Carlsberg has introduced a cardboard multipack with rounded corners in Poland, working with DS Smith and KHS on a format based on SCA’s patented Arcwise technology.
Poland is the first market for the launch, with additional projects being prepared.
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Known as DS Smith Round Wrap, the pack is designed for beer bottles and uses curved edges rather than conventional square corners.
According to the companies, the new format is intended to deliver three main effects.
They said it can strengthen shelf visibility and alter the appearance of the pack.
They also referred to scientific research, including studies by Harvard Medical School, which found rounded shapes more “attractive” than angular ones.
In addition, the companies said the packaging uses less material, has a reduced carbon footprint and is less prone to damage in transit.
They added that the pack can run on existing packaging equipment, which means major capital spending is not required, and the retail price does not need to rise.
The project advanced in 2022 after DS Smith and KHS joined the work.
DS Smith supplied the board material and carried out testing, learning and validation, while KHS reviewed which machines already used by Carlsberg could handle the new packs without significant modification.
Poland was later chosen as the test market through Carlsberg’s local business.
In that market, bottled products including Carlsberg, Garage and Somersby are mainly sold in larger packs of 20 or 24 units, using wrap-around cartons instead of plastic crates.
The production site already had a compatible machine in place, the KHS Innopack Kisters WP Advanced. The first packs with rounded corners reached Polish supermarket shelves in 2024.
In the final stage of the work, DS Smith sent 13 pallets with a limited range of material variants to KHS in Kleve, Germany.
In October 2025, DS Smith and Carlsberg tested the new Round Wrap packaging in Poland.
