Carlsberg has introduced a new cardboard multipack featuring rounded corners – the DS Smith Round Wrap – across supermarkets in Poland, following a development process that began with trials in Sweden in 2020. The pack, manufactured using a wrap-around carton format, is designed to improve shelf visibility, reduce material use and integrate into existing packaging machinery without significant capital investment.

The initiative brought together DS Smith, a sustainable packaging manufacturer, and Dortmund-based systems supplier KHS to develop a solution compatible with Carlsberg’s existing equipment. The first packs appeared on Polish supermarket shelves in 2024, carrying bottled brands including Carlsberg, Garage and Somersby in configurations of 20 or 24 units.

Consumer experience as the driver

According to Marine Andre, packaging innovation director at Carlsberg, shelf impact is a central concern in packaging development. “For us, consumer experience has top priority. After all, in store we have less than two seconds for our products to be noticed on the shelf. If you’re not conspicuous, you’re not there,” she said. Carlsberg’s market research indicated that while consumers broadly expect sustainable packaging, they are generally unwilling to pay a premium for it – making it necessary that sustainable solutions also deliver on function and brand presence.

Andre described the company’s approach as an effort to reconcile sustainability, cost efficiency and consumer experience. “We’re consciously trying to break down the barriers between sustainable packaging, optimized costs and the perfect consumer experience,” she said. “If a system doesn’t score with at least two of these criteria, it’s doomed to fail.”

Design and shelf performance

The rounded-corner format is said to offer advantages on multiple fronts. Research cited from Harvard Medical School suggests that objects with curved shapes are perceived as more attractive than those with square corners and edges, lending the design a potential commercial advantage. A consumer study commissioned by DS Smith found that an average of 77% of those surveyed indicated a greater willingness to purchase a product in the rounded wrap-around design compared to conventional packaging formats.

The pack lid, printed with branding, can also be opened and propped upright to display individual bottles at point of sale, functioning as a small display unit.

Material development

Developing a cardboard blank capable of forming a consistent curve without creasing or tearing required an extended testing process at DS Smith. Jonathan Carter, head of innovation product management at DS Smith, outlined the technical requirements – “We need an outer liner that’s robust enough to stabilize the curve, whereas the inner liner must be much lighter to enable the fluting to form perfectly. This is the only way to produce a smooth curve without the material creasing or tearing.”

DS Smith tested a range of combinations of paper grades, corrugation types, adhesives and machine parameters before arriving at what Carter described as the ‘golden ratio’ of material composition.

Machine integration

Thirteen pallets of material variants were subsequently sent to KHS in Kleve for machine testing. Tobias Kersten, a packaging expert at KHS, noted that the final solution required only minor modifications to existing equipment. “We simply had to use other guide and folding tools in the folding area,” he said. “In practical operation, this calls for just minor adjustments. Our specialists set up the system with the utmost precision so that the new format can be seamlessly integrated into modern wrap-around packers.”

The production site in Poland already operated a KHS Innopack Kisters WP Advanced, which was capable of producing the new format without substantial conversion.

Bogdan Volkotrub, senior packaging implementation and optimization manager at Carlsberg headquarters, described the multi-partner dynamic using a practical analogy – “It’s like playing with LEGO. One piece is the material, one represents the machine and a third stands for teamwork. If just one bit doesn’t fit, you can’t build anything decent from the pieces.”

Sustainability outcomes

The revised blank design and lighter inner liner are said to reduce material consumption by up to 20%. DS Smith stated that, depending on the basis of comparison, the format uses up to approximately 24% fewer CO2 emissions. Carlsberg’s Polish operation estimates annual savings of approximately 224 metric tons. Additional logistics benefits cited include improved pallet stability and reduced consumption of stretch film.

Rollout plans

DS Smith stated that production has been successfully tested across multiple locations in the EMEA region and that the format is ready for broader deployment. Carlsberg indicated it intends to expand the format selectively, where market volume, brand strategy, material supply and machine compatibility align.

Andre pointed to the collaborative model as central to the project’s success. “We can’t change anything in packaging on our own. Only by working together with strong partners can we develop systems and solutions that are better for our customers, the environment and our companies,” she said.