Briefly
Fresh Post is an exciting takeaway salad and green cocktails bar, established in Lithuania in 2017. Since the beginning of operations, Fresh Post received a lot of positive feedback from thousands of customers and instantly earned their trust as a healthy, balanced and nourishing meal provider to an always-rushing city resident.
Designed to bring people together, this packaging turns any meal into a shared moment with a playful, eye-catching reveal.
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context & problem
We updated packaging to meet real-world waste management and recycling infrastructure, developed radical transparency cradle-to-cradle infrastructure (where anyone can check the source of materials and with the help of waste managers we even tracked where and to which products our materials are recycled to if discarded in Fresh Post restaurants) being one of the firsts fast food franchises to do it in the world. We didn’t forget about the receiver – customer, thus we integrated everything into interactive and modern education. All of these changes have led to significant cost optimization and tax savings.
We’ve read all the comments left on our social media accounts over the past 4 years and have spent a lot of time reading other businesses’ clients’ reviews. In this way, we found out the most common inconveniences, uncertainties, and desires regarding food packaging. It also became clear that customers are fast learners and they are more and more invested in sustainability.
Fresh Post was convinced that their old packaging was recyclable because it was made from cardboard. We worked side by side with waste management companies and learned that it’s almost impossible to recycle food packaging with plastic film. Even with a recycling certificate, uncontaminated food containers could only be recycled if they were collected in extremely large quantities (up to 100 tons!) and we still would be left with the contaminated part which is only suitable for
incineration or landfill.
oportunity
The largest fast-food restaurant chains and food brands are busy making sustainability commitments for 2025 or later years. When you are a franchise of thousands of restaurants, you must be particularly careful with every innovation because the changes will have to be applied identically to all the restaurants. As a relatively small company, we can apply the same changes immediately and everything at once. This provides an exceptional opportunity to bring bold decisions to customers even faster than market leaders. This could help expand the Fresh Post franchise business in the coming years.
solution
We were looking for a material that combined sustainability with functionality. After testing multiple options, we developed a solution with Smurfit Kappa using recycled materials.
The new mono-material is designed for food packaging, providing moisture and grease resistance through nine recycled fiber layers and a foil-free, water-based barrier. Activated carbon within the material helps adsorb contaminants and maintain high hygiene standards.
The packaging uses no adhesives and minimal ink, making it easier to recycle. The food-contact part is also designed to become compostable as suitable collection infrastructure develops across Europe.
customer education
Great food packaging innovations already exist, but consumers often lack clear guidance on how to sort them correctly. We realized that innovation alone is not enough—it needs to be accompanied by education and a clear system.
Together with Ecoservice, we researched how each piece of waste from Fresh Post salad bars should be handled, where it goes, and what it can become after recycling. This research also helped inform future packaging, flatware, and napkin solutions.
A QR code on the packaging and an interactive screen at Fresh Post provide accessible information about materials, recycling processes, and sorting instructions. The system is also available online, helping customers understand how to handle similar types of packaging and waste.
By making this information transparent and encouraging feedback, we aim to make recycling easier and accelerate sustainable packaging innovation across the industry.
sustainability RESULTS
20 more tons of material could be recycled yearly
98 tons of virgin fiber is saved
Electricity consumption is reduced by 1300 kWh
Water consumption is reduced by 1500.000 liters
Financial benefits
Optimization has led to a reduction in costs of 24%
New materials saved us 27%
The new material is expected to reduce taxes by 34% this year
Stylish, convenient, and highly Instagrammable, this packaging functions both as a blooming plate or a square box in hand - making it ideal for socializing and mingling
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
