Branding beyond the box
As sustainability issues and shifting luxury cues see brands increasingly ditch outer cartons, and even bottle labels, it’s clear we’re at the brink of a paradigm shift in how we approach premium pack design. What do drinks brands need to know?
Bruichladdich made a bold move last week. It launched its first permanent high age statement range. Yet, counter to established luxury norms, it ditched card, aluminium, even wood for its outer packaging for Bruichladdich Eighteen (RRP £150) and Bruichladdich Thirty (£1500). Its material of choice? Paper pulp.
The bottle-hugging, embossed, print and label-free case made from 100% recycled paper, is believed to be an industry first. Go to the brand’s website for a sexy slow-mo video of its embossed curves. It’s a stark provocation to the rest of the industry, a statement that “sustainable materials don't come at the expense of luxury products” says the brand.
Redefining luxury
It’s not the B Corp whisky maker’s first challenge to the wider industry to re-establish what signifies luxury packaging design, and what just doesn’t any longer. In 2021, it encouraged customers to opt out of secondary whisky packaging and forgo gift tins, under its One Tin Lighter campaign. In 2022, it went a step further, removing tinned packaging across its core single malt brands, beginning with Port Charlotte. And in 2023, it redesigned its signature The Classic Laddie, drastically reducing the glass weight and taking away its tin also, to reduce packaging CO2 emissions by 65%.
“As an industry, we’ve become accustomed to believing that single malt Scotch whisky must come with outer packaging as standard,” said Douglas Taylor, Bruichladdich’s chief executive. “Where most other spirits travel around the world in just the bottle, the majority of single malts have an elaborate or heavy secondary, outer pack. And it made us ask ourselves, why?
“Secondary packaging is not always necessary, and it’s certainly not sustainable. [This] is a significant step change for Bruichladdich. This is much more than a bottle redesign. It is changing the trajectory for the brand.” And in turn, perhaps the wider industry?
Wider industry implications
It’s clear that the Scotch brand is not the only one questioning both the need for outer packaging –especially at mid-luxury price points – but their use of materials in general. With an estimated 20-40% of a spirit’s carbon footprint attributed to packaging alone, it’s an increasingly necessary pursuit.
In one of the most creative moves we’ve seen, premium Cognac house A de Fussigny not only ditched an outer box, but crafted a plant-based bottle for its 2050 Organic Cognac. Made from flax fibre and organic resin, it’s 10 times lighter than a traditional bottle.
For those opting to keep it, there’s a need to give packs a second life. French gin brand Audemus created a paper pack for its Pink Pepper Gin Gift Box, that defies conventions. Described as virtually waste-free it is made from sustainably sourced paper, vegetable-based inks, and transforms into a cocktail book with six recipes. And though it’s not necessarily the most eco-option, Laphroaig’s new welly-inspired outer tube for its 10-year-old is made of rubber, inspired by the boots offered to members of the Friends of Laphroaig on visits, and has a carry handle for continued use afterwards.
Then there’s brands stripping back the bottles themselves. Last year Waitrose announced the removal of plastic and foil neck sleeves on its Loved & Found wine range, proclaiming them redundant. Though it formed “part of the ritual of opening a bottle of wine” it said, they have “no functional purpose”.
Challenging convention
Which raises the question, when it comes to packaging, what is really necessary? And what established cues can we now abandon? It’s clear that bottle graphics alone are enough to communicate a brand, and any special launches, if done well, suggesting its time for a wider rethink.
Johnnie Walker’s labelless bottles for its Keep Walking City Collection, released in June 2022, turned the bottles into a blank white canvas upon which artists from specific cities created murals printed with ink made from air pollution, from Air-Ink. And more recently its High Rye sees a visible shift from the brand’s established cues, to drive interest.
Sustainability is premium
What’s vital is that consumers now see sustainability itself as premium. Research from manufacturer Trivium Packaging found 82% of respondents are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging, rising to 90% among Gen-Z, while 71% of consumers have chosen a product in the last six months based on its sustainability credentials.
Brand identity, and differentiation are more important than ever. And this emerging new wave of pack design proves that by exploring innovative new materials, and opting for bold bottle graphics over additional pack outers, brands can be both aesthetically beautiful and sustainable. For consumers and brands alike, that’s a win.