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Miguel Arevalo is a seasoned packaging industry professional with over 15 years of experience. He began his career at Gillette in Mexico, working under Procter & Gamble, where he learned the intricacies of packaging design and sustainability. Currently, Miguel leads innovation and sustainability efforts at Google, particularly focusing on their consumer electronics packaging. He has been instrumental in the development and release of Google's Plastic-Free Packaging Design Guide, which aims to foster industry-wide collaboration towards more sustainable packaging solutions.
Download your own guide here:
https://sustainability.google/reports/plastic-free-packaging-design-guide/
Episode Summary:
Join us in this enlightening conversation with Miguel Arevalo from Google as we delve into the intricate world of sustainable packaging. Discover how Google is setting industry standards with their newly released Plastic-Free Packaging Design Guide. Miguel, with his wealth of experience in the packaging industry, shares the meticulous process and innovative strategies behind developing eco-friendly packaging solutions that don't compromise on quality or user experience.
In this episode, Miguel discusses the dual objectives of Google's packaging initiatives: reducing their carbon footprint and advancing circular economy principles. Learn about the challenges and triumphs encountered in eliminating plastics from packaging, and how collaborations and shared innovations are accelerating industry-wide progress. Key topics include the development of recyclable coatings, the transition from plastic to molded fiber, and the importance of responsible sourcing for materials like bamboo and bagasse.
Key Takeaways:
Google’s Plastic-Free Packaging Guide: Google’s comprehensive guide shares their in-depth process for eliminating plastic from packaging, offering insights, materials, and supplier information to encourage industry-wide adoption of sustainable practices.
Collaboration Over Competition: Miguel emphasizes the necessity of collaborative efforts rather than competitive ones to drive significant advancements in sustainability across the packaging industry.
Innovative Materials Development: Explore Google’s development journey of sustainable materials like recyclable coatings and molded fiber trays, which maintain the product’s premium unboxing experience while being environmentally friendly.
Challenges of Sustainable Packaging: Understand the complexities and trade-offs in switching from plastic to fiber-based materials, including considerations around cost, user experience, and manufacturing feasibility.
Future of Packaging Sustainability: Miguel hints at next steps in Google’s sustainability journey, including advancements in lightweight materials and circular packaging solutions.
Notable Quotes:
"We believe that in order to do meaningful true change, we need to, in order to accelerate that progress that we desperately need, we need to do these collaboratively along in the industry."
"Consumers are not like us. They are not designers that really understand, okay, this is polypropylene, this is PET. I should be able to make these separations. Sometimes they don't, it's a box."
"Our intention here is empowerment. Let's empower other companies. This is not a perfect solution, but it's one that we found can be able to be scalable."
"Plastic is not the challenge itself as material. It's the capabilities where it can be collected and sorted properly so it can be recycled."
"The volume was considerable around what we try to reduce on this one."
For an in-depth understanding and actionable insights into sustainable packaging design, tune in to the full episode and be inspired by Google's commitment to a more sustainable future. Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from our series, where we bring you closer to industry innovators and game changers.
