Package of the Month
Parkside Supplies Flexible Pouches for Vegums' Multivitamin Gummies
The compostable paper pouch uses an innovative water-based barrier coating to ensure the products are protected to preserve freshness and provide the best possible consumer experience.
Parkside is using its compostable packaging expertise to support vegan nutrition brand Vegums with a new flexible pouch for multivitamin gummies.
The new solution uses film supplied by Futamura and is TÜV certified as home compostable, meaning it breaks down within 26 weeks in a domestic compost heap and within 12 weeks in an industrial composting facility. The new pouch has enabled Vegums to significantly reduce the amount of packaging material it uses, replacing its previous solution that consisted of a flow wrap pack inside a cartonboard tube. Reducing weight by eliminating the rigid tube was a huge benefit for Vegums, which runs a successful subscription service alongside traditional ecommerce and retail channels.
The compostable paper pouch uses an innovative water-based barrier coating to ensure the products are protected to preserve freshness and provide the best possible consumer experience.
Staci Bye, Sales Account Manager at Parkside, said, “Consumers are increasingly prioritizing their health — but they’re also concerned about the health of the planet. Our high-performance compostable packaging delivers a true cradle-to-cradle solution that doesn’t compromise performance for sensitive nutrition applications.
John Rushton, Co-Found and CEO of Vegums, added, “Working with Parkside on this project has been fantastic — their experience in compostable packaging has helped us dramatically cut down on material use without sacrificing quality or customer experience. Staci and the Parkside team have been great partners through the process; responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in helping us advance our sustainability goals.”
The new commercialization marks Parkside out as a leading supplier to the nutrition market, which is increasingly looking for packaging that protects the health of the planet as well as the health of consumers.
To learn more about Parkside’s range of circular flexible solutions, visit parksideflex.com.
Parkside product photos courtesy of Parkside
Parkside product photos courtesy of Parkside
Mars Develops Recyclable Pet Food Pouch for its WHISKAS® Brand
Mars, Incorporated, a global leader in pet care products and services, continues to make progress in recyclable pet food packaging with the launch of a new mono material pouch for its WHISKAS® brand in the UK and Germany.
The new WHISKAS® pouches are designed to be recyclable, compatible with current or emerging recycling infrastructure. The switch to recyclable material has reduced the carbon footprint of the packaging by 46%.
The innovative packaging moves away from traditional multi-material pouches which are difficult for consumers to recycle due to inseparable plastic and aluminum materials. The new mono material packaging, made with polypropylene, has heat-resistant characteristics that allow for high temperature sterilization and is possible to be recycled.
The recyclable packaging, initially launched with WHISKAS® Tasty Mix Country Collection 12 Pack, is available through all UK retailers and through German retailer, Rewe.
“We want to contribute to a circular economy where packaging material never becomes waste. The transition to mono material pouches has required ground-breaking, innovative material science and we will continue to drive innovation in packaging to help build the world we want tomorrow,” said Elisabetta Pierangelo, VP R&D, Mars Pet Nutrition.
This new innovation is in support of Mars’ Sustainable in a Generation Plan which defines a three-pillar sustainable packaging strategy consisting of eliminating unnecessary packaging, redesigning for circularity, and investing to close the loop.
Courtesy of Mars
Aagard Launches VersaCase™ Grip for Retail Ready Packaging
Aagard, a leading manufacturer of integrated packaging systems, has announced the launch of its latest innovation in retail-ready packaging: VersaCase™ Grip. This patent-pending case format builds on the success of the VersaCase Secure platform and introduces a unique internal grip feature that holds product upright within the case, maintaining presentation integrity through the very last unit.
VersaCase™ Grip was born out of Aagard’s close collaboration with Energizer, a global leader in batteries. When Energizer set out to eliminate plastic from their packaging and start fresh with an entirely new suite of sustainable solutions, they partnered with Aagard to help reimagine everything — from cartons and sleeves to cases and retail displays.
“We weren’t just designing packaging,” said Jason Norlien, VP of Sales at Aagard. “We were engineering a system that had to support high-speed automation, sustainability goals, and flawless shelf presentation — without adding work for retail employees.”
The result is VersaCase™ Grip:
- A one-piece, retail-ready case that requires no box cutter
- Secures product in an upright position for maximum brand visibility
- Reduces retail labor and setup time
- Supports flexible packaging formats, such as stand-up pouches and hang-tab cartons
VersaCase™ Grip is available now and already in production for multiple high-profile CPG projects. Aagard will also be showcasing VersaCase™ Grip and other innovations at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, taking place from September 29-October 1, 2025, at Booth W-1164.
