» packaging

Colorblind: Understand How Consumers Think About the Environment

Krystal Persaud — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:51:56 +0000

Wesley Wang, a fellow industrial design student at Georgia Tech, sent me this really interesting article written by Design Continuum yesterday. It raises the question, “How do we [as designers] talk to people about Green”. Continuum acknowledges the fact that the average consumer probably does not know how a product they are buying affects the environment. For example- consumers may recognize excess packaging and recyclability — but how much insight do they have into transportation and manufacturing?

I personally have had a difficult time talking to people about what makes a product “sustainable”. There are so many complex factors to consider. I am currently taking a course about sustainable design and materials and it continues to raise more reg flags in my mind about how hard it is to be green! And I mean really green, none of that green washing. Any one can create a green-leaf-shaped logo and dump their product into a cardboard box and claim they are green. How can we really educate consumers so they can make good decisions? I think this is going to be a big hurdle for designers [now] and in the future.

Click here to read the article >> Colorblind: Understand How Consumers Think About the Environment

Oakland Environmental Commission

Krystal Persaud — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:43:29 +0000

Last summer I went to an Environmental Commission meeting in my hometown of Oakland, New Jersey. I was just surfing the web and came across a .PDF of the minutes from that meeting. Check out the minutes if you are interested >> ECAug2009

There is (or should be) and Environmental Commission or Environmental organization in every town. Usually, their meetings are open to the public >> but no one external ever shows! So if there is something you want to see happen in your town… check out when and where your local environmental group meets! Groups like these work closely with the mayor and town government. They have a lot of power! If you are really passionate about seeing some improvements where you live, these meetings are worth attending.

Shout out to Oakland, NJ.

Finally! Frustration-Free Packaging.

Krystal Persaud — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:10:19 +0000

I was browsing Amazon the other day and stumbled across a link for their new “Frustration-Free Packaging” campaign. After doing so much analysis on packaging for Closed Loop, it is frustrating to see how much a) how much waste is produced and b) how unnecessary it is. Finally a shipping/packaging giant like Amazon has done something about it!

Here is an excerpt from the site:

” Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging, a multi-year initiative designed to alleviate “wrap rage,” features recyclable boxes that are easy to open and free of excess materials such as hard plastic clamshell cases, plastic bindings, and wire ties. The product itself is exactly the same—we’ve just streamlined the packaging. Learn more. Want to help us improve Amazon.com’s and product packaging? Tell us via the Packaging Feedback Program and also upload images about orders you’ve placed with Amazon.com. Want to see how it all started? Check out the letter our CEO Jeff Bezos wrote to customers the day the initiative launched.”

Amazon is not only making their customer’s happy by providing them with packages that are easier to open, but also creating a more environmentally friendly way of sending items. Less materials, Less adhesives, Less packaging waste. It is so great to see big companies breaking design traditions.

Check out the list of products that are now “frustration-free”.