HackthePack: Way forward in sustainable packaging

From plastic-free cucumbers to cosmetics to packaging-free shops, sustainability is increasingly important when buying products such as food or household goods. But how '(sustainable) packaging wise' is the Fleming? Do they consider sustainable packaging important? Do they recycle that packaging? Do they understand the different recycling symbols? And what innovations exist in this field?

Research theme: Sustainable packaging and smart retail

Field of interest: Communication, Media and Design

Duration: 1/09/2019 - 1/09/2021

Financing: PWO

The environmental debate is gaining momentum with packaging, but it is often not clear when a package is sustainable. Different materials, production processes and recycling options come into play. Consumers therefore struggle to make conscious choices and do not always know which are the best options for sustainable packaging or how to recycle it. Well-intentioned logos around waste disposal confuse consumers even more.

The focus of the project is on packaging of commonly sold products, so-called 'fast circulation' consumer goods (also known as Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) or Consumer packaged goods (CPG)). These include everyday products that are used for less than a year, such as food, toiletries, cosmetics and personal care products and other non-durable products such as razors or ear sticks.

Research goal: Creating clarity

HackthePack pursues three goals:

formulating communication recommendations to increase clarity on packaging sustainability;
developing prototypes that support this clarity;
generating more knowledge about good practices for producing sustainable(er) packaging, with a focus on the Flemish graphics and packaging industry.

To do so, the project maps current production processes and waste disposal in Flanders and then investigates how the Flemish graphic and packaging industry can produce sustainable(er) packaging. We also look at how well the Fleming scores on Lansink's ladder, better known as the waste hierarchy (Reduce > Reuse > Recycle) today and what different profiles of (non-)sustainable Flemish consumers exist. The project also investigates how the sustainability of packaging can be clearly communicated to consumers, so that Flemish people recognise (~ knowledge), appreciate (~ attitude) and buy (~ behaviour) sustainable packaging.