Spring is here. The season of renewal, opportunity and hope. There’s always a current of optimism that blows through on the bracing spring air that uplifts our spirits. It feels like spring has come along at the perfect time this year, as we’ve collectively grown weary of being shuttered inside while keeping our distance from friends, co-workers and loved ones outside our households.
At Bellwyck, our innovation initiatives exist in a constant state of spring. Every day introduces new opportunities to re-think the ways we can help our clients stand out on-shelf with intelligent package design and structural creativity. “If you can dream it, we can build it” is the manifesto that propels us forward in search of new packaging solutions that look great while supporting our clients with sustainable solutions.
April showers bring May flowers
One of today’s “greenest” packaging solutions is seeded board, a product carrier that takes environmentally friendly packaging to the next level. This super-sustainable innovation consists of eco-board made with post-consumer materials and printed with plant-based inks. The board is ingeniously impregnated with seeds during the production process, making the board not just recyclable but actually plantable. The substrate is also surprisingly strong; during the manufacturing process, the board is firmly compressed to ensure the fibres form a firm bond together, which produces a smooth and flat surface that holds up through our printing process, product shipping and at retail.
Once the consumer takes the product home, they can breakdown the box into a flat sheet and place the board in a flower pot or in their garden in a sunny location. Next, they will need to sprinkle a little extra soil on top of the paper (to prevent it blowing away), give the area a generous soaking of water and wait for the flowers to grow. Sprouts usually appear within seven to ten days, while the board simply composts away.
While only available today in limited quantities due to its elaborate manufacturing process, seeded board is the perfect solution for eco-conscious brands looking to launch a small-run product destined to capture the public’s imagination. It lets your consumers know that you’re passionate about minimizing your environmental impacts while offering packaging that provides a legacy that lives on in the consumer’s heart and mind.
Grow your social media following
Another fun aspect of seeded board is that it’s extremely social media friendly. You can ask your customers to plant the seeded board in their garden and take pictures every now and again to show the flowers grow. These pictures can then be posted on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more. A social media campaign like this helps to further cement your reputation as an eco-conscious brand. You could even weave a social media promotion into the initiative by compelling customers to tag your company in their posts and use a dedicated hashtag, with a prizing incentive.
The seeded board Bellwyck uses is typically embedded with wildflower seeds native to North America. This ensures the flower species will fit seamlessly in with our local ecosystem, grow healthy and make a positive contribution to the habitat. Alternatively, seeded board can also be produced with certain herb or vegetable seeds instead which, depending on your packaged product, could offer greater affinities with your brand. Herb seeds can include basil, parsley and oregano; vegetable seeds can include carrot, tomato and lettuce.
“As an eco-conscious supplier, we are continuously combing the market for packaging solutions that have a positive impact on our planet,” said Tina Morgan, Director of Sales & Marketing with Bellwyck. “Seeded board is one of the environmentally friendly packaging innovations we’re excited to offer. It answers to our focus on sustainability and offers clients with short-run printing requirements a unique and unusual packaging alternative that definitely stands out in the marketplace.”
