To offer more sustainable packaging options, UK paper company, James Cropper, has launched a 3D packaging concept made from fully renewable and recyclable wood pulp (cellulose).
Dubbed Colorform, the product is made using thermoforming, a process based on custom-made “moulds” to create the exact shape of packaging that a brand needs.
It begins with selecting a coloured pulp from a customer’s choice of sustainable wood fibres, which is then poured into a mould and carefully heated in stages. The result is a solid shape that matches the customer’s bespoke design.
According to the company, moulded fibre was already used in its packaging products since its launch a century ago. However, its structure was limited to rectangular boxes. Thanks to technological advances, the thermoprocess allows the fibres to be moulded into any shape and has the potential to replace plastic packaging.
As a demonstration of Colorform’s capability, the company designed a Kiss package that takes the shape of lips with contrasting outer and inner colourways.
The company said the product could be made using any colour and shape. In addition, the concept is scalable and can accommodate a wide range of cosmetics, from lipsticks to perfumes bottles.
“Everything created for our customers is bespoke and therefore unique; imagination is the only limit,” shares Chris Schofield, head of design at Colorform.
He added that the company use renewable energy and natural wood fibres from sustainably managed forests and upcycled fibres from its own fibre plant.
“Market-leading design and sustainability do not need to be mutually exclusive when it comes to packaging. Packaging now needs to be both environmentally friendly and beautiful: and it can be,” Schofield concluded.
