Hewlett Packard’s move to RPETG gives its club store packs of ink-jet cartridges an environmentally friendlier edgs.

Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, CA, has debuted eco-friendly packaging using RPETG, a recycled polyester copolymer that replaces polyvinyl chloride. RPETG thermoforms showcase a new design for HP ink-jet cartridges in club stores.

The eco-friendlier packaging initiative involved many complexities in changing materials, developing a new package design, and in consolidating a range of packs into a handful of formats that accept dozens of product variations.

“HP has a corporate goal to improve the environmental impact of our products and packaging,” says Andrea Lantz, HP’s Supplies Engineering and Customization Manager. “I set a goal for my team to create a more environmentally friendly package for our club store customers. We worked closely with club stores to understand their needs, and they were involved in the design process.”

Display Pack assisted on material selection and testing. The ink-jet cartridges are packaged in clear front-and-back RPETG thermoforms from Display Pack, which also provides the printed inserts that carry graphics. The printed insert also supports an eco-friendly approach: It’s made of 100% recycled paperboard printed offset in five colors front, four colors back, plus an aqueous coating. Each insert conforms to the thermoform’s bevel, a 45º angle molded along the two sides of the front thermoform that provides a distinctive look and unifies the entire product line.

“Our marketing team was also instrumental in this effort, and the flat front of the package provides a great billboard for marketing graphics to help club-store customers select the right product,” Lantz says. “For branding and consistency, the beveled edges of the package emulate the beveled sides of our individually packaged ink-jet cartridges.”

HP is transitioning all of its ink-jet cartridge club store packs into this new packaging, Lantz says. That totals 25 different items.

The new packaging eliminates the use of PVC thermoforms and reduces the overall amount of packaging material. “We wanted to replace the PVC with a more environmentally responsible material,” Lantz says. She points out that RPETG can be coded #1 for PETE, just like PET soda bottles. PET, RPET, and RPETG are all more easily recycled than PVC, she adds.

Another environmental strength of the packaging is in source reduction and consolidation, an aspect that’s highlighted through text printed on the insert’s reverse that states, “Same great product. Less packaging than before” next to a column entitled “Feel good about recycling.”

HP’s packaging accommodates a diverse range of ink cartridges and associated items in just four thermoforms that accept all 25 products: one front used for all products, and three different back thermoforms.

“Although the shapes of the ink-jet cartridges are radically different, HP can use one thermoform for many different products through careful cavity design,” Lantz says. “The new format eliminates a layer of packaging since the ink-jet cartridges are placed directly into the package. The previous packaging used ink-jet cartridges in their individual retail cartons.”

A secondary benefit for consumers is that for many of the products, the actual ink cartridge itself can be seen through the clear back of the package, Lantz adds.

The cavities also provide product protection. “Every single product fits nicely into cavities and will be individually protected,” says HaJung Kim-Gifford, HP Packaging Engineer and Program Manager, who coordinated the structural design.

Lantz also points out that the overall size of the package, though slightly smaller than the previous package, is still big enough to meet the club stores’ requirements for anti-theft protection: The package size makes it difficult for a potential thief to conceal the unopened product. The clubs also mandated that the consumer must need a tool such as a scissors to open the package.

Read more about HP’s move into eco-friendly packaging, and about RPETG.

-- By Rick Lingle, Packaging World