Leave consumerism, start designing for the planet
Two years ago, I wrote this post on how designers are responsible for what they create and how they can educate their companies and clients.
After the global pandemic, nations worldwide realized that problems such as pollution and waste generated by overconsumption and overpopulation need to be addressed. As a result, several laws and Sustainable International goals were signed, and the world is trying to create alternatives to non-biodegradable packaging. Everyone is much more involved on a deeper level, and as responsible designers, we need to be as well.
I learn something new daily and want to keep this conversation going in hopes of becoming a more conscious person. In this post, we’ll go through a couple of topics that can help us think about better alternatives for future projects and individual choices that we, as consumers, can make and that I have only recently heard of.
Paper, metal, and glass: which one to choose?
Having knowledge of different substrates, even the most common, is powerful. Not only because constant learning is crucial to our profession but also to reduce our footprint.
Unlike my personal perception, metal is usually the best option for traditional packaging. It protects from contamination and provides a stronger barrier against oxygen and UV light, which is why steel and aluminum have 24 to 60 months of shelf life.
Unlike plastic, printing on metal cans doesn’t compromise packaging functionality or recyclability. It can be printed directly on the material without needing secondary sleeves.
As for plastic, it only last 3 to 6 months on the shelves, it only sometimes supports direct printing — requiring additional sleeves (more waste) — and pigmenting/coloring plastic makes it significantly less recyclable.
Metal recycles forever, while plastics can only be recycled 2 to 3 times before being completely discarded.
On the other hand, glass has the same shelf-life longevity as metal. However, it’s much more expensive to print directly and requires additional sleeves or labels. In addition, only 32% of glass can be recycled, while steel and aluminum are 67% and 60% recyclable.
As for the liquid cartoon, they can conserve products from 12 to 18 months, but since it’s made of different materials, it becomes economically and practically inviable to separate and recycle each component. Unfortunately, only about 26% of all cartoons produced can be recycled.
Bio alternatives for packaging
Depending on the package needs and usage, there is likely an approachable and bio alternative that can replace plastic, liquid cartoon, and single-use materials.
Sugar cane, wheat, hemp, and tapioca are some of the many options available today, and each one of them can serve one or more purposes depending on the industry and products. So let’s group and break down some possibilities to better understand them.
Everyday items
Going to buy groceries or other products at a bigger store it’s usually synonymous with a lot of discarded packaging and trash shortly after. And even if some consumers are already conscious about plastic bags and their reusable, ecological-friendly alternative — the tote bag — did you know there are many fabric alternatives to it?
Besides organic and recycled cotton, ecological textiles such as linen, silk, hemp, and wool are equally reliable choices for long-lasting bags and wrapping opportunities.
On the other hand, for those cases that need extra support or protection, paper foam is a better and more responsible alternative to plastic wrappings, casings, and boxes.
Electronics/breakable items
Electronics or other breakable/sensible items usually need to be more eco-friendly.
Significantly better options for protection items like corrugated bubbles, packing peanuts, and mushroom boxes should be used more often.
These options aren’t communicated or used enough times since I only recently discovered mushroom boxes, only learned about packing peanuts through clients (thank you for teaching me!), and was puzzled about corrugated bubbles the first time I saw them.
Food
Paper plates, cups, and straws are utensils that help reduce single-use plastic, but other alternatives exist.
Cornstarch and bamboo can be used to create these same objects to decompose and reuse, reducing take-out and fast food waste.
One other problem with big food retailers is the usage of plastic wraps. This material has been used for decades to preserve food longer. However, this is old news since scientists and engineers have long discovered natural substances that can be transformed into edible films for human consumption.
So why have we yet to hear more about it, and why isn’t it being used? Because, like plastic, these films need to be odorless, tasteless, and resistant not only to preserve what’s being wrapped but also to maintain nutritional properties. These reasons make it difficult to be mass-produced and applied to all kinds of food. However, there are some ongoing promising projects.
One of them is SeaFilm. Developed in Portugal, it uses algae to produce a film to preserve frozen seafood.
Claims and labels
Besides choosing the substrate, being aware of bio alternatives, and partnering up with eco-conscious printing houses, knowing about environmental certification is crucial to reading and designing packaging.
There are a couple common ones to know:
Certified B Corp
B Corp Certification is attributed to businesses that meet high transparency, performance, and accountability standards on their supply chain and materials.
1% for the Planet
It’s an international movement that connects businesses to environmental initiatives. They provide strategies, advice, and certified donations to ensure that 1% of the annual profit makes an actual difference.
Rainforest Alliance Certified
The Rainforest Alliance label implies that certain products or ingredients were produced according to social, economic, and environmentally sustainable practices. Third-party auditors assess farmers to ensure that forests, climate, human rights, and the livelihood of smaller communities are preserved.
FSC
Products that contain FSC labels support zero deforestation, fair wages, safe work environments, and animal, plant, and local community conservation.
There are 3 different FSC labels to know:
FSC 100% — all materials are responsibly sourced and certified;
FSC Recycled — the product is solely made out of recycled materials;
FSC Mix — the product contains a mixture of recycled, certified forest, and controlled wood.
Conclusion
There’s still a long journey ahead before we can undo centuries of human harm made to the Planet. However, being informed about substrates and alternatives is a small step in the right direction.
Know that you have more knowledge on this subject, how are you making a change?
