PDC Europe’ s sleeves add to shelf-appeal

Packaging is integrating the sense of touch into design. Sleeves are stylish packages with extravagant textures. With its "Star Opening" patent, PDC Europe helps realising sleeving ideas using highly malleable elastomer sleeves. This exclusive technique, branded "Skin Evolution", has been developed in a partnership with Eos Innovation.

Skin Evolution can adapt to any container format, glass, plastic, etc. It stretches evenly to cover its top and base. It is monochrome and available in the entire pantone range. The sleeve can support the product’ s brand identity, barcode and detailed consumer information. Printing directly on the skin is also possible. Laser engraving makes for a stunning effect. The sleeve revisits the product’ s silhouette, making it either charming or provocative.

Ambassadors of style and celebration, the champagne brands were among the first to adopt this technique: Philippe Brugnon and its Paris Loveday bottles, Piper-Heidsieck with the Bodyguard and the red crocodile skin sleeve, followed by a sleeve in the style of French Cancan designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. "For Bodyguard, we took a 3D photo of a genuine crocodile skin, then used a laser engraving machine" explains Jérôme Collard from Eos Innovation. The sleeves’ thickness can reach 1.5 mm. They are transferred on a smart conveyor that facilitates the filling process. The sleeve can feel rough or fine depending on the engraving’ s level of detail: either smooth, marbled, scaled or dimpled, thus also addressing the tactile sense of the consumers.