Reusable Cardboard & Paper Packaging Ideas
Although cardboard packaging is both recyclable and one of the most sustainable packaging materials available, wouldn’t it be good if we could design more packaging that could be reused several times before it goes off to be recycled?
This year we worked with Blade & Butler who wanted to create multi-trip packaging for their knife sharpening service, which would do just that.
The packaging was designed, with printed instructions, to make a maximum of 3 journeys from Blade & Butler to the client and back again. The box containing knife protection sleeves and a returns label is sent to the client. The client simply opens the box via the indicated tear strip, packs their knives and then returns the same box to Blade & Butler. Blade & Butler can open the box via the next tear strip to retrieve the knives, keeping the box intact and ready for its final journey back to the client, complete with freshly sharpened knives.
This is a simple and practical way of reducing cardboard packaging waste. It could be tweaked to suit the needs of many online retailers, particularly where client returns are prevalent, such as within the fashion industry.
Another quite different example of reusable packaging is H&M’s shopping bag that transforms into a clothes hanger. H&M’s packaging concept uses a paper bag, that is already produced from recycled material, then, afterwards it can be folded into a coat hanger and used many times over by the customer for their clothes.
It’s a smart idea that not only reuses the original packaging but transforms it into a completely new and practical product, lengthening the life span of the shopping bag and reducing waste.
