MELANIE WIESENTHAL ON SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable design and profitability are not mutually exclusive ambitions. The road to a better bottom line and a healthier planet does, however, require we innovators to be mindful of small details that make a huge difference.
Melanie Wiesenthal, a creative director at Victoria’s Secret Beauty and adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, recently enlarged our understanding of what works, what’s hype and what’s coming in the greener packaging design world.
Melanie encouraged us to source PCR [post-consumer recycled] materials, use soy inks, beware toxic glues and simplify packaging to reduce carbon footprints across the entire supply chain. She also shared some of her favorite sustainable packaging samples, including a stylish boxed wine and re-useable lipstick holders.
A sought-after speaker at sustainability conferences around the world, Melanie’s enthusiasm for beautiful design that serves consumers, CFOs and ecosystems alike was positively contagious. We’re doing our at-home recycling with renewed zeal, armed with the knowledge that cardboard cartons with plastic windows do not take kindly to the green bin!