Client: Deca · Pérola Line
The Deca Pérola line of taps and mixers: premium parts that were damaged in transit became a single box with a moulded pulp tray. Less cost, less waste, a better customer experience.
In short
On Deca's Pérola Line the answer came from the structure, not the layout. The line shipped in four different cartons, with a paperboard tray glued to the box; the polished metal parts came loose in transit and scratched each other before reaching the customer. I replaced the four formats with one universal box and a separate moulded pulp tray that holds curved and straight spouts and locks each part in place. If the outer box is damaged, the tray still protects the product, and nobody scraps the whole unit. The gains, all from this project: assembly time about 50% shorter, packaging cost per unit about 21% lower and factory waste halved. Recycled and compostable pulp, FSC certified board and water-based varnish. The project won the WorldStar Packaging Award 2026 in Household, ABRE 2025 Silver in Structural Redesign, Design for a Better World 2025 and Grandes Cases de Embalagem 2025.
The system
One box for the whole line, instead of four cartons. One assembly flow, one stock item.
Moulded pulp that takes both curved and straight spouts and locks every part in place. Nothing touches, nothing scratches. The premium finish reaches the customer intact.
If the outer box is damaged, the tray goes on protecting the part. The old system, where a torn box meant writing off the whole unit, disappears.
Recycled moulded pulp, recyclable and compostable; FSC certified board; water-based varnish. A sustainability statement that also survives a cost meeting.
The project in one line
The Pérola line shipped in four different cartons, with premium metal parts scratching each other inside the box. The packaging redesign started with the structure: one universal box and a moulded pulp tray that locks every part in place. Less cost, less assembly time, less waste, without losing a gram of premium perception on the shelf.
How it was done
The old pack had a paperboard tray glued into the box, holding heavy, polished metal parts. In transit the parts came loose from the tray and scratched each other inside the box, damaging the finish before it reached the customer and generating complaints and returns. And there were four packaging formats: four assembly flows, four stock items, four sources of error.
While part of the market still uses plastic or polystyrene trays, the first sustainable answer was the paperboard tray. After a number of complaints, we went looking for a sustainable solution for the tray, one that could protect and lock the parts in the best way.
One unified box and a separate moulded pulp tray. The tray takes both curved and straight spouts and locks every part, so nothing touches and nothing scratches. Tray and box independent, recyclable materials, and a graphic system that keeps the premium look.
Assembly −50%, packaging cost −21%, waste −50%. Every environmental gain came with an operational gain attached. Winner of the WorldStar 2026, silver at ABRE and Design for a Better World.
The differentiator
Before: tray and box joined together, and any damage or tear meant writing off the whole unit. After: tray and box separate, and damage to the outer box does not compromise the tray.
This is the case I show anyone who still thinks sustainable packaging is a cost centre. Every environmental gain (less waste, less energy, less CO₂) came with an operational gain attached. It is not a trade-off; it is better packaging.
The proof
EmbalagemMarca produced the project video for the Grandes Cases de Embalagem 2025 awards: the single box that replaced the individual cases, the pulp tray that stabilises curved and straight spouts, the assembly errors that disappeared and the 21% cut in packaging unit cost.
Recognition
Winner of the WorldStar Packaging Awards 2026 in Household, run by the World Packaging Organisation, and silver at the Prêmio ABRE da Embalagem Brasileira in Structural Design.
Awarded at Design for a Better World 2025, run by Centro Brasil Design, and at the Grandes Cases de Embalagem 2025, run by EmbalagemMarca.
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Get in touch
If the answer is no, send me a photo of it on WhatsApp and I will tell you what I would do. If you are hiring, email is the usual route.
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