Communicating packaging sustainability to consumers

Communicating packaging sustainability to consumers: Generating styling guidelines for packaging sustainability

Johnson, M.K.P.

Magnier, L.B.M. (mentor)
Mugge, R. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Product Innovatie Management (PIM)

2016-10-11

While consumers like the idea of sustainability, they do not always opt for “green” products and packages. This is partially due to the lack of access to these alternatives either due to high pricing or unavailability in stores. In addition consumers do not believe green claims in advertisements and on packages due to companies greenwashing their products. Lastly, consumers often believe sustainable products are functionally inferior leading them to purchase the non-sustainable alternative. However sustainability is often an advantage in products where gentleness is valued as sustainability is associated with attributes such as compassion, mild, and caring. Design or styling can reduce the effect of the last two barriers to green consumption. Improving aesthetics have shown to increase product evaluation (Luchs et. al., 2012). In addition, holistic packaging design elicits certain brand and package impressions. By extension, the same can be done to help consumers understand the sustainability of the packages by uncovering which styles elicit such a perception. Magnier and Crie (2015) have already done so on an analytical level (e.g. structural, graphical, and informational elements), study one will do so on a holistic level while using designers, and will result in design guidelines for triggering a sustainable perception. The guidelines were formulated from the four high level themes that resulted from the exploration. These are Natural, Elegant and Refined, Honest and Genuine, and R.R.R. (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). These are holistic and interdependent guidelines that refer to the styling of the packages. While the first three styling guidelines can be used to mislead consumers in believing a non-sustainable package is sustainable, the last design guideline encompasses the technological aspect of the sustainability of the packages.

holistic design
packaging design
sustainability

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:406ff34c-400c-447c-a773-20099fe5c079

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2016 Johnson, M.K.P.