Products of Change member and community champion, Sambro International has reimagined the packaging for one of its best-selling lines in a move that will help save 12.8 tonnes of plastic a year.
As part of the global supplier of licensed and own brand toys’ robust ESG commitments – which has already seen the firm reduce its scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint by 10% since its baseline year – Sambro has undertaken an audit of the packaging used across its range of toys to identify ways to make sustainable improvements.
The result of which has seen the launch of a new, fully recyclable packaging format to replace its ‘egg-shaped’ plastic packaging – a packaging type that has been used across a variety of Sambro products for over three years.
This packaging swap will be implemented across Sambro’s best-selling Create Your Own Character line which has been developed in collaboration with Hasbro as part of its Peppa Pig franchise of products.
Working in partnership, Sambro’s design, product, and ESG teams developed updated packaging for the range to reduce plastic waste and add an extra play element, increasing retailer and consumer appeal.
The end-result is a new paper-based packaging design inspired by milk cartons, which is fully recyclable. This packaging – which also features a cut-out heart image to add an extra play element, as well as additional design elements such as the paper tie and gift bag allowing it to be reimagined as a gift line – was first unveiled to the industry at this year’s Las Vegas Licensing Expo as part of the Products of Change stand.
Under the current deal with Hasbro, the updated packaging will be launched to the UK and EMEA from January 2024 and will be expected to hit shelves by spring/summer 2024.
A total of 236,363 Create Your Own Character toys were sold in 2022. Based on these figures, the replacement cardboard packaging will save 12.8 tonnes of plastic, the equivalent of 752,469 plastic drinks bottles from landfill.
Other benefits of the redesign include the packaging’s new rectangular shape, which packs more efficiently, resulting in smaller shipping cartons. The addition of on pack snipes which educate around plastic-free packaging, will also help increase customer awareness of better buying choices.
Lisa Longley, Sambro’s ethical and sustainability manager, said: “Sambro is committed to working with its licensors such as Hasbro to develop more sustainable packaging solutions. As p[art of our wider ESG commitments, we have a road map which addresses how we can better use 100% recycled and recyclable materials in our packaging.
“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 packaging.
“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.”
