The would-be successor to the throne so long occupied by the jewel box - the MINTpack, is attracting the attention of major labels and artists, with names such as The Cure and Stevie Wonder having used the new packaging. The latest name to appear on the new, green, CD packaging, is Sir Paul McCartney, whose new album, Kisses On the Bottom, has been released in the MINTpack.
“After 30 years of supremacy, finally the jewel vox, the plastic box around your CD, has real competition,” Olivier Durand, Managing Director of Emthelo, a supply chain consultancy specializing in the entertainment industry. “Approximately 400 million jewel boxes are currently sold in Europe each year, producing in excess of 40,000 tons of plastic. Greener carton based packaging has been around for a while but its price has prevented it from taking a large share of the market (currently carton based packaging accounts for only 15% of the market).
“Universal has already adopted this environmentally friendly innovation, while all other majors are looking into it,” Durand added. In its first couple of months of its existence half a million MINTpacks have been produced and YouTube sensation Gotye is releasing the European version of Making Mirrors on MINTpack this week.
