Bath & Body Works recently detailed significant changes to the packaging of its Wallflower fragrance bulbs, reflecting a company-wide initiative to improve sustainability. The changes, outlined in the company’s 2024 Sustainability and Impact Report, focus on reducing waste and transitioning away from single-use plastics.
A cross-functional team of engineers, distributors, and packaging experts analyzed the existing Wallflower packaging. They identified opportunities to optimize the packaging’s design and material composition. The team recognized excess space within individual bulb packaging. While originally designed for product protection, this space was deemed unnecessary with improvements in materials.
The analysis also prompted a review of the single-use plastics in the product’s packaging. The team explored several alternatives before finalizing a new design. A senior packaging engineer described the process as “solving a complex puzzle,” emphasizing the satisfaction of resource optimization.
The team’s efforts led to several key improvements. They reconfigured the single-bulb packaging, increasing the number of bulbs shipped per box from 24 to 36. This significantly reduced the number of boxes needed for store shipments.
Furthermore, the team replaced single-use plastic components in the Wallflower heaters with paperboard. This included switching the wrap label and plug cover from virgin plastic to paperboard. Two-pack Wallflower bulb packaging also underwent a transformation, with the plastic outer carton and tray replaced by paperboard containing 30% post-consumer recycled content.
These changes not only eliminated plastic waste but also reduced the overall packaging size, further increasing shipping efficiency. The success of this project has encouraged Bath & Body Works to seek further opportunities for packaging reduction and a shift away from single-use materials across its product line. The company is actively exploring further improvements to its sustainability practices. The improvements are part of Bath & Body Works’ broader commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable business practices. The company’s 2024 Sustainability and Impact Report offers additional details on these and other initiatives.
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