Re-think packaging!

Re-think how you design so it will have a lower impact in our environment. Reduce or cancel the package for your product. Give the package a function or a second life. Choose your materials wisely; make them easy to recycle or to take apart. Use the least amount of materials. Create services that don’t need packaging. It is up to us designers to decrease the amount of waste produced by our society. In this blog I present different ideas and concepts that may inspire you.

Protective / Shock-Absorbing Packaging

Fresh Produce Packs

Beverage Containers

Loose-Fill Packaging

Transport Pallets

Bags

Design strategies

• Designing sustainably
• Design for transport
• Design with environmental best practice
• Design with fair labor and trade practices
• Design with renewable virgin materials
• Design for reuse
• Design for recycling
• Design for composting

Map B

Re-think Packaging!

I decided on creating a new development map for my project. After researching more on the subject it is our responsibility as designers to create better packaging. LESS IS MORE! How can we reduce the processes of manufacturing packaging? How can we reduce the materials? How can we create new behaviors in our consumption that relate to packaging? Please do comment!

WWF suggestion

Plastic bottle

Yogurt

Beer bottle

Observation #1

I am collecting random garbage. The first thing that I noticed is that everything that I collected functions as packaging. I cleaned it and being analyzing it. I am interested in the processes and materials of it. A package for yogurt uses plastic, aluminum and paint. A beer bottle is created with glass; the cap is made out of metal and has a rubber piece inside. It also has paper with glue outside of it. Each process and material used in a package is using a lot of energy and resources that we cannot recover. I want to explore this furthermore in the future.

Party trash

Saturday morning 8:30, it is way too early to start a day. I get out of my room and I soon realize the havoc that went through some hours ago. We thought of that before hand and created two boxes to store recyclables and garbage. The consumption surpasses our expectations and so did the trash. What can we do as designers to reduce the waste in parties? Buy kegs? Everyone has different tastes in beer? And the liquor and plastic cups? If you have any idea please post a comment.

Project map

Hello

Through this blog I will record my footprint during two weeks, starting on the 10th of October. The idea is to store my trash so I can measure it and document it for a couple of weeks. Also I want to journal other energy consumption like gas, food, etc. What else should I document? The objective is to create data to share with everybody. If you have any comments or ideas please e-mail me: gusfricke2@yahoo.com

Gustavo Fricke

first draft

PSP

Objective: To develop a journal of my energy footprint.
Methodology: 1. Research 2. Experience 3. Output.
Step 1. Research:
- To try to establish known facts through others' past experiences.
- To create an experimentation ground through research and theory.
- To develop tools that will allow others to account for their own footprint.
Step 2. Experience:
Gather all the information of my footprint during two weeks.
Step 3. Output:
Communicate the experience through a photo journal, video and graphics. Develop an interactive tool that will allow others to compare and measure their own footprint.