Alternative shoe box
2020 / Packaging design
The shoe industry has taken a big turn in the past years. With increasing environmental consciousness, more and more brands aim to produce more sustainable products. However, many aspects are still overlooked. In fact, to sell sustainable shoes, one must rethink the entire process; from sourcing until delivery… including packaging.
This solution was entirely made of recycled hemp pulp. Hemp being an amazing material and has many benefits compared to traditional tree-based paper; it grows much faster, requires less water to grow and to be processed. it can be more often and due to its natural toxins it doe not need any or reused infinitely. There comes a time where the wood fiber become too short to produce qualitative paper. Here, on the remaining damaged pulp is used for final purpose before being composted.
Transparency gave the tone to both material and shape but in an unconventional way. Without using translucent material, the shape of this alternative shoe box makes to everyone clear what it contains. This product was designed to trigger a new consumer experience with an item that usually ends up within minutes in the trash. Instate, the user can simply tear appart the product and place it in soil as it will decompose shortly after without any damage on the environment.
With socio-environmental consciousness in mind, this project aimed to rethink and redesign the standardised shoe “box” – focusing on both materials and shape:
- Using, less valuable, end-of-life materials
- Adapting the shape to reduce unnecessary material and avoid empty space
