ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink Has a New Look
Better for you. Better for the planet.
We believe in evolution.
And if you saw our early prototype packaging, you know that to be true. Since our first prototype, we have changed ZBiotics’ packaging a number of times. And now we’ve chosen to change it again, to adapt to the needs of our customers and our planet.
We've upgraded our packaging to:
- Use ~67% less material
- Use 80+% post-consumer recycled content
- Be produced here in the United States
- Provide better protection for the bottles
- Be easier to store and transport
Our customers told us that while it looked great, there were a few issues, and they were right. First, the old packaging felt wasteful. Second, some of you experienced broken bottles when the old boxes failed in transit. Third, nobody liked it when we sold out of certain units because we were waiting for boxes to arrive from an overseas supplier.
So we listened to your feedback! We revised our packaging to reduce our carbon footprint, support domestic producers, and improve our customer experience.
While we were at it, we updated the look and feel to be cohesive with our new branding, which you can read more about here.
What do you think? Feel free to email us at support@zbiotics.com. We always appreciate your feedback and thank you for your support!
Let the evolution continue…
Team ZB
25 March 2022
As stated in this blog post, the goal of the new boxes was to be better for you (more convenient & protective) and better for the planet (both fully recyclable and produced using majority-recycled material). Indeed, we labeled the boxes with a recycling symbol and sent out an email stating the new boxes were 100% recyclable.However, we recently learned that this was wrong. The first batch of our new 3, 6, and 12-pack boxes are not actually recyclable.
We are so sorry. We never want to mislead anybody, even by mistake.
A primary goal of the redesign was to make our boxes fully recyclable – a point we were clear on with our manufacturer from the beginning. In fact, we had a fully recyclable box lined up for production. Then along the way, it was recommended to us that we switch to a different, more scuff-resistant coating for the box. We agreed to it, not realizing that the new coating was not in fact recyclable! Turns out, one of the ways they enhance scuff-resistance is by adding a nonrecyclable plastic compound to the coating.
Unfortunately, we didn’t catch it in time. The boxes were produced, filled with bottles, and shipped out to customers before we became aware of the mistake.
Moving forward, we’re working with our supplier so that our next batch of boxes are indeed fully recyclable, with no plastic coating. In the meantime, we’re working on a project to cover up the recycling symbol on each remaining box, so that there’s no misunderstanding when seeing that symbol. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Until the error is corrected, please do not recycle the 3, 6, and 12-pack boxes. Even though 92% of the box material & insert will break down/compost in a landfill, the coating makes it unworkable in most local recycling facilities. However, please do recycle the bottles, as well as the 50 and 100-pack boxes – we know they are recyclable.
Despite our mistake, we hope you enjoy the new boxes: they are a definitive improvement over the first generation. Now it’s our job to make them even better. Thank you so much for your support and your patience.
Warmly,
Zack Abbott
CEO, ZBiotics
