24 | Regulars / Branding and design Chasing Arrows: Can Packaging Be Sustainable? In this Q&A, branding and design columnist Vicki Strull sits down with host of the podcast Sustainable Packaging with Cory Connors. Below is an excerpt of their conversation Vicki Strull: Cory, thank you for having be recycled as easily. We’re going to make “Sometimes virgin me on your podcast today and letting me it look beautiful but do it differently.’ So ask you questions, too! Let’s jump right the answer, in my opinion, is that all of us materials are more in. I’ve noticed that you ask every guest: need to work together. And that includes Can packaging be sustainable? After 170 the government; the municipalities need to sustainable because episodes and everything you’ve learned, say, ‘We’re going to make recycling easier. they’re stronger what do you think? We’re going to give you the opportunity to re-use.’ The grocery stores are also going to and you can use Cory Connors: I actually stopped have a huge impact, frankly. In the future, asking that question because everyone we’re going to bring our recycling back to less. It’s a common basically said the same thing: ‘Yes, it can! the grocery stores, until curbside [recycling] We can make this happen!’ I only had one can catch up with demand. So lots of misconception that guest who said no. She is a brilliant person people are involved with this. All of us and a great friend, and she said, ‘It’s not need to work together. What do you if it’s made from possible. There are too many variables, too think, Vicki? Who is responsible for many obstacles, too many naysayers.’ I sustainable packaging? recycled material, think it’s important that we’re honest with it must be more each other and share our views. Everyone VS: I think there’s a community, or I like else has been very, very positive. to use the word ecosystem, that needs to sustainable. Well, So let me ask you that same question, be involved. As a designer, I think about the Vicki: Can packaging be sustainable? impact I can make within that ecosystem most of the time, but to accelerate change and the shift to VS: Yes, I think it can. I’ve learned a lot sustainable packaging. It feels like designers not always” in the past several years about how to can affect a lot of entities within that make packaging sustainable and about ecosystem: shoppers because we design the differences between a linear system with shoppers in mind. The brands, because and a circular system. I think it’s getting to as our clients, we strategize with them on that circular system that will get us out of sustainable materials, embellishments and this. But that requires participation from a other design options for their packaging. lot of different people in a lot of different Designers can affect the converters industries. So while I think it is a wicked because we work with them to produce problem, I do think sustainable packaging and manufacture the packaging. And we is achievable. can affect the suppliers and the OEMs – the people that produce the materials CC: Very true. It’s not just going to or adhesives or embellishments because be you and me, it’s going to be thousands they are looking for partners to connect of people – tens of thousands – working their innovative materials to the brands. really hard for a long time to make this In particular, I am connected with many of change happen. these suppliers, because I do a lot of design with haptics [touch]. VS: I spend a lot of time thinking about So I can impact all of those entities whose responsibility it is to create these within the ecosystem because the designer different changes. When it comes to is central to all of them. For instance, if I sustainable packaging, whose responsibility want to do a laminate, a certain fnish or a do you think it is? haptic element, I have a direct line to the supplier, and they can advise me. But they CC: I think we’re all involved. We all need may not have a direct line to the brand or to work on it and take responsibility for the shoppers, so they need designers to our actions, whether that’s the consumer collaborate with them. The collaboration saying, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t buy this because goes as far as the material recovery facilities it’s packaged horribly [from a sustainability (MRFs) because I need to understand what perspective].’ Or the designer, like yourself, is curbside recyclable and what is industrial saying, ‘What if we didn’t have three layers recyclable; what is backyard compostable of packaging? What if we had two?’ Or the and what is industrial compostable; what brand that’s selling the product, maybe has to go to another facility and what is they need to say, ‘We’re not going to have going to the landfll. Bringing it back to these kinds of coatings or foils that can’t the shopper, part of my job as a designer labelsandlabeling.com