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Sustainable Packaging Design: End of Life
What is Packaging End of Life? The packaging life cycle spans several stages - starting when the raw materials are extracted, to the moment it becomes waste that needs to be collected and processed. The final stage of the life cycle occurs after the packaging's primary use, the end of life destination. This part of the supply [...]
Sustainable Packaging Design: Marketing
“Nature and the modern retailer have similar goals. They must advertise their wares, attract consumers, and protect the wares during transit. Moreover, the product has to deliver as advertised to its consumer if it is to keep its base of customers.” - Don Norman, Turn Signals Are the Facial Expressions of Automobiles. What does marketing have to do [...]
Sustainable Packaging Design: Production
Designing for Sustainable Packaging Production We began our Sustainable Packaging Design series with this quote: “It is estimated that over 80 percent of all product-related environmental impacts are determined during the design phase of a product.” - The Contribution of Design to Sustainable Development, IISD Even though the packaging design process happens earlier in the product life cycle, your [...]
Sustainable Packaging Design: Form Factor
“Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight, or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work-horse, the blithe swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at its base, the drifting clouds, over all the coursing sun, form ever follows function, and this is the law.” - Louis H. Sullivan Form is the outer surface of an object. [...]
Sustainable Packaging Design: Materials
Choosing Sustainable Packaging Materials One of the first things a brand can do to make their product and business more sustainable is to choose the right packaging materials. Sustainable packaging materials are sourced, produced, transported, used, and disposed of with the environment in mind. They are made from renewable resources, are non-toxic, and minimize waste or pollution. [...]
Sustainable Packaging Design
“It is estimated that over 80 percent of all product-related environmental impacts are determined during the design phase of a product.” - The Contribution of Design to Sustainable Development, IISD Packaging design is much, much more than a pretty box for your product! Designing for sustainability and end-of-life starts from the very beginning of the process. The full [...]
Eco-Friendly Food Packaging
Packaging protects products from damage and keeps foods fresh. It ensures that your customers receive their products in perfect condition. At its simplest: All packaging is intended to reduce contamination and waste. The problem lies in our overuse of plastic packaging. We usually discard spoiled food right along with its packaging. The hassle of removing food from [...]
Healthy Soil
Soil is made up of a mixture of mineral particles, organic material, air, water and living organisms. Healthy soils include a diverse community of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) and macroorganisms (worms and insects). These organisms recycle essential nutrients by decomposing organic matter. The soil ecosystem has the same components as any other more visible ecosystem [...]
Getting Started with Sustainable Packaging
The first steps into your sustainable packaging journey can be daunting. There are many different options to choose from: Compostable, recycled, recyclable, biodegradable... Which one is right? Even once you’ve begun your journey, you may need help deciding where to go next. Either way, the path isn’t always clear! The EPA estimates that packaging makes up around [...]
How to Compost at Home
In 2018, about 146.1 million tons of municipal solid waste was sent to landfill. Food accounted for 24% of that waste! The good news is that much of the organic waste we produce in our homes can be composted instead. Composting not only reduces the amount of waste going to landfills, but produces a product that is [...]