{"id":27802,"date":"2021-11-26T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/blog\/adobe\/solving-the-single-use-packaging-problem-with-durable-design\/"},"modified":"2021-11-26T10:05:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T10:05:01","slug":"solving-the-single-use-packaging-problem-with-durable-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/blog\/adobe\/solving-the-single-use-packaging-problem-with-durable-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving the single-use packaging problem with durable design"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Loop is inspiring brands and consumers to choose reusable packaging, requiring a global transformation to solve our single use packaging problem.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

All images courtesy of Loop.<\/p>\n

Much thought has gone into the planet\u2019s single-use packaging problem, especially as consumer awareness about recycling, composting, and materials use continues to rise. But for every conscious choice to reuse a thermal mug at a coffee shop, multiple issues remain on how to transform our waste into something economically and ecologically feasible for reintroduction into the product chain.<\/p>\n

So, what if we start all over again from the origin of the problem? Delete single-use packaging from the options and deliver consumer goods in reusable containers from the start. It\u2019s a bold idea, and one that will require cooperation from the largest players in consumer packaged goods.<\/p>\n

The good news is, it\u2019s already happening.<\/p>\n

TerraCycle and Loop: Changing the system from the inside out<\/h3>\n

Global recycling provider TerraCycle has spent two decades identifying the inefficiencies that limit the potential for recycling and reuse of the endless bulk of packaging entering the waste stream. Now they are looking at ways to intercept the problem at its source. \u201cWhy do we have a garbage problem? Because the companies who manage our waste are not involved in the design process,\u201d says TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky. The solution, he realized, \u201cis to have the garbage company approve it before it can exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so, in January 2019, TerraCycle announced Loop to help lead the massive rethinking required to invigorate brands and consumers with new possibilities in durable, cleanable, reusable packaging. Loop\u2019s goal is to ensure all of the packaging in Loop can easily be recycled at the end of its useful life. Available online now in the US and UK, at Kroger and Walgreens in the US and Tesco in the UK. In France, Carrefour has already begun to roll out Loop sections in select stores in Paris.<\/p>\n

To make the Loop model work, Szaky and team knew the stakeholders in this revised product delivery cycle would have to be the most familiar names in consumer goods. While Szaky announced the new venture at the World Economic Forum in 2019, conversations about this idea for a fundamental business model shift began a couple years earlier with brands like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo, Nestl\u00e9, and UPS who quickly saw the value. In this new business model, product manufacturers would reimagine their packaging as reusable assets that would depreciate over time, making the numbers work out from an accounting perspective as well. \u201cWhen they move the package from being a cost to an asset, you can explode the investment per package significantly,\u201d Szaky notes.<\/p>\n

Reimagining the entire customer experience of a product and its packaging creates some compelling opportunities, too. In addition to delivering an item that feels more substantial (and worth keeping and reusing), new designs can fix old problems \u2014 such as the way ice cream gets stuck in the corners of pint containers.<\/p>\n

This is where Loop\u2019s in-house design consultants come in. Working closely with partner brands\u2019 agencies or in-house product design, R&D, and operations departments, Loop assists in a step-by-step analysis and exploration of how to transition from single-use packaging to reusable packaging. Everything including aesthetics, usage improvement and materials is up for discussion \u2014 with Loop there to help provide ideas about what\u2019s available today and what might be possible in the future.<\/p>\n

(Re)design as a disruptor<\/h3>\n

A big part of the redesign process is actually determined by the fundamental properties of reuse, which Loop helps to explain to clients as well. \u201cWe help them understand our parameters, our requirements, how we clean containers, how we process each order, and what they can do on their end to develop reusable packaging fit for the Loop platform,\u201d explains Jasmin Druffner, durable packaging developer with Loop.<\/p>\n

Once Loop has educated its clients, they then consider how these principles can be interpreted in a modern, eco-friendly aesthetic. Brands can choose from stock packaging designs or work with a partner from Loop\u2019s network of recommended durable packaging design agencies, such as Touch Design, Drink Works, Adept Group and 4sight Inc., to help make something new and exciting.<\/p>\n

The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Loop customers are certainly delighted with the new style of packaged goods, showing their enthusiasm by posting photos of products and packages on social media and elevating the experience to something like a fabulous unboxing experience. Eco-friendly is, after all, a very good look for a brand.<\/p>\n

Aesthetically, the new look of these clients\u2019 packaging is heavy on delight, both through material choice and the more substantial heft of more durably designed goods. Many brands are opting for truly distinctive appearances as they reintroduce their products through the Loop process. \u201cFor many brands it is important for brands to differentiate their new reusable packaging from the single-use version,\u201d Druffner says. \u201cI\u2019d say that packaging design is the first line of defense when it comes to making that visual change for consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Design drives consumer adoption of new, eco-friendly packaging<\/h3>\n

To further help consumers make the adjustment to new packaging, most brands are opting for familiar product portions and package sizes for now, but with a perceptibly more permanent feel to their containers. The most readily reusable materials seem to be dictating a distinctly fresh and crisp aesthetic for durable packaging. Working with stainless steel, glass, polypropylene, and other engineered plastics that resist scratches and damage from impact, the packages also need to survive the Loop cleaning process, which involves washing and drying at high temperatures.<\/p>\n

Product labeling is also shifting, with many brands opting for a permanently affixed logo on the container, while other \u201cfine print\u201d details are provided with accompanying inserts. Permanent artwork might be screen-printed, powder-coated, or sand-blasted onto containers. Alternatively, Druffner notes, \u201cmany brands are looking to incorporate wash-off labels, meaning that each label comes off during our cleaning processes and are re-applied during filling \u2014 this strategy enables brands to launch with more SKUs more quickly, and even fluctuate their inventory based on demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such a wide array of options can seem overwhelming, and that\u2019s why Loop has developed design resources that help clear the path for a new idea. A stock catalog of pre-approved packaging is provided in a PDF guide that helps Loop\u2019s clients\u2019 in-house designers navigate through options. A similar resource for manufacturers\u2019 R&D departments includes details on how packages will be cleaned.<\/p>\n

Cleaning is of vital importance to the process, not just for the safety of consumers, but also for the long-term reusability and eventual recycling of the package. When a new container is still in the 3D rendering phase, Loop evaluates it for any signs of the hang ups that make it difficult to wash. Things like gaskets or hinges, narrow bottle necks or lids that won\u2019t unlock from a tube, those are some of the countless elements that TerraCycle has seen get in the way of the recycling process. Next comes the prototyping phase, when Loop runs an item through its rigorous series of tests to check its durability. It needs to sustain 10 or more uses to pass the test.<\/p>\n

This is where 3D design technology can take a leap in environmental impact reduction: eliminate already known, wasteful physical properties \u2014 such as rendering, prototyping, and even photoshoots \u2014 and solve them digitally.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go on to the websites for some very famous brands and look at their products, many of the photos were done digitally,\u201d says Vince Digneo, head of sustainability at Adobe. \u201cThey did not produce emissions from airfare, shipping, any kind of commuting or travel, or lights or catering or food waste or any of these things that go on with a physical photoshoot. It\u2019s now virtual. This saves a ton of time, energy, emissions, money \u2014 and all these resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exploring 3D design as a catalyst to the plastic package revolution<\/h3>\n

The prototyping phase of this package design process is an area where an even more eco-friendly approach might be taken with 3D design. \u201cThe idea of prototyping digitally, being able to then rapid prototype and bring that to the production process through digital printing and other methods phenomenally cuts down waste,\u201d Szaky observes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s not just about the environmental benefit, that waste is also equal to cost. It will save tremendous amounts of money and time. It\u2019ll allow you to innovate significantly faster and actually try to have the product accomplish what it\u2019s intended to do, which is delight somebody and make someone\u2019s life better in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond functionality and durability, the design possibilities of reusable packaging are expanding all the time. Digital prototypes make it possible for companies to experiment with new shapes and materials \u2014 quickly and easily. There is also no risk in exploring unheard of ideas. For example, in a move to improve the customer experience, Ajinomoto\u2019s Loop spice containers may have embedded volume sensors that can provide real-time information via an app.<\/p>\n

That kind of reimagining of a package\u2019s purpose, making it more valuable to consumers and also manufacturers looking to build \u201cdurable\u201d relationships with customers that have the power to choose one product over another, is definitely proof that we can create a future where consumer packaging has a longer life. After all, we already cherish that trusty thermal coffee mug \u2014 drinking out of it is more satisfying because of the feel of the container in hand and also the choice we have made to avoid disposable options. When we can extend that mentality to other containers and welcome more into our lives, then we are a giant leap closer to a waste-free world.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just shopping, it\u2019s about the global community of consumers, manufacturers, designers, brands, retailers and thinkers coming together for a common goal, curating our cabinets for a more environmentally friendly future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source : Adobe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Loop is inspiring brands and consumers to choose reusable packaging, requiring a global transformation to solve our single use packaging problem. All images courtesy of Loop. Much thought has gone into the planet\u2019s single-use packaging problem, especially as consumer awareness about recycling, composting, and materials use continues to rise. But for every conscious choice to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27802"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27805,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27802\/revisions\/27805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}