This is a familiar scenario: there's a new or seasonal product being promoted in the supermarket. There is this cardboard display at the end of the rack, which you cannot ignore. An eye-catcher, in which the barbecue sauce/chocolates/juice is attractively presented. Preferably, of course, with a promotional employee present, so you can taste it right away.
After about two weeks, the display is sold empty pretty much. The remaining products are stored into a basket or shelf and the display goes... into the paper container. A terrible waste, of course. And I can hear you thinking: why, that cardboard is recycled, isn't it?
RECYCLING? DOWNCYCLING!
Well, not quite. The cardboard will be indeed reused, but never again for a display. The quality after processing is too low for that. Every time paper and cardboard is recycled, it loses quality. You can find recycled paper as packaging material (think of the paper sheet around your new shoes), toilet paper and note paper. And to downcycle such a good cardboard display into a roll of toilet paper also requires a whole procedure that costs time and money and releases a lot of CO2. Hence, the footprint of cardboard is not as low as many people think. Minimum CO2 saving by using the plastic tray compared to a cardboard display is 65%, it can go up to as much as 90%!
So a cardboard display like this is anything but sustainable. This can be done differently. We wanted to move from a single-use design to a multi-use design. The answer is our plastic DSPLY. Although plastic isn't known to be sustainable, in many cases it is. You can imagine that a plastic display will last for many years. If a part of it were to break, it can be replaced. At the end of its life, a plastic display can be recycled: we can make new displays from old ones!
SMART DESIGN
Such a display is usually completely printed with advertising to give extra attention to the product. Our design had to take this into account. We developed the product in such a way that cardboard cards with branding can be inserted in different places. In this way, our DSPLY can still be completely customised, but with a considerable saving of cardboard.
By offering our DSPLYs through a pool company, they can be delivered to and collected from the right location at exactly the right time. One less worry for the producer and supermarket.
We approached The Reusables by HB-RTS for this because we know them as a reliable partner. They offer products in closed-loop pooling systems: all products are shared and reused again and again, exactly what we want for our display.
Because the mobile DSPLY consists of stackable trays that can be folded, an empty display takes up little space. We also thought about the folding: a supermarket employee should be able to do this in one smooth motion. So the uprights have to fold easily, but with so much resistance that they don't collapse when the display is filled and someone accidentally bumps into it. This is a matter of testing, adjusting and trying again until it's perfect.
PROUD!
Together with HB-RTS, we recently organized a launch where we were able to show off our DSPLY to several manufacturers in the food industry. Their enthusiasm and appreciation confirmed our idea that we are working on innovation that people actually want and can use. The question is no longer whether we will produce the DSPLY, but when and in what quantity. With this innovative product, we are proud to take an important step in sustainability in national (and, as far as we are concerned, global) food promotion. From single-use to multiple-use: another successful project!
INSPIRATION?
Do you also have an idea? A mission or vision to make your product more sustainable? Get in touch with us! We are happy to think along with you to improve your product in an innovative way. From idea to product, all under one roof - with intensive collaboration and short lines of communication. Because Hollarts also is: your sustainable vision moulded in plastic.
