Sustainability is a top priority for large consumer packaging organizations. To be sustainable means considering the needs of our environment and future generations by looking for ways to reduce waste throughout production. Not only is it socially responsible, but consumers often consider a brand’s sustainability practices when making more conscious purchasing decisions.
Of course, working toward sustainability doesn’t change the importance of establishing brand identity on the shelf. With today’s COVID-19 travel restrictions, many brands are finding it difficult or impossible to attend press runs to monitor print production and sign-off on color, leading to even longer print cycles and packaging color issues. It’s an expensive and wasteful cycle that doesn’t meet either goal.
To achieve packaging that sells while addressing sustainability and overcoming COVID-19 obstacles, global brands need to shift from a hands-on service approach to a technology-based workflow to keep costs under control and achieve consistent brand color on the shelf.
Today we look at how Coca-Cola Europe is doing this with impressive results.
Coca-Cola Europe's Sustainable Packaging Workflow
X-Rite Pantone has been working closely with Coca-Cola North America (NA) and Coca-Cola Europe for years to cooperatively manage their Print Quality Program, which is based on the ColorCert Suite of tools. It addresses all of their top priorities – it’s sustainable, time and cost efficient, and facilitates accurate color on different packaging materials from their entire packaging supply chain.
The basis of Coca-Cola Europe’s Print Quality Program is a digital color workflow. By defining and specifying the right colors on different packaging materials, Coca-Cola Europe has shifted the emphasis from color evaluation from a physical reference to a commonly known digital value. This means Coca-Cola Europe does not need to send proofs, samples, or brand representatives across the globe, a huge benefit during COVID-19 travel restrictions.
With their Digital Print Program, Coca-Cola Europe receives job scores from all their printers at time of production on their Coca-Cola Europe Scorecard Server. This offers visibility and actionable data into their packaging print production supply chains with great results:
- Removes subjectivity from color communication
- Ensures color is on target before a production run is wasted
- Controls color at all stages of the manufacturing process
- Examines materials virtually without producing a physical prototype
- Enables suppliers to deliver achievable results in-line with expectations
Coca-Cola Europe’s New Design Success Story
Recently, Coca-Cola Europe introduced a new product design. Using their Digital Print Quality Program, Coca-Cola Europe was able to set achievable targets for the printer with clear maximum tolerances and approve press trials without sending a brand owner, marketer, PMA, or X-Rite Solution Architect on-site. In the end, Coca-Cola Europe was able to introduce the design in half the time for a sustainable print cycle with fewer print-related costs.
Louis Jolie, Design to Print Marketing Manager at Coca-Cola Europe comments: “X-Rite Pantone's portfolio of digital brand color specification, color measurement, and print quality program solutions has allowed Coca-Cola Europe to expand packaging design execution capacity, get to market faster, reduce package-print related costs, and achieve print color consistency the first time, every time.”
Looking For a Sustainable Packaging Workflow?
Read our Digital Color Connects Packaging Tasks blog to learn the benefits, and get in touch for a free consultation with a Brand Packaging Expert.
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The ColorCert Suite helps packaging workflows manage precise color and print specifications to unite traditional silos of information into one common workflow. |
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PantoneLIVE is a cloud-based architecture that enables digital specification and communication of Pantone standards to all stakeholders in the global packaging supply chain. |
