Creative Eco-Friendly Packaging Design for Inspiration

Last Updated on December 4, 2024 by DesignerPeople

Nature is our true friend as it provides us all the essential resources which are needed for a living. It is more than a blessing. But these statements become useless and futile unless we treat nature as our best friend and value its resources.

Technologies are touching a new high these days. We cannot live without nature which is the creation of God. Yet we are depleting Mother Nature in so many ways without even thinking twice. With new technologies, we are consuming nature’s power and making it impure.

Plastic is the biggest enemy of our nature nowadays yet we still use it 100 times a day even after the government has banned poly bags in 20 Indian states. 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute and 50% of plastic is singly used. It’s a non-biodegradable substance which takes 1000 years to decompose. What is the point is using plastic when we have so many biodegradable substances available to replace it. No one knows how much-unrecycled plastic waste ends up dumping in the ocean, Nature’s last sink. Just imagine! How long it will take for that plastic to completely biodegrade into its constituent molecules. Hence, degrading our environment and atmospheric conditions.

Need of Eco Friendly Food Packaging Design?

As the more people are becoming aware of plastic problems, Eco-friendly packaging is also getting hype these days and people are bending more towards recyclable packaging. Packaging Designers have made many innovative packaging for different products which looks beautiful as well as being Eco-friendly. Thus, breaking the old norms of Food Packaging and starting a new yet creative trend of Eco-friendly Food Packaging Design. Designers, nowadays, are using cardboard, papers, cornstarch; bubble wraps to save our environment from getting polluted.

Designers are offering an environmentally-friendly choice of ecological alternatives and protective packaging which is 100% biodegradable and recyclable. We are sharing packaging using cardboard’s, papers, biodegradable plastic.

Here are some images of biodegradable and Eco-friendly packaging design:-

The Mug Pug Beer Packaging

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How boring your party will become if you don’t get beer there? It won’t feel like a party then so here are some mugs made up of paper which is totally recyclable. Every mug has its brand name, flavor and all the details on its top. How indicatively is it designed to carry these pints with you without having the fear of breaking the bottles? Cheers..!!

Bean-To-Bar Chocolate – Eco-friendly Food Packaging Design

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Who can resist the piece of chocolate? Actually, no one. From children to grandparents, everybody like chocolates. Here are the chocolates packed in an eco-friendly manner by using cardboard boxes, jute thread and fewer inks are used here to avoid the pollution and to make environmental pollution free.

Paper Water Bottles

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Water is our basic necessity. We need it every hour to survive so we carry water bottles everywhere with us in schools, in offices. These water bottles are made up of paper which is totally pollution free and avoided the use of plastic to avoid pollution.

Eggs Packaging

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Breakfast without eggs is incomplete and we all know how hastened we find ourselves at the time of breakfast so it’s not possible to go and buy eggs daily so we buy tray always. This is a tray made up of cartons with fewer inks used on it. It is biodegradable and friendly for the environment.

Crusoe Treasure Wine

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Wines are must when we go for a fine dining. This wine is packed in an innovative style and the material such as corrugated board and rubber bands are used. The materials protect and cradle the bottle. This is looking amazing we can see the bottle, it’s safe and the material used is not harmful to the environment.

Dessert Duo

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Desert is the favorite part of the dinner and if we get ice-cream in the dessert it feels like icing on the cake. Can uh see how beautifully this ice-cream dessert is served in a plate made up of cardboard with two bowls and a spoon with it. It’s a perfect dessert for children.

Gift Box Packaging

source:- blog.splashpackaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/YESYES.jpg

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Receiving gifts is a pleasure and we all like to receive gifts. If the gifts come in these beautiful boxes how can someone deny for them? These gift boxes are made up of cartons with a ribbon on it and are looking absolutely amazing.

Cool Tea/Coffee Cup Packaging

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Are you also in a habit of drinking tea or coffee on the bed? Then you will find these amazing porcelain cups with silicone lids awesome. Your coffee gets chilly before you finish it but these cups will help you by keeping it warm for some extra time. So you should drink your coffee in porcelain cup rather than the Styrofoam one.

Paper Box Design

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These beautiful boxes are made up of paper which we can use to gift someone on their marriage by making it a makeup kit or we can use it as a candy box. It is looking awesome with a ribbon it.

Edible Cup

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Tea and coffee is kind of a stress releaser to us and the dipped cookie in it is something we like from childhood so here is the two in one thing. Cup full of coffee and it’s made up of grains which are edible. First, you take coffee and then eat the cup also with joy.

Natural Wooden Box

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Do you also lost all the colors you brought last time, if yes then here is the wooden box to keep your stationery. It has good space to keep everything separate and giving a catchy look to the eyes. It is natural and eco-friendly.

MYTHS : ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING

Knowingly or unknowingly, we all are having some predetermined notions in our mind. They may be related to packaging, branding, marketing or anything it might be. In packaging, there are lots of myths associated with it, such as only costly packaging creates branding, packaging adds wastes, which are not true. We will throw some light on these topics in upcoming blogs. Misconceptions need to be clarified because people are associated with them from era’s and it’s very dangerous. Today when we hear or talk about the word ‘eco-friendly’ there are many thoughts which start rushing into your mind. This field is saturated with ample of misconceptions, to clarify let’s enrich some knowledge on Myths of Eco-friendly Packaging.

1.Going Green is Expensive

Usage of plastic in India is a very common thing, from a small vegetable vendor to showrooms all are into the usage of plastic in some of the other forms. Its a game of supply and demand chain, we all are addicted to the usage of plastic. Demand is high, leading to high sales, and hence, the cost of plastic is less; thus, people assume the cost of eco-friendly packaging is high. There are natural ingredient enriched products which are sustainable as well as cost-effective. Eco-friendly packaging materials-polylactic acids were deriving from sugarcane and corn. Few other alternatives are Cornstarch, mushroom, seaweed and recyclable cardboard /paper.

2.Consumer Prioritize Price Over Sustainability

Irrespective of age today, consumers are very conscious about what they are purchasing and how its going to impact on the environment. Today consumer believes their contribution can make a big difference and bring change. Gone were those days when consumers were not interested in their contribution towards making eco-friendly environment. They are ready to pay high for the pride they are earning by their contribution.88% of consumers wants corporate to help them make a difference

According to a survey done by Nielsen source

66% of global consumers are ready to pay high for sustainable goods.

73% of Millennial are willing to pay high for sustainable goods

People in 2019 are not buying products they are buying lifestyles. They want to feel whatever they are buying should align with their values; hence, they are ready to pay higher end also.

3.All Plastics are Recyclable /Recycled

Only 15% of plastic beverage containers can be recycled, and plastic has limitations on how many times it can be used for recycling before it becomes unusable. People today are associating aluminium as a better alternative than plastic, especially in the food packaging industry as metal reputation is shinning compared to the plastic image. If you are into packaging business, it’s essential to understand the countless benefits of using infinitely recyclable aluminium over plastic.

We usually hear that plastics can be recycled, but in reality, only little of overall plastic waste received is used in recycling. Due to various other types of plastics with different chemical compositions makes specific plastic unfit for the recycling process.

Paper, ink, foils such elements contaminates plastics.

To separate these elements from the plastics intensive labour process and cost is invested, so it’s preferred not to recycle.

Society of plastic industries describe two types of plastics, which is preferring for recycling. One is polyethene terephthalate (used for water bottles, synthetic fibres) and other is  high-density polyethene (used for bottle caps, jugs and water pipes)

4.Going Green is a Millennial thing only

Millennial is the individual’s in-between age group of 26-35 years who are today very well aware and seek information on eco-friendly packaging, recyclability and sustainability actively. But this doesn’t mean that only Millennial is focusing on these aspects.

63% of consumers over the age of 50 are more likely to be environmentally aware

54% of consumers under the age of 35 are more likely to be an ecologically conscious source

Consumer above the age group of 50 years has noticed the shift from pollution-free nation to the ocean of pollution today.

5.Smart move- Less Packaging or no packaging

Its fact that packaging is an integral part of any product kept on the shelf for sales. The packaging is a must for protecting the product, to convey brand communication, to generate brand identity. When we talk about less packaging or no packaging, it can also reduce the value of the post-consumer packaging materials, which will limit economic incentive to recycle them. A lot of lightweight alternatives available today in the market cannot utilize for recycling.

Example- Some multilayered pouches can be very light in weight, lighter than plastic or even paper but are very difficult to recycle due to packaging done by many layers within.

6.Sustainable Packaging Choices are Limited

There is growing concern regarding the waste being diverted to landfills causing greenhouse emissions, customers today want firms to adopt eco-friendly elements in their products. Because consumers want to be part of the contribution in creation of a better environment. Packaging firms have come up with various innovative solutions in terms of green materials, such as polylactic acid, bagasse, recycled paper. And post-consumer polystyrene that can manufacture coffee mugs,  plates, boxes and cutlery.

Example – Biomaterial firm in New York developed a mushroom-based material that they are using as an alternative for plastic packaging.

7.Eco-friendly Packaging is Boring and Uninteresting

When we hear eco-friendly packaging, we visualize simple, plane or green packaging in generic. That’s not true anymore, and today we have creative  design agency’s such as DesignerPeople who believe in the concept of ‘Go Green’.Renders innovative and creative packaging designs, which are a combination of aesthetics and environmental friendly at the same time.

Examples –Nike’s 75% of all apparel and shoes now contain some recycled materials .

8.Material is more important than design

In any eco-friendly packaging materials used are given more importance compared to design. Package designing has a significant impact on reusing and recycling. Brand designing and its packaging communicate ways of packaging is used or discarded.

Designing for practicality is appreciated in eco-friendly packaging, as sole marketing purpose will not communicate your brand value.

Example- HDPE or PET plastic bottles are very easy to recycle, but it would have been difficult if information sleeve is a different polymer.

9.Recyclable means recycled

A lot of people unknowingly us recyclable and recycled terms as one, which is wrong. Both are different terms with different values. Many paper and cardboard are misleadingly believed to be recycled, and some even labelled as such.

Dominos Pizza boxes labelled as 100 % recyclable being made from cardboard. However, any material soiled with food waste,  grease, is deemed not recyclable. If pizza box having a liner, and none of the food has split onto a box, then it can be recycled.

Sandwich boxes are mostly made from cardboard and not from plastic, which consumers often assume can be recycled too. Marks & Spencer and Greggs, for example, label their boxes as ‘widely recycled’ or they feature the universal recycling symbol.

10.There is nothing as such “eco-friendly inks.”

Typically inks used in packaging designs are full of lead, cadmium and mercury but now there are eco-friendly inks made from soya derived to water-based techniques. Even printing techniques adopted can be eco-friendly. While many technologies are introduced to advance inks and printing techniques, others are striving hard to improve post usage environmental effect. Edible ink is easy to erase from packaging, and this reduces labour time and cost, which require during the process of recycling.

CONCLUSION

The level of environmental issues we are witnessing today is a warning to humans. We should understand the level of seriousness hidden behind these warnings. One of the paths is to adopt eco-friendly packaging. Educate industries on above-said myths so that they are aware of realities and choose Go Green system. One can also outsource creative agencies to understand your brand and design your Go green packaging. It is equally essential that the government should bring some positive changes in terms of eco-friendly packaging industries. Provision of fundings or certain exemptions should grant for industries who prefer plastic alternative for their packaging. Eco-friendly packaging is the future of packaging so to adapt it to understand it better and start working towards it.

Author: Megha Malik

As a passionate entrepreneur and creative brand consultant with experience of 14 years in digital, branding and packaging industry, it is my honest effort to put my experiences and knowledge of industry towards readers. A chartered accountant by degree but a marketing personality in blood has motivated her to take in designing industry as a career. With her fun-loving personality and sharp branding skills, she is a great motivational speaker on her YouTube channel, an active member in various business channels offline as well as online. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.