The brief for this project was to ‘investigate design issues particular to the future of sustainable design.’ We were tasked with taking a big issue facing contemporary society and then to create a long term design strategy to combat the problem.
Beauty packaging creates a lot of waste. Some estimates say personal care and beauty products account for a third of all landfill waste.
Consumers are slowly becoming more aware of the ethical, environmental, and health impacts of their purchases. There are market trends to back this up. We segmented audiences based on their attitudes and behaviours towards sustainability. The group we chose to focus on care about the environment but lack follow through. They are driven by social trends. Cosmetic purchases are often motivated by social conformity and brand loyalty. These actions are backed by extrinsic values. Based on the principals of the Common Cause Handbook, to influence this group and create long term change we must nurture intrinsic values including community.
To be able to design effectively for the short term it is important to know what the desired overall outcome is. For this, we created a theory of change with multiple steps. Our vision is for all packaging in this industry to be part of a closed loop system. Our solution has two parts, harnessing consumer power to create industry change and educating consumers on how to dispose of packaging correctly.
Our theory of change works to empower consumers to make educated choices about the products they purchase. Every purchase is a vote for the values they believe in. It begins with a campaign to create awareness about the issue and to cause a desire for action. We will then create an app to equip consumers with the tools to make informed decisions, dispose of packaging correctly, put pressure on companies and become activists for change.
Within our app, we have created a rating system based on existing global accreditations that consumers know and trust to build legitimacy through the app. There will be five sections in which companies will be assessed. Users can filter with these values when searching with the app to find products that fit their values.
The app will also enable feedback loops for consumers to voice feelings about companies’ values. Users are encouraged to pledge their support to companies that are doing well and call out those who aren’t. They can copy a template from the app to share on social media. This will combine the force of consumer power so that companies begin to take notice. These steps have the potential to lead to legislative and industry change.
