Ever been uncertain which recycling container to use to deposit a container? How is the average consumer supposed to know what the difference is between a 3 and a 5? I can tell you I have made guesses before as to which container should go in which bin and so have many others. Non-profit organization GreenBlue has started a new label initiative to make recycling labels more user friendly! Anne Bedarf of GreenBlue comments that, “Consumers are faced with a confusing landscape of recycling messages and instructions that are often inconsistent or misleading.”  The new labeling system they have developed is much easier to understand.

Check out the photo above of the new recycling label; notice how each word or type of packaging is written out and then marked with a slash? GreenBlue feels that this type of labeling system will be much more user friendly and better for the environment. Ann Bedarf also states, “We believe this label will create a harmonized system that will help consumers and companies contribute to more effective resource recovery.” Several companies such as Costco and Microsoft have already gotten on board to use these new labels on their packaging starting in 2012.

Check out their press release for more information on this new recycling label.

As a blogger about the newest packaging innovations on the market, I am constantly keeping my eyes out for the hottest trends.  A top trend I have noticed across multiple packaging and product innovations is that the world is going green!  New eco friendly products are popping up every day as the world tries to be sustainable.

A few products in particular stood out to me for excellence and innovation in green packaging. Scott Naturals Tube free tissue has just arrived in Northeast Walmart and Sam’s Club stores and is missing one key element; the classic cardboard tube!  The tube, through eco friendly, is reported to be thrown in the garbage by 8 out of 10 consumers.  Scott plans to reduce excess waste and be more eco friendly by removing the tube.  The Green 001 designer shoe by Li Ning is a Chinese eco friendly shoe made entirely from recycled products.  Trendwatching online says a Chinese ad for the shoe reads, “Environmental Protection = Trendy” to enforce the global go green trend. Even Mexico City’s government has a new law banning non-compostable grocery store bags.  Stacy and I saw this trend first hand at the Natural Products Expo East where reusable shopping bags were distributed in abundance to show attendees.  Keep up the “go green” efforts everyone and watch out for more of my top packaging trends!

Having worked over six years in retail, I have stocked many shelves full of sweaters, candy bars, and shampoo.  I dreaded shelving the thousand tiny travel shampoo bottles, but loved the candy that came pre-packaged in retail-ready packaging (RRP). RRP merchandise is a unit that holds the product and sits directly on the store shelf (see candy shelves above); it is faster and more efficient.  James Tupper, the ECR Learning & Change Manager at IGD, knows a thing or two about RRP and offers his knowledge and advice in the Packaging World Magazine Article. 

Tupper believes in an all-inclusive supply chain with his Eleven Easy-to Factors.  Basically the factors include the shopper, stakeholder, CPG, and retailer.  The steps explain how RRP can make it easy for these four groups to function.  Shoppers are looking for an easy way to pick up the item, stakeholders want an easy way to transport, distributors want easy to pack products, and retailers want an easy way to stock the products. 

RRP is most evident in packaged lunch meats that now come in secondary containers offering easy shelving for retailers.  One area that needs RRP the most are back stock rooms.  Workers should be able to easily identify product boxes from a distance to reduce time and save money. Other areas to improve on are the ways packaging is opened, by implementing tear strips to avoid the extra time taken to find a box opener.  Instructions being pictorial would also be helpful to save workers from reading lengthy instruction booklets.  Structure is the name of the game when it comes to RRP, according to Tupper.

Although it’s not required by the USDA that non-food products certify their organic claims, Whole Foods is insisting on it for the sake of their customers. By June 1, 2011 all personal products and cosmetics claiming to be organic or made from/including organic ingredients must be certified. According to GCI Magazine, companies have until August 1^st of this year to submit their compliance plans to Whole Foods:

• Under the new guideline, all products making an “organic” product claim (e.g. “organic shampoo”) must be certified to the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (USDA NOP) standard, the same standard to which organic food must be certified under U.S. law.
• Products making a “made with organic ingredients” claim must also be certified to the NOP standard
• Products making a “contains organic ingredients” claim must be certified to the NSF 305 ANSI Standard for Organic Personal Care products, a consensus-based industry standard accepted by the American National Standards Institute and managed by NSF International.

We’ve scoured all of our resources to bring you the best of World Cup-inspired and commemorative products and packaging! I’ll even be worldlier in using the term football. Here they are:

The “Hospitality Pack” contains the most important item for football fans: their tickets. Capturing the essence of anticipation, the slider pack provides a clever and playful opening experience, creating intrigue and a sense of novelty to complement the exciting nature of receiving World Cup tickets. With the games officially now underway, the high quality format of the Burgopak design further encourages fans to retain the pack, lending itself as a keep-safe of World Cup memorabilia.

Gillette’s World Cup-inspired shaving gel and antiperspirant and deodorant cans creatively resemble a football and shows off their sponsorship.

These bracelets were made by over 400 women in South Africa for fans of the Dutch team. The orange color is the national color for the Netherlands and the assortment of colors represents the South African flag.

SAB Miller developed a can that could also function as a cup.

Special World Cup Packaging for Carlsberg beer featuring England’s team manager Fabio Capello and team players David James, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Jermaine Defoe.

England’s team received more support when Umbro commissioned the painting of the players’ numbers in their hometowns, even for manager Capello in Italy.

Coca-Cola’s commemorative cans feature French players in celebration and come in a box with a CD from K’Naan.

Miller Light cans are laser-etched with famous players captured doing their signature moves.

Please share if you’ve come across other promotional or commemorative products or packaging!

Sustainability is a frequent topic on Dion’s blog. However we rarely look at the pressure that may be behind a company’s decision to implement sustainable efforts. This article from Brand Packaging takes a look at a few companies that have been targeted by green activists. When I say “activist” you may think of wild paint-throwing PETA rallies. But beyond the grassroots approaches, the strategy explained in the article that I found interesting is that activists may choose far more business-like tactics. Many have a voice because they are actual shareholders in the corporations they are trying to sway. By rallying votes on issues at shareholder meetings, activists are able to not only voice their concerns, but actually be heard by executives as their percentage of votes on an issue increases. To see how their influence has translated into more eco-friendly practices at some of the best known companies in the world, click here!

HP recently sent out a press release announcing our purchase of their latest press!

Check out the capabilities our HP WS6000 press purchased in March 2010. It is the newest press on the market from HP and will increase our capabilities, including endless possibilities of substrates for printing.

“Short run, multiple SKUs, repeatable high-quality printing and the ability for variable data has helped to maintain our steady growth,” said Randy Duhaime, General Manager, Dion Label. “ The purchase of the HP Indigo WS6000 will allow us to continue this trend with longer run lengths transitioning from our conventional flexographic printing department to our digital department. WS6000 enhancements, such as its large repeat length and its ability to print on substrates from 12 microns to 450 microns, will open additional opportunities.”

The latest issue of Brand Packaging analyzed the effects of the recession. It’s a situation that has affected everyone, but rather than simply blaming our troubles on the current economic situation and giving up, we can look at how to learn, move on, and hopefully grow instead. The article compares coping with the recession to coping with loss, and how this influences consumer purchasing patterns:

Anger/Denial: At first consumers indulged in small luxuries that wouldn’t have major short-term consequences. Brands and even private labels that benefited were the ones that proved their value was worth the added cost. Others were ones with traditional/nostalgic value that consumers could take comfort in.

Bargaining/Depression: When consumers really started to feel the economic downturn, they shifted towards more thrifty habits. As a rudimentary example: even though people still dined out at restaurants, they chose less-expensive options (i.e. a pizza for the group rather than individual prime ribs. Trust me, I’ve seen this happen!).

Acceptance: At the end of the day, the major effect of the recession on consumer attitudes is a shift of the paradigm from a mindset of "what I want is what I need" to one of "what I need is what I want."

So here are Brand Packaging’s words of wisdom:

1. Don’t try to sell consumers what they don’t really need;
2. But, at the same time, don’t forget that behind every basic need lies an aspiration.
3. Use playfulness and familiarity to earn the right to engage with consumers.
4. Respect consumers by making clear, believable claims and making your portfolio easy to understand and navigate.
5. Give consumers a sense of control in the way they choose to interact with you.
6. Use packaging to give a fair picture of what is inside the pack, but don’t lose an opportunity to tell a compelling story.  

Marketers are constantly scrambling for design solutions that stand out, communicate credibility, convey value, resonate with consumers, compel purchase and promote loyalty. Finding these solutions, however, is not easy.

One way to know what's happening broadly with consumer brands and packaging is to attend industry-specific events and shows. In the United States, some of the most important consumer products shows include the Food Marketing Institute Show (FMI), Natural Products Expo, Fancy Food Show, Boston Seafood Show, Dairy-Deli-Bake, All Candy Expo, Toy Fair, International Home + Housewares Show, National Hardware Show, Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, New York International Gift Fair, International Beauty Show (IBS) and Cosmoprof. While there are countless others, attending these will give you a good idea of what's going on in U.S. retail marketing and packaging design.

For the complete article, click here.

2009 marked the first full year for Dion’s blog, so we decided to take a moment to reflect on some of its highlights. With almost 200 entries this year we had a lot of options for choosing our favorites! Here are the top blogs we selected:

Products we’ve blogged about and tried:

"Neuro Brand Beverages": Stacy and I were lucky enough to receive samples all the way from the west coast of this product line. We loved everything from the product itself to the unique bottle design.

Colgate Wisp Blogs: Stacy likes these blogs, because not only were she and Karly able to write about these new products, but they also took the time to try them and decide how the design of the product actually had a functional purpose: the cool blue dot in the middle held the brush-able tasty liquid that helped clean our teeth, the fancy swish at the end acted as a toothpick.

• "Colgate Wisps: Hit or Miss?"
• "Brush on the go!"

"The Dear Hunter": This blog was near and dear to my heart not only because I love the design of the case but I’m also a huge fan. I also surprised myself with my respectable amateur photography skills.

Blogs highlighting good causes:

"October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month": Incorporating so many elements related to one important cause made this blog special. Non-profit organizations, products, television, celebrities, and even the world of dance came together to show support for breast cancer awareness.

"Labels Raise Awareness": Provided insight to companies that utilize their labels in raising money (and increasing sales) to help fight a disease. It’s a unique way of using labels. Some tell a story, some have funky shapes and designs… and some help save lives!

Some lighter moments:

"Sunscreen is no laughing matter!": This blog also falls into the above category, but funny man Will Ferrell always brings a little something extra. (You may have recently seen his engagement photo "crash" in the New York Times). They say that getting someone to laugh and then giving them important information helps them to retain the message. Ferrell certainly gets our attention on sun protection.

"Update on Blue Q": Once we quieted our giggles over the new humorous products from Blue Q, we stumbled upon the videos of their sales team and were off again. We’re not sure about you, but the leg lifts get us every time!

The most highlighted rebranding failure of the year:

Tropicana Blogs: The blogs about the whole Tropicana debacle is cool because it shows why packaging is such a key component of selling a product. From a marketer’s point of view, it also explains why so much research needs to go into brand changes to increase (not decrease!) sales.

• "PepsiCo and Carbon Trust Unite"
• "Out with the new, In with the Old?"

What were your favorite moments?

Happy Holidays from Dion Label Printing !

Holiday Hours:
Thursday, December 24th- closed
Friday, December 25th- closed
Friday, January 1st- closed

As well-trained consumers, we’re all pretty conditioned to seeing nutritional information on everything we eat or drink. But if you happen to be drinking bottled water and notice that it does not have a nutrition label—don’t freak out—this may actually be a good thing! Did you know the U.S. government doesn’t require nutritional information if bottled water is 100% spring water and is pure, natural, untouched and untreated? Summit Spring Water recently introduced Raw water that falls into this all-natural category, which is bottled and then packaged in recycled brown bags lined with wax to protect the water’s taste and integrity. You may be a bit disconcerted to consider drinking untreated water, but Summit Spring Water explains what “living” water is all about:
 
"There are naturally occurring nutrients in ‘living’ spring water, such as microscopic algae, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium that are routinely being stripped out of bottled water through treatment, reverse osmosis and filtration. When water comes straight from the ground it has nourishing qualities that are not present in purified and treated water. The centuries old reputation of Summit Spring water as a ‘healing tonic’, in addition to extensive and continuous analysis allowed the regulatory agencies to give this unprecedented approval"- N. Bryan Pullen, President of Summit Spring Water. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last several months, you are very aware of the hype around the upcoming flu season, particularly swine flu. The highly contagious H1N1 flu has everyone from schools to hospitals taking precautionary measures to address the needs of flu sufferers while protecting healthy individuals. This has had strong implications for the health care market. The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money suggests that investors buy shares of companies selling hand sanitizer; Walgreen’s same-store sales jumped 5.3% in September to 5.35 billion in total sales in part due to the dispensing of flu shots; Microsoft teamed up with Emory University to develop "H1N1 Response Center," a website to monitor and self-diagnose potential H1N1 flu symptoms… Clearly there exists a strong potential for companies to profit from this flu season in particular.

On the other hand, consumers should be aware of false-claiming products that are attempting to capitalize on their susceptible nature. Back in May the FDA sent an official warning to consumers regarding such products that were misleadingly marketed to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 virus. The also sent out warning letters to those not approved by the FDA to report such claims. At that point over 50 warning letters were sent to the web sites making such claims and over 66% have since removed the claims. Examples of such wild-claiming, unapproved products are:

• A shampoo that claimed to protect against the H1N1 flu virus
• A dietary supplement that claimed to protect infants and young children from contracting the H1N1 flu virus
• A "new" supplement that claimed to cure H1N1 flu infection within four to eight hours
• A spray that claimed to leave a layer of ionic silver on one’s hands that killed the virus
• An electronic instrument costing thousands of dollars that claimed to utilize "photobiotic energy" and "deeply penetrating mega-frequency life-force energy waves" to strengthen the immune system and prevent symptoms associated with H1N1 viral infection

It is obviously important to protect yourself. For those that are interested in the H1N1 vaccine, it has been approved by the FDA and is making its way to different areas of the country. Other long-standing prevention measures include hand washing and utilizing hand sanitizers, and there are many other natural remedies to explore as well.

Effective this week, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) calls for more stringent requirements for consumer products intended for children age 12 and under, specifically tracking labels:

According to a release from the CPSC, Manufacturers must place permanent distinguishing marks (tracking label) on any consumer product primarily intended for children 12 and younger made on or after August 14, 2009. The permanent marks must enable consumers to ascertain basic information, including the manufacturer or private labeler, location, the date of manufacture, and more detailed information on the manufacturing process such as a batch or run number. The permanent distinguishing marks must appear on the product itself and its packaging to the extent practicable.

The regulations are in place to increase consumer confidence. The tracking labels will allow better tracking in the event of a recall. Also included in the CPSIA are revised limits for lead content and advertising, as well as increases in fines and penalties for violations. These regulations take effect on August 14, 2009. Make sure your labels are in complaince! To request a quote from Dion Label Printing, click here!

For the full article from Packaging Digest, click here.

Drug labels can include a plethora of required information that may be difficult to sort through as a consumer. Here is a breakdown of what you can expect on these labels and some important things to consider:

Active Ingredients- Listed here are the active chemical compounds that are working to relieve your symptoms. It will always be at the top of the label. If you are taking multiple over-the-counter (OTC) medications, make sure they do not have the same active ingredients.

Uses- This portion of the label will list the only symptoms that the drug is approved to treat.

Warnings- This section is pretty straightforward, but be aware of details such as what foods or activities to avoid, such as driving, while taking a particular drug.

Directions- Be sure to follow not only the dosage amount that is suggested, but how often to take the medicine.

Inactive ingredients- Though you may not be able to pronounce many of the ingredients in this section, know that they do not have an effect on your body. They are the preservatives that bind the pill together and food colors.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, non-profit, non-government organization that tests products for public safety. It is a trusted worldwide resource on product safety. Product samples can be submitted to UL for testing and evaluation. If the product meets the standards of safety, UL issues a certification which allows the manufacturer to put the appropriate UL Mark on the label of their product. The UL website states:

The decision to use the UL Mark on your product is a powerful one that differentiates your product and your company from those that can't pass the UL test.

Dion Label Printing is a UL authorized label supplier. Only with approval by UL can a supplier print labels with the UL Mark for certified products. Dion is a PGAA listing which gives authorization to print a UL logo on any substrate (listing number: PGAA.LP1597). Dion is also a PGDQ2 listing for Marking and Labeling Systems (listing number: PGDQ2.MH29628).

For more information on UL, visit their website at: www.ul.com

Universal Product Codes (UPC), also known as "bar codes", were made originally for grocery stores to help speed up the check out process, but now have spread to all retail products. The Uniform Code Council (UCC) created the UPC bar codes; when manufacturers want to obtain a bar code they must apply to the UCC. In return the manufacturer pays a fee annually for their six-digit manufacturer identification number. This six-digit identification number appears in all standard 12 digit UPC bar code. Dion Label Printing, Inc. prints UPC code labels for a number of different industries. Most times, a product’s prime label contains a certain area where the UPC code will go versus having a separate label for this classification number. We have in-house UPC verification equipment which we use on all UPC printed labels to ensure quality.

The UPC symbol has 2 parts to it. First, you have the actual bar code which is machine readable. Second, you have the 12 digit number which is broken down by the manufacturer identification number and item number. The UPC coordinator assigns item numbers to products and makes sure each item has a different code, making sure retired codes from products are removed as well. For example, let’s look at Pepsi. Pepsi has a different item number for a can of Pepsi, 1 Liter, 2 Liter, 12 pack, 24 pack, and so on. Keeping track of all the codes is just one of the many tasks of the UPC coordinator.

The last digit of the UPC code is called the check digit. This digit is to ensure that the bar code has been scanned properly.

"Here is how the check digit is calculated for the other 11 digits, using the code 63938200039 from "The Teenager's Guide to the Real World" example shown above:

1. Add together the value of all of the digits in odd positions (digits 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11).
6 + 9 + 8 + 0 + 0 + 9 = 32

2. Multiply that number by 3.
32 * 3 = 96

3. Add together the value of all of the digits in even positions (digits 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10).
3 + 3 + 2 + 0 + 3 = 11

4. Add this sum to the value in step 2.
96 + 11 = 107

5. Take the number in Step 4. To create the check digit, determine the number that, when added to the number in step 4, is a multiple of 10.
107 + 3 = 110

The check digit is therefore 3. "

Thankfully the scanner does this calculation for you everytime an item is scanned. If the check digit does not come out properly then the scanner knows that the item needs to be scanned. Click here to learn more about UPC codes. Would you like Dion Label Printing, Inc to help you with your UPC questions? Contact Us

We've all witnessed wacky warning labels. Some we laugh at and some we curse we just wasted seconds of our life reading them. Do you know if your product requires a warning label? Who knew that one little sticker on your product could save you several dollars in liability claims or worse- a lawsuit! Warning labels need not be anything fancy. You do not want your warning label getting all the attention and taking away from your product label. Dion offers several dies and warning label options for your products. These small labels are usually printed with one or two colors. This is an economical preventative step you should consider for your product. If you need help determining the right size or product warning, contact us! For more information, read this article.

Feed your need for wacky warning labels?