Eco-friendly Packaging in the Premium Sector
Sustainability and environmentalism are the current hot topics – the packaging industry is no exception. In hall 8 at FachPack, Bayern Design showed some 40 innovative exhibits by designers from around the world that dealt with the issue of “Eco-friendly Packaging in the Premium Sector”. With this, the exhibition put a focus on design, which, when it comes to sustainable packaging designs, demands different approaches.
In the special exhibition “Eco-friendly Packaging in the Premium Sector”, innovative packaging ideas and concepts by designers from Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, Germany, the United States and other countries were on view. The designers seize contemporary trends and materials and show creative designs from five subject areas such as recycled packaging, resource-friendly materials, multi-use packaging and systems, environmentally friendly processes and added-value design.
Among the highlights of the show was the “Arekapak” by the Berlin-based company of the same name. This is a natural packaging made from the leaves of the areca palm, which is versatile and sturdy, heat- and cold-resistant as well as water repellant. The leave is an agricultural byproduct from India, which can be pressed into shape without using chemicals, just by way of heat and pressure. The packaging is 100 percent natural and can be completely returned to the natural cycle at the end of its lifespan.
The agency TBWA\RAAD from the United Arab Emirates has developed a resource-friendly label for a Lebanese sporting goods manufacturer, which is made from detergent and is 100 percent water-soluble. The “Omo-Tag” can be used outright during the first wash cycle. This way, when purchasing the sporting goods, customers receive small product samples without additional packaging waste. Therefore, the Omo-Tag is a new medium for the distribution of product samples.
Nuremberg-based designer Jonna Breitenhuber’s “Soapbottle” is packaging made from soap that contains liquid soap or shower gel. When the liquid is used up, the soap packaging dissolves slowly and its remnants remain usable as soap. The concept plays with the process of dissolution, with the transformation of the object and belongs to the subject area of added value design. Because soap is made from natural ingredients, it is biodegradable. Thus, waste is avoided entirely.
Wiha Werkzeuge has designed recycled packaging for their handheld tools “Pico Finish”. The set is made from a special combination of materials: In addition to the inlay made from eco-friendly cardboard, the transparent slipcase is made of bio-based PE with a sugar cane content of 30 percent. The remaining 70 percent are recycled PET. This results in significantly lower CO2 emissions during production.
