Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal

18 Jul 2008 Category: Conscientious Design, Japan

Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal

Tofu packed into balloons, by Kamakura-komachi?! Surprisingly a great example for reduced packaging: Its elastic material is extensively stretched, and when pierced with a toothpick, the balloon bursts and only a tiny bit remains. How amazing! REDUCE with more flexibility! The same packaging concept is also applied to a pudding – to be seen here.

Japanese packaging design is famous for being elaborate and rich with splendour. Yes, yes, we all appreciate that. But beloved reader, before you’re about to lose it again over the thought of wasting material, exhale! In Japan, we do indeed care about sustainable packaging! Going eco has become the recent buzz word and companies are using this oh-so-trendy eco-friendliness as a competitive advantage. On the flip-side, PingMag brings you examples that are inspired by ease-of-use, nostalgia and playfulness, rather than by explicit eco-consciousness. In particular, those that have the unique combination of Japanese design with eco-friendly packaging. And we will show you why. PingMag writes down a totally wholehearted journal of some thoughts.

Written by Bianca Beuttel

7:28 a.m. I wake up to the sound of… RECYCLING!

“Chink-chink” and “clang!” – outside the neighbours are tossing glass bottles into the boxes put there early this morning. I jump up: It’s recyclables collection day! If I miss this opportunity, I‘ll have to wait a fortnight with the garbage piling up in the kitchen.

Yes, I’ve diligently washed the milk cartons like these pictures advise. Who could rebel against such cute instructions?

8:35 a.m. Services that facilitate REUSE.

The fabulous ‘Health Support Water’ bottle and its refill station at Tsuruha drugstore. Supermarkets like Peacock and Precce offer similar services.

While drinking water after running, I remember my today’s task of pondering on packaging and environmental issues. One example is staring right at me: The 2-litre PET bottle of “Health Support Water” is refillable for free. This filtered water is promoted as a more delicious and healthy option for tea and food preparation. Admittedly, the design is not as fancy as our previously introduced PET bottles, but beauty lies in the system’s simplicity: Once you have purchased the bottle — around ¥500 Yen — you can refill it again and again for free.

10:07 a.m. Renewable and biodegradable materials.

Packaging design suggestions for a board material made from ‘Terramac’ resin by the manufacturer Unitika using a bio-polymer developed by Nature Works. On the upper right, see the fibrillar structure of this sturdy material.

To get started, I browse my material: Last December, I saw the packaging section at the Eco Products Fair 2007 biopolymers – plastics made from plants not from fossil fuel – were widely promoted. (By the way, remember our feature on all sorts of those techy materials.) Terramac, for example, covers a huge range from film to resin. It is currently made from corn, but they state that research is also pursued on using agricultural residues like wheat or rice straw.

Since it has become apparent that plants grown for agro-diesel compete for acreage with the food crop, it is important to avoid the same mistake when looking for alternative packaging. A technique once promoted as an eco-friendly solution turns out to be even worse… Gee! How can we make a sustainable choice?

12:32 p.m. Turn plastic to paper!

Duh, just a snack (and not one of the healthiest ones.) But look closely: Nissin’s Cup Noodles are no longer in a plastic cup, but now made to eat out of paper!

Time for a quick snack! With just a mundane Cup Noodles? By no means! After 37 years of sale, Nissin’s Cup Noodles are now in paper cups! After the refill-version we reported on earlier, the regular polystyrene containers have been replaced by paper. But, not no ordinary one: It feels as soft and heat-insulating as the polystyrene, but the close-up shows that the texture is different. Good job!

1:11 p.m. The emotionalised ‘Eco Bag.’

Back to work… I skim some newsletters of ‘Japan for Sustainability,’ et voila: More Shops Stop Offering Free Plastic Bags - More People Bring Their Own Shopping Bags is a post. Cleverly, simple tote bags turn into hip ‘Eco Bags’ that are made to express your individual style and attitude — a Japanese approach to promote the eco thing.

Spread the message: ‘Mottainai’ means “It is a pity to waste it!”

Since the Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner of 2004, Wangari Maathai, learned the Mottainai term during a stint in Japan, so she spread the word on a global basis, making it now popular in Japan.

If you can’t find a suitable one, try MUJI. Since April of 2006, all Japanese stores offer stamps to *emotionalise* tote bags with a personal message. More of their My Bags over here.

The pheromone tote bag made of used nobori shop banners!

However, my favourite tote bag is as unique: The artist group pheromone recycle ‘nobori’ shop banners — learn more about those here — and make all kinds of stuff, from tents to bikinis, out of them. Note that though these banners are just used for short-term advertisements, their material is pretty durable. And too good to throw away!

As another motivation strategy to encourage the use of ‘Eco Bags,’ some retailers offer bonuses: Seiyu supermarkets immediately deducts ¥2 from the total sum of the purchase; Peacock rewards you with a stamp every time you use a ‘My Bag.’ When the card is completed, your reward will be a chic pack of white garbage bags, for example. Let’s practice an eco-friendly habit then!

3:48 p.m. Go beyond visualisation.

The doorbell rings… sorry for the interruption! Someone tried to sell me a newspaper subscription. Newspaper?! Surely, reusing old newspaper as packaging is environmental friendly. But besides that, its modesty conveys a no-frills atmosphere which suits rural farming products, like these organic potatoes…

Basket with organically grown potatoes from Hokkaido, sold at the restaurant-gallery artdish during an exhibition about organic farming.

…and these soba (buckwheat) noodles.

Food souvenir from Nagano prefecture by Ganko Oyaji with charming simplicity: Cord and label put the final touch to this package of soba noodles wrapped in plain newspaper.

Both radiate (although wrapped in plain newspaper) the characteristic Japanese eye for detail: The basket is intuitively folded from a double-page, the hand-written soba label, turned by 45 degrees creates an attractive contrast. But the usual sealed bags are still inside the soba package. Well, at least the newspaper created a mood of rustic unpretentiousness.

8:45 p.m. Structures from outer space.

During a party conversation, I mention my search for ways to reduce packaging and a friend remarks, “You hold one in your hand.” – “A chu-hi aluminium can?” – “Look at the structure! Its concave-convex pattern allows material reduction without loss of stability.” Oh my god, the technology originated from aerospace research conducted by NASA. Cool. “Oh, really,” somebody else comments, “I thought it is because it appeals to the tactile senses. And it’s also a non-slip grip design.” – No doubt, the principle behind it is worth being considered for further applications.

High tech by Kirin’s Hyouketsu cocktail range. Due to equalisation of pressure, the structure becomes more distinct when the can is opened. Spacy!

Apart from Kirin’s canned coffee Fire, structured cans seem to be characteristic for Chu-hi cocktails. Other examples are Kirin’s Honshibori (left) and Takara’s Jikashibori(detail on the right.) Takara’s Highball has a texture as well.

11:27 p.m. Reduce material by redirecting perception.

Within five to fifteen minutes the herbs in the tea bag will turn the natural water into the so-called ‘herb water,’ bought at Natural Lawson.

On the way home, thirst forces me to stop by a convenient store. A water bottle attracts my attention: At first glance, I think the neck hanger is one of these common advertising gimmicks. However the herbal tea bag is an actual part of the product and meant to change the natural water into some kind of herb water. There’s no annoyance in this ‘do-it-yourself-processing ’ . You can enjoy the gradual change of colour and witness its natural purity, since there are only two unadulterated elements. No additives contained!
As my attention was drawn to the hanger, only later I realise that there is no shrink film around the PET bottle, only the paper label around its neck. How clever!

11:58 p.m. Treasure the natural packaging.

What could be in this box that so reminds me of German egg cartons…?

A pleasant surprise from my sweetie awaits me at home. ”Haven’t you been looking for ideas to reduce packaging? This might be interesting,” he says and gives me a little present. Yummy!

Pudding in real eggshells! By cocoro no akari.

Indeed! Eggshells, which is the natural packaging of the ingredients has been reused as a mould for the final product–pudding. Its delicate nature is perfectly conveyed by the fragile eggshells.

12.26 a.m. Not quite a conclusion.

As we already mentioned in the intro: A surprise, a change of perception, a funny detail, in this playful manner lies the power to convince people of packaging solutions that might alter the usual comfort and convenience. There is a lot to be improved upon, but the eco topic is way too serious, making it a task we will soon rebel against!

One quality of Japanese design is its ability to reconcile the contradictions – recall the concept of complex simpleness introduced here before concerning Japanese Packaging Design: Eco is just the next task to prove the ability of achieving appealing packaging with a reduced use of material. Have a good night!

36 Comments

  1. Great article, thanks. I really dig the japanese packaging style, but good to see it getting with the times.

    Posted by: Joel on July 18th, 2008 at 7:25 pm

  2. Packing is beautiful but I’m always impressed (in a bad way) by the over-packed stuff in Japan. I’m glad to see eco-initiatives here!

    Posted by: nyuudo on July 18th, 2008 at 7:55 pm

  3. It’s really cool to observe such passion in both trying to stay low on env. impact and to push the everyday packaging design, for it to become the art itself

    very nice article, cheers!

    Posted by: Horniasty on July 18th, 2008 at 9:44 pm

  4. Cooool, I love the packaging from Japan. Always use full, alwys nice looking.

    Posted by: mee on July 18th, 2008 at 11:27 pm

  5. I’ve seen the “herb water” at natural lawson, I took a few snaps myself, great idea!

    Newspaper is surprisingly versatile as well.

    Posted by: Andrei Sarusi on July 19th, 2008 at 12:09 am

  6. [...] Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal (PingMag) [...]

    Posted by: Beautiful and non-wasteful packaging from Japan | MashTopic on July 19th, 2008 at 1:54 am

  7. [...] Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal (PingMag) [...]

    Posted by: Beautiful and non-wasteful packaging from Japan on July 19th, 2008 at 2:31 am

  8. [...] It’s not necessary to be as wasteful as we have been with packaging, and this article in PingMag has some really innovative ideas. My favorite are the textured aluminum cans that use less metal.  Link [...]

    Posted by: Gillico » Design Blog Archive » Japanese Packaging Rethink on July 19th, 2008 at 2:58 am

  9. [...] via PingMag  [...]

    Posted by: Tofus singelos | Blog Tofu Studio on July 19th, 2008 at 4:45 am

  10. Haha, this trend for eco things is very much the same in the U.K.

    Posted by: Badger on July 19th, 2008 at 5:27 am

  11. Geez, it must be the same all over the world…! I love nature, but eco-stuff is way too ideological for me. :P

    Posted by: Aroldo on July 19th, 2008 at 6:28 am

  12. [...] Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal (PingMag) [...]

    Posted by: News » Beautiful and non-wasteful packaging from Japan on July 19th, 2008 at 10:02 am

  13. Even if you ignore whatever materials used to create packaging (synthetic or natural), we still have to face the fact that unless it can be recycled, it will end up in landfill. The UK is running out of such sites, I would imagine that Japan had even less space.

    Posted by: MiNGLED on July 19th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

  14. very nice

    Posted by: gaoyuan on July 19th, 2008 at 9:11 pm

  15. The tofu balloon packaging seems good, if i can be made from natural rubber from sustained forest, nd if the clips the close the balloons can be collect and sent back to the manufacturer for reuse. but when i checked the website i see the balloons come in a pack of 4 covered in a plastic box - so in my mind it fails. what’s the point in eco packing covered in plastic!

    Posted by: graham on July 19th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

  16. excellent examples!

    Posted by: may on July 19th, 2008 at 11:40 pm

  17. [...] Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal (PingMag) lean, thoughtsPopularity: unranked [?]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “No waste packaging”, url: “http://learnsigma.com/waste-packaging/” }); [...]

    Posted by: No waste packaging | learnsigma on July 20th, 2008 at 1:43 am

  18. [...] is featuring a nifty little post about clever japanese packaging [...]

    Posted by: Weekend link-dump « the qubikal on July 20th, 2008 at 6:30 am

  19. [...] is featuring a nifty little post about clever japanese packaging [...]

    Posted by: Weekend link-dump « the qubikal on July 20th, 2008 at 6:30 am

  20. Wow. That’s pretty creative. Nice way to go eco.

    Posted by: Jill on July 20th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

  21. The Japanese are so creative with packaging their products. :)

    Posted by: Kym on July 20th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

  22. [...] Door de behoefte voor een ‘groenere’ wereld (en de commerciële belangen daarbij) moeten ontwerpers milieuvriendelijke oplossingen bedenken. PingMag heeft omtrent de ontwerpen van diverse milieubewuste verpakkingen een interessant artikel geschreven. [...]

    Posted by: Johnny Holland » Milieubewust verpakken on July 21st, 2008 at 3:33 pm

  23. We could certainly use some of this ingenuity over here in Spain as even the most basic items are tripple-wrapped in ridiculous amounts of cellophane etc. These are some great ideas!

    Posted by: Architects on July 21st, 2008 at 8:24 pm

  24. Darn shitty stuff here in North America, I rather be living in Asia

    Posted by: JoeAvg on July 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm

  25. i love this article…

    i’ve been planning on making my own eco-bags but work takes up all of my time to accomplish it.

    your article is very inspiring

    Posted by: rich on July 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 pm

  26. how swell is this material?

    Posted by: Sidney Hewitt on July 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 am

  27. [...] packaging design is famous for being elaborate and rich with splendour. PingMag took a close journal of some thoughts inspired by ease-of-use. In particular, those that have the [...]

    Posted by: A close look to the environmental-friendly packing | Cool Design Concept + Ideas on July 23rd, 2008 at 12:16 pm

  28. [...] about Ink Considerations and Working with Printers, provide excellent introductions. . . . Japanese Packaging Reduction Design - Very clever PingMag article with great pictures and stories. Features include Nissin’s Cup [...]

    Posted by: Green Links - 7/20/08 | Melodies in Marketing on August 10th, 2008 at 2:07 am

  29. wow, i’ts art. I don’t want to open the product and destroy the packaging.

    Posted by: lee on August 16th, 2008 at 11:48 pm

  30. [...] is why this caught my eye.  Apparently, some folks over in Japan have figured out how to use balloons as packaging.  For tofu, no less. (Click on the link to see a [...]

    Posted by: Blogs » Blog Archive » GREEN: I’ll take that in a balloon, please. :: PostStar.com on September 5th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

  31. [...] SEE THE REST OF THIS STORY HERE. [...]

    Posted by: » JAPAN design community thinking GREEN on September 6th, 2008 at 3:51 am

  32. [...] See more on PingMag [...]

    Posted by: Japanese Reduced Packaging Design on September 17th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

  33. [...] Reduced packaging Published September 19, 2008 food Tofu packed into balloons, a great example for reduced packaging. Its elastic material is extensively stretched, and when pierced with a toothpick, the balloon bursts and only a tiny bit remains. Via PingMag [...]

    Posted by: Reduced packaging « on September 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm

  34. [...] PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Japanese Desig… nifty (tags: art article blog conservation culture environment design food japan packaging green) [...]

    Posted by: The PHA : links for 2008-07-22 on September 20th, 2008 at 8:19 am

  35. The first picture looks like something very illegal you ofter hear of at airports.

    Packing in newspaper isn’t that new you get it with fish and chips.

    But I realy love those cans designs. I wish I could get one.

    Posted by: Chung Dha on September 20th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

  36. great packaginng from japan. One day may be i would to apply the style of japanes packaging to our product in malaysia. Now i doing my research on packaging for malaysian junk food. May be somebody can give me an example please

    Posted by: ijah on December 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 am

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