The new recyclable paperboard sleeve has been designed to replace single-use plastic shrink-wrap multipacks of Heinz Beanz, Heinz Soups and Heinz Pasta varieties
Heinz and WestRock have unveiled paperboard sleeve for multipack canned products. (Credit: WestRock Company)
Food processing company Heinz has partnered with corrugated packaging firm WestRock to develop a new sustainable paperboard sleeve in the UK.
Produced using WestRock’s PEFC-certified CarrierKote paperboard, the Heinz Eco-Friendly Sleeve is a new convenient and super skinny paperboard sleeve for all its multipack canned products.
The recyclable sleeve features an advanced wrap design, which uses no glue and 50% less material than a fully enclosed wraparound box and 10% less than a traditional paperboard sleeve design.
The recyclable packaging solution, claimed to be an industry first for the food and drink world, is the result of a three-year and £25m investment and installation at the Heinz Kitt Green factory near Wigan.
Kraft Heinz Northern Europe president Jojo de Noronha said: “It is clear that convenience is important to shoppers – research has found that 59% of UK shoppers say that if a package is easy to carry or transport, it is impactful to their overall satisfaction with the product.”
According to WestRock, the new sustainable packaging will enable Heinz to eliminate 550 tonnes of plastic from multipacks in the UK.
The Heinz Eco-Friendly Sleeve 4-pack design is said to have up to 20% lower CO₂ footprint compared with the equivalent shrink-wrap design.
Following a successful trial on Heinz to Home, the new sustainable sleeve is provided across the whole Heinz multipack canned range in major retailers in the UK from this month.
The new recyclable paperboard sleeve has been designed to replace single-use plastic shrink-wrap multipacks of Heinz Beanz, Heinz Soups and Heinz Pasta varieties.
The new convenient to handle pack design facilitates people to carry multiple cans of Heinz Soups, Beanz and Pasta products.
WestRock consumer packaging president Patrick Kivits said: “Our team worked in close collaboration with Heinz stakeholders to deliver a solution that would enable Heinz to achieve its sustainability goals and resonate in the UK market, while managing the cost and risk of this transition.”