Tetra Pak is working with beverage brand Flow to show off a new custom printing solution meant to unlock more possibilities for design-minded brands.

Five different Flow SKUs have been given bespoke designs that will be given out at this fall to concert goers leaving select Live Nation Canada venues. The alkaline water beverage is the first to leverage the printing technology, which uses premium ink jet-based carton package printing based on CMYK principles that designers are already familiar with.

According to Tetra Pak, digital printing opens opportunities for brands of all stripes by enabling cost-effective yet high-quality images and lifelike designs. This will allow them to convey a premium look, while maintaining the environmental and retail benefits of paper-based, shelf-stable beverage cartons.

Nicholas Reichenbach, founder of Flow, says the new digital printing solution allows it to elevate the design of its carton and to open new horizons in ad possibilities.

The company launched in 2015 in a market dominated by single-use plastic bottles, and being in a unique package has helped draw eyeballs to the brand, which has seen steady growth in the premium space. According to Flow, the company is “perfectly positioned” at the intersection of three rapidly expanding categories in the space: premium, sustainable and functional.

It is typically challenger brands like Flow and Station Cold Brew Coffee that tend to gravitate towards Tetra Pak packaging, as do plant-based dairy alternatives like Hope and Sesame or Oatly interested in the environmental benefits.

These brands tend to have fewer preservatives and rely on more natural ingredients, explains Pedro Gonçalves, Tetra Pak’s marketing director for U.S. and Canada. These disruptors also tend to disrupt on the better-for-the-planet front too, opting to use Tetra Paks, which are not just 100% recyclable, but are more easily transportable thanks to being lighter than glass, reducing carbon emissions.

But up-and-coming brands also tend to put emphasis on design and being on-trend.

“In today’s world, brands need the ability to quickly activate marketing efforts and capitalize on consumer trends,” Gonçalves says. “A company like Flow likes to work fast,” he says, and that Tetra Pak helped with planning, with promotion, and taking full advantage of the concert season.

Gonçalves concedes that every package has a purpose, whether it is Tetra Pak, glass or 100% recyclable PET packaging overhauls, and that it’s good to see beverage brands mobilize to make environment considerations top of mind.