One of the biggest packaging design trends in recent years has been the shift towards sustainable packages. Consumers are increasingly seeking out products and brands that align with their personal values. This is both a challenge for product developers as well as an opportunity. For small and independent companies, the opportunity to set yourself apart by communicating your authentic socially-conscious identity can be a fantastic strategy for getting an edge on the competition. One of the clearest channels you have for delivering that message is through your packaging.
Even though packaging tends to account for less than 10% of the carbon footprint for most products, the impact of packaging is one of the most visible and easily identifiable sources of pollution that environmentally conscious consumers can associate with your product. Plus, if the packaging fails in its two primary goals of protecting the product and attracting consumers enough for them to make the purchase, then all the energy and materials that went into producing that thing will have been wasted.
While there is no such thing as completely eco-friendly packaging, it is possible to come up with appealing solutions that will help drive sales and improve your brand image while actually taking steps towards reducing your environmental impact.
1. Avoid Packaging Within Packaging
You’ve probably noticed that certain products have a tendency to nest packaging within packaging. Sometimes this might be unavoidable, but most of the time it definitely isn’t. Not all consumers will be frustrated by that kind of thing, but if your target audience or your particular branding is concerned with sustainability, having to sort through layers of packaging be a turnoff.
If you find yourself with multiple layers of packaging, consider how you might go about consolidating that into a single layer. Not only can this reduce your environmental impact, but it can reduce your material consumption and end up saving you money in the long run.
Of course, sometimes if you’re using a relatively sustainable packaging material like recycled cardboard, you might still need to have some kind of plastic packaging underneath. That’s often unavoidable, and most consumers probably won’t hold it against you. But when we start talking about plastic wrapped in plastic wrapped in plastic, that’s when you can lose people and undermine your image as a company that cares about the planet.
2. Consider Every Individual Component of Your Packaging
A helpful concept to keep in mind when designing your packaging is the product to package ratio. How much packaging do you require per unit of product? The more you can shift this ratio towards favoring your product, the more sustainable your packaging will be. Are there ways that you can combine two components into a single one? Are there are components that you could get rid of entirely with a bit of clever design?
As an example, consider labeling. Often times, a product that is already sealed within a plastic container will be packaged in an additional cardboard container which contains information not available on the internal packaging. Well, if you found a way to include that information on the primary packaging, you wouldn’t really need the cardboard at all.
Depending on the kind of product you’re selling, it may also be possible to provide information via your website that might otherwise have to be included in your packaging.
While this kind of planning can add more time and effort to the design phase, the reduction in materials will often mean reduced production costs in the long run in addition to the benefits of maintaining an eco-friendly brand image.
3. Think About Your Sourcing Options
It’s practically impossible to avoid having to use some form of packaging. But the kind of packaging you use, and how it was produced, can make a significant difference on your overall impact. When analyzing your options for materials, consider whether there might be a more sustainable version available.
Your choice of supplier can make a big difference even when looking at the same kind of material. Not all wood products, for example, are created equal, and consumers understand this. Sourcing materials from suppliers who meet recognized certification standards such as FSC is a great way to reduce your impact, and it allows you to signal to your consumers that you share similar values.
Choose recycled and recyclable materials when possible. Seventh Generation is perhaps the most famous brand that makes extensive use of recyclable materials, including molded pulp packaging. Incorporating a friendly notice on your packaging reminding consumers to recycle it, when appropriate, can be an effective and authentic way to communicate your good intentions.
4. Avoid Greenwashing Yourself
Greenwashing is when firms attempt to portray themselves as being environmentally friendly without actually doing anything proactive to reduce their impact. We’ve all seen it, and it’s usually pretty easy to identify. While misrepresentation can have short-term benefits, savvy consumers are likely to realize your dishonesty, which can end up hurting you in the long run.
Consumers value authenticity. You don’t have to blow your entire budget on developing the most eco-conscious packaging that there ever was, but making a genuine effort towards sustainability can go a long way towards currying favor with your audience. Make an effort and do what you can, and don’t try to sugarcoat it. Be honest.
5. Make Your Packaging Reusable If Possible
Sometimes it’s possible to substitute a disposable piece of packaging with a reusable one without incurring any significant additional cost. An example of this is Van’s Custom Shoes, which come in a neat simple cotton drawstring bag, which can then be easily repurposed for all kinds of useful applications. Some retailers have also begun offering customers inexpensive but decorative cloth bags instead of disposable paper or plastic ones. This can reduce your overall ecological footprint while serving as a memorable gesture towards your customers, and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
6. Look For Ways to Save Space
Always think about how to reduce the total volume of your packaging. Wasted space means more materials and larger packages, which leads to less efficient transportation, storage, and handling. That all adds up to higher costs as well as a larger environmental impact. Coming up with clever ways to make your packaging size as efficient as possible is a high-leverage area for improving your sustainability while actually reducing your costs. Come up with ways to maximize your density by eliminating space between components, between units, and between pallets.
7. Make the Packaging Appealing
Of course, all these things we’ve talked about above are not the only considerations you need to make when designing your product packaging. You also need to be thinking about things like shelf impact, clarity of messaging, uniqueness, and all the other factors that attract consumer attention and entice them towards purchasing your product. If your packaging doesn’t succeed in converting viewers into new customers, then what you end up with is a whole lot of wasted product. That’s neither environmentally or economically sustainable.
Your packaging should be an integral part of the product design process. A great way to ensure you maximize your shelf appeal is to work with experienced and talented designers that can help you come up with solutions that meet all the practical requirements of protecting your product while sending a powerful and compelling message to consumers.
Cad Crowd is ready to help you out! We’ve got a broad network of product designers and industrial design freelancers that are ready to work with you on your project. Submit your project to us for a free quote. We’ll take a look at your requirements and connect you directly with one of our top-tier packaging design experts.