With packaging being such a visual and tactile touch-point between
consumer and brand, innovations in sustainability have come thick and fast –
from light-weighting glass bottles, to using organically based inks.
However, the Neo-Eco trend has resulted in changing consumer perceptions
– sustainable packaging is no longer seen as a bonus or a value added feature.
Instead it’s expected as default that brands will produce designs that are
lighter, more recyclable and less wasteful.
Such is the value put on sustainable packaging by consumers that a
recent survey by IPSOS found that 55% of people would pay more for
eco-packaging. Just as interesting is the fact that those in South Africa,
Malaysia and India were most likely to say this, as people in developing
economies start to put greater emphasis on sustainable living.
In China, Unilever
has recognised the growing ecological concern of urban residents and
has produced more products in a refillable format to encourage re-usability.
The Chinese government has also realised the aspiration among it’s urban
population to improve living conditions by reducing pollution, improving air
quality and having cleaner city streets. As a result, in 2012 the government
pledged to significantly reduce packaging waste and promote recycling by 2015.
A dominant aspect of the Neo-Eco trend is the growing awareness among brands
that having a greener approach to their business not only provides a marketing advantage,
but also financial benefits too.
For example, British retailer M&S expects to save £70million by 2015
through its sustainable packaging initiative, Plan A.
Other brands have seen rising fuel prices and landfill taxes as key
economic reasons to innovate their packaging, with lightweighting and
concentrated product formats particularly popular. Such is the drive among
companies to reduce their product footprint, that many FMCG brands are reducing
the amount of landfill they are responsible for by 30% by 2015 (Mintel).
Coca-Cola and Nestle are two such brands, as they seek to reduce
production costs as well as their environmental footprint. The lightweighting
of the Coca-Cola glass bottles has been well publicised, as has the efforts by
Buxton and Pure Life to reduce the amount of PET used in their bottles by 25%.
Sustainable design cues are also moving away from cliché uses of brown
paper and card, with a refocusing on packaging being more intelligent,
self-regulatory and adaptive to the market.
In this respect, Neo-Eco packaging
has become about the addition of technology, not just the reduction of materials.
The Sustainable Expanding Bowl
is one such example – designed by Anna Glancen, Hanna Billquist and Swedish
research company Innventia, the packaging expands into a bowl that users can
eat from when hot water is added. Created predominantly for freeze-dried food,
the pack comes in a compressed state and is made from bio-based and
bio-degradable materials.
As consumers increasingly expect sustainable packaging to have
intelligent, reactive design attributes, brands will continue to produce more
packs with transformational properties.
The perception that sustainable packaging should provide better material
properties than the non-sustainable equivalents has even led some premium
brands to experiment with new and innovative substrates.
Veuve Clicquot has recently produced a
bio-degradable pack using potato starch and recycled paper. Despite obviously
being a sustainable pack execution, the key feature is the isothermal
properties of the material that will keep the champagne bottle cool for up to
two hours after being removed from the fridge.
The use of the materials also allows a handle to be moulded into it,
creating a packaging that is convenient, provides better performance and
positions the product as well suited for an outdoor / picnic scenario – a
considerable advantage over it’s competitors.
Importantly, this shows that
using a sustainable approach to packaging can result in better product experience
and a move away from packaging that is good because it’s sustainable, and towards
packaging that is better through being sustainable.
Sustainable packaging will continue to be a key area of development for
brands looking to not only improve their image with consumers, but also provide
a better product experience and, ultimately, improve the bottom line. However, Unilever
recently reported that global consumer usage accounts for almost 95%
of the green house gas emissions associated with its soaps, shower gels and
shampoo’s.
This would indicate that the future of
sustainable packaging should not only be about becoming more efficient and
recyclable, but also empowering positive changes in consumer lifestyles –
helping the global consumer lead a life that’s more convenient and
aspirational, but with a limited impact on the environment.
