The zero waste movement marks the end of wasteful excess, but how can brands scale down on surplus product offerings without leaving customers feeling short-changed?

In 2018, Melissa Clark was interviewed by leading global culture and trends expert Shabana Ebrahem for a Canvas 8 article exploring the shift in consumer behaviour as people become more conscious of climate change and sustainability. Read the conversation below.

1. We’ve been in a ‘super size’ culture for a long time, but the dial seems to be shifting as people begin rejecting excessiveness. Do you have any general examples of packaging or design that demonstrate or respond to this behavioural shift?

In Sweden, there’s a movement rejecting the 80s economic model of creating products with a limited lifespan. To reduce needless waste, the government encourages people to repair things rather than buy new; People who do so will see VAT halved from 25% to 12%.

Compelling examples from brands are: Buy me Once, a UK brand with the motto “Love Things That Last”. Products include clothing, kitchen goods, footwear, and toys. The Nike Flyknit is a trainer woven rather than pieced together, resulting in 80% less waste than other manufacturing efforts.

No packaging is an excellent way for brands to reduce their carbon footprint. The Clever Little Bag by sports brand Puma reduces by 65% by removing cardboard. Lush was at the forefront when Mo Constantine (Product inventor and co-founder) created the Shampoo bar, and the concept of Naked Packaging became a core value. It has multiple benefits: 1) it focuses on what’s important, the product; 2) it's in line with Lush stance on plastic pollution and the environment; and 3) it makes the shopping experience tactile and sensory; (Lush = the high street olfactory agents.) You can also shop online for ‘stripped-back products.’

On a local scale, many small greengrocers stores have emerged, similar to the independent coffee movement we saw a decade ago. Natoora is a fruit and vegetable stand in Old Spitalfields market with a simple black and white display to give it a high-quality feel. Their emphasis is on flavour as a vehicle for showing value. There is no product packaging, just a simple brown paper bag that is easily recyclable.  

2. From a design perspective, what sort of situations drive consumer preference for small products versus large and vice versa?

Constraints motivate design to find innovative solutions to modern-day challenges.

The micro-homes phenomenon is, in many respects, a response to smaller apartment sizes in major cities across the globe due to risings costs and housing shortages. Product and furniture designers must reimagine space to create good housing outcomes, with rooms and products shifting from one to multiple use cases. Ikea is one of the most prominent retailers taking a strong position with their smaller homes campaign and associated product lines. The firm is also moving away from Big Box retail and investing in smaller stores.  

Regulation is another prime example of working with constraints. In 2018, the USA introduced new food labelling standards legislation to raise awareness of the product's nutritional contents. This will significantly impact education and how you present label information to consumers.

3. From a design point of view, what are consumers’ product expectations when packaging shrinks?

For a brand, the customer must believe they have the best product. The question is how much packaging contributes to that narrative. I believe it can flip both ways depending on the brand ethos. 

Good packaging can determine the product's perceived value and brand trustworthiness. A great unboxing experience at the expense of a mediocre product just doesn't cut it.

We live in a time where consumers have become ‘experts’. Customers have become mini detectives through social media, sharing knowledge and advice. This Caroline Hirons video is a great example of reviewing good products in lousy packaging.

People care more about whether it works. Managing expectations and avoiding looking hypocritical is critical for brands.  

4. In your view, are there categories which particularly lean towards the ‘smaller is better’ ethos, e.g. luxury, and what can FMCG/ CPG industries learn from these?

With rising urbanisation, smaller cars in cities are a much better solution in the automotive sector. SMART has proved increasingly popular. Fiat has also responded to this with its stylish Fiat 500C range. 

Grocery is another, with food portions catered towards the single-person household to reduce cost and avoid waste. We’ve also seen the rise of more compact grocery stores, e.g. Little Waitrose.

People increasingly want intimate, personalised experiences, which big chains can’t offer. FMCG and CPG can learn from this by building experiences with something special/interesting or with more human interaction. 

5. 78% of consumers are interested in smaller-sized consumer goods packaging for the on-the-go. Still, people also need convincing that they aren’t being short-changed or offered a lower-quality product. How can pack design help to reassure customers of this - and do you have any recent examples?

This could be achieved through content, education and materials.

Packaging labels can be more interestingly designed to help consumers get the most from the product.

The Nintendo Labo example is a great example where the box can be recycled to educate and create a new toy.

6. Sustainable practices are gaining traction generally, and the attempt to prevent waste in personal care, household, beauty and food is being observed – how can brands get their message on the point that ‘small is less wasteful’ whilst still maintaining value for money?

Is smaller less wasteful if the consumer repeatedly buys the same product and packaging?

Packaging has been used deceptively in the past. A well-known example is The Pound store, where the packaging was designed deceptively to seem like consumers were getting more for their money. They weren’t.

If brands are serious, sustainability must be factored into the business model and product lifecycle, e.g. its portions, packaging and sizing. A great example is Ecover, which emphasises refills rather than repurchasing multiple plastic bottles. They’ve also switched to paper and cardboard rather than plastic. The circular economy packaging firm Again target is, by 1st January '24, reuse will be lower emission and cheaper than single use.

They believe reuse will have lower COGs for brands than single-use, with material prices increasing 23% YOY and new eco-taxes being introduced. This trend will only continue.

7. Any thoughts about the rise of super concentrates in everyday products? For example, detergent and squash. Can you comment on these and/or any products you know that are getting smaller? 

In principle, concentrate is a great idea, providing you educate people on how to make this transition — and break the model of the last fifty years.

I can’t specifically think of products getting smaller. In confectionery, we’ve seen the opposite. I suspect we’ll see brands doing this gradually unless regulation steps in.

8. Are consumers ready to move from ‘super size’ to ‘super concentrate’? Or is there a midway point retailers need to think about - what's the design POV here?

It’s not mass yet. Retailers must play a major role in educating customers about why concentration beats size.

A mid-way point might start with product distribution, e.g. the hair care and beauty sector limiting product distribution to specific retailers to show value, e.g. Professional-grade products are only available in a salon.

Design is critical in showing the product’s value accross the experience, not just from the end results but from the first encounter.

9 Any final thoughts

Sustainability isn’t going away. Even Amazon is trying to tout its credentials. Its Frustration-Free packaging teaches its network how to create better internet packaging. The result is a saving of 55,000 tons of waste. A user can also filter search results by products by their sustainability credentials.

⚡️ To see how these insights affect your business