Sustainable luxury packaging in practice

Sustainability

We know that the luxury goods industry is moving towards use of sustainable materials for secondary packaging, but to achieve the beautiful finishes that customers expect from luxury brands, often plastics and other materials make their way into the final product. As a result, brands can compromise their recyclability and other sustainable objectives and, despite best efforts to do the right thing, can end up generating hard-to-dispose-of waste.

Sustainability is a hugely nuanced topic and Hunter Luxury is here to help provide alternative solutions for luxury packaging - whether a brand’s sustainability goals are to reduce plastic, promote recycling, encourage re-use, minimize waste, reduce carbon footprint, or a combination of these.

So, what can be recycled?

A recent survey states that 42% of around 4000 consumers aged 16-64 are now motivated to purchase brands that use recyclable and sustainable materials. This is not a passing trend, and it does not only apply to younger people.

Everyone will give you a different answer to the question “What can be recycled?”, because it is complicated. It all depends on the recycling systems in place, costs, technology, etc. however, WRAP - Waste and Resources Action Programme a UK-based charity, has some very clear guidance on what and why certain materials can or cannot be recycled.

Re-use

Many of Hunter Luxury’s clients are keen to ensure secondary packaging can have a second life by being reusable in some way. Giving added value to products as well as reducing waste are ideal ways to enhance your brand.

We see the trend in creating beautiful secondary packaging continuing for a long time in line with the long-established heritage of whisky brands, for example. But we also continue to see our clients look to alternative longer-life materials to provide a second use and keep their brands front of mind for longer.

As well as reducing the impact on the planet, when used alongside other sustainable materials, re-usability is set to become a bigger theme for packaging, so be ahead by planning it into your sustainable packaging strategy. Find out more about Hunter Luxury's luxury reusable packaging concept - POD.

“Giving added value to products as well as reducing waste are ideal ways to enhance your brand's sustainability credentials.”

Communication is key

One challenge consumers find with recyclability is understanding what can be recycled and how. Often it is not clear which materials have been used in packaging - recent research suggests that 45% of beauty consumers look for recyclability symbols on packaging now, 10% more than look for plastic-free packaging (The Pull Agency) so why not use packaging as the opportunity to engage and support customers by clearly stating the recyclability credentials?

Hunter Luxury can help simplify and offer solutions to incorporate those features, while still maintaining the luxury feel of the brand:

Include on pack visual or messaging show consumers which elements are recyclable
Embed an NFC chip into a box that can be programmed to provide recycling information
Use QR codes to create a direct way for a consumer to access details about a product

Sustainable solutions

We are conscious that brands want to maintain the luxury experience that they have created, through the use of finishes such as foiling and special coatings, and security of their products, often incorporating plastic fitment trays. Becoming more sustainable shouldn't mean that a brand has to change its existing identity.

Read on to find out a little more about some of the typical features of luxury packaging, and how these can be switched for practical and sustainable alternatives.