Kneipp’s launches limited edition bath crystals in Sonoco’s GreenCan paper

Kneipp, manufacturer of products for health and wellbeing known for its nature inspired products and commitment to responsible innovation, has seen its limited edition ‘Lieblingsmensch’ bath crystals successfully launched in a fibre based packaging developed in partnership with Sonoco.

Kneipp’s rigid plastic packaging mainly used for bath salts was replaced with a high paper content alternative developed using Sonoco’s GreenCan technology. The packaging was specifically designed to meet the technical requirements of moisture sensitive bath crystals while delivering the premium look and feel expected from the Kneipp brand.

Bath salts are traditionally considered difficult to transition away from plastic packaging due to their sensitivity to humidity. With this first trial, Kneipp is pioneering a sustainable change, demonstrating that change towards renewable, fibre based packaging solutions is possible for wellness products. In this trial, the brand wants to gain more experience with the new packaging regarding the product protection during handling/use, quality and consumer experience. This is queried with a customer survey. Further stability testing must be conducted on all other references, if the project is to continue.

‘With this limited edition, we wanted to show that sustainability, innovation and premium wellness can go hand in hand,’ said Jessica Raich, packaging engineer at Kneipp. The paper based can combines a tactile ‘paper touch’ finish with vibrant graphics and gifting aesthetics, reinforcing the emotional and premium positioning of ‘Lieblingsmensch’ while supporting Kneipp’s broader sustainability ambitions.

Developed with future packaging circularity requirements in mind, GreenCan is designed to support compatibility with existing paper recycling streams and reflects the paperisation and overall growing shift towards more circular packaging solutions.

‘One of the biggest technical challenges was developing a highly paper based solution capable of protecting bath salts and their complex composition in humid bathroom environments,’ said Francesco Giannolo, vice president and general manager of Sonoco Consumer Packaging, EMEA. ‘Bath crystals are sensitive to moisture and traditionally rely on plastic packaging for protection. By combining a paper based body, paper end and paper plug-in lid with the GreenCan architecture, we were still able to deliver a solution that maintains product integrity while significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuel based materials.

'At Sonoco, we are proud to support brands like Kneipp that are helping redefine what sustainable packaging can look like in categories traditionally dominated by plastic.

'This project shows that paper based packaging can now be successfully applied to highly demanding personal care applications while maintaining the premium consumer experience brands want to deliver.’

The collaboration reflects a shared ambition between Kneipp and Sonoco to help accelerate more circular packaging solutions for the beauty and wellness market while responding to growing consumer expectations around sustainability and responsible consumption.