Spanish beverage company Estrella Damm has partnered with US-based packaging solution provider Graphic Packaging International (GPI) to introduce paperboard alternatives for its multipacks.
The beer company has launched a rounded-corner pack designed and developed by GPI. Formats for 6, 12 and 24-packs have so far been launched.
The packaging wraps tightly around the cans, protecting them from damage at all points in the supply chain. This move is expected to save 99t of plastic a year.
Graphic Packaging innovation and design manager Ana González said: “This is the first structure of its kind in the beverage market. We have worked closely with Estrella Damm’s team to ensure that our plastic replacement solution is innovative and strengthens the brand.
“The elevated shelf appeal of this solution is the culmination of a long and successful collaboration between Graphic Packaging and Estrella Damm.”
GPI has installed the first of two QuikFlex machines to meet production and market needs. Last month, GPI launched a recyclable paperboard packaging solution to help beverage brands meet their plastic reduction goals.
The Cap-It clip is designed for multipack polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or recycled (rPET) bottles. Made of renewable materials, it serves as a sustainable alternative to traditional shrink wrap packaging.
In October 2019, GPI launched KeelClip, a paperboard solution for various can styles and sizes and multiple product configurations.
To promote the solution, the company partnered with Belgian beverage firm Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev), who started using it for their brands last year.