DESIGN PUBLICATION.
SUSTAINABILITY AND LUXURY PACKAGING.
How does sustainability challenge luxury packaging?
There is increasing public and industry pressure on luxury brand owners to reduce the environmental impact of packaging.
However, is there such a thing as responsible luxury, or does that defeat the point of products designed to be extravagant and superior?
Prestige brands and their customers are often more concerned about the look rather than the eco-friendliness of packaging. Customers’ expectations for luxury packaging are much different from the general market, with packaging seen as an important part of the product itself. From cosmetics to confectionary, the entire basis of these products is centred on multi-material packaging which contributes to the overall feeling of ‘luxury’. Therefore, much of this type of packaging includes metallised plastic, metallised glass and many other types of materials; which, while connoting quality and expense, are very difficult to recycle.
Responsible packaging means a whole host of new issues for the luxury packaging market, such as practicality, cost, material choice, aesthetics and maintaining brand image. Due to any one of these reasons, it has often been the case in the past that sustainable packaging solutions have been dropped halfway through the process.
International fashion brand Gucci, for example, launched 100% recyclable packaging with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified paper back in 2010. However, do customers really care about sustainability when purchasing luxury packaging? Is this move towards sustainability for the luxury sector a genuine move or a passing fad?
In addition to materials, companies are taking measures to make their entire manufacturing processes more eco-friendly. For example, Crown Cork state they are using fewer resources and using less energy when producing their items; ultimately, ‘doing more with less’.
Manufacturers have therefore made an effort to reduce their environmental impact through the processes they employ, which is definitely a leap in the right direction.
What are the next steps?
Ways in which companies can continue to improve the eco-friendliness of packaging is to use fewer ink colours to achieve designs, and focus more on the properties of their board with regard to weight and whiteness levels. Bioplastics are being discussed by luxury brand owners, package designers and converters, but to date there are only a few examples of these materials being used for luxury packaging because of their relatively high cost.
Companies can also maximise the use of metal in their products. A current concern for the luxury packaging industry is that some brand owners are now increasingly replacing eco-friendly metal with plastic, particularly in the confectionary and spirits markets. This removes connotations of luxury and also compromises the environmental credentials of the product.
Meanwhile, metal’s low carbon footprint is derived from its high recyclability rate, and has the potential to be recycled an infinite number of times without molecular degradation or loss of structural integrity. Metal is the most commonly recycled of all household materials – almost three quarters of metal packaging is recycled in Europe.
According to Veronique Curulla, European marketing manager at Crown Specialty Packaging Europe, “Metal packaging, along with the various decorative techniques available, gives luxury brands the twin benefits of dazzling impact and environmentally-friendly appeal. It actually enables the two factors to work together – forming part of a consistent, high-quality brand image.”
While producing cosmetics products in metal tins, paperboard cartons or thin glass jars may be good for the environment, marketing to an industry centred around image, especially when it comes to luxury products and brands, requires careful handling. Manufacturers need to provide luxury packaging companies with packaging that looks as though it is contributing to the often enormous suggested retail price of the product, yet also has some environmental responsibilities.
What have I taken from this article?
- People shopping at luxury brands don't tend to care about the environmental impact of packaging, they are more concerned with aesthetic.
- Packaging is seen as an important part of the product.
- Packaging uses quality materials, that appear expensive but are very difficult to recycle.
- Concerns within sustainable luxury packaging are practicality, cost, aesthetics and maintaining the brand image.
- Attempts at sustainable packaging have been dropped by some luxury companies.
- Gucci have created 100% recyclable packaging.
- Packaging not only needs to be more sustainable, but manufacturing processes need to evolve also.
- Sustainable luxury requires careful handling, Manufacturers need to provide brands with evidence that metal packaging can contribute towards high end brands yet also have environmental benefits / responsibilities.
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