Easier-opening package meets consumer needs, says John Eadicicco, section head—Health Global Package and Device Development at Procter & Gamble.

PW: How does sustainability fit into the package redesign for Prilosec that reached store shelves last year?

Eadicicco: Consumer-led innovation and sustainability are imperative to everything we do at P&G. Prilosec was in a seven-count blister-card format with a peel/push child-resistant feature. Prilosec is a course of treatment for 14 days. We have a 14-, 28-, and 42-count pack. Each carton pack contained two, four, or six blisters. One blister card format was used for all package sizes. The blister-card redesign includes all 14 tablets on the same size card as the seven-count version, reducing packaging materials by 50%.

PW: With the Prilosec package redesign, you wanted to make it easier to open, reduce material usage, and maintain its safety and efficacy, correct?

Eadicicco: Yes, and we were committed to no trade-offs. We listened to consumer concerns about hard-to-open blister cards and also directly observed consumers opening the packs through focus group settings. That information was used in the redesign process and led us to change our child-resistant feature from a peel-push blister card to a push-through. So, we made it easier for the consumer to open the package, and were able to make changes to the foil and paper in order to meet established safety standards.

PW: What were the economic ramifications of the redesign?

Eadicicco: We have effectively reduced our packaging material usage by over 800,000 lb/year, so there are savings there, mainly in foil, but also in some of the paper backing on the lidding material compared with our previous seven-count blister card. It’s not only less material, but it also requires less energy to mill the aluminum and transport it, so the overall footprint on energy is much smaller.