BRIEFLY ABOUT THE SCALE OF PACKAGING DECISIONS
Selling 1 to 2 million phone cases annually makes packaging a massive lever for cost and waste reduction. For Burga, our goal was to elevate shelf presence while optimizing for cheaper, faster packing. At this volume, minor structural and material changes save tons of waste and hundreds of thousands of euros.
Maximum optimization 150+ products and only 2 insert sizes
Chapter 4 |
SOLUTIONS & RESULTS
Quantity of inserts for 150+ products
OLD
A fixed EVA foam structure restricted phone case size adaptability
NEW
Just 2 insert sizes
insert material
OLD
Plastic Foam (wasteful "punch-out" style, non-recyclable, unpleasant odor)
NEW
Engineered Paper with adaptive wings (also recyclable)
Visibility of the Product
OLD
Glossy plastic (scratches/glare); side buttons hidden
NEW
“B” cut-out allows direct touch; side profile visible
Recyclability
OLD
Multi-material (difficult to sort)
NEW
100% Paper (one-bin disposal)
On-Pack Information
OLD
Located only on the back
NEW
New dedicated key-point area on the front
Hanger
OLD
Plastic Euro Hook
NEW
Integrated Paper Hook
Regulations and Taxes
OLD
Subject to multi-material waste taxes
NEW
Future-proofed for lower eco-tax tiers
Surface Finish vs. Recyclability
OLD
Soft touch plastic laminated
NEW
Water based soft touch varnish
PROJECT GOALS
With over 300 designs and 150 models, Burga needed a highly adaptable, scalable packaging solution. To solve the logistical and retail bottlenecks of their previous design, the overhaul focused on four key areas:
Scalability & Workflow: We replaced wasteful, poorly fitting foam inserts with a smooth-sliding inner structure to speed up manual packing and reduce storage footprint.
Retail Visibility: The old black packaging and glare-heavy plastic windows obscured the product. The new design eliminates this "black hole" effect, exposes the side buttons for tactile inspection, and frees up front space for clear branding.
Sustainability: We eliminated the unrecyclable "material sandwich" (plastic windows, foam cores, and hooks), cutting out expensive and wasteful manufacturing byproducts.
Brand Ecosystem: The new structural direction was built to scale seamlessly across Burga’s wider product lines, including laptops,
earbuds, and drinkware.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS & SOLUTIONS
Field Research & Workflow Partnering with Burga's Judita Karosė and Laura Žičkaitė, the team observed warehouse fulfillment firsthand to design a frictionless assembly process for packing staff.
Engineering the Adaptive Wings Paper prototyping yielded a streamlined insert system featuring technical paper "wings" that flex and self-adjust to different phone models, securely locking them in place without foam.
The Organic "B" Cut-out Traditional plastic windows were replaced with a strategic "B"-shaped cut-out, letting customers touch the product directly and inspect the side buttons on the shelf.
Mono-Material Finalization With packaging professional Neringa Tulko, the design was refined into a 100% mono-material paper solution—featuring an integrated paper hook and reduced sizes from three to two. Production was also relocated to lower costs, shorten supply chains,
and cut carbon footprints.
UNBOXING EXPERIENCE
We replaced the traditional window with an organic “B” cut-out, maintaining structural strength while allowing customers to touch and see the product. Extending the cut-out to the side also makes the buttons visible—a distinctive shelf detail.
A dedicated key-information area was introduced on the front of the packaging, allowing customers to quickly access the most important product information at a glance.
The packaging uses 100% paper materials combined with a water-based soft-touch finish, creating a pleasant tactile experience while maintaining a premium, high-quality feel.
100% mono-material paper solution
HOW IS IT FUNCTIONING IN THE RETAIL
Credits:
Packaging development and strategy:
To be confirmed
Packaging development and project management:
To be confirmed
Structural dielines:
To be confirmed
Internship packaging development:
To be confirmed
Graphic design:
To be confirmed
Client:
To be confirmed
Photography:
To be confirmed
