Sustainability Episodes

This mind blowing mono-material packaging design makes you question what you thought you knew about molded fiber and product packaging manufacturing. The team at Colourform (yes, with a U), are questioning why everything is overpackaged and how to reduce materials and packaging components to deliver fresh take on branding and what it means to package something. Their award winning brand building molded fiber designs challenge everything from how to package a bottle and cosmetics, to fragrance ...

Black Ink Projects Co-founders Matt and Hayden answer how they are consistently innovative and pushing the bounds of packaging design. After designing the latest shoebox for the Adidas x Mr. Bailey release. Their Mycelium box and amniotic sac-like shoe bag has been featured everywhere from Hypebeast to Trendhunter as a groundbreaking shoe box. So how do they manage to stay so far ahead of trends and pushing manufacturing beyond the norms? Haden and Matt give a masterclass in never settling for...

Whoo! We hit nearly 100 episodes on the podcast, thank you so much for listening. Today we are talking to Michael Napoli of Terracycle and wrapping up our 4 part series on designing sustainable packaging. ** Want to appear on the show and hit our 5k + audience? Just go to the website and let me know: packagedesignunboxd.com Michael Napoli, VP of Material Sales at Terracycle, is a designer turned sustainability expert. He shares how design has to evolve to support sustainability and how it's cr...

Michael Napoli, VP of Material Sales at Terracycle, is a designer turned sustainability expert. He shares how design has to evolve to support sustainability and how it's critical to stay informed and not fall behind. Now if you don't know Terracycle, they recycle the unrecyclable and work with some of the world's largest brands to put in place recycling schemes that reduce global waste. Here's why you have to listen: 1) The differences between practically recyclable and technically recyclable,...

Today’s episode is a 2 parter, we’re speaking with Jenny Cairns, ButterflyCannon’s Innovation & Sustainability Manager. We spoke for so long about a few different things that it actually made more sense to break it up then to release just one long podcast. In part 1, Jenny and I discuss ButterflyCannon’s Climatic Table document, which is a checklist for 28 sustainable design elements. Essentially a menu of sustainability priorities each brand should work through. Making sustainability a little...

There are so many myths out there in terms of what is recyclable, what's not recyclable, what kind of material you should use, what material you shouldn’t use, where you should use them, and how to use them. Today, we’re sharing with you a presentation that Evelio gave at the Lithuanian Baltic NAPA Design Conference that focuses on the myths around the sustainability and recycling of packaging. Tuning in you’ll discover a list of things that you can do when you're designing sustainable packaging...

We have all experienced molded fiber, usually as a replacement for foam or plastic inserts (think egg boxes). However, this largely underrated material offers countless possibilities to those bold enough to use it, and it is environmentally friendly to top it all off! Colourform is at the forefront of design and innovation with molded fiber and today we get to speak to two key members of its team, Richard Dancy and Chris Schofield! Richard and Chris take us through the process behind the complex...

Today, we’re discussing the realities of waste management in Argentina and the lengths that people go to in order to be just a little bit more sustainable with Guillermo Dufranc, author, YouTuber, and consistent LinkedIn poster of great sustainability content. When he isn’t busy being a zero-waste influencer, Guillermo manages a creative team at tridimage, an award-winning packaging design agency headquartered in Buenos Aires. In this episode, you’ll learn how global cities like Buenos Aires col...

Years ago, the return and reuse of glass bottles was common practice, but when convenience began to dominate the messaging around packaging, this went out the window. Now, 75% of glass bottles end up in landfills. Through her company, Conscious Containers, Caren McNamara is on a mission to change this. Caren Conscious Containers is a benefit corporation selling refillable glass bottles and establishing infrastructure to collect, sanitize and resell them throughout the country. They have also com...

In this episode Evelio (@eveliomattos) speaks to Vincent Colard of Citeo.com a company working hand in hand with packaging designers, manufacturers, and recycling systems to get France to 100% recycling rates by 2025. Learn what materials to use in your packaging design to increase the chances of it being recycled at end of life. They discuss chemical recycling, what it is, how it helps, and where it fits in the grand scheme. Also the different types of plastics, benefits, drawbacks, and differ...

What is the packaging revolution? How sustainability is a communal concept and requires legal enforcement to be effective. Society chooses what it considers sustainable and acts accordingly. The packaging revolution is the waking up of consumers and brands to the realization they've been doing it wrong for many years and in Fabrice's new Book he breaks down each material and packaging structure. Learn what materials are recyclable, how to use new trends to improve your packaging, and what it means to be sustainable.

Everything you need to consider when thinking of deigning sustainable packaging. Materials, processes, questions, and what sustainability even means. Great way to get started.

Jeremy Etchison & Ben Blanchard are the dynamic duo behind SONOS' Roam packaging. Their team of designers and engineers executed what can be called the future of sustainable tech packaging. A completely recyclable product pack that uses custom paper wrapped corrugated board and molded fiber inserts to cradle and present the ROAM speaker. We discuss how sustainability was the Northstar that led to Sonos' packaging design for the ROAM and all future Sonos products. We learn about custom papers,...

Learn what happens to packaging after it's picked for recycling and how to design packaging that increases the chances of actually being recycled. This episode digs into the reality of the recycling and composting systems in place today world wide. Simon Van Leuven is Vanden Recycling's Director of Australia and an expert in plastics collection and recycling. Follow Simon on linkedIn.

What is a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and how can you use it to make packaging decisions? If you're a packaging buyer, a packaging designer, or packaging manufacturer this episode shares insights into the LCA process as well as the value of having a human in the loop to balance the data. What questions impact data and how understanding the key areas of consumerism can determine the right packaging for you. Learn how Medoola saves global consumer brands millions on packaging, retail, and s...

AB InBev's Global Director of Innovation - Packaging, Keenan Thompson shares the process their Global Innovation Technology team uses for designing packaging. We get deep into the process and take apart what innovation actually means. How to take disparate information and mold it into the future when you have the right team at the table. We discuss the team's recent packaging innovation for Corona which uses agri-waste to make the board for the 6 pack carriers. We discuss the testing of the t...

The number one rated plastics material expert, Dr. Chris DeArmitt talks about his research on plastic and plastic packaging waste. We discuss how to reduce waste, recycle more packaging, and what questions to ask when considering paper over plastics. According to Chris, his research shows that plastic is the greenest material available for most cases. Listen and you be the judge. This episode is a real game-changer, everything you thought you knew might not be as you expect when you follow...

NOTPLA is a seaweed based material used for packaging liquids and now is being turned into heatsealable films that are completely biodegradable and edible. The zero plastics movement is growing and NOTPla is helping the packaging industry look at new ways to develop materials and packagign that does not look like anything we've ever seen. Pierre Paslier is the co-founder and CEO of NOTPla, join us as we learn what NOTPla is doing now, that verticals it serves, and what is in the pipeline f...

When you hear the term circular packaging design or circular economy, many people confuse it to mean recycling. Even though the recycling logo is a möbius loop, the process is generally linear, not circular. In this episode we talk with Paul Foulkes-Arellano founder of Circuthon, founder of the Sustainable Design Alliance, and an advisor at A Plastic Planet. A Plastic Planet as of this recording just helped Unilever's Dove launch their first refillable deodorant packaging. Also check out Paul...

We've all heard E. Adam Peek host his packaging podcast The People of Packaging, so intros episode we turn the tables and ask him a few questions. Gain a new perspective on the future of packaging, insight into labels and the world of Fortis Solutions, and how Adam is writing the first children's book about packaging. Adam has based his career and life on making one good decision at a time. Thanks to Diecut Templates for sponsoring today's episode: DiecutTemplates.com/UNBOXD Listen to The ...

Interested in sustainable packaging? Learn how to source materials, designers, and manufacturers with Guacamole Airplane's Packaging Supplier's Guide.

What is How to Recycle labeling? We talk to Kelly Cramer, the Lead @ How2Recycle.com, a team that helps packaging designers, brands, and consumers learn how to recycle packaging and share the responsibility of recycling packaging today. This goes counter to what we as consumers have experienced historically, where consumers have had 100% of the responsibility to understand how to separate and recycle packaging. Today, How2Recycle.com communicates how to separate packaging components ...

We speak to Mike Cessario about the packaging design for Liquid Death and how they've taken social media haters and made them their biggest source of online marketing featuring Liquid Death's packaging design. We discuss everything from packaging to why so few designers launch their own brands. Designers looking to launch their own brand need to understand the value they bring to the table, where they need help, and how to find it. Mike shares how he launched this brand with Photoshop, a $150...

Woolcool is a new packaging material that's been used for thermal insulation for over 13,000 years. Today it's replacing polystyrene foam insulation one box at a time. Learn what woolcool is and how this 100% natural material can keep food and pharmaceutical shipments below 40 degrees for days. We speak to Josie Morris, Managing Director of Woolcool to find out more about their sustainable mission to replace polystyrene insulation. Learn more about Woolcool here: https://www.woolc...