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Beating global companies, Charpak Ltd have been announced as 'Winners of the Innovation of the Year 2019' at the UK Packaging Awards for their ground-breaking Twist-Loc® Tub. This latest win follows on from their success as SME of the Year 2018.
The Cambridgeshire-based packaging designers and manufacturers have hinted more new packaging developments are underway in their campaign to prevent food, product and plastic waste. Their clear goal is to develop sustainable packaging that doesn’t cost the earth.
Director of Sales and Innovation, Justin Kempson, confirmed:
“Twist-Loc® was designed specifically to replace ‘new’ plastic with a recycled product to prevent plastic waste. It’s made from up to 90% recycled PET plastic material. 100% of the packaging can be recycled and there’s no small plastic break-off-parts that can escape into the environment because the tamper-evident mechanism is integrated within the pack.
Twist-Loc® can be reused many times at home before being put into the household recycling bins. Then Twist-Loc® can be recycled (in the UK) and be re-made into something else.”
Each Tub uses 7.5g less plastic per tub than the packaging it replaced. The removable cardboard sleeve means every element of the pack can be recycled; and the Tubs can be reused by customers at home before being recycled again and re-made into another Twist-Loc® Tub, other packaging, or something else.
The Twist-Loc® Tub is on sale in Waitrose & Partners, who have reported positive customer feedback and a 16% increase in sales for their Treat Tubs. Managing Director, Paul Smith, said:
“We are delighted to be recognised for our efforts in developing new solutions that can boost recycling rates and prevent waste. We want more manufacturers and retailers to replace their hard-to-recycle packaging with Twist-Loc® Tub. For the industry to recognise us over and above far larger companies, as the Innovation of the Year 2019 Winner, we’re overjoyed.”
Twist-Loc® was commended by Award Judges for its use of highly recycled content; and the packaging design which means the pack is both easy to open and recognisable (particularly for older people or those with limited dexterity).
Charpak Ltd, working with Food Utopia Avana, designed and produced the packaging for their exciting new product launched into Sainsbury’s. Food Utopia Avana developed their Happy Birthday Cake Cubes, which are individual Cakes in a carton board wrap with a tear strip for ease of eating.
Charpak worked with the NPD team at Food Utopia to develop packaging that was going to show off the product to its best. Traditionally these would have gone in a Carton Board Box with window, however with Charpak’s clear packaging the product is highly visible.
The added benefit with Charpak’s design is that the Cakes have an additional two days shelf life against a standard box. Jane Berry, Commercial Director of Food Utopia, said “Charpak have supported us throughout this project, we are delighted with their design. The Cake Cubes are a fantastic product and are one of many innovative ideas we are bringing to the market. Charpak are consistently coming up with new and better ways to show off our product”
Charpak Ltd has just opened a brand new purpose built 13,000sq. ft. extension to its existing facility in Huntingdon. This is designed to expand the storage area and add to the production space for a further two vacuum forming machines. This is in addition to the two machines purchased during 2014.
Managing Director Paul Smith stated, “We always had plans to better utilise the old offices and car park on the land we bought when we moved up to Huntingdon".
The new building will allow Charpak Ltd to continue the stellar growth it has achieved over the last five years. Growth has been driven by creating innovative designs for the Food, Confectionery, Drink, Personal Care and Medical markets.
Charpak Ltd has ambitious plans to further extend its reach into other markets. Charpak’s differentiator has always been its design capability and the speed of response to the rapidly evolving demands of FMCG. With its market leading turn-around time of 29 Days from initial brief to product arriving at the customers’ door, Charpak leads the way in delivering on its promise.
Paul Smith says: “With the consolidation going on in our industry, the fewer larger players cannot respond the way we can. They need ever larger minimum runs to make their business model work, which means there is so little imagination or innovation out there. Charpak works with its customers and can offer better response times for innovation in design, samples, tooling and delivery."
"This can be vital when they have customers demanding quick turn around. With our turnaround time this means we can create seasonal differential and allow our customers to offer their customers a point of difference. This leads to more sales for our customers. In our experience Charpak’s packaging helps sell their product.”
