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Vaska Home Products heightens brand identity and lowers printing expenses and inventory requirements by opting for transparent in-mold labeling technology.

Vaska’s laundry cleaning product line is filled into transparent 21-fl-oz “wedge” bottles and 42-fl-oz handled bottles with see-through in-mold labeling.
Vaska’s laundry cleaning product line is filled into transparent 21-fl-oz “wedge” bottles and 42-fl-oz handled bottles with see-through in-mold labeling.

Vaska Home Products, headquartered in Berkeley, CA, specializes in uniquely formulated laundry cleaning products for delicate fabrics and sensitive skin. Free of irritants, toxins, pollutants, dyes, and binding agents, these 100%-biodegradable detergents contain natural ingredients derived from herbs, plant-based surfactants, and water-soluble degreasing agents, as noted on the company’s Web site, www.vaskahome.com. The Vaska formulations have been certified “natural” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.


Vaska initially focused on regional institutional customers, such as the San Francisco Giants baseball team. But, from the end of 2009 through 2011, Vaska made expansions to its retail product line. The company wanted the packaging for these retail products to be equally unique and environmentally friendly as the formulations. While the original recyclable plastic container design was well regarded, the bottles were not particularly cost-efficient in terms of their printing and decorating.


The original plastic bottles had been decorated by direct screen printing, which achieved the desired look, but at a relatively high expense. Vaska wanted to replicate the look of these stylish, transparent plastic bottles, but at a more reasonable cost. Transparency was a hallmark of the Vaska bottle and brand. So it was imperative that any new bottle and label design incorporate the transparency feature.


Perfect bottle/label alliance


Plastic bottle blow molder Silgan Plastics had been supplying the plastic bottles to Vaska that were direct screen printed. The Silgan and Vaska teams joined forces to redesign the containers to make them more in-mold-labeling-friendly without jeopardizing the desired bottle look, while also keeping costs down.