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Hershey’s new display-ready case reduces corrugated by 32%

Redesigning the display-ready case for its packaged chocolate products from a two-piece to a one-piece box helps move Hershey toward its goal of reducing its packaging material by 25 million pounds by 2025.

Hershey has changed its display-ready case from a two-piece design (l.) to a one-piece box (r.).
Hershey has changed its display-ready case from a two-piece design (l.) to a one-piece box (r.).

The Hershey Co. has redesigned the display-ready case for its chocolate packaged candy, proving that significant sustainability advantages can be achieved simply by rethinking the structure of an existing package. In fact, moving from a two-piece design to a one-piece box has resulted in a 32% decrease in corrugated materials.

Greg Gressel, Director of Disruptive Supply Chain for Hershey, says the project was driven by the need to find a balance between packaging that could market Hershey’s brands and convey important nutritional information, while at the same time reduce the impact of Hershey’s packaging footprint. “These changes are part of our broader efforts to minimize the environmental impact of Hershey’s operations, reduce waste, and prioritize the health and safety of our employees,” he says.

In 2016, Hershey launched its “25 by 25” sustainability goals, which aim to reduce the company’s GHG emissions, water use, and waste by 25%, and reduce packaging materials by 25 million pounds by 2025, all measured against 2015 levels. Its display-ready case for everyday and seasonal items was an ideal place to begin looking for material savings.

The previous packaging design was a traditional two-piece display-ready case, with a display case inside, fitted with a center divider, and a corrugated hood that fit over the tray. For this design, there were 450 unique tray sizes, and 450 covers for each tray, resulting in 900 different items that Hershey had to design, track, and manage. “With the new packaging, our priority was to reduce the complexity and transition to a modular approach to optimize our offering,” says Gressel.

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