In today's beer market, packaging does more than just hold cans or bottles. It communicates the brand's story, ensures product protection through a complex supply chain, and demonstrates sustainability credentials at a glance. That's why Step Two - Identify - of our Eight-Step Solution Cycle is where we roll up our sleeves and dig into what really matters.

Because packaging should never be guesswork.

The challenge: A brand at a crossroads

Let's take the case of a growing mid-sized craft beer brand, one riding the wave of strong regional sales and eyeing national expansion. They've nailed their product, built a loyal customer base, and have a good-looking brand. But operational inefficiencies, rising sustainability pressures, and inconsistent sales performance are holding them back.

They don't need a generic solution. They need packaging that will help them scale without compromise.

Understanding what's behind the brief

The Identify step is all about asking better questions. Not just "What do you need?", but "What's slowing you down?", "What could be done differently?", and "What value is being lost in the process?"

Our cross-functional team of designers, technologists, and supply chain experts, work directly with the brand's operations and marketing teams to unpick the full picture. Here's an example of what they uncover:

• Secondary packaging formats vary across SKUs, creating complexity in manufacturing and confusion on shelf.
• Shrink wrap multipacks are causing concerns with retailers, due to poor recyclability and tightening EPR regulations.
• Transit damage rates are higher than average, increasing costs and denting the consumer experience.
• The pack format has not been changed for six years. "We've always done it that way" can quietly become a barrier to progress.
• Packing line inefficiencies are limiting throughput, making it difficult to meet growing demand. Improving line compatibility and format standardisation would unlock capacity and support sales growth.

Technical reviews that go beyond the obvious

At VPK, we do not just look at what is happening, we examine why. By running a full technical audit of the brand's current packaging performance, we track:

• Pallet efficiency and SKU dimensions: Unused void space can be costly both in terms of money and shelf space.
• Packing line compatibility: Non-uniform pack formats create slowdowns and increase changeover times.
• Route-to-market conditions: Packs will have to withstand chilled distribution and high-humidity environments, something the existing substrate may not be optimised for.

These details matter. A millimetre here, a format change there, can be crucial, and it all adds up to real-world gains.

Sustainability that's more than surface-deep

According to an international survey of 3,500 respondents across seven countries, 61% of respondents said that the sustainability of beer directly affected their choices.

Our team runs through the client's formats through the VPK Product Carbon Footprint calculator, uncovering the impact of the shrink film and identifying how much could be reduced by switching to a recyclable, corrugated multipack solution. The numbers speak volumes, not only in emissions saved, but in long-term total cost of ownership.

It is about delivering performance, compliance, and recyclability - all without compromise.

Challenging convention, one clip at a time

Our final process in the Identify step is about reimagining what the pack could be.

Instead of reinforcing the old solution, we optimise material combinations, review locking mechanisms to reduce the need for glue, and assess a move to paper-based clips that offer the same strength, with a lower footprint.

We challenge why packs were grouped in 4s instead of 6s. We push for alignment across SKUs to simplify future growth.

Because smarter packaging isn't about doing what's always been done. It's about asking what's worth doing now.

Why the Solution Cycle made the difference.

The Identify step isn't flashy and it's not meant to be. But it is vital.

It's where we slow down to think critically, gather the right data, and build a picture of what needs to change and why. From there, the rest of the Eight Step Solution Cycle flows with purpose.

The outcome is clarity. In this example, a tailored, technically sound roadmap to packaging that matches the ambitions and that means less waste, fewer SKUs, lower costs and stronger impact on shelf is achieved.