JKR

10. Look global, act local.

Sustainability is not the same the world over. For example Tetra is not recyclable in most parts of Britain, but is almost 100% recyclable in Japan. Differences of infrastructure apart, different cultures can often give inspiration for homegrown initiatives.

For example, Japanese consumers are more than happy to buy refills for personal care brands, showing there is a potential market for less over-packaged individual sku’s. And traditional packaging for rice cakes wrapped in straw and banana leaf are not only super green, they look super premium, and would grace any “Whole Foods Market”. The point is simple: solutions to your objectives are more than likely already in existence in other markets. The rest of earth is the obvious place to look for inspiration.

11. Lots of little things can add up to a big difference.

It’s funny, when we talk about sustainability with our larger clients, they often wish they could be as nimble as “the little guys”. And of course, our smaller clients wish they had the purchasing clout of a mega brand, because it would deliver them suppliers keen to go the extra mile in providing greener solutions. The truth is there are advantages in both worlds, but the trick is to exploit the one the brand occupies. For example, a mega brewery might consider how its massive production line offers the green equivalents of economies of scale, rather than producing a limited edition micro brew. And a tiny brewery has a better chance of using 100% recycled materials, when its requirements are fairly modest. We recently worked with one of our smaller clients, Spiezia, on a re-branding project.

As an ethical and organic brand, Spiezia wanted packaging that echoed the company ethos. Some ideas, such as aluminium that has a guaranteed ethical provenance proved beyond their brands reach (for now). But we were able to create a 12% reduction in secondary packaging via some nifty structural design, make core card components 100% recyclable with an ambition for 100% FSC accreditation. The glass is never less than 30% recycled (and often scores far higher, depending on the batch). Best of all, by exploiting improvements in digital printing we have massively reduced the waste normally incurred by the run-ons printing which conventionally produced white stabilizing colours. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. And no specific aspect is particularly “sexy”, but the net effect is design that combines a contemporary new look with an ethical approach in step with the brand’s personality.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9