Intelligent packaging in the hands of innovative brands
Press
In an effort to enhance communication with the consumer through packaging, brand owners are beginning to utilize a wide range of smart tools that aim to extend shelf life, thinking about the development at the start of the design process.
At UK-based Cambridge Design Partnership, Leader of Business Development, Tom Lawrie-Fussey explains that the cost of packaging needs to be justified, and considers the ‘hidden’ technology in Gatorade’s Gx Hydration System justified.
He states, “It is currently used to improve the performance of elite athletes. A smart cap fitted with sensors and microchip tracks fluid intake and lights up when someone needs to drink more and sends live analytics to the coach via an App. Each 30-oz bottle has a pod of concentrated formula based on an individual’s needs and a device to break and disperse the contents.”
Smart’s collaboration with Gatorade, as the lead innovation partner on the Gx project, grew out of earlier work with Pepsico developing the pod delivery system under the Drinkfinity brand. “The packaging and delivery mechanism of the Gx sports fuel solution was our vision, and we also generated and designed the smart cap, which has gone through several iterations since we first commenced the project in 2014”, says Tucker Fort, Smart Design Partner and Gatorade Gx team lead. The hydration platform is being used by professional athletes throughout the NFL, NBA, and NCAA, and “2017 will see this expand to more teams and sports globally.”
Other leading food and beverage brands are also experimenting with new tools and smart packaging, looking to explore innovative ideas that help their brands adapt to how users handle the products. To read on in Packaging World, click here.