More words on Sustainable Design ( and Packaging )

Sustainable Packaging Research

1. Develop a list of sustainable materials
2. Examples of current sustainable / reusable packaging
3. Brainstorming ideas of sustainable/reusable packaging

Sustainable Graphic Design for the print industry

Consider: Life Cycle of the Product

'Comprehending the entire life cycle of the materials use in design projects-and understanding how the products themselves change over time- is key to sustainable design'



Consider :

• Packaging and content as one?
• Reusing the packaging for a different function
• colourless printing
• Emboss?
• One colour- black/grey? green? whats the 'greenest' colour
• What colour is best for the environment
• consider every aspect of a product- look at checklist

From 'Designers, visionaries and Other stories'

• 80% of the environmental impact of the products and buildings that surround us is determined at the design stage
• we're just doing our job...not a good enough excuse
• 
  

Argument against Design?- Why Design anything at all?

Not to consume, not to have- do without?....its not going to happened
you can't ask people to stop consuming- its pointless


Barriers to the adoption of sustainable design practice? ( for designers)

• require large skill set
• not in influential position
• unpopular/misunderstood
• tough sell to consumers/clients
• perception of higher cost
• lack of appropriate tools/methods
• lack of government support
• lack of consumer demand

What is the problem? Packaging procedures without vision

1. Solid Waste- over 68 million tonnes of packaging material enter the US waste stream every year. The total amount of municipal waste in the US was 222 million tons in 2005. Imagine 330,000 new statue of liberty's
2. Water Pollution- pulping and bleaching process
3. Air Pollution-
4. Forest Pollution -100 acres forest lost every minute. 33 tree every second. Not just effecting climate change but water filtration system is compromised ( trees also keep water- flash flood)
5. Depletion of other raw materials-packaging/product=8% of material used to produce it.
6. Energy consumption
7. Social Distress
8. Climate Change

MORE advice of paper and ink

Paper:

• use high % of posr consumer recycled content
• explore tree free alternatives ( tree free paper, used material, wrapping paper etc )
  
• support sustainable forestry. Stop virgin wood harvesting especially old-growth forests and rain forests
  
• insist on chlorine free stock

Ink:

• use less ink coverage overall
• ask for the 'good' black
• specify soy-based ink
• investigate other vegetable ink
• specify low-VOC inks
  
• ask for aqueous varnishes
  
• use water based adhesive- or try packaging with no adhesive at all

Next Life?

• Cradle to Cradle (rather than Cradle to grave)-it should be that 'waste = food'
• Design for disassembly
  
• Compostability

Also....be aware

Reclaiming the concept of package-as product

'Designers must not become so enamored with the idea of a package performing as a product that they lose sight of the fact that more material is being used than in the original package'