Duracell Chucks Plastic Blisters for PaperDuracell Chucks Plastic Blisters for Paper

New paper packaging boosts sustainability while giving battery merchandising a facelift, starting with Walmart stores.

Kate Bertrand Connolly, Freelance Writer

January 27, 2025

5 Min Read
Paper package of Duracell batteries
Duracell

At a Glance

  • Walmart will reduce battery packaging materials by about 855,000 pounds per year, thanks to the packaging redesign.
  • The paper-based design reduces the plastic in Duracell’s packaging by up to 100%.
  • The brand conducted extensive market research to validate the new packaging with consumers.

Duracell has replaced its familiar blister packs with paper-based battery packaging that will reduce plastic and packaging waste, make battery shopping easier, and streamline operations for retailers.

The new packaging, together with a centralized in-store display, began rolling out early this year at Walmart locations nationwide.

Although the batteries are no longer visible through the front of the package, the redesign incorporates a back window for product viewing. It also features an easy-open feature and is reclosable.

Sustainability benefits of Duracell’s redesigned packaging include reduction of plastic by up to 100% vs. conventional blister packaging and less corrugate in secondary packaging. The change will enable Walmart to reduce battery packaging materials by about 855,000 pounds annually, including both plastic and corrugate.

Changing from blister packs to all-paper packaging was a noteworthy change, considering that “the battery category has been in a front-facing plastic blister since the 1960s,” Brandon Barr, general manager, retail innovation, Duracell North America, told Packaging Digest in an interview.

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To make sure its new pack design would be accepted by consumers, the company did extensive research. It studied paper battery packaging in non-US markets — including Europe, where batteries have been packaged in paper for years — and conducted qualitative consumer testing and quantitative on-shelf tests in the US market.

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As a final step, Duracell conducted pilot tests with multiple retailers to gain “real-world learning and validation" Barr said, because "you learn so much when the packages are in a real store environment. There is so much that isn’t replicable online or in a lab.” Plus, he said, Another reason, he added, is that "when deviating from a structure that has been in the market that long, you always want to do testing to validate with consumers before making the move.”

Research picks a winner.

The final packaging design enables Duracell “to meet the needs of the majority of consumers. The back window allows consumers who still want to see the actual batteries do so when handling the package,” Barr explained. “And by keeping the window on the back, we were able to maintain a much simpler graphic design on the front.”

Fully 93% of shoppers prefer the new package to the old, he says. Navigating the shelf is faster and easier than in the past, with consumers finding their desired Duracell product 23% faster, on average.

Complementing the packaging redesign is a new point-of-purchase display that makes it easy for shoppers to compare product specs and costs across battery brands. The display, set up in a permanent in-store location, is designed to reduce consumer confusion and make battery shopping more straightforward.

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The display provides benefits for retailers, as well. By expanding battery shelf space in the store, the display reduces the backroom space needed for storage.

In the following Q&A, Barr digs into the nitty-gritty of the packaging redesign strategy and tactics.

What packaging performance tests did you conduct before launching the new package design?

Barr: Before making the switch, we did extensive testing both with shoppers and on quality. For quality, we executed a series of simulated retail drop and shipping tests to ensure the new package and cases could appropriately handle the demands of the supply chain and store.

For the consumer, we tested package features such as the new easy-open feature and reclosability to ensure that we addressed key consumer pain points from our prior packaging. We also ensured that the package helped the shopper navigate and find their item faster at the shelf, both virtually and with in-store context during pilot programs with retailers.

Related:Packaging Design Trends for 2025: The Future of Visual Identity

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Are the new packs designed for peg display? 

Barr: No, our new packages do not have peg holes on them. We have developed shelving solutions to enable them to be merchandised across all store format and fixture types.

What is the comparative weight of the new packaging vs. the old packaging? 

Barr: The new packaging weights are on par with our old packaging for the primary package. Where we see a significant reduction in material weight is in our secondary packaging — cases — where we have simplified the designs and removed excess corrugate. 

Were heavier-gauge paper and/or stronger adhesive needed to prevent the all-paper packaging from breaking open during shipping?

Barr: For our AA and AAA products, the paperboard thickness was reduced on the larger packs to match the smaller packs. The adhesive changed to one that seals at a lower temperature than our current plastic blister adhesive but provides the same seal strength as today.

For our C and D products, the complete structural change required us to move to a thicker paperboard material.

For our 9V products, we had a complete structure change but were able to maintain the paperboard thickness.

Was all plastic removed from the packaging? 

Barr: All plastic was removed from our AA, AAA, and 9V items — 71% of stock-keeping units (SKUs). On our C/D package, we have removed the plastic blisters, but on the inside of the carton there is protective coating to protect the batteries from moisture. That coating is considered plastic.

Did Duracell invest in new packaging equipment to handle the new paper packaging?

Barr: Yes, Duracell made investments in its packaging equipment to handle the new paper packaging. We are utilizing a combination of all new equipment for half of our SKUs and reutilizing existing equipment with modifications and new modules for the remaining half of SKUs.

[Editor's note: Subsequent to the publication of this article, news came that like Duracell, Energizer introduced paper-based battery packaging.]

About the Author

Kate Bertrand Connolly

Freelance Writer

Kate Bertrand Connolly has been covering innovations, trends, and technologies in packaging, branding, and business since 1981.

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