Pack reduction is ‘easy-squeezy’ for Ariel
A new laundry detergent pack designed in the UK demonstrates efforts being made by brand owners to answer criticism about over-packaging.
Breaking away from the usual bottle shape, the compact packaging for Ariel’s new Excel Gel is described as a “pebble”. Design features reduce waste in the packaging and also the detergent dosing by the consumer.
Structural packaging design firm Studio Davis, based in Bath, worked on the project with in-house design managers at Procter & Gamble, owner of the Ariel brand. Will Davis at Studio Davis told PRW that as Excel Gel is a new product, P&G wanted to have a new type of pack.
The result is a headstanding format, which uses 45% less packaging than the current Ariel dilute liquid. It has various integrated components that also help its environmental credentials.
The container is topped by a snap-on/snap-off doser, which is two-shot moulded from polypropylene and a TPE. An integrated “visi-strip” gives consumers a clear gauge on how much gel they have remaining in the pack.
Precision dosing by the consumer is helped by a squeezable form designed to be intuitive. The packaging is optimised to spring back into shape and ensures the consumer has complete control in dispensing the gel.
Davis said project time was spent on material flow simulation to make the polypropylene “squeezy” and avoid the buckling that often happens with other detergent containers.
No information about the packaging manufacturer has been made public by P&G.