3 D packaging and Curtis launches reusable, recyclable pack

Renew, recycle and reuse is the eco-friendly mantra for true sustainability. Curtis Print and Packaging, a front runner in sustainable packaging in the UK, has launched a new product carton to bring the ultimate in reuse and recycling. The 'Inside Out Box' was a finalist for the Sustainable Pack of the Year in the 2010 Packaging Awards held recently in London. The box is cleverly created as an on-shelf product pack designed to unfold and reverse for use as a gift or trinkets box to increase the pack’s longevity. With FSC carton board, vegetable inks and water based varnishes, Curtis Packaging proves that sustainability can be beautiful.

3D Creative, Curtis’ sister company, played a significant role in the design. Their advanced digital print technology produced a series of sophisticated test samples to ensure the best possible results by bringing the concept to life.

Steve Mallett, Curtis Packaging’s sales director, told Packaging Europe: "We exhibited the product recently at London's Business Design Centre and the concept generated phenomenal interest. Our designers have come up with simple, yet ingenious construction so there is no glue and the pack pops easily apart whilst still providing the protection the product needs. In-store, the packaging carries all the necessary information and marketing messages, but the reversed package turns into an attractive gift box for an extended second life. Ultimately, when no longer needed, the inside out box is fully recyclable thanks to the effort we have made to use environmentally compatible materials.”

Neal’s Yard Remedies is the first brand to take advantage of the new design. Its packaging technologist Johanna Everett commented: “This carton perfectly encapsulates our philosophy that beauty should be a synergy between inside and out, and satisfies our quest for combining the WOW factor with our deeply rooted pursuit for minimal environmental impact. This construction works hand in hand with our design; the imagery inspired by the precious damask rose, unfolding to reveal its incredible natural beauty; and ultimately the essential oil at the heart of this organic gift.”