Smurfit Kappa has been awarded a highly coveted WorldStar Packaging award for its ‘Gun Box’, which was created specially for brewers Hall & Woodhouse.
Presented by the World Packaging Organisation, WorldStars are only given to packages judged to be superior in their own right and better in class by execution or innovation by comparison. 129 packages from across all sectors around the world were awarded WorldStars for 2010 and, of these, only six were picked from the UK.
Designed as a limited edition collector’s pack to launch the new bottle shape for Badger Ales, Smurfit Kappa’s B-flute corrugated box was litho printed in a wood effect both inside and out to mimic the look of a traditional wooden case. The Gun Box comes complete with hemp rope handles and is fully recyclable, compostable and biodegradable.
Rick Payne, brands marketing manager at Hall & Woodhouse, said: “Smurfit Kappa produced a unique and on-brand sample pack to help launch our new bottles. The pack has been used with shareholders, trade buyers, beer writers and sale to local consumers from the brewery shop. Take up has been so successful that an unanticipated reorder was instigated.”
The box holds 12 different bottles of Badger Ale with cleverly designed supports to ensure brand label visibility and provide complete protection. There are tasting notes for each of the ales printed on a pad that sits inside the lid of the box.
Richard Gannon, design manager at Smurfit Kappa Chelmsford, commented: “The client required a great-looking collectable box to protect and display 12 different bottled ales. We wanted to recreate the effect of a wooden crate as it underpins the rustic and traditional brand values of Badger Ales, but also offer a more cost-efficient and sustainable packaging solution.”
The Gun Box is made from ten components nested on to two separate blanks to reduce set-up costs and ensure print quality consistency. The pack has been tested for rigidity by undergoing a 1m ‘drop test’. This has not knowingly been passed before by a corrugated pack holding 12 lightweight glass bottles.
Packages are only legible to enter the WorldStar awards if they have previously been recognised in a national competition. The Smurfit Kappa designed Gun Box has previously won the Starpack Silver award in the UK. This WorldStar award is Gannon’s third for Smurfit Kappa. Previous WorldStars have been achieved for ‘Springbox’ and ‘Loaddaddy’, both winning POS designs.