When designing for sustainability the simplest solution can create a meaningful impact. On our US packaging journey, we went to Whole Foods and spotted that Ellenos Greek yogurt has plastic lids on its 5.3oz (150g) cup – a single-serve product with a resealable lid. Usually, when cups exceed one portion, lids help preserve food for longer which helps to ensure less food waste. In single-size containers, it opens up opportunities for improvement.
We reached out to Ellenos to understand better their strategy and get their opinion. According to the CEO, John V. Tucker the lids are removed, so we just encountered a few of the last cups with lids. This is great news!
Let’s discuss a wider trend in packaging and consumer behavior
By removing and reducing components of the packaging less waste is generated. Among others, brands like Alpro (Germany), and retailers like Tesco (UK), created examples of the positive effect of this decision. The latter reduced more than 30 million plastic yogurt lids in one year.
These examples show what retailers and producers can do to progress toward more sustainable packaging. Retailers and brands can help change consumer habits positively by offering reusable lids during a transition period – and we have seen successful examples of that.
How do we at PSL work with retailers and brands?
We consider the following topics during the design and strategy phase: “Which packaging elements are definitely needed?”, “What is the impact on consumer behavior?”, “How should we innovate to offer solutions?”, “How do we drive positive change?”. We balance this out with the sustainable implications each element has.
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