Sustainable Packaging Design
INDUSTRY: CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS
Kellogg Design Challenge // 2021
How might we reimagine skincare packaging for the hand and body lotion consumer to provide a superior consumer experience while using dramatically less plastic?
CONTEXT
For the 2021 Kellogg Design Challenge, a skincare company was interested in exploring packaging options that would evoke both a sense of environmental sustainability and luxury. My team approached the problem with a desire to understand the behaviors and motivations behind customer personas that typically purchased drugstore luxury tier products.
RESEARCH
Background Research: We conducted secondary research on plastics packaging and other materials to understand the environmental impact, trade-offs, and feasibility of different materials. We also researched branding and point-of-sale displays to learn how customers perceived certain displays and packaging.
In-depth Interviews: We conducted 1:1 interviews with shoppers, skincare influencers, and everyday consumers to develop a clear understanding of their needs and desires in body lotion, and identify how they perceived luxury and sustainability in this space.
DESIGN
Insights Synthesis: We brainstormed solutions that would meet our users across dimensions of usability, luxury, and sustainability, and further ideated on how these ideas could come to life as one packaging solution.
Prototyping: We developed a packaging solution and studied how users engaged with the prototype, as well as how they perceived it on a shelf mock-up display.
BuILD
Our solution was a 200ml airless pump bottle that could be easily applied with one hand. The packaging significantly reduced plastic usage by only using biodegradable plastic on the pump mechanism, while the rest of the bottle was designed using bamboo, cork, and cardboard. We embraced the idea of “Compact by Design” to minimize the amount of wasted packaging, choosing to design the bottle in a simple cylinder to maximize transportation efficiency.
Pitch Day
Our team shared our research and pitched our solution to both industry professionals and professors and earned a spot as Kellogg’s finalist representatives.