Global consumers are increasingly demanding natural, sustainable and cruelty-free products. With more than two billion shoppers worldwide, opportunities for businesses to reach more customers are expanding exponentially. Moreover, millennials and other emerging consumer groups have become even more discerning about what they buy and how it’s made. As a result, manufacturers need to ensure that the designs of their products meet these expectations as well as future consumer needs. Achieving this will require them to adopt a new way of thinking about how their products look and feel, as well as their packaging design. Here we’ll explain why you should consider leading with your sustainability strategy from the outset rather than implementing sustainable practices only after you’ve created your product. Afterwards we will talk about how you can implement these principles in your design for a more sustainable product and business.
What is sustainable packaging?
Sustainable packaging is a design approach that aims to reduce or eliminate the use of nonrenewable resources so as to conserve natural resources for future generations. Sustainable packaging designs incorporate biodegradable, recyclable and/or reusable materials into the design of a product. Sustainable packaging is a growing trend that many brands are getting behind thanks to new consumer expectations about the environment and sustainability. Sustainable packaging is the idea of leveraging the natural qualities of materials to make products that are more environmentally friendly. While sustainable packaging is often associated with biodegradable plastics, it can also apply to paper, wood, metal and even cotton. The goal of sustainable packaging is to reduce the amount of resources used in the creation of a product, while maintaining its function.
Why is it important to be sustainable with your product packaging design?
As consumers become increasingly aware of the impact that their purchases can have, they are demanding more sustainable products. With this in mind, you should take steps to ensure that your product packaging design is sustainable from the outset. In doing so, you can ensure that your products are more appealing to environmentally-concerned consumers and avoid the costs of additional, post-design, semi-sustainability boosting practices. These challenges are addressed through sustainable practices that focus on designing from the outset with sustainability in mind. This approach can help you avoid the expensive challenges that arise when companies implement sustainable practices only after their products are created.
How to incorporate sustainable practices into your product packaging design
When reading about sustainable practices and how they can be incorporated into your product packaging design, it’s important to remember that many sustainable practices are designed to help a product’s lifecycle, and are not intended to affect design decisions. Here are some sustainable packaging practices you can consider including in your product design: – Sustainable materials. Natural and biodegradable materials are ideal for sustainable packaging, as they are designed to degrade in a reasonable amount of time. Bioplastic and paper, for example, are designed to degrade and be returned to the soil within two to seven years. – Recyclable materials. Designing with the goal of maximizing recyclability is an efficient way to reduce the use of nonrenewable resources. When possible, incorporate designs that make items more recyclable and easier to handle. – Biodegradable materials. Biodegradable materials are made from plant materials and are designed to break down at a relatively quick rate. This allows for a product’s materials to be returned to the soil in a reasonable amount of time.
Final Words
Sustainable packaging sounds good in theory, but it’s not always easy to implement in practice. Designing with sustainability in mind for your product packaging design begins with evaluating your product and trying to determine which sustainable practices would make the most sense for it. From there, you can use the information provided above to choose which practices you would like to incorporate into your design. There are many benefits to incorporating sustainable practices into your product packaging design, including an increase in sales, positive social impact and an improvement in brand perception.