Pack It! The Packaging Recycling Design Challenge

The Paper & Packaging Board

In the spring of 2022, I was invited to be a contestant in the Beauty episode of Pack It!, a web series based around the idea of incorporating sustainability into packaging design through the exclusive use of paper products. For my episode, participants were tasked with designing a beauty subscription box, which necessitated a variety of different design approaches to account for the variety of the included items’ shape, composition, and intended use. 

My approach to this hinged on simplicity: to reduce a task many might view as a hassle to one that could be intuitive--second nature, even. To that end, all of my designs forewent the use of traditional adhesives, instead relying on paper folding techniques. Apart from making each package incredibly convenient to break down for recycling, this approach also cuts down on residual waste that would have resulted from the inclusion of tape or glue.

I stand by the integrity of both my design and the mindset behind it. Approaching sustainability from a view sympathetic to the consumer not only results in an end product that is much more easily adopted, but also it reconfigures an eco-friendly mindset into something that is more easily achievable.

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All images courtesy of PrayTell & Tracy Shi Qiang.