Over a decade ago, packaging technologist Iain Blair and graphic designer Grant Davies joined forces to found Birdstone Collective. Today, this award-winning packaging design studio is guiding brands to develop a robust sustainability strategy and packaging that supports it.
By blending creative design with a comprehensive knowledge of packaging technology, Birdstone offers brand design, structural design, material expertise and sustainability strategy to deliver optimised packaging solutions for its clients.
The team’s experience with sustainability compliance began in the early 1990s working on Germany’s Green Dot initiative. More recently, the voluntary application of the Australian 2025 National Packaging Targets for major Australian brands has been a focus.
The legislative announcement in June by the Australian government (see page 12) will mandate packaging sustainability compliance for Australian brand owners and manufactures.
Sustainability can be a daunting prospect for many brand owners, but Birdstone has developed a comprehensive and flexible approach to successfully navigating this complex challenge.
Sustainable Packaging Design
The role of design is often overlooked when developing sustainable packaging, but Birdstone has proven that effective packaging design can be deployed to achieve sustainable outcomes and consumer approval.
Design director, Grant Davies, explains, “We begin with establishing an over-arching Packaging Sustainability Strategy based on the supply chain of the client and an audit of their exiting packaging. This allows us to align the Design Strategy of the project to the realities of their situation.
“As a result, our packaging concepts will include not only traditional design elements such as brand and graphics, but also supply chain optimisation, material exploration and consumer engagement ideas.”
During the NPD process, Birdstone utilises APCO’s PREP tool on behalf of clients to establish the sustainability compliance of proposed packaging concepts. This ensures that by the time concepts have been finalised, they have already been measured from a sustainability perspective.
Innovation director, Iain Blair, says, “Given the commitment required to bring a new product to market, it is imperative that they are future-proofed from a sustainability perspective. By embracing tools, such as APCO principles, as part of the design process and supporting our clients to administer their packaging portfolios, we make sure that their investment is well made.
“We also work closely with packaging suppliers to ensure that their capabilities match the sustainability targets of our clients, providing them with guidelines and compliance documentation.”
Davies concurs, saying, “The impending legislation will affect all stakeholders within a brand – from marketing, operations, procurement to supply chain. Our design process provides the means to bring those stakeholders together and achieve outcomes that are not only sustainable， but also maximise brand engagement, improve efficiency and minimise cost.”
Birdstone has expanded its base to include a UK office to ensure the company remains up to date with European trends, technologies and legislation.
Blair adds, “One of the benefits of having a base in the UK is visibility of the effects of strategies and legislation that is ahead of the Australian market. The plastics packaging tax in the UK is a great example of how brand owners are being encouraged to meet the packaging targets， and the impact it is having on their packaging design.”
There’s little doubt that sustainability will remain the biggest challenge for packaging design moving forward, and for businesses who may need assistance in this area, companies like Birdstone can be a valuable partner to deliver a strategic, sustainable portfolio.
This article was first published in the July-August 2023 print issue of PKN Packaging News, p16.
