Well-rounded solution for Carlsberg beer bottles

With less than two seconds available for consumers to notice products on the shelf, Carlsberg’s new packaging innovation was designed to get noticed. Together with DS Smith and KHS, and based on SCA’s patented Arcwise technology, Carlsberg has launched an eye-catching multipack with rounded corners in Poland, with further projects in the pipeline.

Market research has discovered that sustainability is something consumers expect with packaging — but don’t actively ‘reward’, ie, they’re not always willing to pay a premium for it. Thus, it’s all the more important that sustainable packaging is both functional and gets brands noticed.

Packaging innovation director at Carlsberg Marine Andre said: “We’re consciously trying to break down the barriers between sustainable packaging, optimised costs and the perfect consumer experience. If a system doesn’t score with at least two of these criteria, it’s doomed to fail.”

One demonstration of a good packaging innovation is how Carlsberg is using the DS Smith Round Wrap cardboard multipack with curved edges for beer bottles.

This packaging solution provides three key benefits:

1. The packaging provides the brand with a good visual presence, upgrades the pack and boosts its shelf appeal. According to scientific studies carried out by the Harvard Medical School, and others, round shapes are perceived as being more attractive than those with square corners and edges.
2. This style of secondary packaging uses less material, has a smaller carbon footprint and is better protected against damage during transportation.
3. The pack can be produced on existing packaging machines, so no large investments are needed.

The development process

Before the new multipack made it onto the shelf, however, the concept had to undergo a lengthy learning process.

“We started the first trials in Sweden back in 2020,” said Bogdan Volkotrub, senior packaging implementation and optimisation manager at Carlsberg.

“Before we started thinking in greater quantities, we first wanted to prove on a small scale that this solution could actually be implemented at all. At first, we weren’t successful because we couldn’t produce constant quality.”

The breakthrough ultimately came with participation of the right partners in 2022. DS Smith, manufacturer of sustainable packaging, was able to provide sufficient material and exhibited the necessary testing, learning and validation perseverance, working in a team with Dortmund systems supplier KHS. The latter first analysed which of its packaging machines in operation at Carlsberg could process the new packs without the need for substantial conversion.

“It’s like playing with LEGO,” Volkotrub said. “One piece is the material, one represents the machine and a third stands for teamwork. If just one bit doesn’t fit, you can’t build anything decent from the pieces.”

All that then remained was to identify a suitable test market. The choice eventually fell to the sales region serviced by Carlsberg’s Polish subsidiary. Here, bottled brand products such as Carlsberg, Garage and Somersby are primarily packaged into big packs holding 20 or 24 containers. For these, wrap-around cartons are used instead of plastic crates. Also, the production site already had a packer that could produce the new multipack, namely a KHS Innopack Kisters WP Advanced.

In 2024 the first packs with rounded corners began to appear on the shelves of Polish supermarkets.

Testing the combinations for a simple solution

Rounded corners make high demands of the material and the way it’s processed.

Jonathan Carter, head of Innovation Product Management at DS Smith, said: “We need an outer liner that’s robust enough to stabilise the curve, whereas the inner liner must be much lighter to enable the fluting to form perfectly. This is the only way to produce a smooth curve without the material creasing or tearing.”

To make sure the quality was right, DS Smith tested countless combinations of paper, types of corrugation, adhesive and machine parameters in a laborious, iterative process before the material was dispatched to the customer.

During the final phase of the project, DS Smith sent 13 pallets representing a limited selection of different material variants to KHS in Kleve. Here, they were subjected to vigorous machine testing by the packaging experts. One of these, Tobias Kersten, outlined what was technically possible on the existing systems.

“When we first heard about a wrap-around pack with rounded corners, lots of us asked how this was going to work,” Kersten said.

In the end, the solution was surprisingly pragmatic.

“We simply had to use other guide and folding tools in the folding area.

“In practical operation, this calls for just minor adjustments. Our specialists set up the system with the utmost precision so that the new format can be seamlessly integrated into modern wrap-around packers. This enables the machines to provide excellent process stability and fabricate the new type of packaging without any notable loss in performance.”

This key aspect emphasises the wrap-around packer’s flexibility and high market acceptance, Carter said.

The results

The finished secondary packaging is being well received by retailers and consumers. On the one hand, the rounded corners are less susceptible to damage during transportation, in the warehouse and at the POS. On the other, the curved design already appears to be enhancing sales, even if no concrete figures are yet available.

Besides design and function, the new pack scores further points for its ecological footprint. Thanks to the lighter inner liner and optimised blank, up to 20% less material is required.

“Depending on the basis for comparison, we use up to about 24% fewer CO_2e,” Carter said.

Carlsberg in Poland predicts a saving of approximately 224 metric tons per year.

Additional positive effects are generated in conjunction with logistics, such as greater pallet stability and lower consumption of stretch film.

The DS Smith Round Wrap is now fully developed and ready for use on further markets.

Images: Supplied