I would watch an unboxing video a 100 more times if it used these materials instead of plastic and virgin cardboard. The year is 2025, we\u2019ve unboxed products for decades at this point, and nothing has changed at all. Apart from packages now being smaller and shipping without chargers (we\u2019re looking at you, Apple), we really haven\u2019t advanced much in terms of designing for end-of-life.<\/p>\n
A product\u2019s package is literally the most single-use item on the planet. Apart from probably retaining the box for fondness\u2019 sake, nobody keeps the packaging for their Switch, iPhone, iPad, drone, or laptop. These boxes are MEANT to be thrown away 90% of the time \u2013 so why are we still using materials NOT made for a single-use mentality? This unique Nintendo Switch packaging from Bj\u00f6rn Van Egroo<\/p>\n
Designer: Bj\u00f6rn Van Egroo<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Born from a 3D rendering material experimentation exercise, Egroo\u2019s Nintendo Switch packaging redesign actually taps into something raw and fundamentally game-changing. You don\u2019t need to mold plastic blister shells inside pristine cardboard boxes wrapped with plastic film\u2026 a product\u2019s packaging can use materials like compressed coconut fiber, recycled paper, and even sugarcane fiber (bagasse) to create packaging that\u2019s bespoke, filled with character, and shock-absorbing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Would something like this work for gadgets? Here\u2019s the reality check \u2013 yes and no. Yes, it could for a lot of gadgets. But also, no, it couldn\u2019t because the supply chain is way too set in its ways to hard-pivot to an experimental set of materials for millions and millions of gadgets shipped worldwide. This particular concept also has a mild risk of water seepage through the coco fiber, but nothing that can\u2019t be fixed with a little redesign.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I cringe as I have to cut through plastic blister packs every time I order a mouse, or a set of batteries, or a charging cable. Similarly, receiving an almost perfect-looking cardboard box with a Bluetooth speaker inside, only to then throw the box out immediately after unboxing my product, feels just as wasteful. Egroo\u2019s simple material exploration presents a shift that I would HAPPILY endorse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve got no shortage of recycled and recyclable materials. A simple Google search will tell you that 9 billion coconut husks are discarded annually. Sugarcane pulp, a byproduct of sugar production, is discarded by a factor of 700 million tonnes per year. Paper waste goes into millions of tonnes too. ALL these can easily be rerouted into packaging products instead. Maybe not immediately for tech products (although there are companies using molded pulp instead of styrofoam), but hey\u2026 if molded pulp trays are good for eggs (which are way more fragile than your average tech product), then why not for gadgets?<\/p>\n
The post Product Packaging still sucks\u2026 but this Nintendo Switch biodegradable box presents a radical new path<\/a> first appeared on Yanko Design<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I would watch an unboxing video a 100 more times if it used these materials instead of plastic and virgin cardboard. The year is 2025, we\u2019ve unboxed products for decades at this point, and nothing … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n