Package Design - June 2012 - 26

Chemical Enhancers
Resin ingredients enrich creative possibilities for packaging.
By Patrick Henry

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Aveda developed its Invati hair care line with 97% naturally derived solutions for thinning hair. It was important to the beauty brand that Invati had a package that was as green as possible. An additive enabled Aveda to create a more sustainable package without sacriﬁcing a high-end look or chemical compatibility with Invati’s active ingredients.

hemical and natural additives extend plastic’s functionality, enhance its appearance, cut its processing costs and increase its sustainability—all in ways that can help packaging creatives improve their designs or broaden their design choices. Ray Buckwalter, vice president, sales and marketing, Pinnacle Polymers (Garyville, LA), estimates that because of increased customer demand for performance-enhanced plastics, 80% of the base resins that his company ships to package producers and other plastic-product manufacturers now contain additives. When Aveda (Blaine, MN) launched its Invati line of hair-care products, an additive was the key ingredient for assuring the look and sustainability that the brand owner wanted in the packaging. Tricorbraun (St. Louis, MO) supplied bottles made of recycled, 100% post-consumer PCR HDPE resin plus a colorant from Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland). The result was a high-end appearance that also delivered a compelling brand message about being of nature and protecting it. “By having the colorant added to the PCR HDPE resin, virgin resin was not necessary, and any additional coatings and processes were not required to achieve the desired aesthetic look,” says Nicole Call, Aveda’s manager of package development. “This achieves Aveda’s environmental mission of creating a package with minimal materials and ingredients.” But there was nothing minimal about the visual effect that the additive lent to the container. “The color palette we chose was designed to convey a deep richness. We wanted to use a color different

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JUNE 2012
Package Design - June 2012

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