7 May 2021. As a goodie for its online customers and their four-legged darlings, Bubeck Petfood delivered its wide range of dog food and accessories for a short time in special shipping packaging. Its bottom part can be converted into a practical dog basket made of corrugated cardboard. The results of the promotionally effective upcycling campaign are enthusiastically posted in the social media. The ingenious design of the innovative e-commerce packaging comes from DS Smith, one of the leading manufacturers of sustainable packaging solutions. The clever design was worthy of an award from the judges of the Corrugated Board Innovation Award. They awarded the solution second place in the e-commerce category.

Almost half of German households have a pet. This is confirmed by the data for the German pet supplies market in 2019 collected by the German Pet Supplies Industry Association (IVH) and the German Pet Trade & Industry Association (ZZF), according to which the owners of dogs, cats & Co. spent more than five billion euros on the daily needs of their fellow pets in 2019. More and more often, products are being bought over the internet. The share of online business in the total turnover of the pet industry has been rising for years. In 2019, according to the study, it was already at 13.7 percent.

In addition to the stationary specialist and food retail trade, digital distribution has also developed into an important sales channel for Germany's oldest dog food manufacturer, R. Bubeck & Sohn GmbH. The premium quality dog biscuits and complete food varieties produced according to traditional baking methods are sold through various stationary shops and online retailers as well as through the company's own web shop. In order to charge the digital business emotionally and to strengthen customer loyalty in the long term, the traditional company has come up with a special goodie for its online customers in close cooperation with DS Smith: The three-part shipping box, with which Bubeck sent orders weighing 20 kg or more during the campaign period, can be converted into a hexagonal dog basket in just a few easy steps using the DIY "do it yourself" method.

Thanks to its plug-in base and U-shaped inlay, the stable e-commerce packaging guarantees safe transport of the premium products ordered online, even at high weights, thus protecting the contents perfectly. The corrugated cardboard couch that folds out of it is warming, space-saving and therefore ideal for travelling, home and garden. At the same time, it offers creative dog owners enough space for individual designs. The photos posted on Facebook and Instagram show how comfortable the four-legged friends feel in their very own personal upcycling basket.

At the end of its life, the single-material solution made of corrugated cardboard can be easily recycled via the waste paper recycling circuit. All in line with DS Smith's sustainability strategy, where one of the goals is to produce 100% reusable or recyclable packaging by 2023.
(DS Smith Packaging Division Erlensee)