With the end of summer approaching, now is the time to start thinking ahead to the autumn and making decisions about new branded takeaway packaging for the season.
Some of this might be generic, taking into account the season as a whole, with its orange, brown and red colours that can cover everything from falling leaves to pumpkins and bonfire flames.
However, there are some points where you might want to focus on some specific events, with Halloween being an obvious case in point when October comes around.
How the event is marked varies and has changed over time, of course. To those with an interest in Paganism and similar beliefs, it is an important time of year, (while others might be repelled by any sense of occult links and avoid the whole thing for this reason).
These matters can gain extra attention in areas associated with witchcraft, like Pendle in Lancashire. But some people have different interests; seeing it as a prime time to go on ghost hunts, while trick-or-treating remains a prominent tradition for kids.
In addition to that, there has been some importation of American customs, which sees the event more as a general fancy dress party.
Halloween’s Edible Traditions
More prominently, the tradition of carving pumpkins into faces and lanterns is an American practice long adopted in the UK, which is why the orange vegetable is so frequently seen in supermarkets as October 31st approaches.
However, pumpkins are not just for carving, but to eat and Britons have increasingly been discovering the delights of pumpkin pie and other foods involving this ingredient.
This highlights the fact that, apart from anything else, there really is a lot of food involved in this event. If it isn’t pumpkin, it is the apples won in traditional games of ‘bobbing’, as well as the piles of sweets kids seek to accumulate when out trick-or-treating.
Since this is the case, a clear opportunity arises. After all, it is a perfect time for hot drinks and food (desirable for anyone stepping outside on a chilly night at the end of October), while there can be any number of drinks, cakes and other items in themed colours, whether it is orange for pumpkins, red for blood or green slime.
Finding themes in the products themselves and their designs is one thing, but, as with any packaging for an event at any time of year, sustainability matters. Nobody wants the event and the sales you make from it to be the cause of landfill that takes centuries to break down. Instead, this is a great opportunity to be sustainable.
Go Green With Grotbags
You might even decide to go green in a big way. After all, orange is not the only colour you can associate with Halloween. Whether it’s Grotbags the Witch, Frankenstein’s Monster, or Slimer from Ghostbusters, there are plenty of literally green characters associated with all things spooky, which fits with green icing on confectionaries or green drinks.
It means you can draw a double meaning from all things green on this occasion, ensuring that your packaging will biodegrade and not end up lurking around on the Earth like some un-dead zombie. They can be left to the fancy dress party.
This may be particularly pertinent given the fact that Halloween will be more of an event for kids, who will be out and about trick-or-treating and may not quite have mastered the art of tidiness and using litter bins yet. Suffice to say, there may be many broomsticks around on the night of October 31st, but not in use for sweeping things up.
Cast a Spell Of Sustainability
At the same time, the fact that the appeal of products and packaging will overwhelmingly be aimed at youngsters may be an opportunity to encourage some good habits among them. The message will be clear; it’s not just about having fun or enjoying a tasty treat or drink now, but taking care of the planet for the longer run. Fun times need not cost the Earth.
This will also encourage responsible parents buying these items for their children. They will know full well that all the witches in the world won’t be able to cast spells to make all the landfill and pollution vanish, but if the packaging is sustainable and biodegradable, they won’t have to anyway.
October 31st may be an enjoyable time for many people in all sorts of ways, but it will soon have come and gone. By making it a greener occasion, you can ensure that for the rest of the year, greenery is associated with living things rather than the dead.
If you would like to find out more about how Elpack Packaging Solutions can assist your business, or discuss your bespoke packaging needs, get in touch with our expert team today! Call us on 01425 524021 or drop us an email at info@elpack.co.uk
