DESIRABLE SUSTAINABILITY PT 1: A pioneer for positive change
At a time when packaging is under the microscope more than ever, how can we ensure luxury packaging is sustainable, functional and circular, whilst still remaining faithful to the brand image?
From sharing why meaningful change begins at a brand level and understanding when to innovate or iterate, to exploring end-of-life opportunities, over the next 2 weeks we’ll share our approach to delivering authentically sustainable packaging in ways that evolve the way we think, design and operate as designers for and owners of, luxury brands.
Last month, our CD, Becky, was invited to speak at London Packaging Week on the Luxury Unboxed stage as a part of the Pentawards: Capital of Design Sessions.
During the talk, Becky shared our studio’s approach to sustainable design for luxury brands and over the next few weeks we’ll share our 5 key considerations for being a pioneer for change in luxury packaging.
How we establish their values and reflect them within their physical touch-points, to create packaging that’s not just sustainable, but desirable too.
WHAT IS LUXURY?
We’re sure we’re not alone when we confess that we LOVE packaging.
The bags, the boxes, the ribbons, the paper, we love the pure EXCESS of it all.
Historically, luxury has been driven by a desire for excess & exclusivity.
Want more, buy more, have more, be more.
But as a new generation of luxury buyers enters the market demanding that we create less & create better - how do we navigate luxury in a world that's driven by restraint & inclusivity?
And as designers, how do we ensure that what we create makes a lasting impression - for all the right reasons?
Luxury brands know that first impressions matter.
For many potential customers, the packaging is the first introduction they have to the brand.
But, at first glance, the idea of sustainable packaging doesn’t seem well-suited for luxury products.
In the past - and even now - there has been a drive for sustainable products to LOOK ‘eco’.
• Kraft paper
• Grey board
• Thick, pulpy, fibrous finishes
• Kraft paper texture printed onto unsustainable materials to appear ‘eco’
None of the texture, gloss, weight or finesse that conveys the quality of the product inside.
It’s not what we think of when we think of ‘luxury’.
“Luxury is not about the things that you own. It is about something that reflects your personal values, something that shows the choices that you have made in your life.”
A luxury ‘used’ to be considered an object which doesn’t have any utilitarian value. Something that is beautiful aesthetically and evokes feelings of wealth, pleasure and indulgence.
We don’t know about you guys, but in the ’90s this was our idea of luxury!
But today, we can define luxury as a combination of not just means but perception and imagination as well.
The feeling of clean, crisp linen as you slip into bed
The sound of bird song whilst lying in bed on a Sunday morning
The smell of freshly brewed coffee
The taste of sun-ripened tomato bursting in your mouth
These are all valid expressions of pleasure & indulgence which don’t necessarily require wealth to attain.
So;
HOW do we shift the perception of what is considered luxurious?
WHAT can we do to appeal to a new conscious generation of buyers?
WHERE do we begin to decide what materials to use for our packaging?
Is it possible to merge material ‘austerity’ AND experiential ‘luxury’?
We’ll be posting our approach to Authentic Sustainability next week.
