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ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

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The Future of Brand Packaging Lies in Sustainable Practices and Materials

Finding ways to make products last rather than dispose of them

 A couple of pressed juice bottles; sustainably made packages
I can’t remember a time when fellow designers and myself weren’t concerned about reducing packaging waste and the impact our work had on the planet. We shared stories like, “The time I went fishing and saw the Downy fabric softener bottle I designed floating in the pristine mountain lake.” Our clients were looking at light-weighting, minimizing parts, refilling SKUs and incorporating recyclable resins to help achieve sustainability. But consumers were busier than ever, and packaging innovation was all about convenience. The original Tide liquid package and the revolution it started in delivering a much more convenient, less messy approach to adding detergent to the wash comes to mind. All that plastic in the waste stream versus the paperboard carton of dry powder was the price to pay for a happy consumer. It seemed that innovation in packaging was creating more waste, not less.   Now our single-use disposable packaging world is changing again, and it’s thanks to consumer demand. Witness the backlash against plastics with the ubiquitous refillable metal water bottle in everyone’s hands; the ban of single-use plastic bags in New York, California and elsewhere; the focus on how our oceans are overflowing, not with fish, but with tons of plastic. Efforts to recycle are also proving too difficult and costly to be effective and also don’t address the root cause of the issue.   With consumer acceptance growing, we now have the opportunity to view packaging as durable rather than disposable and offer solutions that are truly sustainable while delivering usage experiences never before possible. One evolving option is the Loop system, a zero-waste platform announced at the World Economic Forum and formed by a coalition of major consumer product manufacturers, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever. With pilot programs rolling out in New York in May, this circular shopping platform features products in durable packages that are delivered, consumed and then returned back to the manufacturer to be cleaned and refilled before being sent out again. This major shift in ownership of the package from the consumer to the brand is a ticket to unfettered imagination in consumer experience and sustainability. The package essentially becomes an asset and can be viewed and designed as a device. This unlocks technologies that can change the experience of the user in ways never before possible. Brands can rethink what their package does and how the consumer uses it, such as a pill package that reminds you when to take or reorder pills, detect when food has expired (say goodbye to the smell test), automatically order more product when it’s running low or even self-seal to ensure freshness. So, now it’s up to the brands to rise to the challenge and think of their packaging in new and different ways. Here are tips for how brands can do this successfully.

Define the ideal experience from your consumer’s point of view

What can be done for consumers to change their experience and differentiate brands from the competition? For the Loop initiative, Häagen-Dazs developed a refillable stainless steel ice cream tub that keeps the product colder longer. Reusable packages have the potential to allow technological features that make them more “intelligent,” able to anticipate user needs, etc. Think of it as a chance to deliver something to consumers that is really important to them and even tailored to their unique lifestyle.

Test it to understand the real value delivered

 Make sure that you avoid gimmicks. Usability studies and in-home usage tests provide a window into the real world. Think of this as designing an asset so that it can be robustly engineered. For pharmaceuticals that need to be kept secure, a locking mechanism that can only be opened by the patient or verify that the patient has taken their medication for the day can be incorporated.

Determine the perceived quality standards

 Does the consumer believe specific defects to be unacceptable? What does the consumer perceive if there’s a dent in these reusable packages? Can these be designed for disassembly and repair? If a product is damaged, can it be repaired cost effectively? There can be a fine line between healthy wear and tear that signifies a sustainable journey and wondering what the last user did to it because it’s all scratched up.

Source a supplier network of quality vendors

 Brands that are currently manufactured using plastic need to source entirely new manufacturing partners. Finding the right partner manufacturers willing to take on these new challenges and utilizing the right technology is key.

Why reusable food packaging has a promising future

In searching for an innovative method to provide consumers with sustainable yet convenient packaging options, companies including Tyme Fast Food and TerraCycle's Loop program, as well as retailers including PCC Community Markets have reimagined packaging as something reusable rather than disposable.

Why Reusable Food Packaging Has a Promising Future

In searching for an innovative method to provide consumers with sustainable yet convenient packaging options, companies including Tyme Fast Food and TerraCycle's Loop program, as well as retailers including PCC Community Markets have reimagined packaging as something reusable rather than disposable.

Solving America’s Garbage Crisis: A Chat With TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky

When Tom Szaky decided to become an entrepreneur at the age of 19, he picked something that most people in that “dot-com” era would probably have called a very unattractive business: waste management. For the past 16 years, Szaky’s company, Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle, has specialized in recycling hard-to-recycle materials, such as cigarette butts and dirty diapers, and has remained a little-known name to the wider public outside of the recycling industry.

Loblaw joins sustainable packaging program Loop

First announced earlier this year, Loop is a program from global recycling company TerraCycle, which has partnered with retailers and brands to create sustainable, reusable packaging for products in an effort to reduce waste. After placing an online order for grocery, household and personal care products, the products are delivered in a special, reusable tote. The packaging– which is designed to be specific to each brand and product – is placed back in the tote once it is used and returned to Loop for reuse. Products can be ordered for one-time use, or set to auto-refill once they are returned.

Clorox joins brands in Loop reusable packaging program

Clorox joins brands in Loop reusable packaging program Several major manufacturers are onboard for the circular use pilot. The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) has added two of its popular products to the list of items available through the TerraCycle Loop circular sustainable shopping pilot program. First announced at the World Economic Forum in January, Loop enables consumers to purchase commonly-used products in customized, durable packaging that is delivered in a reusable shipping tote. The initiative aims to establish a new model that supports responsible consumption and ends society’s dependence on disposability. Once products are used, consumers place the packaging in a special tote for free pickup, then Loop hygienically cleans the packaging, replenishes the products and returns them to the consumer. TerraCycle partnered with UPS to design its reusable, easily-cleanable tote to handle both liquids and dry goods over multiple uses, Recycling Today reported. The pilot program is available in the mid-Atlantic region of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Clorox crisp lemon disinfecting wipes and Hidden Valley Original Ranch topping and dressing will be available through the program, and the company plans to add a Glad food protection product to the platform later this year. Other products available through the Loop program include Procter & Gamble brands including Tide detergent, Cascade dishwashing products, Pantene haircare items and Oral-B dental care. “We are building on more than 180 years of innovation and world-class consumer insight to enable responsible consumption at scale,” Carolyn Tastad, P&G’s(NYSE: PG) Group President - North America, said. “We’re proud to partner with TerraCycle as the first CPG company to be part of this program as we work to accelerate sustainable innovation and explore new circular solutions that consumers love.” Companies including Unilever, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Danone, Mars Petcare, Mondelēz International are also onboard, per CNN, for a total of about 300 products. The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) and Walgreens (NASDAQ: WBA) are founding retail partners with Loop, and consumers in the pilot region can shop for products through www.thekrogerco.com/loop orwww.walgreens.com/loop, and in the future, the retailers hope to enable consumers to purchase Loop products in stores in select locations.