Sustainable packaging and smart retail
Research theme
Retail is a sector with lots of potential for (technological) innovation, from packaging to the shopping environment. By means of prototyping and the internet, we research how technological innovations become feasible for small retailers too. We focus on two innovation domains: ecology and sustainability on the one hand, and making the shopping experience smarter through the use of technology on the other hand. At the same time, we will describe how customers feel about this.
Research lines
Prototyping as research method
Within the prototyping lab, we have the capability to make sustainable and intelligent designs easily understandable, as well as to test and validate them. Our focus is on crafting prototypes specifically tailored for both retailers and consumers, enabling them to actively engage with these designs.
Sustainable packaging
Familiar with the 3 Rs principle? It signifies Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle—the three perspectives we advocate for in the development of sustainable packaging. In addition to prioritizing sustainable design, we also focus on understanding how consumers perceive and engage with communication about sustainable packaging.
Smart retail technology
Packaging and shopping environments can be made smarter through the Internet of Things (IoT). We collect data and analyze how to effectively manage and present this information in a clear and understandable manner for shop owners and/or brand owners.
Trend analysis in retail technology and sustainability
With an annual trend report, we stay attuned to the latest advancements in the realms of retail technology and sustainability. This report alternates its focus between technology and sustainability, aspiring to become indispensable reading for retailers.
Research projects and realisations
Be inspired by our research projects and concrete achievements and publications of Sustainable packaging and smart retail that truly make a difference.
Team
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Femke Loose
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Bart Calis
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Frederick Roegiers
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Inge Sintobin
Collaborate with us
We stand for learning together, researching together, and developing together. Our students, lecturers and researchers will get to work for you, tailored to your needs. Find out what we can do for each other!
Services for companies and organisations
We engage in diverse forms of collaboration with our professional sector for research and innovation. Varying in intensity, flows of financing, term, and finality: Collaborative Research Agreements, collaborations via co-financing or with external project funding, collaboration via participation in design sessions, advisory committees, etc. For future research projects we are constantly looking for partners active in the sector. Interested in collaborating with us?
Blikopener
Are you an entrepreneur of an SME or a social profit organisation? Thanks to Blikopener of the Flemish Agency Entrepreneurship and Innovation (VLAIO) we can support you without any obligation in your search for solutions to practical problems or questions. We put our practice-oriented research results and experts at your disposal.
Discover our labs
You can visit our labs to get acquainted with the latest technologies and innovations. Our experts will work with you on a specific question, formulate tangible recommendations, and develop custom prototypes. They are open spaces where there is room for experimentation, co-creation, and creativity.
Request your custom solution
We help you formulate your specific research question and the desired approach.
About expertise centre Communication, Media, and Design
Our practical research focuses on organisations and professionals who anticipate the challenges of the digital society through innovation and development. Together with our partners, we learn, research, and develop by means of user research, technology research, technology and trend analysis, design and prototyping.
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