DC Power

Clam shell packaging is commonly used to package batteries and other small yet expensive items because of its visibility, security, and protection features. These features, while important to the product, result in a dangerous package that caused 14,000 people to be sent to the Emergency Room in 2002 in the United States alone. These injuries, and the healthcare costs associated with them, are unnecessary and preventable. In addition, each year Americans throw out more than 3 billion batteries according to the EPA as consumers do not know how to properly recycle batteries or even know that they are recyclable. DC Power is a solution to dangerous and wasteful packaging.
DC Power batteries package is a folding carton with a tuck-in tab for easy opening and closing with a perforated opposite end to place the used batteries in. This design is so that the consumer remembers to recycle them after use. There is a small paperboard divider inside the package that will move per displacement of battery and act as a separation tool so that the consumer will know when the entire package is full of used batteries to be recycled. This container would be brought by the consumer to their local grocery store or convenience chain that has recycling bins for batteries. Current battery packaging makes it very hard for consumers to store batteries after opening the package. DC Power responded to this need by a tuck-in flap box and went a step further by providing the consumers a place to stored their used batteries until they have the opportunity to drop them off at a recycling point. DC Power would market this product toward environmentally conscious people, especially tapping into young millennials as they have a heightened awareness of corporations being environmentally responsible.
DC Power’s new graphics are exciting and eye catching on a shelf, using non-traditional bright colors instead of the typical black, bronze, and silver battery colors that are used in today’s market. The circuit design on the package will remind consumers of how a battery works while incorporating themes they learned when they were younger such as the switch, power source, and lightbulb. The shape and materials make it easier and more comfortable to hold and make it stand out on a shelf full of bulky plastic packaging.
The package is entirely recyclable. The ink used to print the text and graphics on the package is soy-based which makes the entire package much easier to recycle. The package switches from a plastic clam shell package to a 100% recycled fiber containerboard that combines excellent strength and durability properties with light weight material, causing less weight per shipment and also less fuel needed for distribution while still fully protecting the product. DC Power also saves space in cases by reducing the cubic volume used by previous clam shell packaging which again results in more units per shipment, less shipments, and less cost.