PARTNER SPOTLIGHT : FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
Small Packages , Big Impact
PHOTOGRAPH BY
B Y JOHN NEWTON
PHOTOGRAPH B Y HANNAH WHITAKER
DIGITAL PRINTING has revolutionized packaging for items ranging from socks to organic food , and this year HP ’ s Indigo Digital Presses were called into service to deliver eco-friendly packaging for a new essential product : face masks . The clothing company Bella + Canvas , best known for producing wholesale , eco-friendly , high-quality apparel , shifted gears this spring at its LA-manufacturing operations and began rolling out masks instead . “ We are really well suited for the mask operation ,” says Summer Barry , vice president of marketing at Bella + Canvas . “ No one can do it at our scale ; we have the capacity to make 100 million masks per week .”
Producing the masks was one challenge , and quickly creating brand-appropriate packaging for them was another . “ The average lead time for retail packaging is six weeks ,” Barry explains . “ But that wasn ’ t an option with what we were doing .”
The company turned to ePac Flexible Packaging , which uses HP Indigo 25K Digital Presses to simplify the packaging process for customers like Bella + Canvas . Working with HP Indigo technology , ePac was able to provide Bella + Canvas with pouches , and soon the masks were available in stores . The masks , and their stylish packaging , caught the eye of Serena Williams . The tennis star has now teamed up with the company to produce 4.25 million masks for kids in need , to be distributed in partnership with the National School Boards Association and Scholastic . Available at
bellacanvas . com , $ 4 .
HP / INNOVATION / FALL
2020
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