Prettier Packagings

I've never really thought about what the purpose of packaging was for, other than to maintain a certain standard of hygiene. Recently, I came across a paper on marketing strategies by Bo Rundh (2005). I learnt that careful design of the packaging through the use of shape, form, color, aesthetics, etc, can be used to give the company a competitive edge, attracting more potential customers. (B. Rundh, 2005) With greater public awareness of global warming and other environmental problems, it is no surprise that the trend now is for environmentally friendly products, especially if there is a reduction in wastage or if it can be recycled. 

Some companies, such as Boxed Water, have been coming up with environmentally-friendly packaging. Boxed Water packages their water in cardboard cartons, which comes from a renewable resource, trees. And it is recyclable. Sounds like a great marketing strategy to me! I would find it rather difficult to drink water directly from a carton though. 

Photo credits to Boxed Water

However, some companies take "environmentally friendly" to a whole other level. They produce what I would call 'non-packaging'. One such example is the WikiPearl that I've mentioned in my previous post.

Photo credits to WikiPearl

Another would be Loliware, which has designed biodegradable cups that can be eaten.

Photo Credits to Loliware 

Although these products have not really taken off, I feel that environmentally friendly or edible packaging will become even more popular in the future as irreversible climate change becomes more of a reality.

Literature cited: 

Bo Rundh, (2005) "The multi-faceted dimension of packaging: Marketing logistic or marketing tool?", British Food Journal, Vol. 107 Iss: 9, pp.670-684