UNBOXING WITH CLIMATE CONSCIOUSNESS

A major part of consuming things comes with the burden and guilt of correctly disposing off the packaging in which your product arrives. One day, it is clothes, the next day it is some long awaited piece of furniture or electronics, another day it is a delicate show piece followed by some quick grocery haul from Blinkit and the orders keep on coming. Each order brings a fresh supply of cardboards and paper bags for your proud assortment of recyclable paper waste. Any plastics and thermocols are quickly shoved away in a sad corner of the house till the next day, when it can finally become the responsibility of the MCG waste collection van.

For an average consumer, looking for sustainable consumption, the options not only become limited but also expensive. The recycling lessons only seemed practical in textbooks, but in reality, it is an expensive process that consumes a lot of energy and hence not viable. That is why we’ve been hearing about sea turtles dying from choking on plastic since forever with no permanent solution nowhere in sight.

The consumers, with their dedicated collections of recyclable waste and all the nostalgic “Best out of waste” school projects backing them up, are clearly ready to embrace sustainability. So brands need to step up their game in order to retain their consumers and their loyalty before a more eco conscious brand swoops them away.

Here are the packaging green flags to look for when making your next purchase as a climate conscious consumer:

The material of the packaging

The amount of so-called “recyclable” packaging just ending up everywhere except in the recycling zones has made it necessary to look for options that do not add to this slowly rising monstrous heap of non-biodegradable waste. So from now onwards, lets hunt for products whose packaging is either

• compostable(bioplastics made out of cornstarch)
• biodegradable(soy based inks and handmade paper)
• Recycled
• Recyclable
• Or, made from renewable sources(bamboo pulp and sugarcane bagasse).

Brands like FabIndia, Forest Essentials and Chumbak have adopted compostable and biodegradable materials for their packaging.

Reusability

If your product’s packaging is not easily compostable, then the next step would be to think long term and see how likely you are to reuse the packaging. The idea is to contribute to a circular economy where materials stay in use for longer rather than being discarded immediately. Think in terms of refillable glass jars, aesthetic paper bags and boxes that can be reused as gift packs, tote bags that can be used as grocery bags and so on.

Efficient Design

A packaging design would be called efficient when it utilises the least amount of material to achieve the same results. Something compact and lightweight without any extra layers or fillers.

The packaging for our upcoming merch line, Lore by Pouls.of.art, has been thoughtfully crafted by our design team, with the visual artwork personally created by Poloumi. Featuring motifs of forests, lakes, and natural elements, it reflects our deep-rooted connection with nature. Its compact form and paper-based material not only support sustainable use, but also make it ideal as a keepsake box, designed to be kept, reused, and cherished long after the product is unboxed.

Minimal environment footprint

As a consumer, understanding the sustainability goals of the brands you buy from is very important. Packaging that leads to lesser C02 emission and consumes lesser resources like water, energy and fuel during it’s production should be preferred.

Honest communication

Brands that are following eco-friendly practices in their production, would always openly talk about it. They would share their consumers sustainability goals by keeping their production process transparent and including proper instructions on safe disposal of their packaging. Finally, look for the various eco-friendly symbols and certifications on the packaging. For a better understanding of eco-friendly symbols and certifications to look for on a packaging, you can go to this link.

Prakriti loves to engage with all things creative, from coding and content to art workshops and research. She helps keep the website updated, contributes writeups for newsletters, and explore ideas that blend tech, emotion, and design. Always experimenting, often multitasking, she’s driven by curiosity and a love for making things that truly connect.

Keep your inspiration alive!

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