The Most Creative Ideas for Sustainable Packaging

Companies are increasingly using creative solutions with regard to sustainable packaging.

According to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, sustainable packaging must meet market standards concerning performance and cost while utilizing renewable or recycled source materials. Today, such companies as Walt Disney, Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble search for innovative ways to eliminate packaging wastes and reduce their carbon footprints. Some progressive companies have taken this diligence one step further, developing sustainable packaging that is both creative and reusable.

Lipstick Cases

Choosing alternative materials is often the first step in moving toward eco-friendly packaging solutions. Polyactic acid (PLA), for example, is quickly gaining acceptance as an alternative to plastic. PLA is made from corn, generates fewer greenhouse gases than plastic and can be composted. In an effort to validate environmental concerns, Cargo Cosmetics has begun to employ PLA with some of its lipstick cases. The PlantLove line is sold in a tube made from PLA with an outer container made of biodegradable paper. That paper is embedded with wildflower seeds that can be planted in the garden to grow real flowers after the lipstick is used.

Energy-Saving Lamps

Knoend is a San Francisco-based company with an energy-saving lamp known as the lite2go. The lamp comes in a package that contains only four items: an energy-saving light bulb, traditional cord and socket, a manual printed on recycled paper and hemp twine for assembly. The sustainable packaging of the lite2go actually becomes the lampshade once the lamp itself is put together.

Computer Packaging

Dell plans to use mushrooms as part of the internal cushioning for its computer server deliveries. This eco-friendly development will reduce manufacturing output, minimize energy consumption and allow consumers to compost the packaging after receiving their computers. In addition, the mushroom-based material will be used in conjunction with Dell's bamboo packaging already in use.

Bottled Water

Boxed Water is Better boasts a sustainable packaging system for bottled water that eliminates the bottle. This company instead uses boxed containers that mimic those used for milk quarts. The cartons are made from renewable wood, and when shipped flat to fillers can substantially reduce transport costs in comparison to glass or plastic bottles. The carton design also minimizes ink and energy consumption during manufacturing.

Future Ideas

Israeli designer Tal Marco has begun to approach eco-friendly packaging using an item found abundantly in nature: banana leaves. These leaves are expected to work well for food packaging, especially in the greasy fast food industry as a result of their waxy surface. Banana leaves are also flexible, which means they may be adaptable for a variety of packaging needs.

Coconuts may pose a similar solution for green packaging ideas. Found in areas across the planet, coconuts are renewable resources that can be processed into sturdy materials. For example, the husk of the coconut can naturally outperform traditional packaging materials in terms of water-absorption and swelling, thereby eliminating the need for chemical binders.

References

• "Dynamic Graphics" magazine; Creating More Sustainable Packaging; Laurel Saville; December, 2007
• Depot Creative; Smart and Handsome: Design Innovations in Sustainable Packaging; April, 2010
• Sunrise Packaging; Mold Turns Eco-Friendly; April, 2011
• Sunrise Packaging; Packaging with Banana Leaves; April, 2011
• Sunrise Packaging; Coconuts - The New Study for Sustainable Packaging; August, 2010
• Sustainable Packaging Coalition: Definition of Sustainable Packaging