We need sustainable packaging to do business with the world
Author: Jihee Junn
Companies like Aleph are dedicated to a “closed loop” packaging philosophy to reduce its impact on the environment, opting for “stripped down” packaging is another approach, one trailblazed by the beauty brand Ethique which swaps wasteful plastic packaging for things like shampoo and lotion for a simple, concentrated stick or bar instead. Today, 10 years on from its inception, Ethique is a sustainability success story – a global company now exporting its products to 22 countries and with offices in New Zealand, Australia, the US and the UK. Another brand meaningfully reducing waste in its packaging is Cleanery, whose personal care and cleaning products come in stick sachets containing only its most functional ingredients. The product is designed so that the powder in the sachet is poured into a reusable spray bottle with water added by the consumer before use. As the driving force behind two of our greatest environmental crises – climate change and pollution – the convenience and efficiency packaging once afforded businesses and consumers will no longer make financial sense very soon. The cost of packaging, especially single-use packaging, is rapidly rising, as is the need to fundamentally rethink how we produce, design and consume our goods.