Tetra Pak's Square Carton Fits 57% More Units Per Pallet

Tetra Pak's new square paperboard carton fits up to 57% more units per pallet than conventional round plastic cups. The figure anchors the launch of Tetra Reva, unveiled at this year's Pack Expo International, with rollout in the United States and globally set for the first half of next year.

The container targets refrigerated foods eaten with a spoon: yogurt, cottage cheese and pudding. Tetra Reva is primarily made from paperboard and carries a plastic pull ring on top. Tetra Pak is developing single-serve sizes ranging from 125 mL to 200 mL.

The square shape replaces the round plastic cups traditionally used for those products. More square packages fit on a store shelf, according to Tetra Pak. The squared-off containers also stack tightly without secondary packaging materials, which drives the 57% pallet-density gain the company reported.

What does the cube-shaped pouch change?

American Packaging Corp. extended the square theme with FlexCube, a flexible pouch preformed in a cuboid shape.

The pouch reduces excess headspace compared with rigid alternatives. It can use 30% to 40% less material than traditional flexible packaging formats, the company said in a news release. FlexCube can also be made with postconsumer recycled content.

The company lists pet food, laundry detergent, lawn and garden, coffee and a variety of other applications as target uses.

How is Hormel rethinking bacon portions?

Hormel is tackling portioning challenges with a bacon package built around smaller sections. Three individually perforated sections come folded in the package and can be separated before use. Each section contains four slices of the company's Black Label bacon.

Hormel says the design lets consumers choose how much bacon they want at once while cutting down on food waste.

What ties the three launches together?

All three packaging developments pursue the same levers brands now compete on: performance, sustainability and shelf impact. Tetra Reva converts spoon-eaten dairy from round plastic to stackable paperboard. FlexCube trims material use by up to 40% and accepts recycled content. Hormel's perforated sections attack food waste at the household level.

Tetra Reva's first-half global launch next year will be the first test of whether the pallet-density math translates into retailer adoption across refrigerated sets.