PulpWorks, Inc. (San Rafael, CA), designers and manufacturers of molded pulp packaging, and EO Products (San Rafael, CA), makers of essential oil-based natural and organic bath, skin and hair care products, have co-developed a 100% compostable package for retail displays - the PW-Pack.
The patent-pending PW-Pack is a safe, easy-to-open and environmentally superior alternative to the plastic (polyvinyl chloride, PVC) blister pack.
The simple, two-piece package consists of: a molded pulp backing piece with a cavity that securely holds the saleable item; and a printed, branded, die-cut face card (see photo).
It uses no adhesives, tapes, or staples, though PulpWorks can "paper staple" the face card to the pulp backing piece in-line if the customer wishes to do so.
Currently, EO Products does not have a launch date set for the PW-Pack, however Packaging Digest has learned that the company is in talks with a national drugstore chain to carry the products.
PulpWorks co-Founder & chief executive officer Paul Tasner informs PD that the PW-Pack blister is fully customizable for size, thickness, contents, texture and, to a certain degree, color. He also notes that the product is displayed blister-free and "bare" with an open front panel. The cavity in which the saleable article is contained is designed to tightly hold that article. It requires, by design, an effort to dislodge it, according to Tasner.
"Obviously, our package is not an ideal match for those products where contact is an issue," offers Tasner. "That still leaves countless other options for us, so we're extremely excited about the potential size of the market and breadth of categories available to us. By all accounts, this is a multi-billion dollar playing field. "
