Schubert shapes the future of packaging – we create the online magazine to accompany it

How can packaging become more sustainable? This is a question the packaging machine manufacturer Schubert, one of the most innovative and successful companies in international packaging machine construction, is intensively addressing as part of its Mission Blue sustainability program. Schubert describes this and many other sustainability projects annually in the ANNUAL – a blend of sustainability magazine, annual report, and sustainability report according to ESRS, designed as a digital corporate magazine.

Our task: Previously a print format distributed to customers, partners, and interested parties, we were entrusted with further developing the ANNUAL 2025. The goal was to integrate it into the overall sustainability communication and the Schubert brand under the corporate narrative “Mission Blue,” while simultaneously setting new impulses and creating added value.

The Annual: Content for search engines and AI bots

Our approach: digital first! A corporate magazine as a hybrid solution that brings the full magazine experience to the web while also being available as a fast PDF download. The benefits: global reach, instantly available information, integration with further digital content, and high flexibility.

One extra benefit: strong content for search engines and AI bots (SEO/GEO)! Because the ANNUAL delivers concrete answers, facts, and stories to questions like: What contribution does Schubert’s technology make to the transformation of the packaging industry? How sustainable is the world market leader for digital, robot-based packaging machines?

Our premise for implementation: A visual language that doesn’t make sustainability “green and bland,” but truly brings a new dimension to the ANNUAL. This is achieved through storytelling, a playful approach to numbers, and a world of images and illustrations that unites technology, people, and sustainability.

Central design elements are 3D-look visuals in fresh colors from the Schubert brand world, generated from the packaging material that Schubert has mastered like no other for 60 years: cardboard. They give the ANNUAL a virtual world with high independence and recognition.

Based on this, we developed the information architecture and UX concept, created the content, developed the overall graphic concept, and designed the layout for both the web magazine and the PDF format.

The ANNUAL led to a series of further communication measures: In addition to revising the main Mission Blue page with a new menu structure, a new website was created for the Packaging Competence Center, Schubert’s R&D department for automated, recyclable packaging. We also implemented a new guideline for the PPWR packaging regulation, which Schubert uses for lead generation for the Packaging Competence Center.

Our conclusion: Every sustainability report has the potential to become a strong communication element that authentically supports the brand image, increases awareness, and delivers customer value. As a digital, machine-readable solution, the Sustainability Report will link websites, social media, CRM, and other online content to form a sales-boosting communication module in the future.