ali birston's blog

Packaging: you either love it, hate it, waste it, recycle it, or reuse it, but have you ever thought of turning it into a work of art? That is exactly what Dutch baby stroller manufacturer Joolz has decided to do. By combining just the right mix of innovation and cleverness, they are now trying to do their part to minimize their impact on the environment, and more specifically on consumer waste.

While recycling is always a good option, it doesn’t really add any value to consumers (well other than that warm feeling you get inside from doing something good.) However, Joolz is changing that by essentially giving a second life to their packaging, and more specifically their cardboard boxes. On every box there are printed directions to turn it into a brand new item which could be anything from a lampshade to a birdhouse, a picture frame or a chair, meaning that not only do you get to create something new, but also something that is useful too!

In my opinion this is quite a novel idea. One that may appear intriguing in advertisements, but may not actually be practical in real life.  First of all, what if the item your box can be transformed into isn’t something you would use and second of all if the effort required to make the new product is too high, consumers may not be motivated to do it when throwing it in the trash is so much easier.

So while I appreciate the creativity behind it, before I see some real facts on how many moms are actually spending the time using the new item and most importantly how much waste is being diverted from landfills, I will not yet be a believer. On the flip-side I do think this should be an inspiration to manufacturers around the globe on how to find new, imaginative ways to reinvent tradition and design product packaging that helps rather than hurts our environment.

 

Reference: Cardboard packaging includes directions for turning it into something new