respondentstaking part.

What would you say is the most environ-mentally friendly form of packaging?

What would you say is the most recycl -able form of packaging?

However, consumers clearly believe thatmore can be done. 64% said that retailersand brand owners are not doing enough to introduce more environmentally-friendlypackaging. Perhaps surprisingly, more thanhalf (58%) felt a tax should be introduced toforce brands and retailers to adopt more en-vironmentally-friendly forms of packaging,with a further 24% non-committal.

Consumers are also calling for more infor-mation about the packaging, with an incred -ible 90% wanting more on-pack informationto show how environmentally-friendly thepackaging format is.

While the headlines from the study makevery encouraging reading for the carton in-dustry, there’s no room for complacency. Just46% positively agree that cartonboard comesfrom sustainably managed forests, althougha further 36% were unsure on this point,with only one in five believing the forestsaren’t sustainably managed.

Our European Consumer Packaging Percep-tions study, coupled with many industry re-ports, act as an important reminder that theenvironment continues to be high on theconsumer agenda. We know that brandowners and retailers mirror this attitude fromour trade research, in which 96% viewedpackaging sustainability as an important issuefor their business. Clearly, the feelings arestrong, and cartonboard is well positionedto continue to feel the benefit.

7Consumer Study

The study was aimed at not only investiga-ting the views and attitudes of consumers onsustainability in packaging, but its impact ontheir purchasing decisions. For example,does the environmental impact of a pro-duct’s packaging affect a consumer’s purcha-sing decision? And, If the same product waspackaged in plastic and cartonboard, whichone would a consumer choose?

Overall, the importance of making environ-mentally-friendly choices is evident across allthe countries polled, with 68% confirmingthat it has become more important over thelast five years. And three in four people saidthat, when shopping, the environmental im-pact of the packaging now affects their pur-chasing decision.

When shopping, does the environmentalimpact of a product’s packaging affectyour purchasing decisions?

While consumers are clearly keen to makemore environmentally-friendly decisions –conscious of their impact on the planet and itsresources – the big question is whether theyare willing to pay more? Overwhelmingly,77% of respondents would be prepared topay extra for a product if the packaging hadless effect on the environment!

How much extra would you pay for aproduct if it meant that the packagingof your desired product had less impacton the environment?

Encouragingly for the cartonboard industry,consumers recognised the environmentalcredentials of paper-based packaging. Whencompared against the other major packagingmaterials, cartonboard was clearly felt to bethe most environmentally friendly and alsothe most recyclable packaging format.

F

0-5%30%

2-10%28%

10-20%15%

Over 20%5%

I wouldn't pay extra

23%

Cardboard/Cartonboard

52%

Plastic9%

Tin/Can5%

Other2%

Glass32%

Cardboard/Cartonboard

45%

Plastic15%

Tin/Can8%

Other1%

Glass32%

Yes75%

No25%

hen the EU launched itsPlastics Strategy in January2018, it was amongst awave of anti-plastic sen-timent. There had beengrumblings for years by

environmentalists, pointing out that the in-dustry was based on finite fossil fuels, itsproducts were difficult to recycle and itswaste stuck around for centuries.

Plastic packaging was the number one tar-get, with its short-lived use and long-term

impacts. Nevertheless, the proponents ofplastic packaging were able to largely fendoff the criticisms of green groups. They boa-sted of the superior food-protecting proper-ties of their products and its light weightbenefits in cutting carbon emissions. But theproblem with plastics couldn’t be sweptaway forever.

Global production of plastics had growntwentyfold since the 1960s, with packagingaccounting for about 40% of European con-sumption (roughly 20 million tonnes) by

SUSTAIN-ABILITYIN THE SPOTLIGHTBy Tim Barker, Truffula Ltd

W

9Sustainability

2015. It had a lot of advantages for retailersand brand owners, such as superior barrierproperties, flexibility, transparency, lowweight and of course cost savings. For manyapplications, other packaging materials justcouldn’t compete. Plastic was the wunder-kind – so long as the environmental impactswere ignored. But there was a growing aware -ness that the traditional linear model of ‘take,make, dispose’, for which single-use plasticswere the poster boy, just couldn’t be sustai-ned. As catalysed by the Ellen MacArthurFoundation, it had become clear that thereneeded to be a new circular economy; onebased on renewable raw materials, renew ableenergy, less harmful chemicals, greater reuseand better recycling. Yet, while the complexi -ties of these big-picture concepts may havebeen beyond the generalpublic, what they saw onthe small screen hit home.The BBC’s Blue Planet 2documentary showed theimpact discarded plasticpackaging was having onthe oceans and a stream ofpress reports highlighted the potential formicroplastics to affect human health too.Plastics, especially single-use packaging, hadgone from prodigy to pariah.

This continues to present an opportunity forpaper-based packaging such as cartons. TheEU’s Plastics Strategy recognises that nearly26 million tonnes of plastic waste is genera-ted in Europe every year and that less than30% of it is collected for recycling (specifi-cally for plastic packaging the recycling rateis 40%, compared to nearly 83% for paper

and card board). Very littleof it gets recycled back intosimilar products – demandfor recycled plastics is low,at about 6% – and a lotleaks out of the waste ma-nagement system, contri-buting to the 150,000 to500,000 tonnes of plasticwaste that enters the EU’sseas every year. In response,the EU has declared that all

plastic packaging on the EU market will berecyclable by 2030 and the consumption ofsingle-use plastics will be reduced.

Retailers and brand owners, whether in pur-suit of sustainability or merely fearful of tarnished reputations, have made similarcommitments: ‘100% of plastic packagingready for recycling or composting by 2025’,‘eliminate difficult or unnecessary single useplastic packaging through better design’ and‘remove plastic packaging from own labelproducts’ are just some of the pledges an-

nounced. Paper and cardboard packaging,being based on renewable wood fibre, witha high use of recycled fibre (about 46%), ex-tensive use of renewable biomass for energyproduction and a high recycling rate at endof life, can be the sustainable alternative toplastic. Yet the carton sector, and its otherpaper-based cousins, cannot afford to becomplacent. Today, being based on renew -able wood fibre is a sustainability strengthand a selling point. But it wasn’t that longago that the paper industry was the pariah,shamed for having (or merely, being perceivedto have) a poor record on forest stewardship.There will always remain potential for thepaper industry to be tripped-up by green is-sues, as the concern over paper cup recyclingdemonstrates. Likewise, the circular eco-

nomy demands that plasticpackaging has to becomemore sustainable. The EUwants to see ‘a strong andsustainable European plas -tics industry’ and its € 100million investment intoscaled-up collection and

recycling facilities will help make it so. Con-sequently, carton makers can’t let thewindow of opportunity close before theirproduct’s natural benefits have been re-esta-blished and the whole sector needs to keepfocused on sustainability in order to remainat the centre of the circular economy.

By 2030, the retailer’s shelves and websitepack-shots could look very different. Thepressure on plastics should have enabledcartons to push back into areas where theyhave been challenged (difficult to recycleplastic pouches will be hard to justify, for example). Some types of plastics may havedisappeared altogether, as end of life consi-derations demand simpler, more recyclablematerials.

A shift in perspective, from what is advan-tageous for the brand owner, to what is bestfor the consumer, could mean that lightweight is no longer the deciding factor, withcartonboard potentially outscoring shrinkwrap in holistic assessments. If effective bar-rier properties have been made to work, with -out compromising sustainability characteri s -tics, paper-based packaging could be thefirst choice for many more foodstuffs. Com-plementary solutions, such as moulded fibreor even nanocellulose, may have opened upwhole new applications. Demand for an en-joyable unboxing experience could provideopportunities for a carton’s graphic qualityand touch of luxury. But the future can’t betaken for granted. The plastic packaging sector will fight back – and effectively, if itconsolidates around the most sustainable

solutions. Credible bioplastics may emergeand grow, countering cartons’ renewable-re-source arguments. Recycling infrastructurewill improve, potentially perfecting chemicalrecycling, using enzymes to dramatically in-crease the recycling rate (and use of recycledmaterial) to levels near that of paper. Evenmore radically, new designs and consumersolutions could spell the end for some single-use packaging, of whatever kind. Plastic isunlikely to be a pariah forever.

So, act now to seize the opportunity and dis-place plastics where the application allows.Work in cooperation with the wider fibre-based packaging sector to deliver compati-ble, easily recyclable solutions. Understandand minimise your environmental impacts,being transparent and clear with customersto maintain their trust. Most of all, embedsustainability into your business strategy sothat you can anticipate future challengesand support your customers’ transition tothe circular economy of the future.

Tim Barker is a specialist sustainability consultant.

Other Recovery7.8% Not Recovered

9.6%

Recycling82.6%

PAPER & CARDBOARD PACKAGINGRECOVERY

Other Recovery

31%

Not Recovered29.2%

Recycling39.8%

PLASTIC PACKAGING RECOVERY

„THERE NEEDS TO BE ANEW CIRCULAR ECONOMY

BASED ON RENEWABLEMATERIALS”

Tim Barker

THE EUROPEAN CARTON

EXCELLENCEAWARD

WITH-OUT

EQUAL:

he European Carton ExcellenceAward is quite simply the show-case for the European carton -board and carton industry. This iswhere you can best see the greatvariety and increasing range of

possible applications of cartonboard. As themost sustainable of packaging solutions, cartonboard is also one of the most versatilematerials with an almost limitless range ofshapes, designs, finishes and special effectswhich is clearly demonstrated each year bythe quality and diversity of the entries.

The competition was started in 1997 underthe name Pro Carton/ECMA Award. The aimwas clear from the outset as this quote takenfrom the founding year demonstrates: ”Theobjective of the competition is to demon-strate outstanding examples of cartonswhich fulfil one or more of the followingpackaging requirements: design, point-of-sale communication, product information,product protection, convenience, machina-bility and logistics.”

A SUCCESS STORY

The European Carton Excellence Award re-flects the current trends in the packagingmarket. The technical possibilities of produc-tion have multiplied greatly since its founda-tion. The technical, tactile as well as graphicoptions for packaging have been increasingdramatically every year. The Award supportsthe packaging industry in expanding know-how. It amply demonstrates that carton boardcan do so much more than ever before.

You can follow the development of the com-petition over the years on the award pagesof the Pro Carton website where you can finda gallery of successful packaging. “The de-sign, structure and functionality of the sub-mitted solutions show what is possible withcartonboard. Europe’s ultimate award forcarton packaging provides tremendous ben -efits for the participating companies both interms of positive publicity but also in themotivation it generates amongst the work-force”, said ECMA President Jean FrançoisRoche.

T

10 European Carton Excellence Award

In 2017 the Public Award ran for the firsttime. This is where consumers can vote on-line for one of the shortlisted solutions thatare published each year in August. This andthe other awards are presented at the AwardGala in September.

DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT

Today, packaging has developed far beyondits original functionality with new challengesand opportunities accelerating the market’sdevelopment. It has become the Number Onemarketing instrument. In recent years, multi-channel retailing, in particular, has yet againturned the role of packaging upside down;purchasing behaviour, retailing logis tics andtransport have changed dramatically.

Today, the Point of Sale is practically every -where there is a mobile device. Packagingmust therefore take on additional tasks,especially in the area of information andcommunication. Contact with consumers isincreasingly driven via packaging and itsmessage. This requires packaging to lookgood on any screen, including the interactiveoptions – from straightforward Internet linksto Augmented Reality.

1.More and more packaging now has the taskof promoting the brand to consumers athome. This begins with the experience ofunpacking and extends from information onthe features, storage and use of the productto a discreet reminder of the follow-up pur-chase. The findings of Pro Carton's studies(which can be found at www.procarton.comunder “Publications”) can be seen in practiceevery year among the finalists and prize win-ners of the award. 2.

Plastic in the oceans has raised consumerawareness of packaging sustainability. Cartonscan help solve the problems as they are aperfect example of the circular recycling eco-nomy. Every major consumer goods or retailbrand will have to demonstrate that theirpackaging is environmentally-friendly, a chal-lenge that cartonboard packaging meetstoday and will continue to do so in the future.

Horst Bittermann, President of Pro Carton, istherefore very optimistic: “I am convinced thatcartonboard and cartons will become themost widely used packaging medium in thenext decade and that Pro Carton can play animportant role in achieving this success. Therange of creative and sustainable solutionsthat cartons can offer is also clearly demon-strated by the winners and finalists of theEuropean Carton Excellence Award.“

3.B

ES

TC

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11European Carton Excellence Award

urope's leading student competi-tion for carton design has reallycome of age. Every year, youngdesign stars of tomorrow are ho-noured for thinking about soluti-ons made of cartonboard that no

one has ever seen before. Every year thenumber of entries rises steeply. Numerousdesign universities from all over Europe nowparticipate in the international award andthe national editions.

It all began soon after the turn of the millen-nium in Belgium, Austria and Spain. Today,the Pro Carton Young Designers Award isone of the most important European designcompetitions for students. The awards areclearly sustainable too and each year the finalists are rewarded with an invitation tonetwork at the Award Gala in Septemberand the winners with practical training atsome of the leading European companies inthe industry.

The demand is enormous. Nowadays, theaward reaches out to all European countries,and every year there are more countries en-tering. Currently there are national spin-offs

in Germany, Great Britain, Austria and Spainand their number will also increase in thecom ing years. The #pcyda already gives youngdesigners the opportunity to prepare for theirfuture career as students under competitiveconditions.

The competition gives young designers ex-posure to leaders in the industry – a first stepinto the business world and a professionalcareer including vital networking opportuni-ties.“The Pro Carton Young Designers Awardis a fantastic opportunity to meet great peoplefrom all over Europe from the Packaging andCarton industry”, said Isabel Laugerud Tabarini, winner in 2016.

IMPORTANT STEPS…

Of course, success at #pcyda requires an irresistible new idea, but it also requires aperfect presentation, including observationsand reflections on market needs, productcommunication, manufacturing techniquesand much more.

The jury consists of designers, brand owners,retailers as well as manufacturers of carton-

board and cartons. This ensures that theneeds of the entire Supply Chain are takeninto consideration. The feedback of the jurorsis a decisive help for the further career.

The award has created an international mar-keting platform for all interested parties: forstudents, teachers and universities as well asfor the cartonboard and carton industry. Almost every year, more participants of the#pcyda find a position with partners andmembers of Pro Carton.

THE PRO CARTONYOUNG DESIGNERS

AWARD

CAPTI-VATING:

12 Pro Carton Young Designers Award

E

Pro Carton also works closely with the stu-dent competitions of its members – such asIggesund, Metsä Board and Stora Enso – sothat one entry offers several chances of win-ning.

For all these reasons, the #pcyda is alreadypart of many European universities' annualcurriculum. Pro Carton offers extensive sup-port here: this includes publications and in-formation about cartons and cartonboard,but above all, complimentary cartonboardfor the design work. On request, Pro Cartonmembers will even come to the school oruniversity and hold workshops on the nume-rous options that cartonboard and cartonsoffer (design, technology, production, mar-keting...). The objective is a forward-looking,sustainable cooperation with the trainingcentres for as many excellently trained desi-gners as possible.

…ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

For four months each year, the award is pre-sented to a broader audience: the shortlistgoes online at the beginning of July for thepublic vote.

BEST

CA

RTON PACKA

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UN G D ESIG

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AWARD

2018

13Pro Carton Young Designers Award

It is promoted extensively on the social mediachannels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinte-rest and LinkedIn throughout Europe. Every -one can vote for their favourite entries anddecide who will win the Public Award.

The finalists and each of their lecturers areinvited each year to the Award Gala in Sep-tember. This is not only a fantastic gala event

but also a get-together of the internationalstudents and lecturers as well as net-

working with the leading foldingcarton and cartonboard manu-facturers.

The main prize for the categorywinners is a visit to a Europeanboard mill and practical trai-ning at an international cartonproducer. Training is supportedby rotating sponsors from thecartonboard and carton industrywho are always keen to wel-come the students into theirbusinesses.

The prize winners and finalists, aswell as the experiences of theprize winners during their practi-cal days, are promoted to a broadprofessional audience each year viathe Pro Carton E-News as well asthrough the trade media. The win-ning entries are also featured attrade shows across Europe.

Two-time finalist Magdalena Witko-wicz is one of many who have founda job in design through the award.She shared her opinion: ”All I can say

is: TRY! Send your work to the compe-titions, especially the international ones

such as the Pro Carton Young DesignersAward. Even though entering the competi-tion needs some sacrifice and it’s a lot ofhard work, it’s all worth it. It’s a great chancefor you and it’s a lot of fun and great expe-rience in the end.”

hen I was a young mar-keter I remember lear-ning about the 4Ps –product, promotion,price and place – whichmake up the fundamen -

tals of the marketing mix. I wondered thoughif there ought to be a fifth category – packa-ging? In those days “packaging” was grou-ped under “product” but now it is more fullyappreciated that packaging plays a muchwider role than just protecting the product,often operating as an essential vehicle forcommunicating brand values. So clearly packaging is a key promotional tool too thatcan create and be inextricably linked to abrand. And I’m not just talking about trulyiconic packaging such as the Toblerone cartonor the Coca Cola bottle. Any successfulBrand Manager understands the importanceof differentiating their product through thegraphic and structural pack design; indeedthis is sometimes even more important thandifferentiating the product itself!

So staying with this alphabet theme we’venow moved on to the letter R. And again init’s connected to packaging. But this timethere are three of them. Reduce, Reuse, Re-cycle. The 3Rs of Recycling as they are some-times known – which is a bit strange in itself,as one of the three is actually “Recycle”.Maybe that’s because it’s the most importantone or the 3Rs of Recycling just sounds betterthan the other options?

OR MAYBE IT’SSIX!?

By Tony Hitchin, Pro Carton

W5Rs

I’m of the view, however, that the peoplewho think these things up have once againfallen short. Because I reckon there ought tobe 5Rs not three. Given the 3Rs are meantto be a motto that summarises how societycan act in a more environmentally friendlyway I believe that we should add two newRs – Renew and Replace.

“Renew” because unless the materials weare using are renewable then we are quitesimply deplenishing the earth of its resources.True circularity can only be achieved if we areable to renew the materials that we use. Indeed, according to the dictionary, materialsare not sustainable unless they are renew -able. Cartons of course are, but that can’tbe said of all packaging materials.

The fifth R is “Replace”. By this I mean weshould be looking to replace materials thatharm the environment with ones that causeless damage. This is easier to do in the packaging industry than many might thinkas there are plenty of examples of productsthat could be packed in more environmen-tally friendly solutions without affecting thebrand values I talked about earlier.

So that’s my 5Rs. But I needed a catchy titlefor them and then it all became clear. It iseverybody’s responsibility – consumers, brandowners, retailers, manufacturers, govern-ments to do the right thing to rectify the environmental problems that we have allcreated over the past 50 years.

We need to act responsibly. So there youhave it. The 5Rs of Responsibility. Or does thatone make 6?

Tony Hitchin is General Manager for Pro Carton.

15President´s Statement

PRESIDENT́SSTATEMENT

STAT

EMEN

TIt’s a privilege to be writingthis message as the Presi-dent of Pro Carton. Ourmission is to clearly explainthe advantages that carton-board offers with the aim ofincreasing our share of thepackaging market.

The concerns about marinepollution have resulted inpackaging materials being scrutinised ever more closely and carton -board performs particularly well on virtually every dimension. But the industry is far from complacent, looking to further reduceits carbon footprint and increase the use of bio-energy through investment. New product innovations in improved functionalitiesand designs to meet changing and extended market requirementsare in our DNA.

Quite simply, cartonboard “The Natural Choice!” is the most sustain- able packaging material. It is Renewable (European forests arecontinuing to expand), Biodegradable (unlike some other materials,it leaves no scars on the environment) and Recyclable (Eurostat reported that 83% of European paper and board packaging is already sent for recycling) all attributes which epitomise the circulareconomy that we should be striving for. Folding cartons are an extremely eye-catching packaging medium promoting the product itself and preserving it by reducing product damage and food waste.

About 50% of cartonboard volumes are produced from virgin fibrewith the other 50% being produced from recycled fibre. This is thereal beauty of the carton industry. We reuse cartons to make morecartons! What can be environmentally better than that?

Horst Bittermann, President Pro Carton

Publisher: Pro Carton, Tödistrasse 47, 8027 Zürich, Switzerland. Photo: Archive Pro Carton, Fotolia.Reprint permitted quoting source. Kindly send us proof copies.This magazine is printed with mineral oil-free inks: this contributes to clean recycling.

www.procarton.com | info@procarton.com

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pro Cartonalthough we are happy to share their perspectives with our readers.

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