It's A Wrap: Clever Packaging from Japan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.21.08
When I was in Japan I was appalled at the amount of waste in packaging, where things were often wrapped in three layers of plastic and paper; all magnificently designed and beautifully done, but generating a lot of garbage. Things may be changing; Ping Mag covers innovations in packaging that reduce waste significantly. Two of my favourites are the tofu packed in balloons; when you pierce it with a toothpick only a tiny bit of plastic remains. Also available with pudding.
This package still has more layers of protection than it really needs,
There is the egg box, the foil top, the paper cupcake wrappers, all surrounding- pudding in real eggshells. Extravagantly lovely. Lots more at ::Ping Mag
It's a Wrap: More on Packaging Design in TreeHugger
Is This Too Much Packaging , You Think?
The Ecopak: Moulded, Printed, Biodegradable Paper-based Packaging ...
Packaging the Sorapot
Over- Packaging is a Low-Hanging Fruit to Help the Environment ...
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- "I Have Seen Things" - Japan Car At London's Science Museum
- 5 Things to Look for in Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts
- Doggy Bags In Japan
- The Green Dragon Wakes: Are China’s Eco-Efforts A Sign of Things to Come?
Those eggs look like they had the tops removed by lasers!
Really interesting packaging, but I agree that it could be less wasteful. As someone who works for a packaging company (sunpack.com), I can understand the creative work that has likely gone into making the packaging that you mention above and know that it serves an important purpose: attracting consumers and increasing sales. However, I do believe that packaging can be professional and creative and still be sustainable, whether recycled, recyclable, both or biodegradable, it is possible and more packaging companies should work to make their creative packaging efforts less wasteful. Thanks for the interesting topic!
Over packaging is a terrible waste. One of the worst offenders is sadly something I enjoy: Listermints. They have the little plastic case in a foil and cardboard case that is inside ANOTHER cardboard case. Terrible.
It's nice to hear things are changing a bit but it'll likely be a long time before Japan completely rids itself of its habit of excessive packaging.
Bravo! A packaging idea which apparently inspired by the heroin smuggling trade. As if tofu weren't creepy enough to begin with?
This isn't a recent innovation it has apparently been used for decades (pre-war), especially for Japanese sweets like mizu yokan.