We help clients come up with new products, services, and processes, and recently, we’ve noticed an increased focus on sustainability innovations. While it would be lovely to claim that this shift towards social responsibility is entirely noble, the fact of the matter is that customers want eco-friendly products.
A 2018 Nielsen study conducted in the US found that products boasting sustainability claims outsell those that don’t. While the CGS 2019 US Customer Sustainability Survey saw two-thirds of respondents confirm that they consider environmental impact when making purchasing decisions and are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products.
The trouble is that there aren’t enough sustainable options available to meet demand. So what’s the hold-up? For one thing, though lots of brands claim to have recyclable packaging (despite the fact that in certain areas, the facilities to process so-called ‘recyclable’ materials simply don’t exist), they’re having trouble producing recycled packaging. This comes down not only to the low availability of top-notch recycled plastic due to the purportedly reduced quality of recycled resin (eco-responsible packaging is tricky to engineer, and different types of plastics can’t be recycled as one) but also due to concerns over food safety.
Overcoming these problems is not impossible. As this list of sustainable packaging developments proves, it just requires a bit of innovation. These companies are coming up with bioplastics and plastic-alternatives, behavior-change initiatives, re-engineered boxes, circular production systems, and more. Copy ideas for your own industry using our analogy thinking tool.
Navigate via the different types of innovation
We’ve split the list up into the different types of innovation to enable you to find your way easily.
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Offering
Experience
Configuration
Profit Model
Henkel & The Plastic Bank
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
While consumers often have good intentions, they simply don’t have access to the right recycling infrastructure – this is particularly a problem in disadvantaged communities. The Plastic Bank is trying to overcome this barrier and incentivize behavior change by monetizing plastic waste. They’ve set up locations where people can return plastic in exchange for tokens (securely received via an IBM-enabled blockchain system) that they can use to buy food, water, phone credits, and more. This creates new economic opportunities in the world’s most disadvantaged communities, they say. This Social Plastic is then sold to socially conscious brands like Henkel. The company’s laundry, home, and beauty care products are to be made from 100% recycled materials - 50% of which will be Social Plastic.Network
Frosch-brand detergent products
CRADLE-TO-CRADLE
Producing truly circular packaging takes a village. That, or corporate partnerships. Just ask Werner & Mertz, Mondi, EPEA Switzerland, Der Grüne Punkt–DSD, and cyclos-HTP who collaborated to develop a flexible, mono-material package for Werner & Mertz’s Frosch-brand detergent products. 85% of the packaging is unprinted, which means it can be recycled without compromising quality, while the remaining 15% is recyclable as it doesn’t contain glues and adhesives. The packaging is Cradle-to-Cradle certified, which means it’s socially responsible in terms of health, reuse, production through renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.Tide
FRUSTRATION-FREE PACKAGING
Tide is a Procter & Gamble (P&G) laundry detergent brand that used to be packaged in plastic containers. Through a collaboration between Amazon and P&G, Tide switched from bottles to boxes – called the Tide Eco-Box – for waste reduction, sustainability, and environmental conservation. The Tide Eco-Box has around 60% less plastic and 30% less water than the previous plastic packaging. Additionally, the Eco-Box is four pounds lighter and ships to customers in its own container (an Amazon guideline) then transforms into a detergent dispenser. This collaboration was part of Amazon's Frustration-Free Packaging initiative that has so far resulted in the elimination of 458,000 tons of packaging materials.Structure
Hasbro
FRUSTRATION-FREE PACKAGING
Hasbro also partnered with Amazon to develop sustainable and innovative packaging solutions for the boxes that hold Hasbro toys and games. This partnership's main objective was to reduce waste while simplifying packaging so as to avoid the "wrap rage" that results from opening traditional packages that have plastic clamshells and wire ties. As a result of this partnership, Hasbro products such as Baby Alive now have reduced the amount of material used in packaging by 50%. Through packaging reinvention, Hasbro products can now ship to consumers in their original packaging (SIOC) without the need for additional shipping boxes.Need help creating innovative packaging?
Discover how we helped packaging consortium Blue Box Partners and its customers develop Frustration-Free Packaging.
Process
Replenish
REUSABLE PACKAGING
Why recycle the spray bottles you use to clean the house when you can replace the contents instead? That’s what Replenish suggests. They’ve created a reusable spray bottle that you can fill up by attaching a pod containing concentrated cleaner that you top up with water. When you run out, simply replace the pod.OceanBound Plastic’s Envision
CLOSED LOOP
Envision has arranged for plastics collection centers within 50 kilometers of coastlines at locations that are high risk for marine debris. They recycle this plastic, and as the resin used in the masterbatch already contains colorants, it’s ideal for beauty and haircare brands – ViTA is one of their clients. They try to minimize their water usage, and no solvents are included in the recycling process to ensure the resulting greywater can be used for irrigation. They also selectively choose local manufacturing and warehousing facilities to minimize the carbon emissions involved in transport.The Paper Bottle Project
PLASTIC ALTERNATIVE
The Paper Bottle Project was launched to design a bio-based paper bottle packaging solution. The project makes use of virgin pulp that is acquired from Scandinavian forests to design the 100% recyclable and biodegradable paper bottle for carbonated beverages. An example of the innovative technologies used in the creation of this product includes the thermoforming (impulse drying) manufacturing technique that enables fiber mass injection and drying under high pressure in a closed-form.Drake’s Supermarkets
BIOPLASTIC/COMPOSTABLE SHRINK WRAP
Australia has recently seen a public outcry against stores wrapping fresh produce in shrink wrap. So how do retailers ensure cleanliness and sustained freshness without it? Adelaide-based wholesaler IG Fresh partnered with Australian independent grocer Drake’s Supermarkets and BioBag World Australia to come up with an answer – compostable shrink wrap. The bioplastic is made from a plant-based resin called Mater-Bi, and they believe it could replace traditional single-use shrink wrap for fruits and vegetables.Pizza Round
RE-ENGINEERED BOXES
Pizza Round is an innovative pizza packaging product from World Centric that delivers a combination of operational, environmental, and customer benefits. Pizza Round is a "100% tree-free, plant-based, compostable pizza container for pizza takeout/delivery restaurants." The sustainability aspect is in the composition of the product i.e., it is 80% sugarcane and 20% bamboo, which are renewable raw materials. Pizza Round reduces packaging waste, space, and labor – unlike traditional pizza boxes, their containers don’t need to be folded. Pizza Round's innovative design also helps keep pizzas fresh while making serving up slices easier thanks to a handy cutting guide.IKEA
POLYSTYRENE ALTERNATIVE
Partnering with Ecovative Design, IKEA has incorporated packaging that utilizes their 100% biodegradable mushroom-based material. Evocative Design created Mushroom Packaging – a product that biodegrades in a matter of weeks, as opposed to polystyrene, which takes thousands of years.Offering
Product performance
Sulzer Mixpac
RE-ENGINEERED PACKAGING
Sulzer Mixpac took home the “Resource Efficiency” prize at Packaging Europe’s 2019 Sustainability Europe Awards thanks to their ecopaCC ‘Collapsible Cartridge’ packaging for industrial adhesives and sealants. The packaging innovation sees them reduce waste by 75%, and as it requires less space for transportation, saves on CO2 emissions.Nuatan
BIOPLASTIC
Nuatan is a new and innovative biodegradable natural plastic that was specifically created to reduce waste in large water bodies like oceans and lakes. Nuatan achieves waste reduction as the material can be safely eaten by aquatic animals or composted. Made from 100% plant-based materials that originate from renewable resources like corn starch, potato starch, and used cooking oil, it is said to be more durable than other types of bioplastics. It was designed to replace any and every plastic packaging you can think of.Ooho
EDIBLE PACKAGING
Ooho is an edible drink capsule made from Notpla, a material created from seaweed. The capsules can contain any type of drink, eliminates the need for plastic bottles, and doesn't require farmland to grow, which reduces hazards to the environment caused by irrigation and fertilizing. The Richmond Marathon provided Lucozade Sport's first opportunity to launch the capsule for marathon runners in September 2018.THREEANGL
BIOPLASTIC
THREEANGL is a Canadian company that designed a natural deodorant that comes in innovative biodegradable containers manufactured from agricultural residues. They take a maximum of 2 years to fully degrade. And when they do break down, they leave no trace in the soil and help reduce the environmental footprint that comes with the use of the product.O-I : EXPRESSIONS
LABEL-FREE PERSONALIZED PACKAGING
Owens-Illinois (O-I) is a Fortune500 company that specializes in glass container products. Through an innovation accelerator program, O-I developed O-I : EXPRESSIONS – glass bottles that can be quickly customized in small volumes for limited edition products, special artworks, and promotional branding activities. The packaging is label-free, 100% recyclable (producing less wastage than labels), and printed with inks that don't contain heavy metals.Experience
Service
Government recycling initiatives
INCENTIVIZING BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Though many consumers want to recycle, the difficulty of cleaning, sorting, and returning packaging for recycling is a barrier. Some are trying to overcome this by rewarding recycling behavior. In Turkey, commuters can exchange empty bottles for credit on public transport, while motorists in Leeds, UK, can receive a 20p parking voucher for each bottle they return.Loop
MAKING RECYCLING CONVENIENT
Ideas don’t need to be new to be innovative – just ask Loop. The company is reducing plastic waste by reverting to the old milk-delivery and pick-up-style system. Based in New Jersey, the company will deliver name-brand products to customers’ doors, but these products will come in reusable glass and metal containers, which can then be picked up, refilled, and served again.SharePack
REUSABLE DELIVERY CONTAINERS
SharePack is a pilot program based in the Netherlands that partners with restaurants to provide reusable delivery containers, eliminating single-use takeaway containers by partnering with customers as well as restaurants. Customers return containers to drop-off locations where participating restaurants can wash and reuse them. SharePack offers a selection of containers customized for particular foods, such as pizza and hamburger boxes or salad bowls.Customer engagement
KitKat
ECO-FRIENDLY CUSTOMER-EXPERIENCE INNOVATION
Nestlé is making eco-friendly improvements and boosting customer experience at the same time. They’ve released a new paper wrapper – made from high-speed flow wrap technology – for the KitKat chocolate bar as part of the organization’s campaign to minimize waste. Once customers have finished their snack, they can fold the paper packaging into a crane and then recycle it.Brand
Alima Pure
REUSABLE PACKAGING & ECO-FRIENDLY POSITIONING
The beauty industry produces a lot of plastic waste, which is something Alima Pure is trying to change. The brand is positioned as an eco-friendly cosmetics alternative. A carbon-neutral certified B Corp and member of 1% for the Planet, the company sells makeup in refillable components. Run out of foundation? Keep the bottle and buy a magnetic pan refill. Not only does this system reduce waste, it saves the consumer money.Iceland
ECO-FRIENDLY POSITIONING
British retailer Iceland announced that all of the company’s home-brand products would be plastic-free by 2023. They made this move after research concluded that 80% of consumers would be willing to support a supermarket that decided to go plastic-free.Could these innovations work for you?
Download our free analogy thinking tool to identify the best features from other solutions and apply them to your business.
Thanks for reading!
I’m Alexandra Sutton, copywriter and content manager at Board of Innovation. Want to see more articles like this? Coming right up! Subscribe to our newsletter below, and we’ll deliver them to your inbox every week.
