DS Smith develops e-commerce packaging for Blaue Helden - Together for a Clean Environment

Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental burdens on our planet. The start-up Blaue Helden, founded in 2019, wants to counteract this. Their mission: with a power tab, a reusable spray bottle and water from the tap, everyone mixes bathroom cleaner, dishwashing liquid, all-purpose cleaner or glass cleaner themselves quite simply. According to the start-up, this not only permanently reduces plastic consumption in the household. At the same time, the low weight and packaging volume of the tabs can save more than 90 percent of the CO2 emissions that occur when conventional cleaning agents are transported in disposable plastic bottles.

The environmentally friendly power tabs and reusable spray bottles are sold through selected drugstores and supermarkets as well as the company's own online store. Blaue Helden offers easy access to a clean future with its two starter sets available online. For the development and production of the corresponding e-commerce packaging, the young company relies on the long-standing expertise of DS Smith. Just like the start-up, the globally active display and packaging manufacturer consistently focuses on sustainability in its business activities - with recyclable solutions and the 100% recyclable material corrugated board.

Consumers demand sustainable packaging
Today's consumers not only attach importance to sustainable products. From the shopper's point of view, their packaging must also be environmentally compatible and resource-saving, as shown by a study conducted by DS Smith and the market research company Ipsos in 12 European countries in the fall of 2020. One in five (22 percent) of the consumers surveyed said they no longer order from some online retailers because their shipping packaging leaves something to be desired in terms of sustainability. Conversely, this means that those who send their products in sustainable e-commerce packaging, like the start-up Blaue Helden, are also winners.

For the Helden packaging solution, DS Smith used only as much material as necessary, in line with its own closed-loop design principles. Whether it's a 3-piece or 4-piece starter kit, the custom-fit corrugated inlay holds products securely in place in the packaging without the need for additional filler materials such as plastic bubble wrap. The inlay and box can be unfolded in no time at all. But the DS Smith solution scores points not only in the start-up's logistics center, but also with its customers for stress-free handling. Self-adhesive tape and tear tape enable the packaging to be closed just as quickly as it can be opened later.

The packaging leaves a lasting impression, especially with its strong identity design. The corrugated board perfectly conveys the sustainable claim of the cleaning products start-up. Its brand message is prominently printed on the outside and inside of the packaging in high-quality flexographic printing. The box also has flaps on the inside into which a flyer can be inserted. The e-commerce shipping box gives the products a glamorous appearance when the packaging is opened. It emotionalizes, serves as a confirmation of purchase, and motivates repeat purchases: after all, who wouldn't want to become a lasting hero of a cleaner environment?