Sustainable luxury packaging design

By Adam Ryan, Head of Pentawards

he sustainability agenda has become one of the most important issues for the luxury packaging industry. Entries into last year’s Pentawards have been highlighting this change, so to celebrate the brand new sustainable luxury packaging design category, we identified some design studios and luxury brands that are taking significant steps to deliver more ecoconscious packaging solutions.

Burberry Sustainable Packaging

Using an innovative manufacturing technique, at least 40% of Burberry packaging material is made from recycled coffee cups. Since the launch of this new packaging, the brand has recycled 58 million coffee cups into packaging. The resulting product, which has a beautiful, luxurious feel, is plasticfree, fully recyclable and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Find out more on Burberry sustainable packaging here.

Origins, Estée Lauder Estée Lauder Companies has announced a new sustainable packaging partnership with global chemistry leader Sabic and Albéa. As a result of the partnership, Origins will be the first prestige beauty brand to leverage Sabic’s innovative, advanced recycling technology to produce a tube made from previously difficult to recycle, post-consumer mixed plastics material.

Francesca Damato, Vice President of Global Marketing and product development at Origins, says, “We have an exciting opportunity to define how the prestige beauty industry can create sustainable, attractive packaging solutions that please both consumer and the planet.” Find out more on ELC sustainable packaging partnership here.

Kevin.Murphy Beauty by Kevin.Murphy - 2020 Bronze Pentawards, Sustainable Design

Haircare brand Kevin Murphy recently made the commitment to switch the material of its HDPE (high density polyethylene) bottles to recycled ocean plastic, becoming the first beauty brand to utilise 100% ocean waste plastic.

This initiative will not only have a profound impact on the world’s plastic production but is intended to start an industry-wide conversation about responsible packaging disposal. Also, it’s a fantastic example of using packaging to spread a powerful message to consumers in their own homes about the importance of recycling and sustainability. Find out more on the Kevin.Murphy commitment here.

Green Packaging by Gucci

With sustainability considered for every part of the process, Gucci debuted its fully recyclable green packaging back in 2020. Successfully honouring the unboxing experience and our planet alike, all cardboard and paper used comes from sustainably managed forest sources, with the unique green colour of the paper decreasing the need of using inks.

To make it even more remarkable, the shopping bag handles use 100% recycled polyester and avoid using glues, and ribbons are made of organic cotton.

Find out more on Gucci’s new sustainable packaging here.

Rue – Nordic Beauty, Giada

Tamborrino Studio An international brand known and loved for bringing ease to daily beauty rituals, the holistic visual identity of this product was inspired by Scandinavia’s deep seas and stormy skies. Taking inspiration from nature as a vibrant yet sustainable force, the colours and typography create a modern feel that contrasts Rue’s hand-drawn illustration and grounded the brand.

The packaging is made from sustainable paper sources and contains plant-based glue and laminate. Dropper tops can be easily broken apart for recycling, and glass bottles are made of easily recyclable white opal glass. Find out more on Nordic Beauty and the studio here. Juni Cosmetics - 2020 Silver Pentaward Winner, Luxury Make-Up

Determined to avoid plastic at all costs, Juni Cosmetics bespoke lipstick bullet is made from 100% aluminium. Called ‘the green metal’, aluminium is one of the most recycled materials on the planet and can be infinitely recycled without losing quality. Many ‘recyclable’ materials used in day-to-day life still end up in landfill because they are glued together with other materials, making them ‘contaminated’. Juni’s bullets’ unique ‘push-up’ design also eliminates the need for glue. Find out more on Juni Cosmetics and sustainability here.

Tom Dixon Packaging, Progress Packaging and Tom Dixon Fully recyclable and recycled materials were used to produce the corrugated boxes for Tom Dixon products, whilst the labelling for branding, as well as envelopes, gift cards and note cards, were also made using sustainable materials. The labels were foil blocked on FSC-approved, uncoated papers in the requested sizes to create a luxury yet crafted look. To partner with these items, Progress also produced recyclable Kraft carrier bags to be used in retail stores and as part of their online gifting range. When the items are being transported they require an extra layer of protection, so loose fill is added to the boxes using either recycled tissue paper or recycled Kraft. Find out more about the partnership between Progress and Tom Dixon here.

Air Co. Vodka by Air Co - 2020 Diamond Best of Show Pentawards winner The Air Co. mission is to be the most sustainable alcohol brand in the world, with the result being the world’s first carbon-negative vodka brand.

A thoughtful packaging programme that is 100% reusable and recyclable, labelling was kept at a minimum to not only reflect the purity of the vodka but to minimize the material usage. As repurposing is the height of sustainability, the 100% FSC certified label adheres with a custom-made, natural, non-toxic adhesive that allows it to be easily removed so the glass bottle can be kept for other purposes, such as a bedside carafe, water bottle, flower vase or candleholder to name a few.

All printing is fully carbon offset with tree planting in South and Central America, and the label messaging actively encourages consumers to reuse the bottle and support sustainability.

“We talk more and more about the future of luxury and sustainable luxury, and this is it” Clem Halpin, President of the 2020 Jury and Design Lead at TAXI Studio.