The Brief: Packaging Sustainability Transformation
This pet-tech brand specialises in smart feeding solutions and microchip-enabled cat flaps, each supported by a vibrant range of interchangeable accessories. Redesign the full packaging ecosystem across all product lines to eliminate plastic entirely and move to materials that are 100% recyclable at home. The new packaging needed to communicate sustainability with clarity and integrity, while still upholding a high-end, design-led brand presence that feels intelligent, modern, and premium.
The previous packaging range relied heavily on plastics, particularly within the accessories lines, where blister packs were common. While this served its purpose in traditional retail environments, the shift toward online purchasing signalled the need for a complete strategic overhaul.
Working closely with the packaging designer, we re-engineered the range to eliminate all plastics. We doubled the quality of products for some lines and maintained the same shipping footprint, reducing both carbon impact and logistics costs. Every detail was elevated with intention, ensuring the new packaging not only met modern sustainability standards but also delivered a refined unboxing experience.
How do you make cardboard
feel fancy?
Well, to enhance the unboxing experience while maintaining that high-end look, I explored many options and landed on having the side panels of the packaging feature hand-drawn illustrations that bring character and visual interest without overwhelming the design. By using subtle line work, limited colour palettes, the illustrations elevate the visual appeal and reinforcing a sense of craftsmanship whist keeping production costs down. This approach balanced creativity with sophistication, ensuring the packaging felt thoughtfully designed, premium, and uniquely brand-driven, even while embracing the brown fully recyclable material.
All accessory product packaging were redesigned in their from to be brown kraft card , ensuring every pack could easily be broken down flat for easy household recycling. The internal perforation even echoed the product shape to really hone in on the details and give it that extra special feel. The artwork was designed using a limited colour palette to reduce production costs. With 17 different bow accessory SKUs alone - using a large block illustration on the front worked nicely to easily distinguish between each different colourways and product too.
Beyond meeting sustainability goals, the main product lines also needed to be designed for seamless global expansion. Each product required localisation across 20 countries, with regulatory compliance tailored to each market, all while preserving visual clarity and brand consistency. Balancing design integrity with functional demands was a constant challenge, as the product team set exceptionally high requirements.
To optimize production efficiency, cutlines were kept as they had been, and the hand-illustration style was extended across the core product’s artwork too. This created a cohesive, scalable, and recognisably elevated packaging range.
This ambitious initiative resulted in 53 completely redesigned packaging artworks brought into full production and delivered over $100K in savings through sustainable material and process optimization. The launch not only received exceptional feedback from retail customers, but also earned a 2024 sustainability award from a major retail partner, cementing the brand’s leadership in responsible innovation.
