As brands work to achieve environmental and social governance (ESG) goals and meet consumer demand for sustainable packaging, they are stepping up investment in sustainable packaging innovations. A survey by Jabil found that “the vast majority of brands are developing sustainable packaging programs.”
According to the survey, many companies are moving toward both recyclability and the use of that recycled material. Half of survey respondents said they are working to improve the recyclability of their current packaging portfolio, and 48% indicated they are adopting or evaluating the incorporation of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials into their packaging.
Companies across the globe are using recyclable material in packaging and developing a host of other innovative sustainable packaging solutions to reduce their environmental impact. Some of the solutions introduced in 2022 include:
- CCT’s aluminum lug EEASY Lid debuted on store shelves in October as Boyer’s Food Markets became the first supermarket chain in the country to use the EEASY Lid on its new in-house pasta sauce line. Available in all 19 of Boyer’s stores across Pennsylvania and using recyclable aluminum, the EEASY Lid aligns with consumer preferences for sustainable packaging, helping Boyer’s expand the customer base for its new pasta sauce line and boost brand loyalty.
- The Clorox Company developed a multi-purpose refillable cleaner that comes in a spray bottle which can be used up to 30 times. The refill pods contain a cleaning solution that activates once attached to the bottle. According to a report, the overall plastic reduction realized from using only one spray bottle is 80%.
Source: Kraft Heinz
- Kraft is currently testing the brand’s first-ever recyclable fiber-based microwavable cup for its Mac & Cheese product. According to the company, the innovative cup, which is both recyclable and compostable, will save an anticipated “60 million KwH of energy per year, the equivalent amount of energy it would take to microwave nearly 1 billion Mac & Cheese meals, while saving the equivalent emissions of driving a typical passenger vehicle 120 times around the Earth.”
- Apple packaged the new iPad Pro in 99% fiber-based packaging, which comes from sustainable forests and is 100% biodegradable.
- Flinders University materials researchers and German biomaterials developer one • fıve are using seaweed extracts to develop biopolymer coating materials that could solve packaging waste in the fast-food industry. The University stated that the “new non-pollutive biomaterials are designed to replace conventional fossil-based plastic coatings used in grease-resistant fast-food packaging.”
- After three years of research and development, Nespresso recently unveiled a new range of home compostable coffee capsules. According to the company, several aspects of the capsule feature proprietary technology, including the biopolymer lining inside the capsule, which protects the coffee against oxidization. The innovation widens sustainable choices already offered to Nespresso consumers through its aluminum capsules.
These and other innovative sustainable packaging solutions are being developed and launched to deliver on the imperative for sustainable packaging to protect the planet and meet consumer demand for eco-friendly products. The EEASY Lid is readily recognizable on store shelves as sustainable packaging and can help brands deliver on this green packaging imperative.
Contact us today to learn more about CCT’s sustainable EEASY Lid.
For many people the holidays are a time of family, food and festivity. The food part of the equation is likely to be a little pricier this year. With inflation driving up food prices, shoppers are focusing on managing food costs while still being able to create enjoyable, festive holiday meals.
Source: The Food Industry Association
FMI – The Food Industry Association U.S. Grocery Shopping Trends 2022: Holiday Shopping report found that 71% of consumers are making some adjustment to their holiday meal shopping to adapt to the changing economic landscape. These adjustments include looking for deals (28%), choosing store brands over others (21%), making fewer dishes overall (17%) and encouraging guests to bring dishes (17%).
Commenting on the report, Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI said “food is the centerpiece for so many of our holiday gatherings. Despite inflationary pressures, consumers are determined to enjoy the festivities this year as they normally do.”
Consumers are also choosing more private label store brands to make their money go further. A Store Brands article on Daymon’s 2022 Private Brands Report highlighted that 95% of shoppers are considering or definitely purchasing private brands during the holiday season. The article also noted that the survey by Daymon found that nearly one in four consumers said they are motivated to buy private brands this holiday because the brand they normally buy raised their price.
No matter what products consumers choose this year to prepare their holiday meals, they don’t want the hassle of hard to open jars. With the EEASY Lid topping their jarred products, brands can make the purchase decision a no brainer for consumers.
Consumer trend forecaster WGSN released a Future Consumer 2024 white paper examining “key consumer sentiments and profiles, and the action points brands need to take to win minds and market share.” The four principal consumer personas for 2024 introduced in the white paper include:
According to the white paper, this persona relies on consistency as a survival mechanism, wants a healthy work-life balance and desires frictionless commerce to maintain control.
“Determined to rewrite the rules of entrepreneurship and fractional living,” Connectors are taking a stance against hustle culture and are quitting their jobs as they redefine the meaning of success.
Memory Makers have a focus on decluttering lives and redefining family values. This persona “will transform a quest for perfection into a quest for being present by decluttering their social and work lives and investing in time abundance.”
This persona loves everything digital. The “quintessential hybrid consumer, New Sensorialists will pay with crypto while dining in-person.”
Brands will need to take action to keep pace with these changing consumer preferences and demands. These actions should include rethinking packaging to appeal to consumers now and in the future.
To make products more engaging to Regulators, brands should ensure packaging is frictionless. Frictionless packaging contains must have features of sustainability and accessibility while also providing a better consumer experience overall. These attributes take the friction out of the buying decision – a value proposition that resonates with Regulators.
To engage with Connectors, “sustainability facts labeling” is a must-have, according to an analysis of these personas appearing in Packaging Strategies. When it comes to this persona, the use of recycled and recyclable materials in packaging can serve as a key differentiator and an important consideration for this group when choosing one brand over another.
The Packaging Strategies article noted that to engage Memory Makers brands should “design products with a broader and more inclusive feel to meet diverse needs and perspectives.” A value-add for this persona would be a brand that uses innovative, accessible packaging to create an inclusive product experience that is consistent for everyone.
Always ready to embrace new technologies, New Sensorialists appreciate innovations that create immersive experiences. Connected packaging, which blends the physical with the digital to engage, educate and entertain consumers, is a packaging strategy brands can use to successfully attract this persona.
Consumer demands and preferences are shifting. To keep pace, brands need actionable packaging strategies that align with the key sentiments and attributes shaping consumer behavior. More simply, brands need the EEASY Lid. CCT’s EEASY Lid offers essential packaging design elements that have mass appeal across consumer personas. Sustainable (100% recyclable), accessible (easy to use for people of all ages and abilities), innovative (software designed) and engaging (QR codes can be featured on jars with the EEASY Lid to take customers to a video demonstrating how to use it), the EEASY Lid is the must have packaging solution for engaging the consumers of today and tomorrow.
Future-proof your packaging with the EEASY Lid. Contact us today to learn more.
The CCT team recently returned from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) trade show and new product expo held in Chicago November 13-15. The largest store brands event in North America, the trade show features the latest innovations from exhibitors around the world. One of the standout innovations on display at the show, the EEASY Lid captured attention at the event for its innovative, sustainable and accessible design.
Themed “Consumers Are Back in Charge,” a nod to the evolving attitudes and demands of post-pandemic shoppers, the show attracted approximately 5,000 buyers from major supermarkets, supercenters, wholesale clubs, drug chains, mass merchandisers, specialty chains, dollar stores, e-commerce retailers, importers, exporters, distributors and more.
Among the more than 1,400 exhibitors at the show, CCT was highlighted by top grocery industry publication Progressive Grocer as one example of “cutting-edge, category-leading innovations that garnered attention during PLMA’s 2022 trade show.” The article noted that “anyone who has struggled with a jar of pasta or salsa will appreciate the simplicity of pushing down on a button on the [EEASY Lid] and twisting to remove the cap, thanks to a vacuum release design.”
The strong exhibitor participation and thousands of retail buyers walking the show floor reflected the growing market for private label products. According to data and analytics market research company IRI, over the first eight months of 2022, store brand sales grew by 9.4%, nearly twice the rate of national brands. Store brands also outperformed national brands in unit sales for the eight months.
Buyers at the show were looking for innovations that will help expand market share and sales of their private label products. Ahead of the curve, Boyer’s Food Markets recently selected the aluminum lug version of the EEASY Lid for its new in-house private label pasta sauce line to provide a better consumer experience and drive strong sales. Topped with the EEASY Lid, the new line of pasta sauces hit shelves last month across all 19 Boyer’s stores.
At PLMA, the CCT team met with buyers from around the world to talk about how the innovation, sustainability and accessibility of the patented EEASY Lid can help their brands stand out from competitors, expand markets for their products and increase sales.
If you were not able to attend PLMA or we did not get the opportunity to meet with you at the show, contact us today to request EEASY Lid samples and a demonstration of our products.
From local newspapers to trade publications, to broadcast media to social media, the debut of the EEASY Lid on the new in-house private label pasta sauce line from Pennsylvania-based Boyer’s Food Market was all the buzz last month.
The October 12 announcement of the availability of the EEASY Lid lug version on Boyer’s pasta sauce line made headlines such as:
Here are some highlights of media reports on the eagerly anticipated debut of the EEASY Lid:
WMFZ-TV: “Sometimes it doesn’t matter how big you are, you just can’t open that jar. Which is why Boyer’s Food Markets is launching a new line of pasta sauce with the patented EEASY Lid.”
The News-Item: “Boyer’s is the first supermarket chain in the country to use the new lid, which eliminates the struggle of opening a stubborn jar lid.”
WOLF-TV: “The state of Pennsylvania is in for a treat, Boyer’s Food Markets announced today its new line of in-house private-label pasta sauces. All sauces come complete with the EEASY Lid, which is the first jar lid innovation in over 75 years.”
Daily Local News: “To eliminate the struggle of opening stubborn jar lids, especially for the elderly and disabled, Boyer’s Food Markets has become the nation’s first supermarket chain to implement a new, easy-to-open lid for its pasta sauce products.”
Overall, the launch was covered by 10 media outlets as well as shared on Facebook by both the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association and the National Grocers Association and retweeted by Progressive Grocer.
The volume of media coverage increased visibility for the EEASY Lid among a potential reading and viewing audience of nearly 53 million people.
Connect with us today to learn first-hand what all the buzz is about.
The number of private label products in the grocery sector is growing. As inflation continues to rise, cost conscious consumers are increasingly purchasing more economical grocery store private label brands. While cost is one factor driving the growth of private label brands, food retailers and manufacturers are using other strategies to ensure this growth remains strong. To keep private label product market share growing, these enterprises are investing in sustainable, inclusive packaging to align with consumer preferences and provide a better consumer experience.
A Power of Private Brands 2022 report by the Food Industry Association revealed that 40% of consumers have bought more private brands since before the pandemic, and three-quarters of these shoppers plan to continue this trend.
While national brands dominate grocery store shelves, private label brands are rapidly expanding. According to data from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), store brands’ annual dollar volume increased by $1.9 billion, setting a new record of $199 billion for sales in all U.S. retailing channels.
The report noted that retailer brands are an important piece of the U.S. grocery business and predicted that “store brands will be a key consumer ally during this current inflationary period and going forward by providing high-quality, high-value products in every category.”
In the grocery sector, private label products account for 17.4% of sales while branded products account for 82.6%. However, private label sales are expected to increase as food retailers and manufacturers ramp up investment in their brands. The Food Industry Association’s survey found that 80% of food retailers and manufacturers expect to increase investment in private brands over the next two years to accelerate growth of this product segment. The survey also revealed that for 58% of respondents, improving product packaging is a key acceleration strategy.
As part of improving product packaging, food retailers are paying particular attention to delivering on consumer preferences for sustainable, inclusive packaging. Brands are aligning with these preferences by turning to packaging solutions like CCT’s EEASY Lid.
In fact, forward-thinking grocery retailer Boyer’s Food Markets recently debuted the EEASY Lid on its new in-house private label pasta sauce line in all 19 of its stores across Pennsylvania. The patented EEASY Lid allows consumers to vent a jar with a simple press of a button on the lid, reducing the amount of effort needed to twist off a jar lid by up to 50%. With the EEASY Lid topping their private label line of pasta sauces, Boyer’s is not only giving people a great product, but a better consumer experience.
A better consumer experience can translate into more market share. Boyer’s experienced first-hand how significantly a better consumer experience can accelerate growth for private label brands. In 2020, Boyer’s ran a case study with the EEASY Lid on a private-label pasta sauce brand. At the end of the study, sales of the sauce jars with the EEASY Lid increased by 341%.
When it comes to consumer product preferences, packaging matters. Contact us today to accelerate the growth of your private label brand with the EEASY Lid.
Since 1985, the month of October has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This annual campaign strives to increase breast cancer awareness, show support for the many people affected by the disease, and raise funds for researching its causes, treatment and cure.
Source: National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the most common cancer overall. In the United States, it is estimated that one in eight women will be diagnosed with this devastating disease and, on average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes. This year, 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and approximately 43,250 women will die from breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
It is a sad reality that breast cancer has likely touched the lives of most of us in some way. This devastating disease was, in fact, the impetus behind the development of the EEASY Lid.
The EEASY Lid was created after company co-founder Pete Stodd was approached by a close friend who couldn’t open a jar after undergoing surgery for breast cancer. She asked why someone couldn’t make a jar lid that was easier to open. After eight years of research and development, CCT did. The EEASY Lid helps take the struggle out of opening jars for everyone including breast cancer patients and survivors challenged by pain and reduction of grip strength, two of the most frequent impairments found after treatment of breast cancer, according to a study.
Breast cancer awareness month serves as a critical reminder of the life-saving importance of early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Take time this month to schedule a routine mammogram and encourage family and friends to do the same. The American Cancer Society recommends annual screening mammograms for women starting at age 40 and continuing as long as they are in good health. For early detection, it is also important that women learn about risk factors and understand the signs and symptoms of the disease.
We urge women to take time for their health and early detection. Know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, do monthly breast self-exams and schedule regular clinical breast exams and mammograms. Early detection is key – the five-year survival rate for breast cancer detected before it has a chance to spread is 99%.
This month and every month, our thoughts and support go out to everyone affected by this devastating disease.
Less is more. That statement is particularly true when it comes to lightweight packaging. Brands are adopting lighter weight packaging strategies to align with consumer demand for more sustainable products. Companies are replacing packaging material with lighter weight alternatives to create cost efficiencies in the supply chain and decrease the amount of packaging waste.
Packaging is a significant contributor to consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies greenhouse gas emissions, making up from 10-30% of their carbon footprint. Heavier and larger packaging that takes up more space and requires more fuel for delivery drives up these emissions.
The trend toward lightweight packaging is gaining momentum not only to increase sustainability but to reduce transport costs. According to a survey by global strategy consulting firm L.E.K., 23% of surveyed companies switched to more lightweight packaging in the last two years and 26% expect to implement lightweight solutions in the next two years.
Innovative lightweight packaging solutions are part of the global eco-friendly packaging market which was estimated at $167.8 billion in 2021 and projected to reach $252.3 billion globally by 2026.
Packaging designers are developing lightweight packaging solutions that reduce environmental impact and costs while protecting products and maintaining a positive consumer experience.
CCT’s EEASY Lid is a lightweight and eco-friendly packaging innovation that is both sustainable and easy to use. Made of 100% recyclable aluminum, the durable, lightweight EEASY Lid helps brands reduce their carbon footprint, lower transport costs and keep products safe and protected. And better yet, all these benefits don’t come at the expense of ease of use. The EEASY Lid makes jars up to 50% easier to open than traditional jar lids.
Companies searching for sustainably produced, lightweight packaging alternatives that increase efficiencies and lower supply chain costs should look no further than the EEASY Lid.
Contact us today to learn more.
It’s an exciting time at CCT! Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, October 12, the EEASY Lid made its official debut on Boyer’s Food Markets’ new in-house pasta sauce line available in all 19 of its stores across Pennsylvania. Boyer’s customers will be the first in the nation to experience the breakthrough jar lid technology that makes jars up to 50% easier to open.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, October 12, at Boyer’s Food Markets’ Orwigsburg store
Boyer’s selected the EEASY Lid to package its signature line of pasta sauces to enhance the consumer product experience by putting an end to the frustration of opening stubborn jar lids. Because the EEASY Lid eliminates the struggle of opening jar lids, products featuring this innovative packaging technology become immediately more accessible to an additional 26% of the U.S. population with disabilities. The EEASY Lid is also ideal for people dealing with reduced grip strength as a result of arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, surgical procedures and aging.
Now available in Boyer’s Food Markets, the EEASY Lid caps off all four flavors of the new pasta sauce line including Meat, Mushroom, Tomato Basil and Traditional. Consumers purchasing any of these sauces will find that they don’t need to resort to jar opening hacks. With the EEASY Lid it’s as simple as 1,2,3 – push, twist and open.
CCT President Brandon Bach, Boyer’s EVP of Sales and Marketing Anthony Gigliotti, and Craft Cannery CEO Paul Guglielmo discussed the EEASY Lid on WFMZ-TV 69 News following the ribbon cutting ceremony – watch the video here!
Boyer’s customers have already shown a preference for products featuring the EEASY Lid. In 2020, Boyer’s ran a test case study with the EEASY Lid on a private-label pasta sauce brand. At the end of the study, sales of the sauce jars with the EEASY Lid skyrocketed by 341%.
The first major jar lid innovation in over 75 years, the EEASY Lid is adaptable to current closure designs for capping containers of all sizes with a vacuum sealed product. This innovative jar lid can be added to an existing package or incorporated into a new design.
Find out more about how the EEASY Lid can enhance the product experience and expand markets with packaging that is accessible and sustainable.
CCT’s state-of-the-art technology center, located at our headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, is where we manufacture the software designed EEASY Lid. The 16,000 square-foot facility houses custom machinery designed to produce the CT and aluminum lug versions of the EEASY Lid.
Each machine in CCT’s production line performs a specific task that builds a component of the EEASY Lid as it moves down the line. When the process is complete, the finished product is the most innovative, easy-to-open jar lid on the market.
CCT’s production line has the capacity to produce about 800 aluminum lug EEASY Lids per minute – more than 250 million annually.
Before embarking on a photo tour of our technology center, we thought it would be helpful to give a brief rundown of what each machine does in the production of the EEASY Lid:
Uncoiler – This is a material handling machine at the beginning of the production line used to hold and safely uncoil the aluminum coil strip. The machine controls the speed and direction of the metal as it moves to the next step of the manufacturing process.
Cupper Press – The cupper press begins to form the jar lid with a die set that presses the aluminum into a uniform lid shape.
Lugger Machine – This machine forms the lugs – equally spaced tabs – that are positioned on the inside of the lid’s skirt (the part that comes down around the mouth of a jar). These lugs are designed to grip the threads of the jar, allowing the lid to twist into place.
Plastisol Liner – The function of this machine is to heat the plastisol liner and apply it to the underside of the jar lid. Plastisol is a common, FDA approved liner frequently used on closures for jars containing vacuum-packed food items to hermetically seal the lid to the jar.
Oven – Once the lids have had the plastisol applied around the perimeter of the inside, the lid will travel through the temperature-controlled oven to properly bake and cure the plastisol within the lid.
Hopper – A hopper is a large rectangular shaped device that accumulates and stores the jar lids until they are ready to be transferred to the conversion press.
Conversion Press – The conversion press stamps the software designed EEASY Lid technology onto the lid and is inspected one last time before a controlled number of lids are placed into boxes for shipping.
Without further ado, here’s a behind the scenes look at how the EEASY Lid is manufactured.
1. Coils are placed on the uncoiler
2. Standing at the controls for the uncoiler
3. Aluminum coils are on the uncoiler, and coil feeds into the cupper press
4. The cupper press stamps out cupped lids from the aluminum foil
5. Lugger machine adds the four lugs to the lid
6. Lids leave the lugger machine and travel on conveyor over to the plastisol liner
7. Far Left: Coil on the uncoiler feeds into the cupper press
Front Center: Lids leave the lugger machine and travel on conveyor over to the plastisol liner
Far Right: Lids exit hopper via conveyor belt and are transferred to the conversion press
8. Lids enter the plastisol liner applicator to have the plastisol placed around the perimeter of the interior wall of the lid
9. Lids go into the oven from the plastisol liner
10. Lids exit the oven and start their cooldown process before heading to the light camera inspection system
11. The lids pass through the light camera system to inspect the quality
12. After the lids are inspected, they are transferred to the hopper for accumulation before being transferred to the conversion press
13. The Lids are transferred from the hopper via a conveyor belt and delivered to the conversion press where the software designed, EEASY Lid technology is stamped onto the lid
14. The lids are then inspected one last time before being placed into boxes to be shipped to a filler or manufacturer near you
Each step of this manufacturing process is integral to executing the innovative design of the EEASY Lid, which is based on eight years of research and development. Each EEASY Lid that comes off our production line is manufactured to be sustainable and durable (made of 100% aluminum), inclusive (easy-to-open for people of all ages and abilities) and safe (tamper evident cues).
We take pride in producing a premium jar lid that fills a critical gap in the packaging market. We hope you enjoyed a behind the scenes look at where the EEASY Lid is produced and be sure to ask manufacturers for the EEASY Lid on your favorite jarred food products.
