OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Research into Sustainable Packaging

The designer, Praewarin Bussayajirapong, provided this rationale:

‘Khaohom’ which in Thai, meaning fragrant rice. This project was actually inspired by my home country and the produce we do. Today’s rice packaging are designed only for the convenience of the consumers, or designed to look ‘nice’. If we look through the rice aisle, Plastic is everywhere, it’s cheap to produce, easy to find but it stays with us forever, which means it takes over 100+ years to decompose. Using the traditional practices in Thailand, I searched on some facts and that some bamboos are actually used to cook certain food back in the days. I applied that idea to create a sticky rice packaging that can be reused to cook and store straight in the rice cooker. This type of bamboo also keeps in heat to ensure the sticky rice is served warm for the whole entire day. Now consumers do not need to worry about cooking sticky rice anymore, using this bamboo packaging always cook the perfect sticky rice anywhere and anytime. It is designed to fit in any regular sized rice cookers.

I really like this concept of having the package to cook and serve the food in. And her rationale for using less plastic really resonates with my essays findings so far. The use of bamboo means that even if the package was thrown away after use it would mean that it would biodegrade, unlike its plastic alternative. The design itself also represents a minimal and clean aesthetic suggesting it is healthy for you and for the planet.

When Marko was designing the packaging, he states the driving force behind the idea was to create a disposable food bowl with minimum environmental impact and to teach wide society about new biodegradable materials in a fun way. We believe he has succeed and we hope this becomes a trend and we will actually see it used in the future!

This packaging though looking simple has a great concept. Seeds are hidden underneath the label so that it can be used to plant when you are finished with the meal. Meaning that this packaging has a life after it has been used for its purpose.

Student Ben Huttly show off his care to the environment through his design project, a biodegradable and recyclable packaging design that uses natural cotton twine in keeping the product and label together. On the other hand, the label is made of biodegradable paper with seed embedded on it. In this way, consumers can not only enjoy the freshness of the products but also plant one on their backyards.

This idea of plantable paper is one that I feel is very useful. It means that even if the packaging was thrown into the landfill it would biodegrade and sprout plants. I get an image of landfills full of greenery. This packaging also relates to my findings within the essay as it doesn't use any unnecessary bags or plastic, just a simple string to tie the product together.