DS Smith equips snacking company with tamper-proof paper-based boxes

12 Jun 2024 --- DS Smith is supporting global snacking company Pladis to reduce plastic in its iconic orange Jacob’s Cream Crackers box by 78% while delivering a tamper-proof pack with “impactful branding.”

Pladis approached DS Smith for designing the new packaging for the Jacob’s Crackers Selection pack, which minimizes plastic waste in the shell of the packaging, while retaining the tamper-proof seal. 

After testing by DS Smith designers, the finished product was found to save over 373 kg of CO2 emissions and incorporating high-quality print to the same standard as the previous solution. 

The new recyclable packaging is already on-shelf. Besides reducing plastic, it retains the classic design associated with Jacob’s.

Paul Bridge at DS Smith says: “Consumers are concerned about the amount of plastic in their packaging. We were delighted to work with Pladis on new packaging for their iconic Jacob’s Cream Crackers.” 

Combing circularity and design 
Bridge addresses the challenge of attempting to cut plastic out of packaging, which often compromises the overall design. 

“By applying our unique Circular Design Metrics, we came up with a solution that ensured that we ended up with a finished product that had 78% less plastic while retaining the same high-quality print as the previous packaging,” he explains. 

“The new design is already on-shelf, and we’ve taken the learnings from the project to see how we can apply them to future solutions we work on.” 

David Guy, packaging director at Pladis UK & I, adds: “Redesigning our packaging was a big moment for us, especially as Jacob’s is such an iconic brand which customers know and love. We were delighted to work with DS Smith, and they really hit our brief, finding a solution which worked with our current manufacturing setup without compromising on branding.” 

In line with its Now and Next strategy and purpose to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, DS Smith uses its unique Circular Design Metrics to rate and compare the circularity of packaging designs across eight indicators.  

Since its creation in 2019, the DS Smith Circular Design Metrics have supported thousands of design projects with around 3,000 circular-ready projects presented to customers monthly. 

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim