When Thailand-based I.P. One, a manufacturer and distributor of leading fabric care products, set out to install fabric softener refill stations for its Hygiene brand in retail stores, the company opted for a bag-in-box solution that met stringent requirements and aligned with the company’s earth-friendly ethos.
Not only did they seek to capture a growing share of the global home care liquids market, but they also needed packaging that could help achieve the company’s strong sustainability goals. Working with Liquibox, a specialist in liquid packaging and dispensing solutions, I.P. One executed a successful marketing campaign titled “Hygiene So in Green” that raised awareness of its fabric softener refill stations in Bangkok, Thailand.
“Bag-in-box was a new format for I.P. One and we worked closely with the customer to make sure Liquibox flexible bags would run seamlessly in their vending machines,” says Wimonrat Ukkhayakorn, business development manager at I.P. One. “Together, we needed to educate the consumer about the sustainability benefits of bulk refill stations versus single use plastic bottles, and ultimately, change their behavior.”
Liquibox partnered with I.P. One to create a prototype to test in the Thai market. The team was able to identify what was needed from a bag-in-box packaging solution to successfully work in fabric softener refill machine. The first machines were tested in Mega Bangna, a mega-mall with more than 400 stores in Bangkok, Thailand.
“We have no doubt that I.P. One’s ‘Hygiene So in Green’ project will be a success,” says Uthai Thanesvorakul, chief executive of I.P. One, after seeing the initial market response. “Social responsibility is an important part of our company vision. Hygiene is the first brand in Asia to have used biodegradable materials for the production to produce fabric softener, which they have been using since 1989. This campaign elevates our vision for the world to another level by offering a simple solution to an important problem. We join hands with our partners like Liquibox to launch Hygiene refill stations with a mutual objective to change consumers’ behaviors and encourage them to opt for reusable containers instead of single-use plastic fabric softener bottles. This is part of our effort to reduce a massive amount of plastic waste in the future.”
Moving forward, I.P. One plans to expand Hygiene fabric softener refill stations in other areas.
