Going from round to square for a new version of its Easy Baking Tub for Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar, brand owner ASR Group has not only improved consumer convenience, but also reduced the package’s use of plastic by 28%. The tub, which holds 3.5 lb of product, or eight cups, is also recyclable and reusable, with home bakers encouraged to refill the package once empty with Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar sold in bags.
Suzzette Arroyo, director, brand management for ASR Group, confirms that convenience and sustainability were the primary drivers for the switch from the previous package—a round, high-density polyethylene tub with detachable low-density polyethylene lid—to the new square, polypropylene canister with attached, click-to-close PP lid.
“We are always looking for ways to be more sustainable to be at the forefront of the sugar industry,” Arroyo says. “Domino and C&H Sugar are committed to making 100% of their packaging renewable or recyclable by 2025. Therefore, we are excited to launch a new version with a design that includes a hinged lid that makes it easier for the consumer to open and close. The new tub facilitates accessing and measuring the sugar because the lid can be used for leveling in the measuring cup to ensure the perfect amount without the hassle of using a utensil to level the sugar.”
During initial exploration of the new design, ASR Group’s packaging engineers worked with several suppliers, ultimately selecting Mauser Packaging Solutions to develop the new tub. According to Courtenay Cooper, principal packaging engineer for ASR Group, the 28% reduction in plastic is the result of the overall difference in the shape of the tub, its wall thickness, and the way that it’s processed.
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The square Easy Baking Tub measures 6.625 in. L x 5.5 in. W x 5.125 in. H and is decorated with a full-wrap in-mold label, with package graphics adapted for the new shape by Equator Design. As for the tub’s hinged lid, Cooper explains that it’s attached horizontally to one side of the tub to facilitate the opening and closing of the package. The pull tab on the lid functions as tamper-evidence. When the pull tab is removed, it leaves approximately one-third of the lid fully attached along the tub’s width, which enables the remaining portion of the lid to be opened to access the sugar.
Another significant sustainability feature of the new container is the fact that it is nestable, which the round tub was not. According to Arroyo, because more tubs can fit on a truck, the carbon emissions resulting from transportation of the empty packaging to ASR Group’s production facility are reduced by 65%.
The new tub is also fully recyclable, as was the round package. However, ASR Group has increased the odds that the new package will be recycled by adding the How2Recycle label to the pack. To get the message out about the reusability of the container, Arroyo says ASR Group is collaborating with influencers as well as using its social media posts and social paid ads.
Domino Sugar in the new square Easy Baking Tub can be found at retailers across the Eastern U.S., while C&H Sugar in the new package is available in the Western U.S.
