DesignLab
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We’d love to walk you through any of the innovations above - or apply them to your next brief.
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Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
At Transcend, packaging isn’t just about manufacturing - it’s about imagination.
DesignLab is where our technical minds, material specialists, and creative engineers come together to push packaging forward.
We take raw ideas, emerging science, and real-world challenges - and we turn them into sustainable, scalable, high-performance packaging solutions. Whether it’s coating fibreboard to replace plastic, reinventing adhesives, or engineering a better drinking straw, this is where the change happens.
Our Four Signature Materials
Our Four Signature Materials
Qwarzo® Mineral Coating
Case Study: Rubicon Cup
A revolutionary mineral coating that creates a functional barrier on fibreboard - without the use of PE or PLA linings. It provides resistance to heat, moisture and grease, and is engineered to be fully recyclable in standard paper waste streams.
We developed the Rubicon Cup using mineral coating. It meets the demands of food safety, heat performance, and recyclability - and it’s already in customer hands across select European markets.
Why it matters: It’s not a prototype. It’s performing in market — without PE or PLA.
Morro™ - Bio-based Coating for Folding Cartons
Case Study: T-ECO™ Folded Carton
Morro™ Coating – Plastic-free barrier coating made from plants Morro™ Coating is a world-first, plastic-free coating made from plants. Designed to replace plastic and PFAS linings, it’s a versatile and high-
performing plastic-free packaging solution.
Working with Vegware, we used Morro™ Coating to develop a fully compostable folded carton with commercial-grade performance - perfect for hot, greasy, or high-turnover foodservice applications.
Morro Coating offers a range of end-of-life options to suit your requirements as it’s biodegradable, compostable, and recycling-friendly.
Why it matters: Morro™ Coating makes it easy to go plastic-free with high-performance technology and no-compromise at end-of-life.
Mineral Coated
Paper Straws
Case Study:
We also applied mineral coating to paper straws - delivering better durability, improved rigidity, and a smoother feel. These straws outperform traditional options, without the downsides of PE or PLA.
Mineral coated straws offer a more resilient, customer-friendly alternative to conventional lined paper straws.
Why it matters: Because customers always notice the straw. If it goes soggy, splits, or ruins the drink - they’ll remember. That’s why we’ve made a better one. One that lasts longer, feels better, and performs without compromise.
DesignLab: The Solution to Your Own Problem
We don’t just innovate for ourselves - we innovate with you.
DesignLab exists to help you meet your specific packaging challenges. Whether you're responding to legislation, preparing for tax changes, or pushing toward a sustainability goal, we’ll collaborate to co-develop solutions that are robust, certified, and future-ready.
From coatings to fibres, adhesives to print compatibility - we design to run. We design to last.
And we design to pass every test that comes next.
"If it’s not compliant, scalable and responsible - it doesn’t leave the lab"
Huw Conway
Head of Packaging Design
Huw leads the creative engine of DesignLab. With a background in structural packaging design, he turns early-stage ideas into manufacturable, high-performance packaging balancing sustainability, functionality, and production efficiency.
From napkin sketches to factory-ready dielines, Huw ensures every pack works in the real world. He collaborates closely with engineering, compliance, and production teams to bring innovation to life on the line - not just in theory.
“Good packaging should never make you work to understand it. It should just… work.”
Designed. Tested. Proven.
With Amy Raymond
Head of QA & Laboratory
At Transcend, we believe innovation only counts when it works in the real world. That’s where Amy Raymond comes in. As Head of QA & Laboratory, she applies her background in pharmaceuticals, food, and water to one purpose: proving performance.
Her team works at the sharp end of every idea - pressure-testing our packaging under real-world conditions, not just ideal ones.
What We Test - and Why It Matters
Every product line is sampled, inspected, and tested on-site in our in-house lab, adjacent to the factory floor. We measure everything that matters:
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Cups: Leak tests, lid-fit, heat resilience, and dimensional tolerances
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Straws: Mineral coating performance
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Lids: Absorption, fit, temperature variation, and sealing compatibility
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Cartons: Fold sequence, barrier testing, visual inspection and pack durability
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New Concepts: Experimental materials, glues, and coatings tested in controlled temperature and humidity
We simulate life in a takeaway bag, a delivery van, or a high-street coffee queue. From boiling water to cold oat milk, your product needs to perform — and we make sure it does.
Integrated With DesignLab
Amy’s team doesn’t sit in a silo — they’re side-by-side with our DesignLab engineers, feeding live test results into development and customer trials. Whether it’s a new lid coating or a carton, nothing moves forward without proof.
“At the end of the day, it’s still a paper cup - but we push it to do things it’s never done before.”
Maverick™ - The Adhesive Reinvented
Case Study: GAIL’s Bakery
Maverick™ is our industrial straw engineered in partnership with GAIL's Bakery. Designed for strength, sustainability, and piercing performance, it delivers exceptional wet strength without compromising recyclability. Ideal for juice cartons and QSR use.
Why it matters: The glue line might be invisible - but it’s where recyclability often begins or ends.