Recyclable sack supports firm's environmental view: new lower-cost, high-performance bag for horse feed stirs a 10 percent sales jump - Problem-Solving Case History - Brief Article

Food & Drug Packaging, Dec, 2001

People who care for horses are a different breed from typical pet owners. Nutrition is a major concern for them, as is the wider environment their horses--and all animals--inhabit. Hilton Herbs understands horse people, and its products and packaging cater to them.

The company had been packaging its special mixes of dietary herb supplements in clear plastic tubs for several years. Consumers could see the product before buying, but the tubs were not perceived as environmentally friendly; they were somewhat difficult to open and close in cold environments (which is typical for many stables); and the light they let in sometimes damaged the herbs.

Hilton Herbs' search for a better package led to a line of high-quality multilayer paper sacks supplied by Zip Pack Packaging Technology Ltd. with the Generation IV Rip-n-zip easy-open/reclosable feature from MDH Packaging Corp.

"Hilton Herbs had wanted to use the Zip Pack bags for many years, but they had not been available in our size previously" says Hilary Self, co-owner of Hilton Herbs, which is located in England. "Our products look a bit like pot pourri, so we were keen that the new bag should give an indication of the product inside. Our customers are very aware of the impact packaging has on the world environment. We felt that it was vital that our packaging should be 100 percent recyclable."

The bag is sold throughout Europe (as well as 25 countries worldwide) and complies with the strict German recycling standards.

Making Hilton Herbs' bags is an international effort. The graphics, a melange of leaves, seeds, berries and flowers, are etched onto cylinders manufactured in Germany. These are sent to an Austrian rotogravure printer which creates the eight-color top sheets. These sheets are laminated with an external low-density polyethylene laminate for high-gloss and anti-slip characteristics, then they are shipped to another Austrian firm which weds them to an internal paper sheet and forms a tube.

The tubes are shipped to Zip Pack Packaging Technology, where the Rip-n-zip bag closure system is attached to the top. Hilton Herbs bottom fills the bags and stitches them closed.

Hilton Herbs produces about 20 different herb mixes, so the bags--which usually hold 1 kilogram of product--are printed with just generic usage instructions on the back in seven languages. Hilton then adds a clear stick-on label to the front to identify the particular mix.

The Rip-n-zip system, which makes opening and closing the sack a snap, has been key to the package's success. "The bag is easier to open and reclose in the cold than the tubs, which is a vital factor since many of our customers will store these products in a cold feed or store room at the stables and in the winter time will be handling the product with cold or gloved fingers," Self says.

The packaging has been well received by retailers and consumers. "Our customers love the new packaging," Self says. "It is attractive, easier to handle, and because the cost of the packaging is less [than the tubs] we've been able to drop the cost to the end user. Our sales of dried herbal products increased by approximately 10 percent in conjunction with the launch of the new packaging and have remained steady since."

IN A NUTSHELL

Goal: Create package that is easier to handle and recyclable

How: Convert to easy-open paper sacks with reclosure system

Results: Sales up 10 percent

MDH Packaging Corp.
859-746-0993; www.ripnzip.com
Zip Pact Packaging Technology Ltd.
(44) 1 302 344119; mark@zippack.co.uk