Less packaging, more impact for GSK's Os-Cal brand

GlaxoSmithKline revamps its calcium supplement packaging, resulting in a smaller footprint and a bigger shelf presence.

Os_Cal
Os_Cal

Proving once again that when it comes to sustainability, less can be more, a new package design for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare’s Os-Cal calcium supplement in four varieties manages to better market the brand’s advantages while eliminating several significant components of excess packaging. In late August, GSK began the rollout of its 150-, 250-, and 400-cc supplement bottles in a bold, full-body shrink-sleeve label, leaving behind a secondary carton and insert with outdated graphics.

“GSK is fully committed to having the right values and fundamentals in place to drive sustainability,” says Jeff Murray, Os-Cal brand manager. “This packaging change hits on two of the main objectives: to reduce the overall environmental impacts of our packaging, and to reduce energy consumption. The redesign also provided us with an opportunity to update the look and feel of Os-Cal, to provide a greater voice to the consumer as they shop in the supplement aisle.”

Existing packaging for the nearly 60- year-old Os-Cal brand consisted of a stock high-density polyethylene bottle from Pretium Packaging, decorated with a wraparound pressure-sensitive label and capped with a continuous-threaded screw cap. The secondary carton and insert provided comprehensive product information. The new design retains the stock bottle only, replacing the p-s label with a full-body polystyrene label from CCL Label and the CT closure with an easy-open flip-top cap.

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