Ever on the hunt for packaging design ideas and innovation, our global audience found plenty of inspiration in February. All of the top five articles for the month, based on number of page views, centered on packaging design. More than 160 examples across myriad markets, with sparkling new bottles from Nestlé Waters and a recyclable foodservice bag from Lamb Weston for frozen French fries among them.

In reverse order, we present your top five articles on PackagingDigest.com from February 2018:

5. Lamb Weston unveils sustainably optimized food packaging

Sustainable practices in foodservice and institutional markets has the potential of diverting massive amounts of packaging waste from landfills.

Case in point: For its frozen French fries, Lamb Weston is using Tite-Pak kraft paper bags from Graphic Packaging Intl. Inc., which are now recyclable in established Old Corrugated Container (OCC) and mixed paper recycling streams. This partnership has created the potential to annually divert up to 30-million pounds of used packaging material from landfills to the recycling stream.

Kim Williams, Lamb Weston director project management, research and development, explains, “The paper has always been recyclable. But in the previous package format, the poly coating did not easily and completely separate from the paper, which made it non-recyclable. The key change has been the optimization. The poly coating now separates completely from the paper, making fiber recovery in the re-pulping process possible.”

With an 89% recoverable fiber content result, the packaging development process included material qualification at Lamb Weston plants, Fibre Box Assn. (FBA) certification for repulpability, OCC batch digester testing at GPI Santa Clara, continuous digester testing at KapStone Longview, and laboratory testing at International Paper to qualify Tite-Pak repulpability in the mixed paper stream.

NEXT: Nestlé Waters’ sparkling new packaging signals major rebranding

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4. Nestlé Waters’ sparkling new packaging signals major rebranding

To make a big splash in the rising sparkling water category, Nestlé Waters North America has timed a major rebranding effort with the debut of all-new packaging that reaches store shelves after mid-March.

A proprietary new PET bottle resembles vintage glass, is more comfortable to hold and highlights the movement of sparkling bubbles.

The brand’s first cans feature colorful fruit graphics and come in consumer-preferred 12-ounce size.

New rainbow packs—popular flavor combinations in 24-pack bottles and cans—encourage flavor trial.

Designed to create the best flavor profile and sensory experience, the company’s new packaging look spans 25 stock-keeping units across six regional brands, and for new flavors and products.

NEXT: 3 top packaging issues emerge in 2018

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3. 3 top packaging issues emerge in 2018

Packaging design developments and trends excited the Packaging Digest audience the first month of the year, too, as our January 2018 top articles review showed. But two other developments also piqued your interest—sustainability and food packaging—and found solid footing in the current-at-the-time five most-read articles of the year (so far):

(5.) Pouch filling operation sets new standard in quality, efficiency

(4.) Proposition 65 and food packaging: A preview of coming changes

(3.) Nature’s Path packaging takes a bold new direction

(2.) 8 sustainable packaging hits of 2017

(1.) 5 packaging design trends on the way out in 2018

NEXT: 5 packaging design trends on the way out in 2018

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Optimize your packaging operations. Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Expo in Cleveland returns Mar. 7-8, showcasing the latest in robotics, automation, plastics, packaging and design engineering. Find a solution for your project. Register today!

2. 5 packaging design trends on the way out in 2018

Well…déjà vu all over again…Didn’t we just see this article in the January top list? Yep. It’s a keeper.

We don’t often focus on the negative in packaging (yes, there is some negative stuff that happens) but instead of the ho-hum “new trends of the year” preview, we askedPamela Webber, chief marketing officer at 99designs, to flip it and think of the packaging design trends that have lived and burned brightly but should now be extinguished.

Looks like you needed this reality check.

Here is what not to do anymore when designing your packaging:

• Stop with over-cluttered designs. It’s better to keep it simple.

• Nix small type. Instead, go big and bold.

• Don’t get too familiar with the same old packaging. Consumers today favor experimental designs.

• Weed out wasteful packaging. Sustainability sells.

• Skip the hyper-masculine packaging. Explore the softer side with more feminine styles.

NEXT: 166 new packages to inspire you

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Optimize your packaging operations. Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Expo in Cleveland returns Mar. 7-8, showcasing the latest in robotics, automation, plastics, packaging and design engineering. Find a solution for your project. Register today!

1. 166 new packages to inspire you

Our second compilation of all the new packages published by Packaging Digest in a year has been even more successful than the first. We’re so glad you find this helpful!

Our first new packages database showcased 85 examples of design creativity from 2016. This time, we have more than 160 spectacular specimens from 2017 to kick-start your imagination.

Presented in an Excel document with images and links to the full article online, the information is searchable and sortable so you can pinpoint exactly what you need.

…Or browse and let the ideas flow…

Here’s a thought: Download the databases from both year’s and start creating a robust electronic packaging design tool, courtesy of your friends at Packaging Digest.

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Optimize your packaging operations. Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Expo in Cleveland returns Mar. 7-8, showcasing the latest in robotics, automation, plastics, packaging and design engineering. Find a solution for your project. Register today!