Hasta La Ideas

Though over-packaging is often seen as the epitome of excess, it’s really only the tip of the iceberg of a resource-hungry process. According to Laurel Miller and Stephen Aldridge, authors of Why Shrink-wrap A Cucumber? The Complete Guide to Environmental Packaging (Laurence King, 2012): “As is befitting in a convenience society, [packaging] is a convenient, high-visibility target that deflects attention from less palatable forms of environmental action, such as reducing our dependence on high-carbon fossil fuels and heavy industry.” In their remarkably thorough new book, Miller and Aldridge debunk the common myths of sustainable production, introduce new materials, and help designers navigate the often treacherous waters that lie between manufacturers and the client, providing plenty of case studies for inspiration.

Miller and Aldridge begin by discussing how poor packaging choices are linked with global climate change by breaking down every step of a product’s life cycle, from its production to its recycling or disposal. There’s even a refresher that’s helpful for anyone interested in sustainable design, from the lords of the LCA (life cycle assessment) to the everyday concerned citizen. Miller and Aldridge have included Futerra’s invaluable “10 Signs of Greenwash” and they take the time to define terms that are as common as they are misunderstood: green, sustainability, and environmentally friendly.

And for designers struggling to “negotiate the environmental maze [while] balancing profitability and creativity with sensitivity to the environment,” there are few first steps you can take to address your client’s concerns about brand identity while delivering a design with low environmental impact. The case studies are grouped by packaging categories like shape and weight. The iconic Orangina bottle, for example, evolved from a nondescript glass jar to its current shape as a result of a design that took both branding and cost effective packaging into consideration. The Heinz ketchup bottle, too, has changed from a glass bottle to a plastic squeeze bottle for similar reasons. Weight has also played a huge role in packaging design, especially in metal drink cans, which have become 77% lighter since the 1960s, from 60g down to just 14g.

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