Boulder Clean chooses child-resistant flexible packaging for new single-dose natural detergent

The packaging design for Boulder Clean Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent Packs shines a spotlight on child safety, using a stand-up pouch with a zipper closure that little hands can’t open.

Boulder Clean, a 1908 Brands company, worked with Presto Products Co. and Accredo Packaging Inc. to design the package. Accredo supplies the pre-made pouch, and Presto supplies the Slider-Guard child-resistant zipper.

To open the zipper, consumers must align a tab to a notch, then press down on the tab and slide it to the open position (see a video here). Adults can easily open and close the package, but children lack the manual coordination to work the zipper.

The pouch, which holds 34 single-dose liquid packs, is made from non-recyclable, reverse-printed PET laminated to a coextruded nylon/polyethylene sealant web. The single-dose packs are a new offering from Boulder Clean; the product will launch in December 2016 and is the first natural cleaning product to use the Slider-Guard child-resistant zipper.

Carly Marriott, director of operations for Boulder Clean, answers a few questions about the package.

Why was it important to add a child-resistant feature to the pouch?

Marriott: The laundry pack market grows more than 15% each year, and we want to be a part of the innovation—but not at the expense of a family’s safety. We love the convenience of laundry packs, and we are excited to bring an effective and natural laundry detergent to market that does not compromise household safety.

Do you plan to use this package format for other products?

Marriott: Yes, we would like to keep families safe in every room in the home. We’re looking into using this packaging for Auto-Dish Detergent Packs, as well, primarily because dish detergent is often stored under the sink, and children can gain access to it. 

Are the pouches made from recycled plastic? 

Marriott: No, not at this time, because we needed to increase the durability of the package. It’s not out of our future plans, but we want to run tests to make sure a recyclable package is durable enough to be child resistant.

We support the How2Recycle program and always design our packages to be recyclable, but on this particular product we were not willing to compromise child safety for recyclability. I am looking forward, though, to testing the recycyable material with the Presto zipper; if we can make this package recyclable, it would be the best of both worlds.

Where will the product be distributed? 

Marriott: It will be available initially through all Lucky’s Markets stores (there’s a store locator on their website) and available nationally through Amazon and Jet. We will be reviewing our laundry packs with all of our retail partners in 2017.

How are the package graphics optimized for impact on Amazon.com?

Marriott: Product images are one of the most important factors that a customer takes into account when deciding whether or not to buy a product online. Our Amazon images will be clear and appealing, with multiple views of the product. These images will be eye-catching and informative.

Who created the packaging graphics for the pouch?

Marriott: The 1908 Brands in-house marketing team.

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Learn about the latest developments in packaging design at PackEx Montreal 2016 (Nov. 30-Dec. 1, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada).