The new dark gray rectangular logo is easily recognizable at a distance. New colors and icons freshen up the Eucalan signature scents. The shape of the bottle remains the same, but caps are now dark gray making the overall look more elegant and modern.
Photo courtesy of Eucalan.
When Jennifer Edgar, the CEO of Eucalan Delicate Wash, started the steps for rebranding in celebration of the company’s 30th anniversary, she had no idea that she’d be facing the challenges of a pandemic.
Though Eucalan planned to roll out their rebranding starting around April, it was only in the last few weeks of October that they received all the pieces of their new packaging. Normally Eucalan would only need to wait 3-5 weeks to receive their earth-friendly bottles, for example, but in the pandemic, the wait time was up to 20 weeks since plastics manufacturers were focused on items like cleaning supplies.
Despite months of manufacturing delays, Eucalan now has an updated, streamlined look that continues the company’s dedication to environmentally friendly products.
“We’re so busy. You should see our warehouse. We have orders that are prepped and ready to go, just waiting for the last bits and pieces to come in and fall into place,” Edgar says.
“We’re going to have a lot of happy stores when they get their orders with the new look.”
A more modern look
The last time Eucalan rebranded was in 2007, and the design work was completed in-house. This time, though, Eucalan worked with Forthought Branding + Design in Toronto.
Edgar says working with a design company was a positive step. “The questions they asked brought out a lot of things we wouldn’t normally think of. They know how to pull out the answers,” she says.
One of the company’s goals for the rebranding was to give product labels a more modern makeover. “We’re a family business so it was important to show our customers that we’re here and we’re doing really well,” Edgar says. “We wanted to elevate our look a little bit to represent the times and look more refined. It was time for a facelift.”
Remaining committed to eco-friendliness
While both the product labels and color scheme changed, one element that remained was the commitment to eco-friendly products and packaging. Though Eucalan was already committed to plastic packaging that was as earth-friendly as possible, they planned to sell in Europe and therefore had to meet environmental requirements that are stricter than those in North America. The formula, for instance, is 100% biodegradable within 28 days—the requirement in Germany.
In addition to being eco-friendly, the packaging is also local. All the packaging materials are made in the greater Toronto area within a 1.5-hour radius of Eucalan’s office.
For Edgar, one of the most exciting new additions to the packaging is the logo for 1% for the Planet, a network of thousands of businesses that are committed to supporting high-impact environmental nonprofits.
Edgar says Eucalan has been donating products to organizations for years, but joining 1% for the Planet allows them to not only show customers their commitment to the environment but to also donate 1% of sales to a nonprofit in the network.
That same dedication to the environment carries over into Eucalan’s products, too. “We’ve always had water conservation front and center in our thoughts,” Edgar says. “That’s what Eucalan is all about. We’re all about conserving water, using less product, buying less stuff.”
“It’s about less. You buy or make good clothing, and then you take care of it, and it lasts longer.”
Now that they are transitioning into the new branding, Edgar says Eucalan will focus on photography and slowly easing into the new packaging to ensure the product is still recognizable to loyal customers.
Pandemic delays aside, Eucalan is excited to see how customers react to the new branding, and they’re also excited to finally celebrate that 30th anniversary. “We’re very pleased with what we’ve done over the thirty years, and we just love our customers so much,” says Edgar.
Ashley Little
contributor
Ashley Little is a craft writer and editor living in Asheville, North Carolina. She has given up on reducing her yarn stash and refuses to feel guilty about it. You can see more of her work at thefeistyredhead.com.