Scard

Sustainable Packaging

Alternative solutions for packaging including biobased or recycled materials, increase the reuse of packaging, while minimizing the impact for example by reducing the amount and impact of packaging used.

VET: How can you make packaging that creates less waste?

HEI: How can you change your logistics in terms of procurement or packaging processes?


Case studies

PUMA – Clever Little Bag

PUMA collaborated with design firm fuseproject to replace traditional cardboard shoeboxes with the Clever Little Bag, a minimalist cardboard tray combined with a reusable fabric bag. This packaging concept reduces cardboard use, lowers transport emissions through volume reduction, and encourages reuse of the fabric bag, demonstrating how apparel brands can redesign packaging systems to cut material use and waste.
Project link

Lush – Naked and Low-Packaging Formats

Lush has systematically reduced primary and secondary packaging by developing “naked” products (such as solid shampoos and conditioners) and offering refill schemes for selected lines. Their naked strategy illustrates how a brand can shift entire product portfolios to formats that eliminate or radically reduce packaging while using recycled or reusable containers where packaging is still needed.
Project link

Patagonia – Polybag Reduction and Packaging Redesign

Patagonia has analysed the life cycle impacts of its polybags and experimented with folding, recycled content, and alternative materials to reduce plastic use in apparel packaging. Case analysis of Patagonia’s packaging initiatives shows how changing folding methods, increasing recycled content, and exploring reusable/biodegradable options can significantly lower packaging-related impacts for garments.
Project link

Nudie Jeans – Recycled and Recyclable Packaging

Nudie Jeans integrates circular principles into its packaging by prioritising recycled paper, eliminating unnecessary plastics, and aligning packaging formats with recyclability in local waste systems. Sectoral reporting on fashion packaging highlights Nudie’s use of FSC-certified and high-recycled-content packaging as part of a broader circular denim strategy that also includes repair and reuse.
Project link

Picture Organic Clothing – Paper-Based and Reusable Solutions

Picture Organic Clothing has shifted from conventional plastic mailers and boxes towards recycled cardboard and paper-based solutions, supported by reusable bags and minimised material weights. Documented as a case in global overviews of sustainable fashion packaging, Picture’s approach demonstrates how outdoor and board-sports apparel brands can align packaging with wider commitments to low-impact materials and circular design.
Project link

References

Jia, F., Yin, S., Chen, L., & Chen, X. (2020). The circular economy in the textile and apparel industry: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 259, 120728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120728

Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T., & Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(4), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9

Koszewska, M. (2018). Circular economy—Challenges for the textile and clothing industry. Autex Research Journal, 18(4), 337–347. https://doi.org/10.1515/aut-2018-0023

Zamani, B., Sandin, G., & Peters, G. M. (2017). Life cycle assessment of clothing libraries: Can collaborative consumption reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion? Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, 1368–1375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.002

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D., & Hekkert, M. (2017). Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 127, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005