How to create sustainable products and promote incremental innovation?
Sustainability is the buzzword that we may be tired of hearing. It’s not a trend anymore, it’s a business imperative and it’s here to stay. We can’t conceive anymore a product without thinking about the impact it will have on the planet. But when we design products, where do we start from to tackle this issue? You may have a 360° vision for your sustainability strategy and yet your products are not truly sustaibale because you want them perfect? And there is too much to achieve to reach perfection, so the task seems unattainable.
Innovation is the road to perfection
You might not get the product perfect right there, but you can make it innovative. What if the road to perfection, luxury and respect for the planet was through innovative design?
As a packaging solution supplier, our vision is centered on innovation and quality. This means that we make well designed and sustainable solutions, with a proactive attitude towards pushing innovation.
“We work every day to develop incremental innovations that, taken together, create a value for our clients. We are in business to propose something better, this is our core value.”
We always look at product and market applications to develop relevant innovations that meet market expectations. We’re not necessarily here to offer a disruptive gesture. It takes time to change habits and sustainability in itself can be challenging for consumers, so we do not want to generate eco-anxiety , and promote complex gestures. We are here to enhance the consumer experience with a premium and luxury feel while making a product as close to perfection as possible when it comes to green credentials.
Materials are a key design element. We select materials that are suitable to the specific product application and market. We also develop our own materials with innovative features. The materials in our portfolio are of course manufacturable at scale and perfect for use in the beauty industry. Our products are recyclable or biodegradable/compostable. And we believe it’s paramount to plan for the end-of-life of the packaging.
We also develop our own new materials with innovative features. These are robust and recyclable or compostable, and they are suitable for use in the beauty industry. We combine traditional premium materials and newer innovative eco-responsible materials. Our parent company Minelli Group is a manufacturer of wood components since 1937 - so we look at trees as an inspiration of our work while preserving them as a precious resource. We have developed mBlack™, a nature-based, cost-effective material that is made using the wood waste generated in large quantity by Minelli as a manufacturing by-product. mBlack™ has a premium look, it is biodegradable, it does not leave microplastics behind after degradation, it does not interfere with the food supply chain, and it is available at industrial scale. Most importantly mBlack™ has a high carbon content, which makes it a good tool for carbon sequestration from the atmosphere in the long term, thus helping to combat climate change!
Teamwork makes light work
When designing new products, we work alongside industry renowned designers, such as Thierry de Baschmakoff, with whom we have developed a luxury, refillable standard range. More on that in a later post. We also work with beauty market experts, material specialists, compound makers, and packaging engineers to ensure excellent results and meaningful innovation. And of course we work closely with beauty brands to develop products that are aligned with their design, quality, and marketing needs. Service is at the core of who we are, and we work hand-in-hand with brands to ensure our innovations will fit right into their product portfolio.
Outside the box
Sustainability can actually drive innovation and lead to new, creative solutions to environmental challenges.
One of the key reasons for this is that sustainability often requires us to think outside the box and come up with new ways of doing things. Sustainability can foster collaboration and partnerships, which can lead to new ideas and innovations. For example, a company that is focused on sustainability may partner with a university or research organization in order to develop new technologies or techniques. This collaboration can bring together different areas of expertise and knowledge, leading to breakthroughs that may not have been possible otherwise.
Overall, while sustainability may require us to change the way we do things, it can also lead to new and innovative solutions. By focusing on sustainability, we can drive innovation and create a better, more sustainable future for all.
