By Amanda Gingras, Director of Account Services

It was just a few years ago when the latest trend in the retail packaging industry was the transformation from English-only text to bilingual content. In 2005, Lowe’s, and many other retail stores, required Spanish translations on all packaging designs and in-store marketing materials. During this shift, our team at MicroArts Creative Agency, a packaging design agency, was in the midst of launching new consumer packaging designs for Cockadoodle DOO Organic lawn and garden products. In the process, we made the switch from English-only packaging designs to bilingual packaging designs while also updating store signage, shelf-talkers and point-of-purchase displays.

Change is good. At least it was great packaging design experience for us.

Today, the latest trend in the marketplace is green packaging. Everywhere you look, consumers and companies are seeking out and producing more products that are environmentally friendly—from lawn and garden products to cleaning products to clothing to cars and everything in between.

Peter, the principal brand director here at MicroArts, mentioned an early example of this trend in a branding blog post last October. The blog post was about a new environmentally friendly packaging concept, a “plant-able” package. He touched on a company who’s product packaging was 100% recyclable and biodegradable. The example was an egg carton filled with seeds that, when planted, would grow trees.

The Big Boxes Weigh in on Green Packaging
Although this trend has been growing for quite some time, it is now becoming a must-have versus a good-to-have. Just last week, Walmart announced a new initiative; developing a Sustainability Index that rates suppliers on multiple levels of sustainability from its manufacturing, its products and—ultimately—its packaging. As the trend grows, retailers are requiring stricter policies on the companies they partner with. It is expected that during the next few years, as sustainability becomes a Big Box requirement, packaging will need to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Is your consumer packaging design and structure ready for Walmart’s Sustainability Index? The time is now to start thinking of ways to enhance your packaging sustainability. Some companies are already doing this. At lunch the other day, I noticed a bag of Sun Chips on the table with a violator on the front of the package that said, “RENEWABLE MATERIALS make up 33% of this package.” As I flipped over the bag, I noticed that an entire back panel was dedicated to sustainability. Sun Chips states on the package that, although 33% of the current bag is made from renewable materials, the company’s goal is to have a completely compostable bag by 2010.

Interested in retail packaging design that meets Walmart’s Sustainability Index? Call a consumer packaging design agency.