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Sustainable design ideas

There is no one right approach, but our cross-functional experts agree that any attempt requires homework and the need to extend a branding strategy rather than replace it.

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Designing a “sustainable” package is daunting, say those leading the industry’s so-called “green” movement. The challenge is enormously complex, and it is tempting to take shortcuts.

If hasty decisions are made, important and costly decisions can be finalized without weighing each factor involved in creating a package to meet a host of different needs. On one hand, the package has to function as an effective sales tool to meet business objectives. Yet, the materials used must be suitable either for reuse or being returned naturally to the earth.

Shelf Impact! consulted a variety of packaging professionals and also sat in on conference presentations to assemble best practices for where and how to begin an effort toward developing sustainable package design. The following five ideas will help give your creative team direction.

• Approach sustainable design as an extension of a brand strategy rather than as a tactical issue.

• Research available material options and understand whether they work together, and how.

• Adapt current packaging to a more eco-friendly version by starting modestly and building incrementally.

• Make decisions on packaging materials that reflect the brand design objective.

• Pick a start point and begin the journey.

It is essential to tackle the challenge of sustainable design holistically and educate yourself thoroughly on each relevant factor, says Phil McKiernan, Business Partner at Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions (www.pti-solutions.com). This step is vital for marketers, who usually lack a packaging background.

“Sustainable packaging development is all about tradeoffs across the value chain. It’s not just about material use. It’s about energy use and water use and the triple bottom line of economic, social, and ecological drivers to deliver corporate growth,” adds McKiernan, formerly Packaging Director at Kimberly-Clark who now leads The Essentials of Sustainable Packaging Workshops, developed by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (www.sustainablepackaging.org) and the Packaging Association of Canada (www.pac.ca).

It’s not a tactical issue

A good first step is to treat sustainable design as an extension of a brand strategy, advises Jim Warner, Managing Director, Industrial Design, for Brandimage-Desgrippes & Laga (www.brand-image.com). Many brand owners mistake sustainability for a tactical issue and therefore miss opportunities to maximize the associated business benefits, Warner says.

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