Sustainable and Inclusive Packaging
Responsible packaging design
The vast majority of our structural packaging briefs are driven by improving sustainability and inclusivity goals. This is smarter, responsible packaging.
Smarter packaging design is design that improves people’s lives by transforming everyday experiences. But when we speak about customer experience design, it is essential to recognise and address the diversity of those users. Human-centred design needs to include everyone and cannot just be about minimum compliance. It’s an opportunity for brands and designers to aim higher.
To deliver on consumer expectations, ‘eco-friendly’ is no longer just a commendable add-on. It’s an essential part of modern, responsible business operations. More than just a nod to green practices, it forms a core part of corporate strategies, shaping product development, supply chain management, and even customer engagement. Demonstrating commitment to sustainability is a vital factor for competitive differentiation and long-term success.
Sustainable packaging
As designers, we cannot just create for the now. While aligning with our client’s immediate business and brand objectives is vital, we also have a core responsibility to design with the future in mind. Sustainability might help sell, but our design decisions are also instrumental in encouraging better consumption and production patterns. Of course, defining what is sustainable is a complex and contentious task, but we can consider some key factors.
Sustainable design considers not only material choice but the efficiency of a design, its manufacture, and its disposal. Packaging that is designed to be simple, compact, and lightweight requires fewer resources in production and transport. Opting for renewable, recycled, or recyclable materials reduces demand on virgin resources. Durable, repairable, and upgradable solutions increase product longevity and reduce waste.
Ultimately, these factors don’t just benefit the environment - they make good business sense by reducing costs and creating shared value for companies and consumers. Refills and consumables offer brands another avenue for creating a more sustainable future. As an example, Reckitt’s 2030 Sustainability Ambitions sit at the centre of their business, and we are proud to have partnered with them to deliver the award-winning Air Wick Active Fresh.
Active Fresh is an aerosol-free Automatic Spray System infused with Natural Essential Oils and 95% Naturally Derived Ingredients. The water-based formula eliminates the need for the petrochemical solvents and propellants found in most aerosol diffusers. This new proposition broadens the brand’s appeal to attract new consumers who were put off by the chemical perception of aerosols. Compared to other auto sprays, the new Active Fresh refill sees a 69% reduction of CO2, representing a saving of around 2600 tonnes of CO2 in its first year. The refill bottles are also made with 50% post-consumer recycled material and are recyclable.
Inclusive packaging
DCA has long been recognised as a leader in ergonomics and human factors. This capability was born out of multi decade relationships with Stanley tools, GPO/BT, the London Underground and medical device companies like Sanofi. While this team’s foundations are in ergonomics, its remit and skill set have grown to now be global leaders in usability and inclusivity. Our multi award-winning packaging design for Voltarol Pain Relief is an example of our work in this area. We worked in partnership with joint-pain sufferers throughout the design process to fully understand their needs and challenges. This collaborative approach ensured the new cap would go beyond just being usable, to being specifically designed to improve the consumer experience for those who need it most. The result is an innovative and inclusive solution that is easier and more comfortable for a wide range of people to open, especially those with joint issues who often find this type of packaging difficult and painful to use.
This is more than just good ethical practice. Meeting people’s fundamental needs while respecting their dignity and right to participate fully in society makes good business sense. By proactively designing for diversity of experience from the start, companies can expand their potential customer base and tap into underserved markets
Helping our clients achieve success through great product design
