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Greening At Home: Sustainable Housewares Packaging

March 9, 2010

Image: arterystore.com

Real change, so they say, begins in the home. And with Australian consumers becoming increasingly green, it's not surprising that housewares companies are looking to become more sustainable, both in terms of the products they manufacture and source, and in terms of their packaging.

In response to this growing market, a range of boutique housewares companies have sprung up, each offering sustainably manufactured products and packaging to match.

One great local example is arterystore.com, an independent online shop that deals exclusively in sustainable and locally produced homewares. Arterystore's packaging is made from minimal amounts of biodegradable and recycled materials––and it looks great to boot.

Boutique Australian housewares company Blossom Creations is another company doing its best to keep our homes green. Blossom Creations was founded in 2006 when founder Erin Dando noticed the lack of real sustainable offerings in the Australian housewares industry and decided to do something about it. Blossom's sustainable practices cover its entire business model, from its commitment to using only recycled paper and natural, sustainably sourced fibres; to its use of energy and water; to its minimal packaging, which makes use of recycled material wherever possible.

Housewares giant Ikea is also doing its bit to improve its packaging and minimise its environmental impact. Ikea has asked all its transport operators to reduce their greenhouse emissions over a three-year period, and is taking a number of steps at the design level to optimise the way its goods can be packaged and transported. Ikea makes extensive use of brown cardboard flatpacks to transport its products––saving space and reducing transport loads, while allowing for a high recycle rate of its packaging. In early 2007, the Swedish company was also the first major retailer in the US to stop offering free plastic bags at its stores.

Image: Zeishu

Many housewares retailers, however, are still behind the eight ball when it comes to sustainability. This reluctance, some commentators say, comes down to the fact that many of these companies manufacture and package their goods overseas, where recycled materials are harder to come by and regulations less strict. Not only that, housewares companies typically source their goods from many different suppliers, which makes keeping a uniform standard difficult––but not impossible.

To make the housewares business model more sustainable, it seems, consumer demand for greener products for their homes will need to increase––something that a recent Australian survey says is not happening enough.

Successful Australian eco-housewares company Todae have one simple way to solve the sustainable housewares packaging conundrum. The company, who have both a successful online store and a shop in Sydney, reuse all the packaging they receive from their suppliers for sending the products on to the consumer. This simple solution is becoming an increasingly popular one for housewares companies, and it's easy to see why: it not only saves materials, but time and money as well. Todae's model is even more sustainable because they source products from environmentally conscious suppliers, which means the packaging that reaches them is often minimal and made from recycled materials in the first place.

One of their suppliers, for instance, Japanese-inspired design company Zaishu, packages its robust, lightweight housewares in attractive unbleached calico flatpacks. The flatpacks come with a drawstring, meaning the bags can be readily reused.

Another Australian company, Zuri Housewares, packs its housewares in an impressive array of sustainable materials, including recycled paper tubes and packs, recycled and reused cardboard boxes, cardboard padding and reused newsprint, cornstarch packing peanuts, biodegradable cellophane bags and recycled brown kraft wrapping paper. 

Happily, packaging manufacturers are getting on board with some new innovations for the housewares industry, including biodegradable bubble wrap, 100% recycled gift wrap and void fillers, and a wider range of vegetable-based inks. As more housewares businesses see the real cost and brand benefits of becoming sustainable, and more consumers demand green products and packaging, we can expect to see an increasing number of businesses in the industry move toward more eco-conscious models.

 

 

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