Reusable Packaging—Custom Packaging that Marries Profits to Ecology

A totally new, reusable retail package design that looks like a book and acts as a permanent storage device for multi-component products portends to add value for product manufacturers and retailers, while being good for the environment because the customer hangs onto this retail packaging and reuses it indefinitely—saving it from the waste stream. Already utilized by some early-adopting manufacturers (such as Leap Frog) and importers, this new approach to custom packaging looks to become a standard for staying competitive in an increasingly environmentally-sensitive market.

This book-style, reusable retail packaging (RRP) achieves its purpose with two sections joined by a spine and folded into a book or album-like structure. Since this outside cover is formed by transparent plastic, windows can be built into it so that the products within can be clearly displayed for easy examination by a prospective purchaser, just like traditional vacuum forming, clamshell packaging or blister packaging. Ample advertising space is available on the exterior and interior surfaces on a layer of printed matter.

This kind of contract packaging appears especially apropos to products that have multiple components that need to kept together such as compact disks, books, audiotape cassettes, digital photo disks, pen and pencil sets, etc., or products that have manuals or other literature that will be referred to at a later date. Yet, this packaging goes one step further in terms of convenience, as it can incorporate extra storage space for other, similarly sized items.

While the reusable retail package design can include an integral “J” hook for peg displays, it further distinguishes itself from traditional blister packaging, vacuum forming, or clamshell packaging and thermoforming by virtue of its flat surface on the bottom that allows it to stand upright for shelf displays.

Since the book is secured shut with tamper-resistant tape that can’t be removed by a prying fingernail, this custom packaging shares the security of typical blister packaging, clamshell packaging or thermoforming packaging. Except that it only takes a quick slice with a knife to open at home, and the book covers re-close to repeatedly house the contents.

This retail package design was created and patented by contract packaging innovator AVC Corp.—a vertically-integrated custom packaging company housed under one roof in Torrance, California. As such, AVC is able to provide all design and pre-press functions as well as tooling, vacuum forming, thermoforming, media replication (such as CDs) and printing for this contract packaging design and others.

“The book-style has a high level of sophistication and a ‘freshness’ about it,” explains Vos Peter Vos, principal partner of Forrester & Vos, a Long Beach, California-based supplier of reading glasses. “It is reusable in a way that you can store the glasses. There is also more print room for writing about the reasons why you might need our glasses. The retail package stands up by itself. And everybody understands that it works like a book. We're now shipping our glasses to all the Sam's Clubs as a new product. The fact that this custom packaging is environmentally-friendly helps gives us a marketing edge."


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For More Information Contact:
Guy Marom
P (310) 533-5811
F (310) 533-6077
20550 South Denker Avenue
Torrance, Ca. 90501
Email: guy@avccorp.com
www.avccorp.com