Cox & Co is a confectionery producer that aims to create delicious chocolate that is made with care and sustainability front of mind. Working with Colombia’s Luker Chocolate estate, Cox & Co invests in farmers, communities and sustainable farming methods to produce chocolate that is as ethical as possible.
As part of its promise to our planet and people, the company only uses packaging that is plant-based and fully recyclable or home compostable. Prior to working with Parkside, Cox & Co was using a compostable bioplastic solution to package its luxury single-origin chocolate. However, due to the nature of compostable packaging, disposing of the pack banks on consumer understanding of where and how to discard it, which can affect how long it takes to break down in the environment. To support its ethos and to continue ensuring its luxury product remained in the best condition possible through the supply chain, Cox & Co wanted to make the switch to a recyclable paper-based option, without compromising on the heat seal performance, moisture, and aroma barrier properties of the packaging. Furthermore, minimal changes to existing machinery were also required to make the transition in production seamless and easy.
The solution between Cox & Co and Parkside has meant that it is one of the first recyclable packaging innovations to address these issues for the UK market.
The challenge
The confectionery industry of late has been dominated by soft plastic packaging but, with a global shift towards more recyclable packaging, retailers are increasingly interested in stocking packaging solutions that are simple for consumers to recycle. While compostable bioplastic packaging remains a popular cradle-to-cradle option, businesses that want to reduce their reliance on plastic in the face of regulatory measures like the plastic packaging tax, extended producer responsibility for packaging, and the EU’s Packaging Waste Regulation are now considering alternative options.
Modern paper-based flexible materials are now able to meet the requirements of the confectionery industry, especially when combined with cutting-edge technology such as water-based barrier coatings that can help to maintain product freshness.
For Cox & Co, a simple and easy to recycle paper-based solution would help phase out its current wood pulp-based, home compostable wrapping while still meeting the company’s sustainability goals.
The Parkside Solution
Confectionery is naturally susceptible to changes in temperature, which can ultimately affect the product’s taste, texture and aroma. In this regard, paper can be metallised using techniques like vapour deposition to add a high-barrier metallised layer to keep confectionery products dry and cool, ultimately maintaining freshness. To ensure consumers received an indulgent, high-quality experience, it was crucial that Parkside was able to navigate this key challenge for Cox & Co. As such, Parkside developed a solution using thin layers of a water-based coating to create a flexible paper laminate to maintain these essential properties and ensure maximum circularity.
Made using FSC-approved virgin paper that can be recycled up to 40 times, the innovative wrapper has been tested and approved following the paper recyclability testing regime from CEPI. The specialised water-based barrier coating provides robust protection against moisture and oxygen without affecting the pack’s kerbside recyclability.
Taking approximately 18 months from initial development to final production, Parkside closely collaborated with Cox & Co to ensure that the flow wrap material was tailored to the brand’s existing flow wrap process, minimising operational costs. In addition, the all-white pack was designed to represent the rustic premium look of the Cox & Co brand during the high-quality printing process – a unique technique that makes white paper look like brown kraft. This ultimately made the range of 25g mini bars stand out on retail shelves to the consumer.
The results
Switching from compostable bioplastic to a 100% recyclable paper-based option has not only delivered on both pack performance and functionality but has also assisted in minimising packaging costs too. In comparison to the prior solution’s weight of 7g, the flow wrap material weighs only 1g, securing a 35% reduction in overall packaging costs. This, coupled with ensuring the pack was operationally viable on Cox & Co’s existing packaging lines, meant that operational and labour costs were kept to a minimum.
Since its launch on retail shelves, the new ‘Farm to Bar Cacao’ packaging from the Parkside development team has earned the ‘Gold’ accolade in the ‘Paper Pack of the Year’ at The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards in 2024, and has been met with an excellent response from consumers who can now easily drop it in their domestic recycling bins for kerbside pickup.
The last word
“The increasing shift to ‘paperisation’ from retailers has posed additional challenges to confectionery producers who must maintain product freshness from farm to store. Working with Parkside has enabled us to meet those challenges head-on and deliver a pack that’s award-winning and truly innovative, raising the bar in confectionery packaging. Making delicious chocolate with care and sustainability in mind is at the heart of the Cox & Co brand – the new pack helps us deliver on just that and more.”
Gavin Cox, Founder at Cox & Co.
