UK – British licensed products manufacturer and supplier Sambro International is planning to roll out new, fully recyclable cardboard packaging for its collectables range.
The company said the new eco-friendly packaging is being introduced as part of its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments to use more sustainable alternatives and save up to 12.8 tonnes of plastic annually.
According to a report, to reinforce its ESG commitments, the company recently conducted a self-audit of its various toy products’ packaging to identify solutions for making sustainable improvements.
As a result of the audit, Sambro decided to introduce a fully recyclable packaging format to gradually replace the old ‘egg-shaped’ plastic packaging used for its various products over the next three years.
Initially, the cardboard packaging will be introduced in collaboration with licensor Hasbro for its Peppa Pig ‘Create Your Own Character’ product range, which comes with four collectable characters.
The new pack was inspired by milk cartons and will be paper-based and recyclable, along with a bag that holds the stuffing for the toy, a Toys n Playthings report said.
It is expected to be rolled out to UK, Middle Eastern, and African retailers from January next year and be available for purchase later that year.
Bury Times quoted Sambro’s ethical and sustainability manager Lisa Longley as saying: “While practical, our current egg-shaped packaging is not easily recyclable and offers little secondary use for customers, making it a sustainable weak spot for us.
“Our new reimagined packaging has seen our design, product and ESG teams work together to develop a bespoke customer-specific packaging solution, which we are now hoping to roll out across other ranges currently using this egg-shaped packing.
“The broader efforts to reduce the use of plastics across our packaging will include more environmentally friendly and innovative materials, enhanced consumer recycling through product design and on-pack snipes, and an overall eco-friendly themed approach to play.”
Other benefits include the new rectangular shape, which packs more efficiently, resulting in smaller shipping cartons.
The addition of on-pack snipes which educate about plastic-free packaging, will also help increase customer awareness of better buying choices.
Last year, Sambro was among the first toy companies of its size to calculate its carbon footprint, and using 2019 as a base, it has seen an overall reduction in emissions of 3.4 percent, including a 22 percent reduction in Scope 2 emissions (emissions that a company causes indirectly when the energy it purchases and uses is produced).
This is as a result of new sustainable innovations, including making the switch to renewable energy, with its Bury headquarters now completely powered by electricity from renewable sources.
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