“Before” example of a kids Novara bike: Smarter, lightweight packaging means most of the waste above is eliminated.

According to Eric Abraham, REI’s packaging engineering manager, the future is all about “unpackaging” products. The company’s ambitious goal is to reduce packing materials 35% by 2013, and some of those gains are going to be made simply by eliminating packaging altogether. “No packaging, simply product,” explains Abraham. And it all started with the customers, he says. When the company started offering in-store recycling of the big boxes that boots were shipped in, consumers leapt at the idea, and soon every store had piles of boot boxes to recycle. Very few people wanted to take the box home – they just wanted the boot. What followed over the next years was a radical rethinking of many of the current packaging designs – sometimes reducing waste, sometimes reducing weight, and almost always simplifying. Jump ahead to find more examples of what Abraham and his team at REI have done to make unpackaging a reality for the retailer.

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: REI “Unpackages” Five of Their Popular Products

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Post tags: eco packaging, green packaging, light weighting, no packaging products, packaging, packaging alternatives, packaging the future, packaging waste, plastic reduction, Recycled Materials, reducing packaging, reducing packaging waste, rei, rei company, rei design, smart design, zero waste packaging

One in four Americans eats at least one meal a day in a fast food restaurant. Besides it being an arguably high-calorie and low-nutrient choice (processed food loses vitamins and minerals at each step of shipping and preparation), not many seem to care. After all, even when calorie information is offered, it’s usually ignored (only about 15% of people will use the info to make a decision about what to eat). It’s no surprise then, that people who don’t care about what they put in their bodies don’t care how much packaging is left over after they’ve eaten. But some do, and they tend to be the same people who will write a letter of complaint (or write a blog post?). So, also unsurprisingly, those fast food restaurants that cater to more health-conscious consumers also have less volume and use more recyclable and compostable materials in their disposable packaging. While many traditional fast food restaurants have legitimately reduced packaging in recent years (including McDonald’s and Burger King), the three highlighted after the jump have done the most.

Read the rest of Egregious Packaging Hall of Fame: Fast Food Restaurants That Defy Waste with Savvy, Sustainable Packaging

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Post tags: Chipotle, eco chick, eco food packaging, Egregious Packaging Hall of Fame, Fast Food Restaurants That Defy Waste with Savvy, green food packaging, green packaging, packaging the future, Pret a Manger, starre vartan, subway, sustainable food packaging, sustainable packaging

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Can Plantable Seed Paper Give Way to a Blooming Garden?

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Post tags: flower seed paper, Gardening, green gardening, green paper eco paper, guerilla gardens, packaging the future, plantable seed paper, recyclable paper, recycled paper, seed bombs, seed paper, starre vartan, wildflower seeds

Read the rest of Egregious Packaging Hall of Fame: Why Toilet Paper Needs a Redesign

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Post tags: consumer products, eco design, green design, green packaging, packaging the future, recycled toilet paper, sustainable design, sustainable packaging, sustainable toilet paper, toilet paper, tp, Waste reduction

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Is Boxed or Bottled Wine Better for the Earth?

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Post tags: bottled wine, boxed wine, eco wine, green design, green packaging, green products, green wine, packaging the future, sustainable design, sustainable packaging materials, sustainable wine, tetra pak wine

In my column ‘Packaging the Future’, I’ve looked at the myriad ways the materials around us contribute to environmental pollution and human health issues (from manufacturing, use and disposal). I’ve suggested existing solutions to what I think of as “bad packaging”, as well as some that are only supposition. But even though I love to dork out on new and old packaging fixes, there are a few spots where I don’t want to see the new overtake the old; where even though a more modern version of something might use fewer resources and be more planet and people-friendly, I still choose the vintage version. For a modern woman, I’m plenty nostalgic, but I also think that maybe, in some circumstances, certain things may be worth the resources they use.

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Three Packages Worth the Resources They Use

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Post tags: cool packaging, green greeting cards, green packaging, hand me down books, packaging reuse, packaging the future, packaging worth their resources, reclaimed books, record players, records, second hand books, starre vartan, timeless packaging, vintage packaging, vintage records

I’ve always had an overabundance of hair; when I was a little girl my grandma taught me to pull the wads from my Mason Pearson and throw it out the window. I lived on the end of a dirt road in a deeply wooded area, and she said the birds that would collect my hair and utilize it in their nests, as it was a very strong material. I never really believed her, but thought it was good fun to toss my hair outside and watch it float along the breeze into the trees or over the lawn. Lo and behold, the next year, I started to spot my long, curly (then-golden) strands in the nests of the songbirds when they fell to the ground accidentally or were abandoned in the Autumn. Turns out my grandma just knew what birders everywhere do.

Read the rest of Amazing Natural Packaging: Human Hair as Packaging?

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Post tags: compostable packaging, green materials, green packaging, hair as a eco material, hair as eco textile, hair as packaging, hair clothes, hair inspiration, Packaging Design, packaging the future, starre vartan

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Could Paper Take Plastic’s Place?

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Post tags: eco packaging, green packaging, green packaging design, Packaging Design, packaging the future, paper packaging, paper v. plastic, paperlite, plastic packaging

Read the rest of Compostable Packaging Test: Natureworks Ingeo Corn Cups

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Post tags: biodegradable packaging, compostable products, composting test, green design, green materials, green packaging, nature works corn cups, packaging the future, sustainable design

Right now, 8% of the world’s oil is used to make plastics — and oil has to be extracted from the belly of the earth using extremely energy and cost-intensive processes. At the same time, the world’s cities are constantly growing and producing more waste, which is usually dehydrated and trucked off to be dumped. In a planet-positive double-whammy, Micromidas has figured out how to transform raw sewage into a versatile form of plastic that biodegrades in 6-12 months. The new company (they’ve only been around since mid-2008) accomplished the feat by harnessing microbes — specifically, bacteria — to produce a bioplastic resin, which can be processed into a malleable plastic.

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Micromidas Makes Biodegradable Plastic from Sewage

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Post tags: biodegradable plastic, eco packaging design, green design, green packaging, green plastic, low-impact packaging, micromidas, packaging the future, plastic from sewage, sustainable design, sustainable product design, Waste reduction

Over the last decade there has been a dramatic increase in the availability of biodegradable plant pots, and I’m finding them everywhere from my beloved Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens (which sells locally grown, organic veggie seedlings and THE most gorgeous annuals and perennials) to the embarrassed-that-I-shop-there-occasionally Home Depot. If you have a green thumb, and want to avoid a heap of plastic where your garden is supposed to be, read on to check out some of the biodegradable pots that are available; and be sure to tell give your local nursery a thumbs-up if you notice they are using some of these options (consumer praise – and criticism – works!)

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Biodegradable Planter Pots for Spring Gardening

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Post tags: alternative packaging materials, biodegradable pots, eco planter, Gardening, green design, green packaging, green pots, packaging the future, sustainable design, sustainable packaging, sustainable planters

Many of us don’t give our skin much thought — except when it seems to betray us. Teenage acne, painful sunburns, scratchy winter dryness and mosquito bites alert us whenever our body’s largest organ is uncomfortable or misbehaving. But these superficial concerns tend to make us forget how the very top layer of our skin is an amazing example of Mother Nature’s brilliant design plan; it is our first defense against, well, everything. From protecting the body from germs and viruses to keeping us warm and cool and cushioning our interior organs, our skin is one of nature’s most brilliant packaging designs – read on for a closer look!

Read the rest of Amazing Natural Packaging Design: Human Skin!

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Post tags: alternative packaging materials, biomimicry, eco design, eco packaging, eco-materials, green design, green packaging, green packaging materials, human skin, human skin as packaging, human skin packaging, packaging the future, skin packaging, starre vartan, sustainable design, sustainable packaging

When I mention paper made from elephant poo (or dung, if you prefer), most people get a horrified look on their faces. (If you’ve already heard of the paper, what was YOUR first reaction?) Everything from business cards to Christmas greetings can be printed on the stuff, which is a bit linen-y, quite soft, and takes color brilliantly. There’s not just one, but two companies that make ‘poo paper’; Mr. Ellie Pooh and Elephant Dung Paper both offer a number of printed and plain paper products. And yes, the poop is treated for any nasties as part of the paper-making process.

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Poop Paper is Some Useful Shit!

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Post tags: eco design, elephant dung, elephant poo, green design, green food packaging, green packaging, natural packaging, packaging the future, paper made from poo, poo, poo packaging, poo paper, poop, sustainable design

Despite the fact that Ben & Jerry’s was bought by Unilever a while back, it has still engaged in some pioneering work — from encouraging customers to oppose GMOs to donating thousands each year to local charities, to buying brownies from a bakery that helps ex-cons get back on their feet by providing their first job outside jail. Most recently they’ve committed to sourcing all of their ingredients through Fair Trade programs by 2012 (considering the quantities of chocolate, vanilla, coffee nuts, and more, this is a pretty big deal to farmers in developing countries where this stuff is grown). All of these initiatives took time to implement, and their packaging story is even longer — it has been evolving over the past 20+ years. Read on for an in-depth look at the company’s packaging and production process – complete with an exclusive interview with Andrea Asch, Ben & Jerry’s manager of natural resources!

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: The Road to Greener Packaging at Ben & Jerry’s

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Post tags: ben & jerry's ice cream, eco packaging design, green design, green packaging, low-impace packaging, packaging the future, sustainable design, Sustainable Product

Nature has had millions of years to come up with perfect natural packaging solutions — brilliant designs made from elements as simple as water, sun and nutrients that keep liquids wet, protect cargo during transportation, and prevent mold or insects from getting in. The purpose of our Packaging the Future series is to highlight how we can use nature’s examples to make low-impact designs for better packaging, and so far I’ve focused more on the pipe-dream than the practical. This week is different; banana leaves are a packaging solution that has existed for thousands of years, still exists today, and that could benefit the environment by simply expanding their use to new areas.

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Banana Leaves as Natural Packaging!

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Post tags: banana leave packaging, eating with banana leaves, green design, green food packaging, green packaging, natural packaging, packaging the future, sustainable design

Each year nearly 380 billion plastic bags are used in the US — any only 7 percent of them are recycled. The plastic scourge clogs waterways and takes hundreds of years to break down into smaller plastic bits (the bags don’t biodegrade). They also often makes their way into animals’ bodies: birds and fish especially like to eat the pieces, which often look like food. These pieces can choke them, block their digestive tracts, and the toxins used to make the plastic often get absorbed into their systems. But it’s not all about the animals; cleanup also costs taxpayers money. According to the LA Times via Wikipedia, “In San Francisco, it cost $8.5 million in 2004 to clean up plastic bag litter. According to the California State Assembly website, it would cost $25 million a year to clean up California’s plastic waste.” Read on for a look at the plastic bag problem and ways that we can fight the plastification of our environment!

Read the rest of Egregious Packaging Hall of Shame: Plastic Bags Truly Do Suck

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Post tags: bans, biodegradable packaging, California, green design, green packaging, packaging the future, packaging waste, plastic, plastic bag ban, plastic bags, sustainable design

This week we’re thrilled to bring you the latest installment of our Packaging the Future compost tests, where we break down the real-life biodegradability of eco packaging. Although I started this series expecting less than stellar results (what with all the nay-saying regarding biodegradable packaging), I am now pleasantly surprised to say that we are two for two! This week we put the compostable Bambu brand bamboo plate to the test and found that it really does break down quite nicely – hit the jump for our in-depth report!

Read the rest of Compostable Packaging Test: Bambu Plates Breakdown

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Post tags: bambu plates, biodegradable packaging, composting test, green design, green materials, green packaging, packaging the future, sustainable design

So far in our Packaging the Future series we’ve explored how nature solves the packaging problems of strength, buoyancy and moisture-retention (coconut shells), tough-but-flexible protection (wombat butts) and light tensile strength (ant exoskeletons). Now it’s time to look at the softer side of packaging; after all, not all containers need to be tough, and not all packing needs require rigidity. All of the fluffy paddings below are created from solar energy, water, soil minerals and air, unlike their packing counterparts: styrofoam peanuts, foam, polyester fillings, and other plastic-derived materials that use fossil fuels as their basis. They break down easily when they are no longer needed, and several have additional uses outside of softness – read on for some amazing examples of fluffy natural packaging!

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Fluffy Natural Packaging!

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Post tags: Biodegradable, green design, green materials, green packaging, packaging the future, sustainable design, Waste reduction

Styrofoam is one of the world’s most environmentally unsound packaging materials – not only does it stick around in the environment forever (I’ll never forget swimming around a beautiful fresh-water lagoon in the DR, picking up tiny bits of foam that had found their way there), it’s super toxic to produce, clogs animal digestive tracks, contributes to ozone depletion, it’s made from non-renewable petroleum, and it leaches chemicals into food, especially if microwaved; and that’s not all! Fortunately, there’s a handful of innovative companies who are kicking the material to the curb – read on to learn about some inspired alternatives to the styrofoam scourge!

Read the rest of Egregious Packaging Hall of Shame: Styrofoam

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Post tags: biodegradable packaging, environmental design, green design, green packaging, housefish, packaging the future, styrofoam, sustainable design

Recycling, reducing, and composting are all important concepts when it comes to more sustainable packaging design, but reuse, the second directive of the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra has thus far been ignored in this series – but no longer! From commercially reused beer bottles in Europe to organic milk container reuse here in the United States, reuse is a simple (and a fun-retro) way to really cut down on the necessity of creating new packaging before it even starts!

Read the rest of Packaging the Future: Packaging Reuse – What a Concept!

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Post tags: beer bottles, green design, green packaging, packaging reuse, packaging the future, Recycle, recycle reuse reduce, recycled bottles, Recycled Materials, recycling beer bottles, reduce, reuse, reusing beer bottles, sustainable design