Plastic CD jewel boxes being challenged (January 01, 2004)

General Motors Corporation has chosen a non-plastic type of packaging, in place of the traditional plastic jewel box, for the packing of its personalized CD instructional manuals installed in most of its vehicle models. The packaging, called Discbox Slider (DBS), is manufactured from cartonboard. DBS, which is based on a technology patented by the Germany-based company Stora Enso Activation, is marketed for brand owners as a safer packaging environment for the CD. The packaging is said to be ideal for high-quality design and graphics.

“The plastic jewel box can no longer meet corporate design and safety requirements,” says William McKnight, managing partner of media packaging manufacturer QC Packaging Systems Inc.

McKnight says the corporate media segment in one of the fastest growing areas for CD media products and packaging, with a projected two million cases being manufactured for this market in 2003. He notes one reason DBS is popular with brand owners is because it weighs only 30 g, compared to 90 g for plastic CD cases. The reduced weight provides a major cost savings in direct mailings.